Dr. Robotnik's Ring Racers Version 2.4 Release Candidate 6

Kart Krew Dev — Mon 13 October 2025

Dr. Robotnik’s Ring Racers version 2.4 is just on the horizon!

This is a Release Candidate version; the design and features are mostly final, but since there are a lot of changes in this release, we’re making it available in a pending state to check for technical issues and critical bugs.

If you’d like to try out the newest features and fixes, and don’t mind running into potential bugs, please give this version a try; let us know if you run into trouble via GitLab or on Discord.

We want to thank all the dedicated players in our Discord server who have helped rigorously test these pre-release versions and provided valuable feedback so far, and to our community contributors who’ve helped fix issues reported by them. This testing period was an incredible success, and the game is all the better for it.

If you’re just arriving, please read the previous release candidate notes first! This page won’t list any changes made in prior RC versions.

• RC1 patch notes
• RC2 patch notes
• RC3 patch notes
• RC4 patch notes
• RC5 patch notes

Download links

WARNING!

This is a Release Candidate build. You may encounter bugs, lose progress, or otherwise have weird stuff happen to you.

We recommend installing to a new location and backing up your save files (ringdata.dat, ringprofiles.prf, ringconfig.cfg). Installations upgraded to 2.4 cannot be reverted to 2.3; you MUST back up your data to do this.

BACK UP YOUR EXISTING INSTALLATION, OR YOU COULD IRREVERSIBLY LOSE EVERYTHING!

• Windows
• macOS
• Flatpak org.kartkrew.RingRacers is available under the Flathub Beta channel only for non-stable releases.
• GitHub Release Page

NOTE: There are still more fixes coming! However, we’ve already made enough changes that we’d like to battle-test the latest stuff while we work.

Core Gameplay

• Adjusted the boost received when spending Rings from a pending Ring payout. The resulting boost will decay much quicker, but reach a much higher peak speed.
  • New sounds and effects have been added when boosting from payout.
  • Earlier revisions of 2.4 added this ability, which was useful in a pinch but usually worse for overtaking—which was an unfortunate trap for players used to taping down their Ring button! This levels the uses a bit more; while letting a payout spend naturally will produce more total power, you can use on-demand speed to shake a pursuer or aim for a Sonic Boom.
• In Race gametypes, crossing the starting line quickly will award a small boost, even if you miss First Blood. You’ll also see the timing of your startline cross; adjust your strategy for next time!
• First Blood no longer has “port priority”. Players who cross on the same tic will both receive the same rewards.
• You can no longer travel over (most) Tripwires. Players who don’t meet the requirements will be knocked away, even if they’re visually above the line.
  • This doesn’t apply to some courses, where signposted and appropriate. Mappers can use the “Infinite Midtexture Height” flag (Flag 17) to toggle this.
  • To avoid exploits, more and more courses have needed distracting “Tripwire walls” or aggressive geometry changes. This lets us keep courses readable while keeping cuts honest; many of the offending “walls” can now be removed.

Items

• Reduced the prevalence of short Item Roulettes containing mostly Super Ring (bugfix).
  • We try not to give players attack items when they’re too far from other players to use them, but this system was too sensitive in many situations, and often removed strong attacking items with secondary usage effects.
• A Jawz deployed behind you is significantly faster when it gets moving, and even adapts to your speed if you had been speeding beyond a threshold.
  • This was always meant to be the intended behavior, a trailing hitbox to ward off opponents! With Snatching added in for good measure, this defensive option’s kind of come full circle, huh?
• Toxomister triggers Overdrive when draining you to 0 (bugfix).
• Toxomister now pays out fewer Amps.
  • Toxomister can affect more players than any leader item, which gave it disproportionate game-winning rewards if you were able to trap a large group.
• Stone Shoe’s chain has been moderately shortened.
  • Driving around a Stone Shoe is tricky; the chained player has every incentive to steer into the nearest wall and cut you off. A shorter chain makes it easier to decisively pass, even on corners.
• When using Bubble Shield, making wall contact after a bubblebounce will stumble you and drop you out of the air.
  • This is mostly intended to prevent some strange infinite-speed situations when bubblebouncing into walltransfer setpieces.
• Significantly increased the range at which the Self-Propelled Bomb enters “chase” mode.
  • This should give it more time to decelerate when quickly hurtling towards the leader, reducing unreasonable hits.

Interface

• Subsonic + Sonic Boom sound effects no longer play when under the effect of Invincibility or Grow.
• Sonic Boom no longer appears while in lightsnake.
• Fixed a bug that could cause Subsonic visuals to tint red, as if you were too close to the leader, when actually at a normal distance.
• EXP collection sounds now only play for local players.
• Bottom-of-screen “CHECK” warnings appear for players who are significantly farther away.
  • Ring Racers is a fast game! Advance warning can help you plan for defending a slingshot overtake.
• When a player is charging Insta-Whip, their “CHECK” warning will flash white and black. If they’re tethering you, their tether will glow white.
  • Confident players lean on slingshot Whip as a high-reward way to pass. Don’t get caught off guard!
• When playing with Frantic Items, your EXP total will be shown next to a purple crystal.
  • EXP is significantly dampened in Frantic games; this is a quick reminder that you’re using Frantic odds.
• Added a new Button Display profile for the 8BitDo M30 (original).

Misc Fixes

• Fixed an oversight preventing leading players from waterskiing.
• Fixed players receiving unusual EXP values on the final checkpoint.
  • This would often be unusually high, but could sometimes be zero if you were prevented from finishing.

Course Changes

• Adjusted checkpoints/finish line areas to adhere to mapping standards in Panic City, Green Hills, Autumn Ring, Roasted Ruins, Bronze Lake and Hydrocity.
• Updated various waypoints to adhere to mapping standards in Test Track, Robotnik Coaster, Northern District, Panic City, Sonic Speedway, Green Hills, Angel Island, Obsidian Oasis, Bronze Lake, Sub-Zero Peak, Frozen Production, Hydrocity, Diamond Dust, Blue Mountain 2, Lost Colony, Avant Garden, Bigtime Breakdown, Ice Paradise, Fae Falls, Crispy Canyon, Espresso Lane, Vermilion Vessel, Dragonspire Sewer 2, Coastal Temple, Ramp Park, Advent Angel, Hot Crater, Barren Badlands and Route 1980.
• Fixed Minimap offset issues for Haunted Ship and Abyss Garden.
• Updated block player and respawn player setups for Gigapolis, Star Light, Blue Mountain 2, Sunset Hill, Bigtime Breakdown, Turquoise Hill, Ice Paradise, Sunsplashed Getaway, Aerial Highlands, Crispy Canyon, Melty Manor, Haunted Ship, Robotnik Winter, Dragonspire Sewer 1, Blizzard Peaks, Dragonspire Sewer 2, Hot Crater, and Blizzard Peaks Classic.
• The last Item Boxes are now permanent Ring Boxes on Lucid Pass, Hydrocity, Aurora Atoll and Monkey Mall.

• Sunbeam Paradise, Rings - Fixed an issue where the incorrect button combination was being used for dialogue relating to Ring Shooter.
• Test Run
  • Added section for newly added Infinite Midtexture Height Flag.
  • Now is counted as a Section Race for testing purposes.
• Robotnik Coaster - The second shortcut is now disabled on the final lap, and some of the surrounding geometry has been adjusted.
• Green Hills - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits) - #144
• Autumn Ring - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent stuck players/lost progress).
• Cadillac Cascade
  • Added additional one-way respawn lines to prevent unintended backtracking.
  • Adjusted and removed some Item Capsules.
• Obsidian Oasis
  • Removed stray Bubble/Flame Shield capsules.
  • Decreased size of the Dash Ring inside of the lilypad shortcut to 1.2x to prevent bypassing the tripwire.
  • Flattened out the sector heights and extended the road edges near the waterski section after the first checkpoint to prevent players from bonking the edge of the sector and falling. #26
  • Respawn line near the southern portion of the map has been pushed down to make it less likely for players to accidentally respawn themselves if they try to aim for the dash ring.
  • Extended first checkpoint linedef before the waterski section to the edge of the map and added further respawn lines to prevent the player from missing it.
• Regal Ruin
  • Replaced the Garden Top capsule.
  • Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits).
• Gigapolis
  • Added extra Dash Rings to the first Tripwire cut to prevent any mistakes missing it.
  • Refurbished the tilting bridge and split path sections.
• Collision Chaos
  • Fixed a Ring Capsule being at an unintended height.
  • Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent stuck players/lost progress).
• Joypolis
  • Reduced the amount of sneakers in the trick balloon shortcut’s capsules from 2 to 1.
  • Invisible wall has been added to the edge of the wall transfer shortcut to prevent it from being taken with air failsafe.
• Launch Base - Fixed an issue with death pit FOFs not being marked correctly.
• Endless Mine 1 - Adjusted checkpoints/finish lines.
• City Escape - Fixed a development texture being visible.
• Palmtree Panic - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent stuck players/lost progress).
• Scarlet Gardens
  • Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent stuck players/lost progress).
  • Adjusted checkpoints/finish lines.
• Star Light
  • Switched Sneaker capsules for Super Ring capsules on the last shortcut.
• Frozen Production - Reverted final shortcut nerfs due to system changes.
• Aqueduct Crystal - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent stuck players/lost progress).
• Trap Tower - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits) - #144
• Blue Mountain 2 - Fixed various midtexture issues, and some obstacle consistency issues.
• Speed Highway
  • Extended Checkpoint linedef in the helipad section to the right side of the map to prevent players from missing it.
  • Replaced Banana capsule before the tunnel with 5x Ballhog.
  • Removed erroneously-placed aerial Landmine capsule.
• Sky Sanctuary - Added more death planes near start to prevent lost progress, Fixed erronous midtextures and increased power of dash rings extiting 2nd shortcut.
• Skyscraper Leaps
  • Added textured fencing to various portions of the map.
  • Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits) - #144
• Zoned City - The spiral turn with offroad near the beginning of the circuit has Tripwire on the first few parts of the turn.
• Dimension Disaster
  • Resolved sector draw error - #289
  • Resolved an issue where the water wasn’t animated correctly - #297
• Daytona Speedway
  • Removed stray Bubble Shield capsule.
  • Added 45-degree linedef near the edge of the first spiral to prevent people from getting caught on the corner and to allow for smoother wall transfers.
• Weiss Waterway - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits) - #144
• Hanagumi Hall - Fixed incorrect number of Ballhogs in an Item Capsule.
• Aerial Badlands - Fixed a small visual issue with decoration.
• Operator’s Overspace - Replaced and reduced some Item Capsules.
• Espresso Lane - Removed the Invincible Capsule.
• Cyan Belltower - Fixed an issue with a waypoint’s properties and height being setup incorrectly.
• Blizzard Peaks - Actually nerfed the Green Trees this time, and added respawn lines for the opening shortcuts for players that try to enter them backwards.
  • The actual script/maps changes were mistakenly not added into RC5. Whoops.
• Vermilion Vessel
  • Removed stray Bubble/Flame Shield capsules.
  • Removed erroneously-placed deathpit near the offroad in the southernmost part of the map - #325
• Monkey Mall - Adjusted out-of-bounds areas (to prevent exploits).
• Sky Babylon - Fixed a ring in the depths and attempted to fix strange bot behavior on bottom path - #319
• Barren Badlands
  • Adjusted geometry to mitigate unintended shortcuts.
  • Added tripwire to the extended U-turn section and removed the Robras in the middle of the sand.
• Shuffle Square - Removed the short ramp and Rings early on in the circuit - #308

Modding

• In Grand Prix, a bonus level in a cup which is both Battle and Race compatible will be added as a Prison Break round. - !49
• Many more player and skin variables are exposed to Lua. - !4
• Hidden ranking applies to all levels in the special round of a Grand Prix cup, rather than just those set as special-compatible - !31

Accessibility

• Disabled flashing cursor animations on the character select screen when Reduce VFX is on - !50

Fixes / Miscellaneous

• Fixed a severe performance degradation on all Intel-compatible processors when in netgames under specific circumstances - #283
  • Technical: Intel architecture CPUs implement correct IEEE 754 floating point number behavior with subnormal values (close to 0). The CPU degrades to effectively software-emulating floating point math, causing an enormous performance hit. In essence, if the OS provided very very quiet microphone data to the game, the game would faceplant instantly. This is the default behavior on x86/amd64 and the application must explicitly turn on the “Denormals Are Zero” and “Flush To Zero” CPU flags to instead just treat those numbers as zero. Watch this video from LaurieWired if you’re curious.
• Followers will no longer phase below floor-over-floors when driving on them - !56
• If a player switches to spectator mode in a multiplayer Duel Race, the other player will now win the match instead of forcing them to spectate as well - !52
• Extra options for the “hear tabbed-out” (background audio) setting are added to mute voice playback and transmission out-of-focus - !44
• The pause menu now shows if Frantic Items is turned on in the current match - !55
• Fixed a buffer overflow bug setting the names of bots from Lua - !38
• Corrected typo in Profile Edit menu’s Accessibility submenu description
• Significantly reduced the amount of memory used for certain internal image conversions

Additional Contributors

These community contributors helped with this release. Thank you!

• Freaky Mutant Man
• JugadorXEI
• skirlez
• WumboSpasm
• zander3312