CHANGELOG
Version history and release notes
v1.10.1 - Start Grid Afterglow
- Removed a lingering ghost car/remnant artifact from the start screen background.
- Corrected the start-screen racer animations so menu cars move only in cardinal directions.
- Replaced the CSS-only racer trail with independent boost-style bubble particles that emit from the rear of each menu car.
- Matched the menu racer particles more closely to the in-game boost effect using car-colored bubbles, glow, random drift, and short fade-out timing.
- Reworked the Enter Grid splash and start-grid hub background into a full-screen cyan arena grid, replacing static colored lanes with a cleaner atmospheric arena treatment.
- Replaced the CSS-drawn splash-screen racer silhouettes with canvas-rendered cars that reuse the in-game renderer for the chassis, cockpit, spoiler, taillights, headlight bulbs, and forward beams.
- Removed start-screen racer scale changes so all menu cars stay the same size on the shared top-down plane.
- Increased the start-screen racer speeds with subtle per-car variation and moved the bubble/streak emitter forward from the spoiler bar to the rear exhaust area.
- Rebuilt the start-screen light streaks as anchored canvas beams that stop extending at the viewport edge, remain constant-width, and fade from the last visible endpoint.
- Retimed the start-screen racer paths with deterministic phased passes so multiple decorative cars can share the screen without crossing the same point at the same time.
- Fixed the mobile Enter Grid exit animation so the title shrinks away from center instead of shifting sideways.
- Prepared the retro sun treatment for a stronger Project Neon palette pass using magenta, purple, and cyan instead of the warmer red/yellow sunset look.
v1.10.0 - Circuit Lock-In
- Promoted Magnet Circuit to the official five-course roster.
- Removed the Victory Test Loop from the public race setup while keeping the internal layout available for future testing.
- Moved the Tidebreaker Terminal top-left boost strip to the corner exit so it rewards a clean turn.
- Updated project documentation and public metadata to match the current course lineup.
v1.9.0 - City Flow
- Added Grand City Circuit sidewalks as a separate visual environment layer with lightweight animated pedestrians and bicyclists.
- Added Grand City boost strips and SVG-shaped oil slick hazards with temporary loss-of-traction handling.
- Moved starting grids behind the checkered line with consistent spacing across all four courses.
- Added start-area feature exclusions so coins and pickups do not spawn on or around the starting grid.
- Separated coin and lap-completion audio, removed hidden checkpoint chimes, and tightened wall-impact camera shake.
v1.8.2 - Sonic Podium
- Rebuilt the in-race engine audio with layered, filtered synth texture so it reads as an engine instead of a flat buzz.
- Replaced the thumping background music loop with cleaner retro race patterns that respect the music mute control.
- Extended the race intro timing and upgraded track-specific intro themes, victory music, and defeat music.
- Fixed excess camera jitter during finish sequences by keeping camera updates to a single render pass.
- Added Course Mastery medals based on coin collection and unified the mobile HUD with the desktop coin counter.
v1.8.1 - Startline Fanfare
- Added a pre-race intro sequence with a bird's-eye track view, centered track-title card, and smooth zoom into the starting grid.
- Added track-specific chiptune intro themes so each course gets its own short race-start motif.
- Tuned the intro title timing and placement so it clears the HUD and fades before the countdown takes focus.
- Improved mobile intro framing with track overview zoom adjustments and center-based camera travel.
- Locked physics, pickups, collisions, and race timing during the intro/countdown so the race clock starts cleanly on GO.
v1.8.0 - Overpass Protocol
- Reworked bridge and ramp presentation so elevated sections read more clearly as connected roadway instead of intersections.
- Added height-aware car collision handling so cars on overpasses no longer collide with cars passing underneath.
- Refined Tidebreaker Terminal with smoother ramp transitions, cleaner bridge transparency, stronger cyan bridge cues, aligned boost strips, and clearer lane treatment.
- Updated Neon Speedway with pulsing neon wall rails, reactive side highlights, and compact start-side countdown lights.
- Improved the in-world countdown placement and added mobile-specific positioning so race starts stay readable across tracks.
- Added checker start markers to all minimaps and smoothed minimap track paths while preserving the real course layouts.
- Redesigned Grand City Circuit off-track scenery with a denser neon-city concept while leaving the course itself untouched.
- Spread power-ups into staggered lane positions and restored starts to the normal grid position.
v1.7.0 - Tidebreaker Terminal
- Added Tidebreaker Terminal as a fourth playable course.
- Built a harbor-themed layout with terminal switchbacks, waterfront straights, and dockside boost pads.
- Added fresh course visuals with water basins, cargo stacks, cranes, dock slabs, connected ramp geometry, beacon lighting, and tide-gate markers.
v1.6.1 - HUD Tune
- Added mobile lap and position status in a compact combined HUD tile.
- Adjusted mobile minimap spacing to clear the boost meter.
- Replaced HUD utility text and emoji controls with inline SVG icons.
- Tuned steering assist so AST feels distinct from AUTO.
- Hardened local leaderboard storage and cleaned up production backup files.
- Refined Start Race typography with Exo 2, larger type, and stronger cyan glow.
v1.6.0 - Grid Polish
- Made Start Race the full-width primary action on the start screen.
- Removed the decorative chevrons from Start Race and the extra start-screen tagline line.
- Moved Changelog and GameHub into a simple responsive footer.
- Aligned page titles, social metadata, and README wording around Top-Down Arcade Racing.
- Moved desktop controls below color selection for a cleaner setup flow.
- Compacted the mobile controls guide into a 2x2 grid to reduce start-screen scrolling pressure.
v1.5.0 - Pit Link
- Added a start-screen utility row with Changelog and Hub actions.
- Created the dedicated changelog route and added it to the sitemap.
- Restyled the Start Race control to match the utility-row button system.
v1.4.0 - Locked Line
- Moved Exo 2 to local font files and removed the external Google Fonts dependency.
- Hardened Content Security Policy by removing inline script and inline style requirements.
- Standardized production heads, icon links, manifest metadata, and error-page metadata.
- Added Open Graph and Twitter image metadata using the local Project Neon icon asset.
v1.3.0 - Chevron Gate
- Rebuilt the favicon and app icon set around the cyan chevron identity.
- Added animated chevrons around the Project Neon title on the start screen.
- Added PNG and ICO icon assets for browser, mobile, and PWA use.
v1.2.0 - City Circuit
- Expanded the race setup to three tracks: Neon Speedway, Skyway Eight, and Grand City Circuit.
- Improved track rendering with overpass support, minimap updates, and clearer route boundaries.
- Refined race-state flow for start, pause, restart, victory, defeat, and leaderboard screens.
v1.1.0 - Mobile Grip
- Added mobile race controls for steering, brake/reverse, boost, pause, reset, and assists.
- Tuned mobile handling with smoother steering, calmer auto-throttle, and softer wall recovery.
- Improved touch/coarse-pointer detection so mobile mode is based on input capability.
v1.0.0 - Green Light
- Initial standalone browser release of Project Neon.
- Added canvas-rendered top-down racing with AI opponents, boost pads, coins, and power-ups.
- Added desktop keyboard controls, audio, HUD stats, lap tracking, and local leaderboard storage.