as there may be multiple beta builds for a given update, instead of a new thread for each, changelogs related to beta builds will be posted here. final release versions will continue to receive their own thread post.
beta builds are available through GOG Galaxy. let's get this started shall we with a fresh set of notes live on the beta branch today.


The long awaited 1.2.0 update is now ready for Beta!

v1.2.0b1

features
huge re-design of the UI and also dark mode and UI scaling
cross-platform leaderboards with downloadable ghosts of anyone you see on the leaderboard
car physics body collider is less bouncy
lowered the maximum torque rpm for all cars.
raised the rev limit for group 2 cars and vans.
updated baseline ai times
rain ai times use faster times from the wet leaderboards

improvements
optimized grass shader
optimized vegetation cutout shader
lighting for all times-of-day have only one light instead of multiple lights for better performance.
stages now use ambient light from the skybox instead of a gradient, which gives equal or better lighting to the previous multiple directional lights and also doesn't tint the dust/smoke blue.
updated localization for new terms and also fixed some existing terms
road bumps have been toned down as they were throwing the car at high speeds

fixes
dirtiness should now be correctly carried over from each stage.
fix quattro v3 light position
fix quattro v3 red livery
fog lighting doesn't cast shadows and they weren't noticeable before anyways, which gives a performance boost
fixed class video compatibility issues
fixed missing transmission sfx on some cars
time attack last played settings now load correctly
possible fix for changing song during a race causing a skip in gameplay
fix bug where using photo mode after changing language mid race could lead to a crash
fix for controller vibration issues with multiple controllers plugged in
fix screen fades not working correctly on super wide monitors
fix bug where one weather type would be applied to all stages of the same name in custom rally


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older version notes listed below
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v1.1.2b1 Beta
features
-add group videos that have been unlocked by the player to extras menu.
-damage is added to the car after every stage according to the damage setting and stage distance.
-cars on wet stages are shinier and wetter looking. dirt will also look muddier and a bit more diffuse on dry stages.

improvements
-crowd system should now respond correctly to change in settings.
-reorganized extras menu
-increased car livery texture size from 1024x1024 to 2048x2048 which makes them much clearer
-made the new group 4 heritage cars smaller.
-on car chooser menu, keep car rotation between car selections
-added new class unlock sequence in career mode for more hype!
-ai gets more damage after every stage according to the player's damage setting

fixes
-added missing side mirrors and wind wipers to the original
-fix bug where replay ui could remain on screen after exiting replay
-fix bug where button mashing 'submit' after restarting race from pause menu would result in continuously restarting
-fix bug where the hidden photomode hud would display after taking a screenshot when it should remain hidden
-fix grass visible through prop car on villacidro
-fix sign always knocked on vestpollen
-fix explosive pole on nasu highland
-fix incorrect fence colliders on nikko
-fix bug where simulator achievement could be awarded without the player finishing in first place
-fix ghosts not functioning correctly on haapajarvi
-fix issues with removing files from screenshot folder

v1.1.2b5 beta
Beta hotfix with a fix for Volumetric lighting on Mac and possibly some Linux machines.

The long awaited 1.2.0 update is now ready for Beta!

notes in the top post.