Patch Notes Demo 2026.0.1.12712

🛠️ Cart & Physics

• Cart Suspension Overhaul: Rebuilt the shopping cart's wheel suspension physics to help prevent the cart from randomly flipping out or launching into the stratosphere.

• Expanded Cart Storage: Tools and food can now be stored in the cart alongside loot.

• Invalid Item Rejection: Planks and rocks that fall into the cart will now be actively ejected so they don't get stuck.

• Item Placement Fixes:

  • Fixed an issue where items could get permanently trapped or caged inside if an invalid item was also present.

  • You can no longer deposit loot in the cart while it's fully tipped over.

• AdjustedFlip Cart ImprovementsIncreased the size and accuracy of the tip-over recovery trigger, making it much easier to right a flipped cart. Expanded the visibility distance of the flip cart text and added the prompt to both leashes.
• FixedLeash Interaction FixFixed a bug where the cart's own collision could block you from interacting with the leash, making it difficult to grab when standing close to the cart.

• Wheel Health:

  • Wheels now take half as much damage from rolling, allowing them to last significantly longer on rough terrain.

  • Added a prompt reminding you to tighten wheels if they are taking damage and your hands are free.

  • Detached wheels now correctly display as damaged so you can see at a glance what needs attention.

  • The impact wrench now highlights the entire wheel when lining up to tighten it.

🦝 Raccoons & Creatures

• AdjustedSafe SpawningAdjusted spawn logic so raccoons appear slightly higher above the cart. This stops players from landing inside stacked loot piles on spawn, which previously sent the cart flying across the map.
• AddedMid-Air BitesRaccoons now have a brand-new dedicated animation for biting while airborne so they don't appear to be levitating.
• AdjustedFaster DogsIncreased dog movement speed to keep pace with the raccoon sprint mechanics, making them a more active threat.

• Bees:

  • Bees will no longer hold grudges and target dead raccoons.

  • Fixed a multiplayer synchronization bug where the bee hive could desync on clients.

  • Swarms will now dissipate when the hive is destroyed instead of following around the honey pot.

• Nameplates: Player nameplates now correctly raise out of the way when pointing, preventing them from blocking your teammates' view.

🗺️ The World

• AdjustedRest Stop NavigationImproved the visual layout of the first rest stop to make progression clearer. The map has been moved closer to the entrance, arches now frame the trail path, and the terrain incline and bench layouts have been adjusted to guide your eyes forward. Should help with some players not realizing there was more demo to demo.
• FixedTerrain TrapsPatched multiple holes and collision seams where players could get permanently stuck. Fixed a floating fence line near the warehouse.
• AddedCabin RoofAdded missing collision to a large section of the rear cabin roof.

• Checkpoint Fixes:

  • Adjusted the physical boundaries of checkpoint triggers for more accurate activation.

  • Moved the post-road rest stop further back from the roadway to reduce accidental triggers when passing by after a wipeout.

  • Checkpoints can no longer trigger after a game over so the game won’t save your progress mid-failure.

• Cabin & Trail Loot:

  • Added an impact wrench to the second trash can at the first cabin.

  • Fixed the flashlight not spawning correctly in the first trash can.

  • Replaced the second alarm clock under the cabin with a hub cap.

  • Added a bite handle to the outhouse so the precious loot stored within is more accessible.

• Scenery Tweaks: Scaled up the rocks near the underpass to improve scenery and block out-of-bounds views.

• Trash Cans: Rotated various trash can props across the map so they tip outward cleanly into the open rather than clipping awkwardly into walls.

🎶 Audio

• AdjustedLaundry DayReworked the laundry deposit audio. Items now queue up and process one at a time—both visually and audibly—with distinct sound cues based on how much each item is worth.
• AddedVending MachinesAdded new sound effects for cycling through options and completing purchases.
• AddedWagonHooked up brand-new custom physics and movement audio for the wagon.
• AdjustedTrumpet TuningFixed a bug where spamming the interact key caused the trumpet to play indefinitely. Eliminated clipping artifacts and improved note transitions and fading.
• AddedAmbianceConsolidated redundant music tracks at the rest stop into a single clean stream, and added new ambient soundscapes around the ponds.
• RemovedDoppler EffectGlobally disabled the audio Doppler effect to keep sound pitch consistent and clear across fast-moving physics objects.

🖥️ UI & Quality of Life

• Shop Menu Overhaul:

  • Reorganized the layout to bring item pricing, your wallet, and the buy/back buttons closer together for easier reading.

  • Expanded item label boxes to cleanly support two lines of text to prevent frequent resizing.

  • Smoothed out grid navigation—scrolling through items will no longer shift the focus on the Buy/Back buttons as well.

  • Press-and-hold scrolling and menu edge wrap-arounds now work correctly.

  • Attempting to buy something you cannot afford now plays a rejection sound and flashes the price red instead of quietly disabling the button.

• Tool Interactions: Fine-tuned the ratchet tool's targeting so you no longer lose your interaction prompt while tightening bolts.

• Smarter Interaction Priority:

  • The deposit interaction now has lower priority than other nearby interactions, preventing accidental laundry drops when trying to grab or examine adjacent objects.

  • Tool attachment interaction priority has been lowered to prevent unwanted attachments when other choices are available.

  • Interaction prompts will no longer fire on objects that are behind the player relative to the camera, preventing phantom inputs on things out of view.

• FixedCamera FixesFixed a bug where the camera would collision-jolt when coming into contact with light physics objects like sliding kitchen drawers.
• FixedFlickering PromptsFixed interaction prompts flickering when looking at certain attached items. The game now correctly prioritizes items directly in your line of sight, preventing objects behind walls from hijacking your active prompt.

• Menu Safety: Held inputs (like moving or dragging) will now safely release when opening the in-game menu or the Steam overlay.

• FixedGraphics SettingsFixed a bug where changing non-graphics options could accidentally overwrite or misapply your visual graphics profile.

⚙️ Performance & General Fixes

• AdjustedMemory & StutteringSignificantly reduced system memory overhead and micro-stuttering tied to background telemetry tracking, item outlines, and tool states.
• AdjustedAudio LoadingLong audio clips now stream in the background instead of loading all at once, eliminating hitches the first time they play. Also reduced how often the audio engine needs to execute a full pipeline rebuild.
• FixedNetwork StabilityFixed a crash that could occur when the cart's inventory tried to update during a network shutdown.
• FixedLevel Transition StabilityFixed several potential crashes that could occur when certain objects were destroyed mid-transition between levels.