EA Sports WRC v1.3 Attempts To Fix Stuttering And Lockups (It Doesn’t)

I didn’t get chance to post a review of EA Sports WRC because I was really quite sickly. I begun writing it though, and oh boy, was it a mess. The performance was simply terrible, and the ‘freezing mini-game’ that would randomly cause me to throw myself off the road wasn’t nearly as much fun as you’d think it would be.

That said, I’m delighted to see they are attempting to address the issue. If they fix it within a couple of patches (the freezing still happens to me after this patch), maybe I’ll even forgive them. Maybe.

Patch notes:

New Feature

Added support for User Datagram Protocol (UDP) on PC.
Please visit this link for further information and documentation.

Key Fixes

Added support for Unreal PSO Caching (shader pre-compiling) to address and reduce the amount of shader stuttering experienced on PC.
Made several improvements to framerate in key areas of gameplay on all platforms.
Made a number of graphical fixes and improvements across the game on all platforms.
Resolved multiple issues that would cause the game to crash or soft lock during gameplay on all platforms.
EA SPORTS™ WRC can now be launched on Steam Deck.

Accessibility

Made a number of Speech to Text fixes across the game.

Animation

Resolved an issue where the co-driver was t-posing in the Ford Escort RS Cosworth.
Resolved an issue where in the Ford Fiesta WRC 2019 the driver would pull the handbrake instead of the paddles to shift gears.

Audio

Improved the doppler pitch speed shifting in replays.
Made a number of corrections to voiceover across the game.
Made several minor audio adjustments and improvements across the game.

Boot Flow

Game should no longer boot in Full-Screen Mode when Windowed Mode is selected on EA App.

Builder

Made a number of User Interface improvements to Builder.
Made a number of minor adjustments to Builder.

Career

Made a number of corrections to voiceovers within Career.
Made a number of text tweaks in Career.
Resolved a number of User Interface issues in Career.

Cars

Resolved a number of vehicle art and model issues with the Alpine Renault A110 1600 S.
Resolved a number of vehicle art and model issues with the Ford Puma Rally1 HYBRID.
Resolved a number of vehicle art and model issues with the Ford RS200.
Resolved a number of vehicle art and model issues with the Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500.
Resolved a number of vehicle art and model issues with the Lancia Stratos.
Resolved a number of vehicle art and model issues with the Peugeot 205 T16 Evo 2.
Resolved a number of vehicle art and model issues with the Peugeot 309 GTI.
Resolved a number of vehicle art and model issues with the SEAT Córdoba WRC.
Resolved a number of vehicle art and model issues with the SEAT Ibiza Kit Car.
Resolved a number of vehicle art and model issues with the ŠKODA Fabia Rally2 Evo.
Resolved a number of vehicle art and model issues with the SUBARU Impreza 1995.
Resolved a number of vehicle art and model issues with the SUBARU Impreza 1998.
Resolved a number of vehicle art and model issues with the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 HYBRID.
Resolved a number of vehicle art and model issues with the Volkswagen Golf GTI.
Resolved a number of vehicle art and model issues with the Volkswagen Polo 2017.
Made improvements to vehicle damage on the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X.
Made improvements to vehicle damage on the ŠKODA Fabia Rally2 Evo.
Made a number of lighting improvements to the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X.
Made a number of lighting improvements to the SUBARU Impreza 1995.
Made a number of lighting improvements to the SUBARU Impreza 1998.
Made a number of physics fixes to the Lancia Delta S4.
Made a number of hybrid regen calibration fixes to the Ford Puma Rally1 HYBRID.
Made a number of hybrid regen calibration fixes to the Hyundai i20 Rally1 HYBRID.
Made a number of hybrid regen calibration fixes to the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 HYBRID.
Fixed a number of HUD and dashboard issues on the Alpine Renault A110 1600 S.
Fixed a number of HUD and dashboard issues on the Audi Sport quattro S1 (E2).
Fixed a number of HUD and dashboard issues on the BMW M1 Procar Rally.
Fixed a number of HUD and dashboard issues on the Citroën Saxo Super 1600.
Fixed a number of HUD and dashboard issues on the Ford Escort Mk 6 Maxi.
Fixed a number of HUD and dashboard issues on the Ford Escort MK2 McRae Motorsport.
Fixed a number of HUD and dashboard issues on the Ford Escort RS Cosworth.
Fixed a number of HUD and dashboard issues on the Ford RS200.
Fixed a number of HUD and dashboard issues on the Lancia Fulvia HF.
Fixed a number of HUD and dashboard issues on the Lancia Stratos.
Fixed a number of HUD and dashboard issues on the MG Metro 6R4.
Fixed a number of HUD and dashboard issues on the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X.
Fixed a number of HUD and dashboard issues on the Porsche 911 SC RS.
Fixed a number of HUD and dashboard issues on the Volkswagen Golf GTI.

Championship Mode

Made a number of text tweaks across Championship Mode.
Resolved a number of User Interface issues across Championship Mode.

Clubs

Made a number of stability and performance improvements across Clubs.
Resolved a number of User Interface issues across Clubs.

Co-Driver

Made a number of fixes to specific co-driver calls at Portugal – Baião.
Made a number of fixes to specific co-driver calls at Japan – Lake Mikawa.
Made a number of fixes to specific co-driver calls at Japan – Nenoue Plateau.
Made a number of fixes to specific co-driver calls at Iberia – Santes Creus.
Made a number of fixes to specific co-driver calls at Sardinia – Rena Majore.
Made a number of fixes to specific co-driver calls at Sweden – Vargasen.

Input Devices

Added support for User Datagram protocol (UDP) on PC.
Added handbrake axis binding for the Logitech Pro.
Added throttle and brake vibration functionality to Fanatec pedals on PlayStation and PC.
Made some balancing changes to pedal and wheelbase vibration for a more consistent experience.
Made a number of fixes to button bindings.
Added a warning message for when a player resets bindings due to an actionmap update.

Livery Editor

Fixed a number of issues with specific decals.
Made a number of usability improvements to the livery editor.
Added ability to paint the window strip on the MINI Cooper S.
Fixed an issue where decals could not be correctly placed on the rear of Junior WRC cars.
Fixed an issue where Builder Cars could not have paintable mirrors.
Fixed an issue where decals applied to the rear bodywork Style #2 and Style #5 on Builder would not apply correctly.
Fixed an issue where inputting a long name for a livery file would overflow the available on-screen space.
Resolved an issue regarding empty pop-ups while using the livery editor.
Improved transition effect that occurs when exiting the Paint Hub menu.
Improved transition effect that occurs when saving liveries.
Made a number of stability and performance improvements to the livery editor.
Resolved a number of User Interface issues with the livery editor.

Localisation

Made a number of localisation corrections across the game.

Locations

Made a number of collision fixes to various locations and stages.
Made a number of stability fixes to various locations and stages.
Made a number of visual improvements to various locations and stages.
Made a number of performance improvements to various locations and stages.
Made a number of gameplay improvements to various locations and stages.

Moments

Made a number of gameplay fixes to The Flying Finn of Monte-Carlo.
Made a number of gameplay fixes to The Successor.
Made a number of gameplay fixes to First Hybrid Win.
Made a number of stability improvements to Moments.
Resolved a number of User Interface issues with Moments.

Options & Settings

Corrected a number of User Interface errors within the Options & Settings menus.
Made a number of User Interface improvements within the Options & Settings menus.

Quick Play

Made several stability and performance improvements to Quick Play Solo.
Made several stability and performance improvements to Quick Play Multiplayer.
Made a number of User Interface improvements to Quick Play Solo.
Made a number of User Interface improvements to Quick Play Multiplayer.
Made a number of collision fixes in Quick Play Solo.
Implemented several network and connectivity improvements to Quick Play Multiplayer.

Rally School

Made several stability and performance improvements to Rally School lessons.
Made a number of User Interface improvements to Rally School lessons.
Resolved an issue where interrupting the starting countdown would cancel out the instructor’s voiceover.
Made improvements to the gravel zone detection on Rally School Lesson 3 (Gravel).
Fixed an issue that occurred after several restarts of Rally School Lesson 3 (Gravel).
Fixed an issue with the handbrake restriction on Rally School Lesson 6 (Gravel).
Fixed an issue with the handbrake detection on Rally School Lesson 9.

Regularity Rally

Made a number of stability improvements to Regularity Rally.
Made a number of gameplay improvements to Regularity Rally.

Replays

Made a number of visual improvements to replays.
Made a number of stability improvements to replays.
Fixed an issue where the driver would not appear during replays.
Fixed an issue where collision effects would constantly be re-played during replays.
Added the ability to change camera angle when a replay is paused.
Smoothened the transition effect when vehicle parts are loosened from the car.
Removed foliage obstructions from certain replay camera angles.

Time Trial

Added missing collision detection to Rally Estonia.
Made a number of stability improvements to Time Trial.
Resolved a number of User Interface issues with Time Trial.

Ultrawide Monitors

Resolved an issue where some background textures appeared stretched within various menu screens.
Resolved an issue where trees on the edge of ultrawide displays appeared in low resolution.
Resolved an issue where the resolution option was greyed out when launching the game with AMD Eyefinity disabled.