Driveclub’s community team promised us February would be a cracker for the Playstation exclusive and they weren’t lying… this update, due to go live today, is bound to please fans and tempt potential purchasers alike.
First up, an all-new track will be arriving courtesy of ‘Old Town’ – Driveclub’s first city circuit based upon the Scottish capital Edinburgh. Promising tight turns and sprawling streets, Old Town is bound to be a handful in some of the more exuberant vehicles on offer. Six different variations of the track will be playable and perhaps best of all, this will be completely free within the update.
Another huge addition is the brand new ‘Hardcore’ driving physics model. This gameplay option will allow for a driving aids-free experience for the player, giving a more realistic feel for all the cars featured within the game. For those who felt Driveclub was too forgiving this should be exactly what you want.
Interestingly, multiplayer lobbies will now feature a ‘Photo Mode’ setting which will remove previous race limitations like car ghosting, wrong way timers and automated track resets. A game that already had one one of the best photo-mode options this generation will now add a feature poised around group photo-shoots. Racers will also be able to make keen use of the filters (usually restricted to photo-mode) in actual racing too, a feature that may be ignored by purists but will allow photography enthusiasts to capture that ‘photographic moment’ in real-time. In the actual photo-mode, new levels of zoom and exposure functions can be tweaked. In between snaps photo-mode settings will be saved, which should assist album-making for Driveclub’s photography community.
Those chasing DC’s Elite levels will be happy to hear 10 new challenges have been added, bringing the total to 35. Regular levels have also been extended to level 95 and the leveling increases don’t stop there as clubs can now reach level 85.
This update also paves the way for two all-new expansion packs (one for Driveclub, another for Driveclub Bikes), downloadable 23rd February worldwide. The “No Limits” Expansion will add the Honda Civic Type-R and Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 V-Spec II to the growing car roster along with 6 events and 5 trophies.
For Driveclub Bikes, the “Suzuki” Expansion will add the Suzuki GSX-R1000 & Suzuki GSX-S1000 ABS alongside 6 new events and 5 trophies.
Finally, the game also adds some general tweaks and changes to the gameplay experience. Driveclub continues to surprise with its staggering post-release support and stands as an exemplary title for fellow games in the genre on how to do DLC right.
For those with Driveclub, will you be purchasing the two expansion packs? For those with a PS4 who do not own Driveclub: with these latest updates are you considering picking up the game? If not, why? Join the discussion on our Driveclub sub-forum!
Images Provided by DRIVECLUB Official Facebook page.
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Awesome! I can’t wait to try this new handling model. I have all of the DLC for this game but i hardly ever play it because i can’t stand the way the cars feel. Hopefully i can actually get into this game finally!
Cool! I had the game for a while because a friend let me borrow it. I might eventually buy it but I’m also tempting to buy The Crew. They have the Wild Run Complete Edition (is it really complete? Not too sure.) on the PS Store (NA not sure about EU) for like $23 or $24. Project Cars has been on sale multiple times too and lower every time. I might get that too eventually. But I’m about to be busy for a few months so I might not, for now. I do wanna try the GT Sport Beta this year.
Best post launch support I’ve ever seen for a video game.
Awesome :D
Well I turned on “hardcore” mode and was pleasantly surprised, this game really feels alive this. One thing I didn’t like was the “drift mode” that the cars seem to magically go into at just the right speed but without all the nannies on you can drift more realistically under power, using inertia, in fact I haven’t touched the handbrake once to drift at any drift zones since I loathed them before this update, now i happily drift because it happen naturally instead of some forced nonsense.
This is probably my favorite hot lap game out now, only missing things are dedicated real life courses and 60fps, I’m sorry but that sense of speed is too incredible to not want to see it at 60fps. Even at low speeds it feels fast which for me is a plus as most driving games don’t feel fast until you reach 140mph +, DC catches you at around 40mph all the way up to top end whatever that speed is. Hardcore mode really feel very solid coupled with realistic braking distances and physics you can actually check the speedometer as you scrub off speed for a corner. They really worked hard on this game normal mode I will never go back to, it’s too limiting with all the hand holding. This feels like a fresh game for me, any way back to hot lapping. I think the nannies in the game need to be toned down a bit as well, the difference is like night and day in braking, cornering and launching from a standstill.
At this point the game is literally too good to run at 60 fps or in other words, the PS4 just isn’t powerful enough to push 60 fps with those graphics even with the relatively small car count on track. Unfortunate really. I’m so used to 60 fps now I can’t enjoy anything less. It would prevent me from buying this game if I had a PS4.
@Johnnypenso
There certainly is a difference in smoothness between PCars (for example) and DC. However, because DC doesn’t take itself too seriously and because the visuals are so gorgeous, it’s really not a big deal. These are the only two games I play for PS4, and it’s about the best duo of driving games I’ve played so far. Whatever one is missing, the other one seems to give me.
@JP keep telling yourself that. Doesn’t make it true. Even if 30 fps was jarring in Driveclub, which it isn’t, AT ALL, they do a great job at hiding it, it still doesn’t take more than 45 minutes to get used to it. I’ve done it many times, it’s jarring as hell at first most of the time (not in driveclub’s case though, I swear it’s the exception of the rule for me personally) but I mean really, an hour tops of playing and it’ll no longer be an issue.
I play 60 fps games a ton, and not once has driveclub seemed like a lower framerate at all. Even when going straight from a 60 fps racing game to Driveclub, framerate is literally the last thing I notice. All the motion blur makes it almost impossible to notice
Some weeks ago I’ve tried to play Drive Club again (after ignoring it for more than a year). All I can say: it remains one of the most horrible driving experiences I’ve ever had in a game. I really prefer sims like Gran Turismo, Project Cars or Assetto Corsa.
DriveClub is certainly not a sim, you are right on that. However, with respect to things like PCars, Assetto Corsa, iRacing, etc.., GT6 really isn’t a simulator either in my opinion. After playing PCars alone, GT6’s handling model feels pretty shady, and Assetto Corsa is arguably more realistic than PCars.
Overall though, if you are only in to sims, then DC is definitely not the way to go.
^ just because you don’t like GT6’s physics, that doesn’t automatically make it ‘no simulator’. Of course, GT6 isn’t the holy grail of driving physics, same as that I think Project Cars is far from any perfection, but they are all simulators.
Today – I simply have a problem with all those arcade driving games. After years of training in racing sims, I have other expectations in the behavior of cars.
@Kovu
I understand that my disapproval doesn’t decide whether it is a sim or not. This is why I said ‘in my opinion’. It all depends on one’s expectations of a game before they play it.
Well, this is exciting news even though I don’t own a PS4.
Mainly because I’m looking forward to reading your thoughts and input on how the updated “hardcore” handling model feels.
The ‘hardcore’ handling feels fine to me, but with the nannies not on constant guard, the increased braking distance is initially off-putting. With the normal mode you can generally throw a car into a corner at any resembling a reasonable speed and it’ll be fine. This is not the case when ‘hardcore handling’ is turned on.
Well written piece Mr Brend ;) I look forward to many more.. I will be supporting Evolution and buying both DLC packs to photograph :)
I played a bit of the new hardcore mode today, I must say I enjoy it alot more than with all the nannies on. That being said, some cars still feel too “sticky”. It feels like they are all running race slicks, I’m having a hard time getting some cars to rotate. The Nismo 370Z in particular should be able to roast tires in a drift, but instead it starts to push wide if I don’t use a liberal dose of handbrake and inertia. I would also like a separate leaderboard for hardcore physics, at the very least an asterisk or abbreviation beside my times while in hardcore. When I set a top ten time, I would like to see how slow I am compared to other ” hardcore mode” racers. On a side note when I saw the type R civic inclusion as well as the R34, I had assumed the type R would be an ek chassis one. I was a bit disappointed to find out it was a new one. Would love to see some 90’s and 00’s JDM cars now that we can properly drift…sort of.
My game apparently has the update although I cannot find the setting for hardcore handling. Where is it found?
Never mind. I found the option but it is blanked out so I’m not able to change it…
You can’t change the handling while the game is paused. You have to do it from the main menu.
Impressive update !
“This gameplay option will allow for a driving aids-free experience for the player, giving a more realistic feel ”
Looking forward to read feedback about the “more realistic experience”. I would love to try it for myself, but I do not have a PS4.
So far, in the comments, I have seen reference to being harder to drive, harder does not equal more realistic, will be interesting to read which way it is going.
I thought it was odd that there were no Suzukis! So glad tthey are here now.
This is really starting to look like an original Playstation version of PGR.
Apart from in PGR you could have mixed races with cars and bikes on the same grid.
yesssss
It’s not often you feel slightly overwhelmed with free stuff in videogames, but these Driveclub devs are getting pretty close to it. I think there’s a DLC/TLC joke in there somewhere.
Anyway, this game is tiding me over nicely until the real thing*
*we hope
DriveClub is really setting the bar high in terms of post-release support and in interacting with and responding to the fanbase. GT, AC and other racing games are going to come in with huge expectations from the fanbase in this regard, let’s hope they are up to the task.
just downloaded and tested the upgrade, nice the Old Scotland streets and the new drivers level to reach 35 (now is level 25). About the new ” Extreme driving” I didn’t like much, I use T300RS and it’s very very hard to keep the cars on the tracks, maybe it needs more hours to get familiar with the new phisics mode. Anyway this game is getting a great support and will continue to get it until the end of 2016 for tracks, cars and bikes. What do we want more?
I’m curious about the new physics mode. I never got past the psplus version due to the arcadey feel, or as I call it “the Forza feel”.
the Forza feel? lulz
You know what, it reminds me of Forza a bit too but to me more natural feeling and accessible. Plus better racing IMO
Great DLC support. Worst car game I have ever played. Not that I have played an awful lot but still.
Oh wait, NFS rivals…
I’m a huge Gran Turismo fan. I have Driveclub and Project Cars to play with until GT Sport comes out. Driveclub is a lot of fun and I do not think you will be disappointed if you get it. I am liking it. Only complaint would be to have known world circuits in it. I recommend grabbing it.
I’m in the same boat. DriveClub is great to just pick up and play, while Project Cars takes a lot more effort. But with DC, PCars, and the upcoming Assetto Corsa, I’m honestly not too excited about GT Sport. I’m sure it’ll be great, but I have more than enough to play already.
Amazing update. Will definitely be picking up the No Limits DLC, can’t wait to try that R34 @ Old Town!