Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown Discussion Thread

[Castrol96]

Is this current or next gen?

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

I would like to see it be Corsica, but yeah 3000km2 might be a bit much. But then wasn't the TDU1 map 1500km2? Modern technology wouldn't make it impossible.

Greece has a lot of islands that would fit around that sort of size, Lesbos and Rhodes both around 1500km2. Euboea around 3000km2.

If they sound too ambitious then maybe Malta? 316km2.

Too big and I think they run the risk of No Man Sky / Crew'ing their game - a big empty world devoid of detail & life. If the game is to feel alive and real, then there are practical limits to how big it can be, regardless of hardware. At least that's my opinion.

 

[MagpieRacer]

Too big and I think they run the risk of No Man Sky / Crew'ing their game - a big empty world devoid of detail & life. If the game is to feel alive and real, then there are practical limits to how big it can be, regardless of hardware. At least that's my opinion.

TDU1 was over 1500km2. Not many people complained about that. Anything around that is feasible.

TDU2 had that map, AND over 500km2 for Ibiza.

Edit: If I'm not mistaken, TDU is the 2nd biggest driving game map behind Fuel.

 

[Doomotron]

Let's hope the 1:1 scale island isn't the Isle Of Sheppey.

 

[cudwieser]

Too big and I think they run the risk of No Man Sky / Crew'ing their game - a big empty world devoid of detail & life. If the game is to feel alive and real, then there are practical limits to how big it can be, regardless of hardware. At least that's my opinion.

Fair point. IIRC they were proposing a 1:1 environment/ map. They haven't specified where or if it is an entire country. It could evolve to that but If they took Lyon or Rome and used roads around an urban centre, they can have a 1:1 map of serviceable size with room to expand.

 

[wicken]

Is this current or next gen?

I will say next gen because they only have a few months of development.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

TDU1 was over 1500km2. Not many people complained about that. Anything around that is feasible.

TDU2 had that map, AND over 500km2 for Ibiza.

Edit: If I'm not mistaken, TDU is the 2nd biggest driving game map behind Fuel.

It's hard to find anything exact, but it seems the Crew is about 1900 square miles, which is knocking on 5,000km^2. To be honest, this is unnecessarily large and I think something Ibiza or O'ahu size is about right (I've driven around most of O'ahu IRL, it feels plenty big enough for a game). If they made something in the range of 1000km^2 that was highly detailed, it would be better than some monster 5,000km^2 map that was lifeless.

 

[Castrol96]

I will say next gen because they only have a few months of development.

If the graphics are what was shown in teaser... That is awesome.

 

[Wolfe]

Not enthused about them adopting the tacky "luxury lifestyle" thing.

If nothing else it's a red flag that I'm not going to find much I like in the selection of cars; maybe even worse than The Crew 2.

 

[Frank McGank]

...It's gonna be a politically "safe" place (so probably not places like Cypress or Cuba or African Islands), and probably one known for extravagance/luxury, at least partially. Malta is probably too urban and too small, Hawaii has been done, Ibiza has been done. Iceland, Sardegna and Sicily I think are too big. I imagine the island probably needs to have a high density of roads, so places like Tahiti and Fiji are probably out. It won't be a super obscure place either, it's gonna be somewhere people have heard of - and lets face it, probably an "influencer" destination. Based on the title of the game, I imagine it's also somewhere in a warm, sunny climate. Some candidates I think seem reasonable, with caveats:

1. Bali (a bit big)
2. Gran Canaria (a bit small)
3. Corsica (a bit big, not really a hot spot)
4. Singapore (small and probably too urban)
5. Mallorca (about right)
6. Okinawa (probably not enough of a pop culture hot spot)

Idk, not much to go on. I do feel like a Southeast Asia location or a Mediterranean location are probably the best fit...

The game’s being made by the French, so a French location would probably be on their short list. Besides Corsica, the best options would be Guadeloupe and/or Martenique. Both are around the same size as Oahu, both are modern have a high standard of living (so no driving a Ferrari through a third world village), and most importantly are French Overseas Territories. Another possible but less realistic choice would be Réunion island, another department of France. Less realistic because it’s about twice as big as Oahu, has massive amounts of verticality (recreating mountain ranges and remote wilderness areas doesn’t seem like something they want or are capable of doing), and is a bit too urban in the built up areas.

Overall I’d bet on it being, from most to least realistic: 1. Guadeloupe, 2. Martenique, 3. Reunion, 4. Both Guadeloupe AND Martenique (they’re only a ferry’s ride away from each other)

 

[GTPNewsWire]

This is the discussion thread for a recent post on GTPlanet:

Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown Revives The Franchise a Decade On

This article was published by Gary Slater (@AudiMan2011) on July 7th, 2020 in the Gaming category.

 

[juanffy18]

Please Please more focus in races, avatar customisation, cars and world details and less microtransactions.
Right now Horizon 4 and The crew 2 doing great job in the open world races, but something like TDU will be good too.

 

[Tristan H]

The Isle of Man would make a very cool bonus island.

 

[RustyCitroen]

I'm going to speculate now that the map will be South American or South America-inspired

 

[StigBelcherStyl]

Better Photo of the Unknown (red) car and a few surprises

Surprises coming right up

 

[Silver Arrows]

Not enthused about them adopting the tacky "luxury lifestyle" thing.

If nothing else it's a red flag that I'm not going to find much I like in the selection of cars; maybe even worse than The Crew 2.

I have a sneaking suspicion nothing ever pleases you considering what you've voiced is your 'dream game'.

Besides, that's been the point with the Test Drive Unlimited series since the very beginning.

 

[Tristan H]

Not enthused about them adopting the tacky "luxury lifestyle" thing.

If nothing else it's a red flag that I'm not going to find much I like in the selection of cars; maybe even worse than The Crew 2.

Sadly the wait continues for a sim open world driving game.

What cars would you like to see?

 

[McLaren]

Not enthused about them adopting the tacky "luxury lifestyle" thing.

If nothing else it's a red flag that I'm not going to find much I like in the selection of cars; maybe even worse than The Crew 2.

There's no "adopting" here; that has always been a focal point of the series. This game isn't being built to have a diverse car portfolio like GT or Forza, it's retaining its main attraction in racing 6-figure cars.

 

[Leovizzz]

I'm going to speculate now that the map will be South American or South America-inspired

Would be rad to see Florianopolis Island. It's a good mix of nature, beautiful landscapes and metro area. If this TDU comes to PS4 in a FHorizon style with a NFS World kind of multiplayer, I'm totally bought. Won't be getting a new playstation til PS6 comes out lol

 

[Silver Arrows]

There's no "adopting" here; that has always been a focal point of the series. This game isn't being built to have a diverse car portfolio like GT or Forza, it's retaining its main attraction in racing 6-figure cars.

Exactly. To think that this is ever going to deviate is just hilariously misguided.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

The game’s being made by the French, so a French location would probably be on their short list. Besides Corsica, the best options would be Guadeloupe and/or Martenique. Both are around the same size as Oahu, both are modern have a high standard of living (so no driving a Ferrari through a third world village), and most importantly are French Overseas Territories. Another possible but less realistic choice would be Réunion island, another department of France. Less realistic because it’s about twice as big as Oahu, has massive amounts of verticality (recreating mountain ranges and remote wilderness areas doesn’t seem like something they want or are capable of doing), and is a bit too urban in the built up areas.

Overall I’d bet on it being, from most to least realistic: 1. Guadeloupe, 2. Martenique, 3. Reunion, 4. Both Guadeloupe AND Martenique (they’re only a ferry’s ride away from each other)

I think your assumption about a French location is too restrictive. TDU 1 and 2 were developed by Eden Games, also a French developer, and neither games were located in French territory. I do think a Euro-centric location with colonial heritage is a good bet (if only because they typically have a lot of roads) though. The Caribbean is probably too politically fraught (long shadow of colonial inequality, poverty etc) to put in a conspicuously over-the-top extravagant lifestyle game - the optics don't seem good. Renunion & Guadeloupe seem more plausible...but I'm not sure they really resonate as destinations with the games target audience.

I wish more people would speculate though, it's good fun.

 

[McLaren]

Exactly. To think that this is ever going to deviate is just hilariously misguided.

The fact the lead creator says he worked on both previous titles pretty much cements that to me. At the same time, also makes me glad. I don't want TDU to break away from the "luxury lifestyle" it keeps as part of its core. The dealerships, picking out options, choosing different mansions, are all smaller, niche details to accomplish that tag without breaking the main structure of the game being racing.

 

[Silver Arrows]

The fact the lead creator says he worked on both previous titles pretty much cements that to me. At the same time, also makes me glad. I don't want TDU to break away from the "luxury lifestyle" it keeps as part of its core. The dealerships, picking out options, choosing different mansions, are all smaller, niche details to accomplish that tag without breaking the main structure of the game being racing.

And ultimately, that's what makes a TDU game actually viable in this day and age, even though it remains to be seen whether that will actually matter when the competition is so fierce with what it can offer, and isn't possibly in the category of Eurojank that quickly becomes something the developers are way over their heads on.

But I guess when you're so desperate to have Horizon be toppled that you're prescribing false, incredibly narrow hopes onto any title that might possibly fit what you desire most, I guess you're going to be disappointed every time.

 

[Tristan H]

I for one, tend to think it will be a real place based on the previous titles. I think it's fair to say the place will have some sort of colonial legacy, for better or worse. Tried really hard to glean any meaningful contextual hints regarding the location. All I got was this maybe sort of looking tower thing in the background? Kinda of looks mountainous but not tropical? Maybe?

It's gonna be a politically "safe" place (so probably not places like Cypress or Cuba or African Islands), and probably one known for extravagance/luxury, at least partially. Malta is probably too urban and too small, Hawaii has been done, Ibiza has been done. Iceland, Sardegna and Sicily I think are too big. I imagine the island probably needs to have a high density of roads, so places like Tahiti and Fiji are probably out. It won't be a super obscure place either, it's gonna be somewhere people have heard of - and lets face it, probably an "influencer" destination. Based on the title of the game, I imagine it's also somewhere in a warm, sunny climate. Some candidates I think seem reasonable, with caveats:

1. Bali (a bit big)
2. Gran Canaria (a bit small)
3. Corsica (a bit big, not really a hot spot)
4. Singapore (small and probably too urban)
5. Mallorca (about right)
6. Okinawa (probably not enough of a pop culture hot spot)

Idk, not much to go on. I do feel like a Southeast Asia location or a Mediterranean location are probably the best fit.

While the TDU games never did much for me gameplay-wise (I don't like the driving and the environments always felt a bit flat/uninteresting) the kind of experience they managed to create I don't think has found in equal in the Forza Horizon series (which has basically zero immersion and very poor effort at role playing elements, but far better driving) nor in the Crew series (sorry, but it's a trash game all around). If they can do a better job with the driving, I think TDU could be a solid competitor to FH.

I like Okinawa as a way to rub it in to Horizon fans disappointed with the UK, but still it would not satisfy wanting the Tokyo Expressway and touge experience.

Jeju Island in Korea could be really interesting.

 

[Qvale]

Beyond excited for this. Dug way, way too many hours into the first two, and I'm really interested in seeing what Kylotonn do with the series as I've never played any of their games before. No big red flags yet, so fingers crossed.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Because I have nothing better to do...Hunted around a little...did a little cross referencing...found this

Job posting for an audio designer to work for an unnamed AAA developer in Malta
https://mt.linkedin.com/jobs/game-d...&currentJobId=1902409071&position=5&pageNum=0

We are seeking a talented Sound Programmer to join our AAA clients team. You will need to work closely with the Design and Sound team to implement new and improve existing sound tech to achieve the best immersive audio experience possible with current gen technology.

Design, implement, and maintain core Sound systems (sound positioning, occlusion, effects, etc) and integrate new tech into our engine.

What is a triple A developer doing in Malta if not creating a game there? It is curious as to why they would even need an audio engineer on site, but I don't really know how the development process works.

EDIT:
So then I saw another job posting for what appears to be the same project...

We are seeking a talented AI Programmer to join an AAA Studio. The job will require developing and maintaining AI systems while collaborating with the Design team to provide the foundations for Non-Player Character behaviors (human, mutants, etc).

Responsibilities

Design, implement, and maintain core AI systems (perception, positioning, pathfinding, etc) and tools to create AI behaviors and gameplay (navigation, combat, animation, etc).

(Emphasis mine). So unless they are planning to really rework the concept of TDU, I think this was a dead end.



Some more jobs, these I presume actually are related to the game because they are postings by KT Racing. Might give some tidbits about the game:

CDI Economic Game Designer (H/F)

As an Economic Game Designer, your mission will be to: Adjust the balance of the game economy Set up game mechanics to increase the player's engagement and monitor their implementation in the game Adapt the economy of the game according to analytics Integrated in the development team of a massively multiplayer racing game, you will work in close collaboration with the entire design team in order to perfectly integrate the design of the economy within the gaming experience. Your position will be central to the studio's most ambitious project. You will collaborate with UI teams and gameplay programmers to ensure a perfect exposure of the mechanics around the rewards and the buying opportunities of the players. Finally, you will be responsible for defining and implementing economic performance analysis processes and managing the balance between priced virtual goods and free content.

Looks to me like microtransactions will be a big part of it, whatever else the game is.

There are some other job postings related to the title, but the rest are not very specific. This one doesn't even seem project specific, more of a general purpose position.

CDI Tool Programmer (M / F)

You are committed to developing fast and efficient tools for different trades. So you will contribute to the rise in quality of all of our games.
Under the responsibility of the Lead Tool Programmer, your mission will be to:
Create and develop asset processing tools (textures, mesh, Animation)
Improve level editors to design layouts and skins
Improve statistics and listing of bugs for Level Builders / Designer
Perform monitoring activity on new processes and tools
Develop tools for generating content
Create and optimize user interfaces for tools with a view to ergonomics and efficiency

 

[Downhill Dino]

I really hope the urban parts of the map are large. I haven't played NFS in ages but after 3 Horizons (really 2, I only played 1 and 3), I got really tired of all the long sweeping roads and fields. Big city based open world racers are so much better.

 

[CTznOfTime]

I have always wanted to play the first two, but I never had the chance.

Hopefully the third time is the charm for me....

I wish it could come this Christmas 2020, but who am I kidding...
My guess that it will have to come at the earliest Holiday 2022 or even 2023... That's ample of time for me to get it on the next Gen PS5

Judging by the company who's making it, it's going to dissapoint big time.

Care to expand on that?
I have no clue what you are referring to.

Another open world racing game that is setting itself up for failure.

Forza Horizon has nothing more than destroyed the open world racing genre and the competition does not even come close.

Perfect time to revive a Test Drive more akin to Test Drive 5 or 6 mixed in with Test Drive 2 the duel rather than making another open world racing game just to take on Horizon.

I like the concept of FMH but since I never own an Xbox, I don't know what it is exactly about...
I don't intend to get an Xbox because I have no interest, and since I can only have one console, I prefer the PlayStation, no mat how good Horizon is.

For this reason, I need to have something similar to Forza Horizon on PlayStation.

I don't like playing on the computer.

The only game that even tried to compete with Horizon was The Crew. The rest stayed in their own respective lanes.
The Crew was mediocre at best, good idea but the physics were a big downfall of the game, and the map felt uninspiring and empty at times.

TDU would be the closest thing to the current FH, except you have less car customization in exchange of car speccing, property buying, and a less inclusive tuner/low-end car list along with a massive map.

I'd say the game has a great shot, if it's going to drive/look anything like WRC

Exactly ! I totally agree with you.
I got the crew, then I play it for 5 min, I was discussed.
Barf

I totally regret getting the Crew... What a joke and a waste if my time.
I am literally trying to get my money back.
I wish I played a demo first....

Conceptually I should very much enjoy The Crew, but the driving physics is a huge turn off for me.

Errr, I wouldn't say exactly like Horizon, I would prefer if the physics were a bit better.

YES, AGREED with you there.

I wish new TDU will be less childish than Horizon series. Less screaming, less jumping with cars, less that stupid festival thing, less driving through forests and stuff.

And more features similar we saw in TDU 1 and 2. Huge map, dealerships, houses with garages, new car oem options, overall TDU luxury vibe

Of course it needs good graphics and handling. Then it's perfect.

YES, AGREED with you there.

Since Forza Horizon has been dominating this sector, pretty much every other arcade racing game is making use of an environment with a festival backdrop - I think it would be more beneficial for Test Drive Solar Crown to stick to its roots and utilize a classier vibe for something different.

YES, AGREED with you there.

Yawn...

Not to make a run on post, but I'm NOT holding my breath for this game. It will just be another racer that tries to compete against the Horizon series and ends up screwing up something.

I'm staying out of the hype.

I would totally be ok if TDU3 is the exact carbon copy with slightly better driving physics/dynamics than Forza Horizon, because I want something similar to Forza Horizon but in the PS environment....

Forza Horizon has indeed destroyed the genre, and for what little has been done with that distinction in the years since, I resent Playground Games for it.

I want alternatives back. Least of all because I'm not on Windows 10 or Xbox One. Something with a map and roads more like The Crew than Forza Horizon. Something with handling more like, well, WRC8 for a good example -- I don't think I could stomach modern Forza Horizon handling for long even if I was gifted an Xbox.

Something else. Competition. Forza Horizon needs it, and if PG/T10 responds in kind, everyone wins.

YES, whole heartly Agreeing with you there.

Hitchhiker missions and car deliveries were some nice missions.

Seriously TDU1's car delivery missions made the game so enjoyable. Driving long distances without mistakes along with a big payout made it so enjoyable and rewarding

Amazon Delivery lol

I am ok with that 💡






Interesting the interest garnered by this announcement vs the F1 2020 review lol

Looks at the difference in numbers of comments between the two...

View media item 64915
Hardly a winning formula when there is just a single digit of response vs triple digits for a game that is still a couple of years away....

Everything with 2020 seems to be sucking big time...

 

[MrRaahzeel]

From my early memories of TDU 1 on PSP and TDU 2 on PS3 i think i will let me tempt by TDU 3 definitely.

 

[JakeMR2]

Forza Horizon, The Crew and NFS?

I think we genuinely need a competitor to those big "Three". Having other racing games in the other sub genre's of racers. It's more or less something that makes Horizon a bit less stale and needs a competitor in my honest opinion, a good game can be good without a budget unless it's used well enough, and who knows this TDU might be good, but you never know it might surprise you, but on what effected this gen and the last gen (PS3 and 360) is that we had less competitors leave which means less interesting games over time.

Although it is compelling for Test Drive with it's recent reveal now, but it's not fully revealed yet, but I bet it might be decent enough to give a try.