Need for speed gets "serious".....confirmed!

  • Thread starter Hereward
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Or maybe if Shift sells more copies than GT5, EA will finance/publish Blimey's/SMS's project Ferrari. đź’ˇ

Another thing I have been wondering.
I don't know if you know that Blimey!games was working on 3 titles. A kart game, project Ferrari and project Falcon. Blimey never released any info about the later. So, could it be that Shift is actually project Falcon?
 
I'd love to see Ferrari Project released as a full game as much as the next person. I still remember that shot of an early 60s Ferrari Grand Prix car and thought this could be a modern rendition of Grand Prix Legends! But don't hold your breath.

I don't know where all this talk comes from about the Ferrari Project Engine and features such as tire wear being coded in and removed from Shift. :confused: I remember reading an interview with (I believe it was Patrick Soderland) and he (1) denies that the game engine is the one Blimey developed for Ferrari Project, although he suggested that they took many ideas from it's design. And (2) while he mentioned that he would like to see Ferrari Project released eventually, there were many legal and licensing issues that remain unresolved. Which could mean contracts that were between Blimey and a certain car manufacturer among other things.
 
jjaisli
I'd love to see Ferrari Project released as a full game as much as the next person. I still remember that shot of an early 60s Ferrari Grand Prix car and thought this could be a modern rendition of Grand Prix Legends! But don't hold your breath.

I don't know where all this talk comes from about the Ferrari Project Engine and features such as tire wear being coded in and removed from Shift. :confused: I remember reading an interview with (I believe it was Patrick Soderland) and he (1) denies that the game engine is the one Blimey developed for Ferrari Project, although he suggested that they took many ideas from it's design. And (2) while he mentioned that he would like to see Ferrari Project released eventually, there were many legal and licensing issues that remain unresolved. Which could mean contracts that were between Blimey and a certain car manufacturer among other things.
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The reason people refer to it as the Ferrari Project engine is because thatÂ’s the only next gen engine Blimey!Games was working on/with. When 10Tacle, who actually held the Ferrari license, not Blimey, filed for bankruptcy and Blimey was forced to do the same, restarted as SMS, they needed a new publisher, found EA (nothing to do with Falcon) and Shift was born. EA responsible for the front end (menuÂ’s) & customization (tuning/painting) and SMS (graphics/physics) game engine.

Now unless you believe SMS managed to create a completely new game engine in the 2/3 months, from the moment that Blimey filed for bankruptcy to the 1st Shift presentation in London, it is IMHO the same engine they used for prior projects they were working on.



The speculation about tire wear is nothing more than that, speculation. Maybe SMS created a physics engine which does not include wear in the tire model (like I sad earlier, would not be EeroÂ’s first time, remember Richard Burns Rally ;) ) or maybe it is just not being used because there are no pitsstops or EA thought it did not add anything to the game.



There definitely will be DLC, they mentioned it during hands-on in GamesCom from a Dutch called fok.nl Short translation; Talk was about new tracks, new cars (cars from which they could not acquire the license quickly enough and cars not out on the market yet) and even a new game mode ,drag racing.
 
jjaisli
I remember reading an interview with (I believe it was Patrick Soderland) and he (1) denies that the game engine is the one Blimey developed for Ferrari Project, although he suggested that they took many ideas from it's design. And (2) while he mentioned that he would like to see Ferrari Project released eventually, there were many legal and licensing issues that remain unresolved. Which could mean contracts that were between Blimey and a certain car manufacturer among other things.
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It's an interview of AutoSimSport with Ian Bell (SMS). Here is an excerpt where they are talking about Ferrari Project engine:

"AUTOSIMSPORT: On to SHIFT then: Will it be using the same engine "Blimey!" had intended for the Ferrari project — that is, the in-house engine?

IAN BELL: Blimey! didnÂ’t have an in-house engine as such. ItÂ’s complicated, but what I can say is that SMSÂ’s tech for SHIFT is built from the ground up and has never been seen before in any game. It is totally unique and groundbreaking."

The full interview with Ian Bell is in p.32 of AutoSimSport magazine vol. 5, issue 1: http://issuu.com/autosimsportmedial...dColor=800000&autoFlip=true&autoFlipTime=6000


I think, Ian Bell is just cautious in what he is saying, since "Blimey!" is in insolvency. IMO, SMS don't want their copyrighted work to be connected in any way with "Blimey!".

Whatever is the case (whether it's called Ferrari Project or Project Falcon), this is the new simulation engine developed by SMS for the last 3 years. NFS Shift is just the first game that will use it, and it will be indicative of the future hardcore sims from SMS.
 
Thanks logos! đź‘Ť

Now I'm not sure if it was Ian Bell I was thinking of. Or maybe it was taken from two different interviews with two different people and I was mashing them together. :confused::odd:

But either way, looking at his comments carefully, you may indeed be correct. And of course markao has a valid point about the time frame from Blimey's insolvency and SMS's first showing of "Shift".

Anyway, my main point is that I think one marque titles just hold limited appeal for the kind of world wide mass audience that publishers are trying to sell too. Even if it is Ferrari. (Note: I don't include myself in this). I think Eutechnyx and System 3 learned that lesson pretty hard with Ferrari Challenge. So I think we'd be more apt to see a "Ferrari Pack" DLC for Shift or for future racing collaboration between SMS and EA rather than a dedicated game.
 
etp_ayer
Just give me the damn demo!!
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Give me a freakin' supra! I can not wrap my head around a need for speed title (marketed to the masses) that does not have a supra. Here's hoping some modders can step up to the task. I would PAY to have a mk4 supra mod packaged with loads of aftermarket parts. I just love their exhaust sound, especially the variety of sound that the aftermarket brings.
 
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Slightly Mad Studios Acquire Blimey! Games



Slightly Mad Studios have bought Blimey! Games and its assets in an effort of saving the studio from bankruptcy.
Ever since the demise of parent company 10tacle8 Studios in August 2008, Blimey! Games suffered financial troubles, putting the ongoing Kart Attack, Ferrari Project and Project Falcon titles and plenty of jobs in danger of being scrapped.

“We kept things going as long as possible,” commented former Blimey! director Ian Bell, “because of the amazing work the team was doing on our one surviving project and the patience of our publisher. However it was commercially unsustainable and it soon became clear that unless decisive action was taken we would lose that”.

Following his involvement with Simbin and Blimey!, Bell is now the man behind Slightly Mad Studios. The newly found studio managed to preserve all jobs at Blimey! and ensured the company will be receiving most if not all of the money it is owed.
Hopefully, the new studio can now moving forward as planned, it looks like the sim racing community barely escaped the loss of a second major player in whatÂ’s pretty much a niche industry.

LINK


Pages form AuoSimSport (easier to read)!







 
Yes, but as pointed out by others, it does not mean they have the rights to licenses that were between, say, 10Tacle and Ferrari.
 
That news about the "acquisition" of Blimey! is from eight months ago. :)
kikie just posted more info on the discussed topic.

Although, I don't think SMS have wholly acquired "Blimey!". If that was the case, "Blimey!" wouldn't be in insolvency now.
As Ian Bell said in the interview, SMS have bought assets from "Blimey!" and have managed to take on all of the staff. But SMS and "Blimey!" are different companies, with different owners.

Also, don't think that SMS have bought a game engine from "Blimey!". It's an intangible asset and if isn't listed in "Blimey!" asset books, nor is patented, nor is trademarked, it simply doesn't "exist" as an asset. IMO, this is the case with "Blimey!".

That's why I think, Ian Bell is cautious in what he is saying about the game engine, in that interview.
 
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logos
That news about the "acquisition" of Blimey! is from eight months ago. :)
kikie just posted more info on the discussed topic.

Although, I don't think SMS have wholly acquired "Blimey!". If that was the case, "Blimey!" wouldn't be in insolvency now.
As Ian Bell said in the interview, SMS have bought assets from "Blimey!" and have managed to take on all of the staff. But SMS and "Blimey!" are different companies, with different owners.

Also, don't think that SMS have bought a game engine from "Blimey!". It's an intangible asset and if isn't listed in "Blimey!" asset books, nor is patented, nor is trademarked, it simply doesn't "exist" as an asset. IMO, this is the case with "Blimey!".

That's why I think, Ian Bell is cautious in what he is saying about the game engine, in that interview.
Click to expand...

Obviously I don't know enough specifics about the situation to comment with any authority. Actually, it's more like pure, stab-in-the-dark speculation. But just as a point, it's entirely possible for Blimey to file for bankruptcy and for the owner(s) to start a new company and repurchase Blimey's assets, or at least the ones they wanted, for a bargain price and 'start over' without the added debt making it impossible to continue as a going concern. If Blimey was saddled with debt for one reason or another, this may have been their goal. The fact that 10Tacle were a majority shareholder of blimey and themselves filed for bankruptcy, possibly leaving Blimey in the lurch without promised financing, undesirable contracts, lease agreements, and goodness knows what else, are all possibilities.

The game engine developed by Blimey and refined by SMS is based on coding and set of ideas. It's considered intellectual property and you better believe it can be purchased. But you may be on to something when you refer to Ian Bell's guarded comments. If the same people who worked for Blimey now work for SMS, it's doubtful they would have gone through the trouble and expense to 'purchase' it.

It's one theory anyway. Hopefully I don't sound like the Minister of Silly Walks. :)
 
I am glad that they acquired Blimey Games, so the Kart Attack would be back in the making. Speaking of Kart Attack, did anybody mention that Criterion is making a new Need For Speed project? I am guessing that they did great on Burnout, but Need For Speed? This I got to see. Anyways Need For Speed SHIFT will do great compared to Race Driver GRID graphically. However, the fact still remains that the series aren't into their original roots.
 
jjaisli
The game engine developed by Blimey and refined by SMS is based on coding and set of ideas. It's considered intellectual property and you better believe it can be purchased.
Click to expand...

You're absolutely right, the intellectual property is real asset, which can be sold/purchased. I'm saying this, from my own experience as a software developer, too. :)
The intellectual property just has its specifics as a company asset. You've explained it pretty well in your post.


jjaisli
If the same people who worked for Blimey now work for SMS, it's doubtful they would have gone through the trouble and expense to 'purchase' it.
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My thoughts exactly. :)
 
Cheers for those markao, lots of interesting stuff in there, but what was going on with that RX8? watch the rev counter in relation to the speedo! very odd, have to say the in car footage on those videos was awful......as usual with EA official videos? someone from GTP nip round there and do the driving vids for them please.
 
The videos are very nice! I like that game really... But those 2 lap races sucks :( Hope they got events with much more laps in the career mode...
 
Those new videos look pretty promising.

My only concern is the whole points system mentioned in part 2. At around 2.25 you appear to be rewarded for:
-Spinning an opponent
-Tap out opponent
-Dirty overtake

Rewarding drivers for things like that is just asking for trouble.
 
The videos make the career look pretty fun. What I didn't like was the profile points the MX-5 racer got after the race, it was nearly 1000 precision points and less than 100 aggressive ones. He was to slow to be near the AI and was by no means precise. Also what was with the car just suddenly going to redline every time it changed gear, pretty strange to show that when your doing a career walkthrough presentation, makes the game look unfinished.
 
Sele1981
The videos are very nice! I like that game really... But those 2 lap races sucks :( Hope they got events with much more laps in the career mode...
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It probably will, normally racing games have short easy races in the beginning.

J-PaP
Those new videos look pretty promising.

My only concern is the whole points system mentioned in part 2. At around 2.25 you appear to be rewarded for:
-Spinning an opponent
-Tap out opponent
-Dirty overtake

Rewarding drivers for things like that is just asking for trouble.
Click to expand...

If you watch closely it takes the aggression points out of the total.:sly:
 
Sele1981
The videos are very nice! I like that game really... But those 2 lap races sucks :( Hope they got events with much more laps in the career mode...
Click to expand...

He (Jesse Abney) did say that in the earlier races it will be shorter 2 lap (or so) races. If you're familar with Japan's one make races, they're usually short 2-4 lap races (around tracks like Fuji or Suzuka). This is what the early race in SHIFT is based on.
 
J-PaP
Those new videos look pretty promising.

My only concern is the whole points system mentioned in part 2. At around 2.25 you appear to be rewarded for:
-Spinning an opponent
-Tap out opponent
-Dirty overtake

Rewarding drivers for things like that is just asking for trouble.
Click to expand...
The way I understand it, it's not so much a reward, but it's just info that gets added to your profile. So you know who to avoid. ;)
 
As far as i know, you earn "Precision-Points" and "Aggression-Points". And i once read that you will be judged by these points and as an online-option a host can lock his lobby for aggressive drivers. If they really do it like this, it would be a fantastic option i think.

I, for example, will try to race perfect and clean offline-races to get the chance to step into good online lobbies and to let people know (by my Precision-Ranking) that i´m a serious and fair driver.

It´s a completely new aspect!
 
yeah +1 alex, if the lobbys can be customised to that extent it realy will add alot to the game. Raceing ofline oponents will become seriously technical picking good opertunities to pass clean to Keep your ranking clean for online lobbys adds a whole new dimension. Those rash clumsy overtaking manouvers will seriously harm your ranking.
I wonder if online racing will effect your precision points also? If it dose it will certainly make for uber clean races which by there nature will be close! with the car tuning and moding also this realy will be a serious racer for those that like to race clean.....for the others? Demolition derby I expect LOL
 
Hereward
Cheers for those markao, lots of interesting stuff in there, but what was going on with that RX8? watch the rev counter in relation to the speedo! very odd, have to say the in car footage on those videos was awful................
Click to expand...
Someone with a little better view on those things, thought it was clutch slipping as the car wasnot accelerating in relation to it's RPM's, when that question came up ;)

,
 

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