Need For Speed Heat - General Discussion

[Lunar_Twisted]

I hope there’s no restrictions on what cars to use in both legal and illegal street events. Like completing few Speedhunters events in the Evo X and then continue on with the illegal street racing events in the same car. I just hope that NFS Heat will have enough races/time trials to do because Payback didn’t have that many for the Race Class. Payback only had 3 circuit races, 12 sprint races and 2 time trials events to complete.

 

[rallymorten]

Heck, we need more than just answers (remember those "Game Changers" and some of F8RGE's posts from Payback?), we need solid evidence.

My point exactly, good sir.

Safe to presume that one of those guys did the narration from NFS 3: Hot Pursuit as well as High Stakes? That dude telling us about the tracks in HP was good.

Yep, that will have been it. Jim Conrad for the everything in NFS2 as well as car showcases (remember when those were a thing?) in High Stakes and Hot Pursuit 2, and, after having looked into it the tiniest of bits more, Hot Pursuit will indeed have been Al Murdock. It's a fairly recognizable (and, according to IMDB, underutilized - nudge nudge, Ghost) voice. But hey, regardless of how appropriate that would've been given the Countach on display, that didn't happen, so whoop-de-doo.

 

[MroczMR]

What i think. The pure concept of NFS Heat with legal races during day, and illegal full cop action at night is great. I think they can nail it if and only if they will polish the game enough to have decent quality. They should upgrade the driving model, make the game less glitchy, don't made it grind-fest and give us big amount of content. NFS is AAA game and they should start doing this game with AAA quality.

 

[FT-1]

This is how 2015, Payback and Heat compare HUD-wise


Note: Payback is running a wet roads mod in that screenshot, it doesn't look that good in the vanilla game.

 

[BlazeTheCat05]

That 2015 HUD gives me PTSD. God that game was horrible in my opinion.

 

[rallymorten]

Jim Conrad for the everything in NFS2 as well as car showcases (remember when those were a thing?) in High Stakes and Hot Pursuit 2, and, after having looked into it the tiniest of bits more, Hot Pursuit will indeed have been Al Murdock. It's a fairly recognizable (and, according to IMDB, underutilized - nudge nudge, Ghost) voice. But hey, regardless of how appropriate that would've been given the Countach on display, that didn't happen, so whoop-de-doo.

Actually, I've been thinking about this for a few minutes, and I've got possibly the best idea I've ever seen on an NFS forum. That *might* be hyperbole, but bear with me for a second.

Is anyone familiar with the game Jurassic World: Evolution? In the lead-up to its release, they'd release what they called a "Species Profile" about every week or so, going a bit more in-depth on a select number of dinosaur species. You know, where they come from, what makes them unique and so on.

What if Ghost were to take some scissors, cut that general idea, add some Jim Conrad and/or Al Murdock, throw in some of the most interesting vehicles in Heat - be it from their IRL status or their history with the NFS franchise - and then seal the deal by making a presentation style inspired by each cars respective era of the franchise?

Ghost, get on this. Right now.

I said RIGHT NOW.

(and yes, that's a meme apparently)

 

[warp9engage]

Cops in free roam has been one of my favorite aspects. Just when you thought you'd get away with your skin, they spot you & here you go again. It's more realistic that way.

It's at this point that it's important to remind ourselves that games are, above all else, about entertainment. Not everything about real-life is entertaining, some things about real-life suck. So, if you're making a game, realism should only be relevant when it serves the purpose of entertainment. If a piece of realism will cause frustration and grief to the players, it's best for it to be optional, for those who want to try it, or then removed entirely by design choice.

Another thing I say, is that a pursuit is not free roam. Free roam is to drive how you want, to wherever you want. When the police becomes involved they, eventually, start forcing to take certain routes to escape. You're no longer driving where you want to but rather where you need to, in order to escape. Therefore, if "free-roam" is going to be 5 minutes of driving, then pursuit after pursuit after pursuit, then there really is no such thing as free-roam in the game.

 

[SlimCharles]

Yep, that will have been it. Jim Conrad for the everything in NFS2 as well as car showcases (remember when those were a thing?) in High Stakes and Hot Pursuit 2, and, after having looked into it the tiniest of bits more, Hot Pursuit will indeed have been Al Murdock. It's a fairly recognizable (and, according to IMDB, underutilized - nudge nudge, Ghost) voice. But hey, regardless of how appropriate that would've been given the Countach on display, that didn't happen, so whoop-de-doo.

That guy had the most epic voice in the whole industry of epic voices. God he made the game so much better ("YOU ARE JUST BEHIND!!").

How long a NFS hasn't been that special?

 

[FoRiZon]

Another thing I say, is that a pursuit is not free roam. Free roam is to drive how you want, to wherever you want. When the police becomes involved they, eventually, start forcing to take certain routes to escape. You're no longer driving where you want to but rather where you need to, in order to escape. Therefore, if "free-roam" is going to be 5 minutes of driving, then pursuit after pursuit after pursuit, then there really is no such thing as free-roam in the game.

I wonder if anyone can turn off or on the cops at their leisure.... Hope this NFS got it.

 

[astrarobotica]

Out of curiosity, what exactly do people mean when they're talking about brake to drift? I only just started playing Rivals and I haven't played the last two at all. I actually really like the handling in Rivals, do the recent games handle differently? Or do people not like that style for some reason? The drifting is Rivals is so fun, I think the handling is a good palette cleanser when I'm not playing GT Sport or PC2. If that's what people are calling brake to drift then I don't really understand what's wrong with it.

 

[ELmarcotuff]

Out of curiosity, what exactly do people mean when they're taking about brake to drift? I only just started playing Rivals and I haven't played the last two at all. I actually really like the handling in Rivals, do the recent games handle differently? Or do people not like that style for some reason? The drifting is Rivals is so fun, I think the handling is a good palette cleanser when I'm not playing GT Sport or PC2. If that's what people are calling brake to drift then I don't really understand what's wrong with it.

They mean you tap the brake and turn in which immediately initiates a drift. It's mainly used in arcade racing games, most notably the burnout series. In comparison to handling compared to say ps2 early ps3 nfs or more simulator type handling where it takes much more to initiate a drift, of which will only be slower in the long run.

 

[astrarobotica]

They mean you tap the brake and turn in which immediately initiates a drift. It's mainly used in arcade racing games, most notably the burnout series. In comparison to handling compared to say ps2 early ps3 nfs or more simulator type handling where it takes much more to initiate a drift, of which will only be slower in the long run.

Right that's what I figured, I just don't understand why people are so opposed to it. Unless it's changed for the worse since Rivals, because I really enjoy the handling in that game. It's the closest modern analogue to Burnout, just a bit heavier. I guess I'm just surprised people look to Need For Speed for a source of realism? As long as it feels nice, gimme those drift physics. The Crew 2 is slightly more realistic and just feels boring to me. I'm assuming that's why they added a pointless nitrous system and random jumps everywhere.

 

[T0MMY3688]

Right that's what I figured, I just don't understand why people are so opposed to it. Unless it's changed for the worse since Rivals, because I really enjoy the handling in that game. It's the closest modern analogue to Burnout, just a bit heavier. I guess I'm just surprised people look to Need For Speed for a source of realism? As long as it feels nice, gimme those drift physics. The Crew 2 is slightly more realistic and just feels boring to me. I'm assuming that's why they added a pointless nitrous system and random jumps everywhere.

It kinda did get worse in the next game, NFS 2015 driving physics felt even heavier, more on rails and very inconsistent. The underground racing mood in 2015 is fantastic but the cops were as dumb as bricks.

In Payback they got the physics to behave better and more consistent, closer to Rivals but the game changed the upgrade system to random parts drop after a race win like in The Crew games. There is also loot box for vanity items and tokens to exchange for performance parts in shop. Also, Payback looks really bad visually compared to 2015 and Rivals.

 

[astrarobotica]

It kinda did get worse in the next game, NFS 2015 driving physics felt even heavier, more on rails and very inconsistent. The underground racing mood in 2015 is fantastic but the cops were as dumb as bricks.

In Payback they got the physics to behave better and more consistent, closer to Rivals but the game changed the upgrade system to random parts drop after a race win like in The Crew games. There is also loot box for vanity items and tokens to exchange for performance parts in shop. Also, Payback looks really bad visually compared to 2015 and Rivals.

It's honestly a shame it's gone that way, even though I watched my friend play Rivals quite a bit when it launched, the reception of the last two games made me convince myself Rivals was mediocre as well, and now that I'm playing it I'm honestly shocked at how much I enjoy it. And even if (big if) Heat turns out to actually be good, I think a lot of people will pass on it based on the current perception of the franchise. I haven't played/cared about Need for Speed since Underground on the PSP, but I really hope this game is good.

 

[T0MMY3688]

It's honestly a shame it's gone that way, even though I watched my friend play Rivals quite a bit when it launched, the reception of the last two games made me convince myself Rivals was mediocre as well, and now that I'm playing it I'm honestly shocked at how much I enjoy it. And even if (big if) Heat turns out to actually be good, I think a lot of people will pass on it based on the current perception of the franchise. I haven't played/cared about Need for Speed since Underground on the PSP, but I really hope this game is good.

Regardless of the current perception NFS seems to sold well enough for EA to justify another sequel, my hope is Heat does well and Ghost finally has a theme/goal and a decent platform to build on. The last 3 games felt more like a reboot on its own than building on what they have.

 

[Nexus]

Right that's what I figured, I just don't understand why people are so opposed to it. Unless it's changed for the worse since Rivals, because I really enjoy the handling in that game. It's the closest modern analogue to Burnout, just a bit heavier. I guess I'm just surprised people look to Need For Speed for a source of realism? As long as it feels nice, gimme those drift physics. The Crew 2 is slightly more realistic and just feels boring to me. I'm assuming that's why they added a pointless nitrous system and random jumps everywhere.

It's nothing to do with realism, some of us just prefer the older style of grippy handling (which wasn't very realistic, either).

 

[GTHuayra]

I admit, this has piqued my interest...

I'm not buying it yet, but the ProStreet x Underground feeling provides the Need For Speed itch that I only just realised I needed to scratch. Reserving later judgement.

 

[rallymorten]

Out of curiosity, what exactly do people mean when they're talking about brake to drift? I only just started playing Rivals and I haven't played the last two at all. I actually really like the handling in Rivals, do the recent games handle differently? Or do people not like that style for some reason?

Well-knowing other people have already done the same, I'll try and give an explanation:

No matter what game you're talking about, a handling model can only ever be as good as its implementation. It's not enough for the handling model itself to be well-crafted in and of itself - it needs to work in the context of the game it's implemented in.

Question #1 then: is the handling model itself well-crafted in and of itself? I'd argue that's a "not really". If you venture back a few months in the Payback thread (or just look it up on the interwebs in general), you'll start to see that it's littered with things that feel like they shouldn't happen (so much for that "easier to be perceived as broken" statement, huh?), and it feels like barely any work has gone into addressing some of these issues. That's one of the main problems people have with this handling model. It feels like it's still in beta after six years.

But does it work in the context of the games it's employed in? Sort-of. When it's not busy trying to kill itself, it does work in Rivals and Payback, in part because it's been mildly tweaked between games, in part because the games are designed to accommodate it - from the world it takes place in to the way the cars respond to your inputs. 2015 - because I guess I'll have to address that too - felt like the world (what little there was) was built with one handling model in mind, only to have that swapped for a completely different model two days before release. Nothing in 2015 was built to accommodate either of its handling models. More on that in a second.

Then, of course, there's the matter of preference. Some people just prefer one handling style over another, and over the course of the last 25 years, NFS has attracted audiences for both. This is the one and only part of 2015 that deserves credit, because being able to mix and match the two different handling models to your liking was a neat idea. It just wasn't implemented well at all. Heck, I struggle to say it's even "implemented" to begin with.

TL;DR there are a myriad of technical issues with it that have gone untouched for several games, it hasn't always worked in the context of the game it was used in and grip vs. drift balance hasn't received the attention it needs.

Bonus fun fact: it turned out just under a year ago that Rivals' handling model is actually based on a grip model, with drifting working more as an "add-on". Do with that as you will.

 

[MroczMR]

To be honest. Drift model worked great in Need For Speed Hot Pursuit 2010. BUT. Whole game and map was design to fit that driving model.

 

[JR98]

Looks like one of the cars in the trailer is based on the BLITZ Skyline From GT4

 

[Moglet]

Right that's what I figured, I just don't understand why people are so opposed to it. Unless it's changed for the worse since Rivals, because I really enjoy the handling in that game. It's the closest modern analogue to Burnout, just a bit heavier. I guess I'm just surprised people look to Need For Speed for a source of realism? As long as it feels nice, gimme those drift physics. The Crew 2 is slightly more realistic and just feels boring to me. I'm assuming that's why they added a pointless nitrous system and random jumps everywhere.

I'm not opposed to "brake to drift" handling as such but 2015 had the weirdest handling model. The car would often "crabwalk" all over the place when exiting a drift (this was less of a problem in Payback but was definitely still there) and adjusting the sliders between grip and drift didn't really do much at all. The drifts never felt fully predictable which was frustrating. To be honest I'd rather they stick with perfecting the drifting than trying to mess around with grip sliders but hopefully Heat has managed to solve some of the issues.

 

[strela]

Looks like one of the cars in the trailer is based on the BLITZ Skyline From GT4

View attachment 843392

Sorry but that photo is not from GT4. I know because I played that game

Wasn't sure what to do so I pre-ordered the Deluxe Edition. I was hoping for a long time to see and play with a 3D model from Kyzym Saleen so it's like a dream come true for me.

 

[FT-1]

I'm not opposed to "brake to drift" handling as such but 2015 had the weirdest handling model. The car would often "crabwalk" all over the place when exiting a drift (this was less of a problem in Payback but was definitely still there) and adjusting the sliders between grip and drift didn't really do much at all. The drifts never felt fully predictable which was frustrating. To be honest I'd rather they stick with perfecting the drifting than trying to mess around with grip sliders but hopefully Heat has managed to solve some of the issues.

I echo the same thought about Brake-To-Drift not necessarily being a bad thing. I never played Rivals, but the B2D model in Most Wanted 2012 was ideal for the sort of game it was designed to be. The handling in Payback was satisfactory the majority of the time, but for some of the "quirks" from 2015 were still present, especially after a collision with another car.

Even if drifting ends up being the fastest way of cornering in Heat again, I wouldn't have a problem with that - But I am very interesting in trying what Ghost claim to be an overhauled model for grip settings. All I ask for is consistent physics with good sense of speed.

 

[rallymorten]

To be honest. Drift model worked great in Need For Speed Hot Pursuit 2010. BUT. Whole game and map was design to fit that driving model.

That's exactly what I've been saying in various threads over the last year or so (though it's well-established I'm on everyone's ignore list by default so nobody ever sees it) - if the game and handling model suit eachother, magic may occur. That doesn't change the fact, however, that preferences still differ, hence why I'm genuinely praying for Ghost to eventually crack a versatile handling model capable of putting this argument in the ground for good. Until then, all one can realistically expect is that they're utilizing whatever handling model they may have as best as possible. And to be fair, two of their three games do a fairly decent job of this.

Personally, I don't care if this turns out to be grippy or drifty, as long as there's a logic to the handling model and the way it fits into the game I can get behind. It also helps if it isn't fundamentally broken.

 

[Moglet]

Lets hope there is no more of this:

 

[ELmarcotuff]

I can confidently say, however it comes out, it will be better than super street.

Although I am one of the people who are actually excited for this game.

 

[Silver Arrows]

Was expecting an Hot Pursuit game with proper story, not this Urban, Fast and Furious Ripped off, Rap music Rubbish!

Alright old man, calm down with the dog whistles.

 

[Castrol96]

Alright old man, calm down with the dog whistles.

I might sound like an old man but this game sucks already.

 

[JR98]

I might sound like an old man but this gamr sucks already.

We won't know that until we at least see some game play which should be coming at Gamescom.

Sure it doesn't look much different from Payback visually but neither did any Blackbox game from UG2-Carbon. B2D worked well in Rivals (IMO) because they built a world where it worked so hopefully they build Palm City around the handling of Heat. From what I've seen & read it does look promising (definitely more so than Payback did at the time) so I am looking forward to it but I'm not getting hyped up until game play is actually seen.

 

[Silver Arrows]

I might sound like an old man but this gamr sucks already.

Oh we know, considering you're the one who went with 'is this game gonna have those damn queers' when you saw one screenshot of the teaser trailer.

But still, keep the dog whistle tucked away, yeah?