Project CARS 3 Developer Blog Explains New Tire Physics, Confirms Pit Stops Are History

[Mixolydian]

I agree with most of what you say.

I host series which only use default setups so I fully agree with you on making games more approachable and easier to use - most of the people I race with are mature in years and don't have the time or inclination to fiddle with setups. What I don't understand is the decision to remove the option of pit stops - to me that makes no sense! They could still have no tyre wear or fuel usage and have a pit stop option. It is needed in league racing for strategy and in long races to provide a comfort break - the absence of this option eliminates the game from consideration by league hosts - surely that can't be what SMSand @IanBell wanted?

Well, they still have some time to change their mind after reading all of the reactions worldwide.
So, who knows....

 

[Daz555]

Unless ACC sells very badly on the current gen, I don't see why Kunos wouldn't also eventually take ACC to PS5/XSX... They will have already done most of the work needed for a console port, just need to turn graphics and framerate up and it will be ready for next-gen.

I really hope Kunos don't just patch ACC for PS5. Really they should do a completely port of the PC version - and finally get us to a point where we can have cross platform play between PC, PS and Xbox.

 

[Senna52]

Yes imagine wanting to survive as games developer and giving that up to sell to a tiny minority...



existing fan base... is the issue I dont think there is enough of you to keep the company afloat...



Sim racing is so niche that its unsustainable it should be integrated into more user friendly titles so that it can continue, this might mean some compromises in the interim, but better that than no sim racing at all... You have capitalism to thank for this decision making, Im guessing if SMS sold off to codemasters they were struggling financially what can you do? At least this way the company survives to make more titles and hopefully sim racing will become a sustainable software type in the long run... I liken sim racing to underground music... its way better than pop music, but never makes money... so they go and crossover much to chagrin of the fans and make tons of money doing it...

GT Sport has pit stops, doesn’t change tires magically mid-race, and realizes that many people have attention spans longer than 5 minutes. They also managed to sell 8 million copies on only one console.

PCars deciding to abandon those things doesn’t enter them into some new market where things sell tons of copies. Maybe it ends up doing well, but what evidence is there that these were brilliant financial decisions?

 

[greenlightning]

So that means no damage....dam it....just when there was the hope that we could have a sim with the addition of some of the things we like from GT or Forza.

 

[RaceFuchs]

Oh wow. That is quite something. They remove pit stop because this makes racing better? Sorry, but this is complete madness. All the talk about this still being a sim (if you want it to be) is PR BS. Tyre wear, fuuel consumption and pit stops are essential for a sim.

They used to have a pretty unique game on consoles. It wasnt perfect, but it was a proper sim. Now they decided to be like everybody else. What a waste.

 

[astrarobotica]

Yes imagine wanting to survive as games developer and giving that up to sell to a tiny minority...



existing fan base... is the issue I dont think there is enough of you to keep the company afloat...



Sim racing is so niche that its unsustainable it should be integrated into more user friendly titles so that it can continue, this might mean some compromises in the interim, but better that than no sim racing at all... You have capitalism to thank for this decision making, Im guessing if SMS sold off to codemasters they were struggling financially what can you do? At least this way the company survives to make more titles and hopefully sim racing will become a sustainable software type in the long run... I liken sim racing to underground music... its way better than pop music, but never makes money... so they go and crossover much to chagrin of the fans and make tons of money doing it...

You're right, but even as someone who loves sim racing, I would prefer a true arcade game with some personality over a game with an identity crisis that they pretend can appeal to everyone.

Why is Forza Horizon the only consistently good open-world racing franchise? I would love a Project Cars spinoff like that. Sims are very niche, but even a more casual game wearing the mask of a sim, under the name of a franchise known for being a hardcore sim, isn't going to appeal to the casual audience in the same way Gran Turismo and Forza do.

Sims are niche but big publishers practically killed consistently good arcade racers by pulling their dev teams to assist on bigger games. Midnight Club died so the devs could work on GTA, Criterion got pulled to help DICE with Battlefield/Battlefront... I understand the issues with the financial sustainability of sim racers, but there's a huge space for decent arcade racers with personality that actually stand out, but we keep getting these realistic-looking circuit-racing games with no real identity that they claim can appeal to everyone.

That's what frustrating for me; I get if they wanted a game with a wider appeal. They could have gotten that with a true arcade racer. Instead they're out here marketing the game, talking about the intricacies of their tyre model that the vast majority of people don't even understand, before mentioning that they did away with pit stops, tyre wear, and fuel consumption. I feel like a lot of casual players will stay away because the franchise is known for being a hardcore sim, and a lot of sim enthusiasts won't bother as they are actively removing sim features.

 

[Corsa]

I agree with most of what you say.

I host series which only use default setups so I fully agree with you on making games more approachable and easier to use - most of the people I race with are mature in years and don't have the time or inclination to fiddle with setups. What I don't understand is the decision to remove the option of pit stops - to me that makes no sense! They could still have no tyre wear or fuel usage and have a pit stop option. It is needed in league racing for strategy and in long races to provide a comfort break - the absence of this option eliminates the game from consideration by league hosts - surely that can't be what SMSand @IanBell wanted?

Well said.
This is exactly why I said give us at least pit stops.

 

[Max1mus]

Agree with many. Can’t justify calling this a sim (or purchasing it as one) if today’s news remains true. As a proud fan of the series, this is devastating. But we vote with our wallets, and we’ll see what happens.

 

[NoStopN]

If the car lineup and track list are solid, I'll look at picking it up....at a discounted price sometime next year.

 

[Nielsen]

Codemasters seemingly only bought SMS for its staff (including the former Evolution Studios employees) and the collective experience they represent. Meanwhile, Project CARS 3 was already in development and cancellation was not an option as Bandai Namco is a stakeholder in the title. So instead they’re just getting Project CARS 3 out of the way as fast as possible, and eventually SMS staff can be allocated to the teams developing Grid, F1 and DiRT. More talent for Codemasters and more market share for their own trademarks long-term.

It’s the only explanation that isn’t deeply confusing, unfortunately. Money always win when a product or brand grows big.

 

[Deadpool]

Well. I’m out. ACC and GT7 it is.

 

[sgohsixthree]

Sounds like an easy port to mobile...

Hey, has anyone heard news on pCarsGo yet?

 

[evldave333]

GT Sport has pit stops, doesn’t change tires magically mid-race, and realizes that many people have attention spans longer than 5 minutes. They also managed to sell 8 million copies on only one console.

PCars deciding to abandon those things doesn’t enter them into some new market where things sell tons of copies. Maybe it ends up doing well, but what evidence is there that these were brilliant financial decisions?

Apples and Oranges GT Sport had functional pad implementation for a start, and if SMS was doing so well why arent they market leader / why did they sell out to codemasters? They're aiming at different demographic by making these changes and good luck to them. The majority of folks buying driving games dont care about pit stops, whilst a smaller minority does so good business sense says broaden the appeal. I dont see why something so incredibly trivial could not have been left in the game as an option seeing as it was already there in PC2 so as to appease everybody though... Still not worth getting upset over the game might be good wait n see...

 

[losbuttcheeks]

Pc was one of my favorite racers on the console. I'll keep on eye on it but my God is this disheartening.

 

[Mr Grumpy]

I'm staying out of this because I'll probably get banned from GTPlanet for the use obscene language.

I will say this though, I enjoyed mandatory pit stops, nothing to do with race length, tyres wearing out or running out of fuel, I just enjoyed the mix up of who's pitting when & who's going to come out on top.

2020, what a **** year for console sim racers.

 

[losbuttcheeks]

Lol I know. We have real motor sports moving to Sims and Sims running naked down the street.

 

[Krakenous]

I like how you can't comment on the blog post on their site...hmm...I wonder why.

I would think if enough fuss is made about it they will delay the game 2 months and do a 180, or maybe they won't...? I'm in two minds.

Colour me surprised, how the heck will weather impact the physics if it's always going to be "optimum" grip? I'm confused, optimum in terms of what, dry and hot being 100%, damp being 75% wet being 50% and heavy rain/snow being 33-25%? I guess that could kinda work...maybe...sort of.

Confused, I would of liked access to all the options even if I maybe felt at times I wouldn't always use them...they are still nice to have. Guess this turning out to be closer to a so called "Shift 3" that I first thought.

 

[Morgoth_666]

Here's a quote from Nathan Bell:
http://forum.projectcarsgame.com/sh...-This-summer&p=1595875&viewfull=1#post1595875

without Pitstops, the change in tyre compounds happens automatically. That doesn't mean you go from racing in a sunny environment to a wet environment and the car handles the same. Absolutely not. It just means you don't have to pit to put the wets on, therefore no break in the racing action. And from dry to wet you'll be able to feel the difference as always

Well at least we(well... whoever buys it) can finally be on even terms with the AI in changing conditions since those are the tires they've had all along.

 

[SlimCharles]

Makes no sense. It's a shift big enough
to change the name so it becomes an spin off.

You do that, bring new players that are not interested in what Project Cars is now commonly known for and most of all, you don't piss off your base.

And probably could be good for the future sim of the franchise. Look, I think it's better to wait for the next gen to push Project Cars. So, we are gonna release this more accessible racer because it's different to our previous games and will allow us to research some useful stuff that could be helpful for the next sim iteration of the saga.

But no, let's call it PC3 and give absolutely ridiculous explanations about it.

 

[Blob_91]

I'm sorry but how can you advertise it as everything you want in a sim racer and within two weeks publish this. I would almost think this is an April's fools joke.

Unfortunately the development cycle has decided to add stuff I don't give a single thing about like a livery editor and taken away almost everything I appreciated in the game besides the track and car roster.

I have played and enjoyed countless and countless hours in PC1 and PC2 and will keep doing but I can't see any reason I'll buy this game unless my friends for some reason decide to pick it up.

 

[RZ05]

so my take on the whole "niche" market thing....... Did the company not know this going into that genre of gaming in the first place? If PC isn't for the average gamer then why not create a new IP to address that market? So that is what I don't get. Also if the sales are poor then that is also these companies fault for being greedy. I mean really do we need basically the same game released every year? These are racers all I really want are updated tracks and cars, but to have pretty much the same game released over and over taking features out only to add them back in the next version as "new" well......that's just BS.

It's also the same with these season passes, and that's why they've removed the option for off line custom championships. Because if they allowed you to create your own they couldn't charge you for that. So this is just like music. Where you have a band say a metal band that decides they want to cross over. so they change up. So now their base fans don't like them but they don't get any new fans either. This isn't a necessity I don't have to buy every game that comes out. So no I don't have to buy PC3 as I still have PC and PC2 which already seem like more my tastes and a couple new tracks and cars aren't going to be worth the changes they've made. I think Grid did poorly because it sucked and I'm someone whose waited for a follow up for ever. But Grid seemed like a half assed cash grab. GT7? I'll pass until they comment on offline saves or if this only save requirement returns.

I think the biggest problem is that these companies "know better" They know better what we want apparently then we do. They talk and talk and then when their customers provide feedback it's ignored. But then when the game doesn't sale they act like it's the fault of the people who actually did buy the game

So stuff like this is making it real easy for me to start passing on these games because if I wanted Ridge Racer I'd go buy Ridge Racer.

 

[astrarobotica]

So stuff like this is making it real easy for me to start passing on these games because if I wanted Ridge Racer I'd go buy Ridge Racer.

I would love a new Ridge Racer if it was actually decent. I love sims, but I miss genuinely good arcade racers.

 

[AudiMan2011]

The decision to get rid of pitstops is incredibly baffling. Even a mainstream game like FM7 has rudimentary pit stops.

This may have detrimental effects on the career mode and for custom multiplayer leagues.

Taking vital elements of racing away will risk alienating the core fanbase that the first 2 games built up.

 

[05XR8]

Hmm. GTS doesn't have variable weather/ToD, ACC doesn't have 60FPS, PC3 no tyre wear. Whats next you ask? Jesus is coming.

It's not the end of the world. Wait...

Anyway, for the way I'd play, GT4 Sprint races work out fine for me. Up to an hour of non-stop driving. As long as AI are competitive, I'm good.

 

[ScottPuss20]

What a massive fail. Strategy is such a key part of real life racing, and you simply cannot go without it in a sim racer. This design choice is not only going to impact poorly on sales, but the reputation of the entire franchise. I'm not sure I can justify spending full price on a game that doesn't give me the sim racing elements I expect. I play Project Cars 2 because it's as close as I'll get to real-life racing, and now that they've changed it up for Project Cars 3, I'll no longer feel the same way. What a shame.

 

[Doomotron]

Wait wait wait, wasn't there damage in the game preview? How are we suppose to repair car damage? "Repair Upgrades?!"

This seems like a poor decision..

I think they hide them in the relatively unknown shortcut in Monza between turns 21 and 23.

 

[TeamCZRRacing]

Despite having had less than spectacular experiences with PC1 and PC2, I might have eventually bought this. Not now though. I would have been fine with it if it had been a different franchise or a spinoff, but another entry in the main series? No, that just feels like a slap in the face to people like myself, and especially others, who backed PC1 and bought PC2. No thanks.

 

[gjozracer]

So I wonder how it works, when weather changes during a race?
If we get "magic tyre" changes then do the car settings also magically change??

As any driver or race team engineer knows, the setup differences from dry to wet aren't restricted to just the tyres.
Tyre pressures need to be revised, caster/camber, toein/out, other suspension settings are also typically revised.

So does the game also somehow magically do all this on track for you, as well??

Also incar settings are usually manged during a race such as, when the fuel load lessens, and tyre wear becomes more apparent then you may need to adjust anti-roll bars and brake balance.......I take it there is now no need for any of these adjustments now???

I wonder how the sim crowd, will now feel about there being no need for any of this stuff, during the short "point and shoot" style of races?

Definitely a case of lost identity here!!
Sim lovers will be lost, and the new target audience, will be a hard ask, as the "Pcars" type of game is typically too difficult and complex for the 10 year old kiddies.

 

[RZ05]

I would love a new Ridge Racer if it was actually decent. I love sims, but I miss genuinely good arcade racers.

ditto. To this day my favorite all time driving game is Sega Rally and Sega Rally 2. I still have my Dreamcast so I can play those and I still enjoy them every much today as I did when they first came out. Close behind them was the first Grid game. Those games knew what they wanted to be and were great at doing that. I just saw a preview of Dirt 5 and the comparison was Forza Horizon and I'm like well if I want Forza Horizon why wouldn't I just buy Forza Horizon?

It seems like PC3 is trying to be middle ground and that rarely goes over well aside from being very middling.

 

[artem9000]

This tweet has more sense now