Project CARS 3: General Discussion Thread - Out August 28th, 2020 on XB1/PS4/PC

[Matt Stephens]

Little bit of a side note. Project Cars 2 is currently £8.99 on the PlayStation Store. I know most of us already have the game but if there’s anyone new that want more of a motorsport simulation focussed game and not keen on PC3 then it’s a really good deal.

 

[Zeitoss]

On a side note, let's also consider this game saw the participation of Paul Rustchynsky as Game Director, from August 2018 to June 2020, so during the crucial phases of development.

This guy directed some of the Motorstorm series, Drive Club, Onrush and then Project Cars 3.

Motorstorm is a very iconic and successful series, no doubt.
Drive Club sold just a bit over 2 millions units, which is not bad considering the poor start.
Onrush was a complete disaster.
Project Cars 3, we will see soon.

Now is working in Avalanche Studios, good for them.

 

[MagpieRacer]

Couple more vids from me. Xbox One X, gamepad, no assists except ABS.

 

[T0MMY3688]

On a side note, let's also consider this game saw the participation of Paul Rustchynsky as Game Director, from August 2018 to June 2020, so during the crucial phases of development.

This guy directed some of the Motorstorm series, Drive Club, Onrush and then Project Cars 3.

Motorstorm is a very iconic and successful series, no doubt.
Drive Club sold just a bit over 2 millions units, which is not bad considering the poor start.
Onrush was a complete disaster.
Project Cars 3, we will see soon.

Now is working in Avalanche Studios, good for them.

He is the lead designer for the 3 Motorstorm games, the only Motorstorm he directed is Motorstorm RC based on his Linkedin. All games after Motorstorm RC has Paul as Game Director.

Recently there are tweets talking about DriveClub was suppose to be more motorsport focus until they decided not to clash with GT. I do wonder with Paul being the game director, could it be his decision to turn pCARS 3 to be what DriveClub supposed to be initially.

 

[Zeitoss]

He is the lead designer for the 3 Motorstorm games, the only Motorstorm he directed is Motorstorm RC based on his Linkedin. All games after Motorstorm RC has Paul as Game Director.

Recently there are tweets talking about DriveClub was suppose to be more motorsport focus until they decided not to clash with GT. I do wonder with Paul being the game director, could it be his decision to turn pCARS 3 to be what DriveClub supposed to be initially.

I generally included Motorstorm series without entering in the detail because Lead Designer means that you are leading the design, or at least you have an active role in the decisional process.
Unless is a ''made up'' title.

For the same reason, I did not mention the WRC Evolved because in this case was one of the designers, so probably not with a leading role.

 

[Mr Grumpy]

Couple more vids from me. Xbox One X, gamepad, no assists except ABS.

Did you record that from the xbox dvr with hdr enabled? Because it looks very washed out.

YouTube doesn't like xbox hdr (not without the metadata) that's why I record in 4k only with hdr off (for compatibility reasons) on other devices.

I'm sure it will look ok on a hdr screen but on non hdr it looks terrible.

 

[MagpieRacer]

Did you record that from the xbox dvr with hdr enabled? Because it looks very washed out.

YouTube doesn't like xbox hdr (not without the metadata) that's why I record in 4k only with hdr off (for compatibility reasons) on other devices.

I'm sure it will look ok on a hdr screen but on non hdr it looks terrible.

Yeah it's a HDR capture.

 

[FT-1]

I've had a couple of hours with the same and given Career, Rivals and Custom Race a shot, so I might as well share my initial impressions. For the record, I really didn't like the original Project CARS and Project CARS 2 was okay, but I found myself playing Forza Motorsport 7 when it released. I also won't touch on how I think it performs as a sim because that's not what I look for in a game.

Out of all the Project CARS games, this has been the easiest to get into and the gamepad controls are sublime out of the box. The cars are keener to slide than before but they never feel uncontrollable. As a result, I would say this is the most fun I've had with a game from this series. The Shift vibe is very present, especially with the camera shake corner mastery mini-game. After completing my first championship, I'm happy with how things are shaping up.

Presentation isn't spectacular but looks and runs fine in "Prioritize Framerate" mode. I did try "Prioritize Resolution" initially but the framerate really suffered as a result and there was noticeable screen tearing. If anything, the Resolution mode is the thing I've liked least about the game so far.

That aside, my first session has left a positive impression on me so far. As long as you are someone who is expecting a game similar to the likes of Project Gotham Racing, GRID (Not 2019, it's far better than that) and Driveclub, I would recommend giving Project CARS 3 a shot. 👍

 

[NLxAROSA]

Few other tidbits that have been requested:

Engineer can be turned off, authentic or always.
Cockpit wheel and driver can be turned off.
Track guide and indicators can be turned off.
There's performance and safety rating for online.
You can use the pre made liveries in career, i.e. the real world liveries for the car you've chosen.
Open wheelers and IndyCar career events are only in the challenges section. There is also a segment in invitationals called endurance.

Bits in bold are in the game. Haven't checked the rest.

As long as you are someone who is expecting a game similar to the likes of Project Gotham Racing, GRID (Not 2019, it's far better than that) and Driveclub, I would recommend giving Project CARS 3 a shot. 👍

Pretty much this. If you want a hardcore sim with lots of tracks, go with PC2 instead.

 

[MagpieRacer]

Bits in bold are in the game. Haven't checked the rest.

I know they are. Thats why I've listed them.

 

[NLxAROSA]

I know they are. Thats why I've listed them.

I was confused by the 'requested'.

 

[MagpieRacer]

I was confused by the 'requested'.

As in people have requested certain information, of which I have delivered.

 

[Matt Stephens]

I really wonder whose idea it was to call the game ‘Project Cars 3’? For such a departure and u-turn from the philosophy of the previous two games I really feel that a lot of the backlash and comparisons could have been avoided if it was marketed as a pick-up-and-play spin-off. Surely then fans of the original two entries would maybe have given it a bit of breathing space and accepted that it was aimed at an entirely different audience. Even ‘Project Cars: Revolution’ would have made it clearer that it was a spin off entry and not to be compared to the original two entries. Or even ‘Project FUN!!!’ (Joke, although “fun” appears to be the main marketing buzzword for the game).

I’m not saying I’m entirely against SMS doing a more accessible and arcade focussed entry, it was more the confusing marketing with terms like “all the sim you could want”, as well as calling it Project Cars 3 so it’s compared more directly to its predecessors that’s caused a lot of backlash in my eyes. Who knows maybe that wasn’t entirely SMS fault and were forced to name it PC3 by the publishers?

Going forward it’ll be interesting to see what Codemasters plans are for the series. I’d like to think they’d want to keep the Project Cars name and original philosophy of it being more of a simulation-focussed motorsports series, and have it exist alongside the more arcade-focussed Grid series. But who knows. I do think big changes are on the horizon and will be interesting to see where the series ends up.

 

[NLxAROSA]

I really wonder whose idea it was to call the game ‘Project Cars 3’? For such a departure and u-turn from the philosophy of the previous two games I really feel that a lot of the backlash and comparisons could have been avoided if it was marketed as a pick-up-and-play spin-off.

Yup. Obviously they can't use the title Shift, but this is by no means a successor in the same line as PC1 and PC2.

 

[MroczMR]

Yeah definately changes are coming. PC as series has an identity crisis and we will see which way it will go in the future.

 

[PJTierney]

Achievement List is up: https://www.trueachievements.com/game/Project-CARS-3/achievements?filter=1

 

[T0MMY3688]

I generally included Motorstorm series without entering in the detail because Lead Designer means that you are leading the design, or at least you have an active role in the decisional process.
Unless is a ''made up'' title.

For the same reason, I did not mention the WRC Evolved because in this case was one of the designers, so probably not with a leading role.

I think both roles has different scope and decisions to make. Director probably has more control over the game direction and what the game supposed to be. While lead designer control on gameplay design, how the game plays.

At least that is what I understand from Google search.

 

[MagpieRacer]

 

[cosme]

Achievement List is up: https://www.trueachievements.com/game/Project-CARS-3/achievements?filter=1

Thanks for the link!

Looks like there are no hardcore online trophies (looking at you, 91 victories in GTS).
A few of them ask you to participate in online events but nothing more than that.

 

[Chikane_GTR]

As expected the first thing i did was a few laps in the p1 gtr and yeah its no where near pcars 2 physics wise i look at it as a mix between grid and driveclub with hardcore mode.


On the bright side i can now drift the gtr

 

[Scaff]

Here we go, my initial thoughts and view on Project Cars 3.

 

[MaccaUeno]

Here we go, my initial thoughts and view on Project Cars 3.

Is this on a Standard PS4? graphics look quite bad... not sure if thats just Youtube or capture cards etc.

 

[Chikane_GTR]

Is this on a Standard PS4? graphics look quite bad... not sure if thats just Youtube or capture cards etc.

Clearly says PS4 Pro on the title of the video

 

[Scaff]

Is this on a Standard PS4? graphics look quite bad... not sure if thats just Youtube or capture cards etc.

That's a PS4 pro, running the enhanced resolution option, and capture is done via an elgato HD60, so its full 1080p/60fps

For reference, this is what PC2 looks like with the exact same set-up

 

[MaccaUeno]

Clearly says PS4 Pro on the title of the video

That's a PS4 pro, running the enhanced resolution option, and capture is done via an elgato HD60, so its full 1080p/60fps

For reference, this is what PC2 looks like with the exact same set-up

May bad! jeez I'm on a Standard PS4 so this is going to look like an absolute dog's breakfast...

Edit: @Scaff the cars shadow seems much better in PC2, and espcially around the area where the tyres meet the ground

 

[beyond72]

Sadly I can't recommend PC3 on the Xbox S.
Especially at full price. The improvements in performance are minimal. The chase cam is better, but it's still never truly satisfying like a Forza or GT game can be, due to the unstable framerate and graphics. And just like the last game, you're gonna be limited to running reduced grids or running hot laps in free play. (Get use to overcast skies) So wait for a deep, deep sale, if you must. It's not gonna keep you going until the next Forza or GT. But you might get a week or two out of it.

So overall I kinda have to agree with Jimmy Broadbent. The AI can be cheap, getting boosts on straights. And I don't really see the point of this sequel. Sim fans may as well stick with 2 and casual fans will be used to a better gaming experience than this.

 

[NLxAROSA]

Yikes on the PS4 graphics, definitely not how it looks on PC. Wondering what happened there compared to PC2.

 

[MagpieRacer]

Here we go, my initial thoughts and view on Project Cars 3.

Excellent video. Pretty much sums up my impressions as well having spent a further hour or so on it this morning. Theres something potentially great in there somewhere. Its just very well hidden behind assists and frustrating decisions.

Thanks for linking my video 👍.

 

[Scaff]

May bad! jeez I'm on a Standard PS4 so this is going to look like an absolute dog's breakfast...

Edit: @Scaff the cars shadow seems much better in PC2, and espcially around the area where the tyres meet the ground

Yikes on the PS4 graphics, definitely not how it looks on PC. Wondering what happened there compared to PC2.

I have an audio and visual comparison video of the Formula Rookie at Oulton park on the way, looks at all three PC titles.

Excellent video. Pretty much sums up my impressions as well having spent a further hour or so on it this morning. Theres something potentially great in there somewhere. Its just very well hidden behind assists and frustrating decisions.

Thanks for linking my video 👍.

No problem, saved me doing one, so credit where its due.

 

[Zeitoss]

That's a PS4 pro, running the enhanced resolution option, and capture is done via an elgato HD60, so its full 1080p/60fps

For reference, this is what PC2 looks like with the exact same set-up

Hi Scaff, do you think that graphics-wise, PC3 is at least on par with PC2 on the PS4 Pro, or got downgraded?

I am asking you this because I am out now, and looking at videos on Youtube from the phone does not help much.

If it got downgraded also on the graphics side, this game is a complete mess.

EDIT: I run the video and you clarify that. Bit of a bummer I would say. How come a simpler game gets also worst in some aspects, even considering they should master the hardware better?