Slightly Mad Studios Confirms New Project CARS Title is In Development

[Wolfe]

Boy oh boy, back in the day when we had to respect CRT's and screen width restrictions on consoles...

I was still using a CRT when I played Shift 2 Unleashed. Input latency on HDTVs is a pain. Though of course it's nice to have 1080p with the monitor I now use (for consoles actually, not a PC).

So I guess I'm just confused or really out of touch with everyone else. I don't understand how having a locked down game is more fun than a game that just lets you play? By locked down I mean being forced to complete a lot of tasks/disciplines that you may have no interest in what so ever just to get to a car or track that you want.

I do have interest in completing tasks -- I'm a gamer in addition to a racing sim hobbyist, and tasks/credits/etc. provide structure, context, and goals to achieve, like in so many other videogames. Gameplay systems done right are naturally compelling. It's why people play videogames, and I enjoy playing a sim that is also a videogame.

I suppose I'm lucky in that I generally don't have to play long to get to cars I want to drive. The cars that interest me the most tend to be available from the start or easy to acquire, and the cars that are the most expensive or elusive tend to be cars I don't really care about -- contemporary hypercars, expensive Ferraris, track-based special edition models, whatever. I would rather toss around something like a Morris Mini, BMW E30 M3, or Subaru wagon than some boring modern high-end performance car on sticky tires.

Anyway, they're not locking away the cars or tracks you want to drive. They are simply going to be implementing something with more of a fun structure in addition to the open sandbox of PCARS2. Good news for everybody.

 

[PocketZeven]

So I guess I'm just confused or really out of touch with everyone else. I don't understand how having a locked down game is more fun than a game that just lets you play? By locked down I mean being forced to complete a lot of tasks/disciplines that you may have no interest in what so ever just to get to a car or track that you want. To be honest the only thing that I haven't liked about PC1&2 is a simple offline option that lets me create my own custom offline championship and track my own personal game states (races, lap records, etc.....) without constantly updating from the internet.

For me it used to be fun to have a special car or two that was unlocked when you hit a certain level, but now seems with all racers 70 % of the game has to be unlocked. To me that isn't fun especially when it's stuff I have interest in. And then when you take a game like Ride 3 were they lock everything and do it so wrong, it's like what is the point? I thought this was about racing? My only goal is to get better not collect or complete tasks. I understand not everyone feels the same but I don't understand why devs seem to think everyone DOES FEEL the SAME and seem to take offense when you ask for a simple option to just let the player play the way they want.

Again I thought PC1&2 did a lot very very right but the lack of more open offline options just killed it for me. And if the idea of "more fun" is going back to the locked down format of Shift as the only way to access stuff then that already scratches PC3 off my list

In my opinion any videogame has to have some sense of progression. Beating a level, beating a boss, unlocking a weapon, story or new car.
Although PC1 and 2 broke away from that model succesfully, I did feel there was lack of an option for single playermode to feel progression and sense of accomplishment. I think that is what SMS is trying to get back.

 

[Joey D]

So I guess I'm just confused or really out of touch with everyone else. I don't understand how having a locked down game is more fun than a game that just lets you play? By locked down I mean being forced to complete a lot of tasks/disciplines that you may have no interest in what so ever just to get to a car or track that you want. To be honest the only thing that I haven't liked about PC1&2 is a simple offline option that lets me create my own custom offline championship and track my own personal game states (races, lap records, etc.....) without constantly updating from the internet.

For me it used to be fun to have a special car or two that was unlocked when you hit a certain level, but now seems with all racers 70 % of the game has to be unlocked. To me that isn't fun especially when it's stuff I have interest in. And then when you take a game like Ride 3 were they lock everything and do it so wrong, it's like what is the point? I thought this was about racing? My only goal is to get better not collect or complete tasks. I understand not everyone feels the same but I don't understand why devs seem to think everyone DOES FEEL the SAME and seem to take offense when you ask for a simple option to just let the player play the way they want.

Again I thought PC1&2 did a lot very very right but the lack of more open offline options just killed it for me. And if the idea of "more fun" is going back to the locked down format of Shift as the only way to access stuff then that already scratches PC3 off my list

I think the problem with sandbox games is unless you constantly add new content, many people will end up getting bored with it.

A good example of this is Minecraft. At its start, it didn't have much, but people thought it was novel. Then they started releasing new stuff for it pretty regularly. If they hadn't, it wouldn't be nearly as successful as it is today because people would've ultimately just grown uninterested in it.

That same thing would happen to most games. In order to keep people engaged, you need to have them work towards a goal. This is where a story or career mode comes in. Even games like Madden and FIFA saw the need for this and implemented it.

It doesn't mean you need to lock down anything either. The original Gran Turismo games did it best with the Arcade and Simulation modes. Essentially you could either play through a career of sorts, buying cars as you went along or you could jump into arcade mode and drive whatever you wanted.

 

[fernandito]

So I guess I'm just confused or really out of touch with everyone else. I don't understand how having a locked down game is more fun than a game that just lets you play? By locked down I mean being forced to complete a lot of tasks/disciplines that you may have no interest in what so ever just to get to a car or track that you want. To be honest the only thing that I haven't liked about PC1&2 is a simple offline option that lets me create my own custom offline championship and track my own personal game states (races, lap records, etc.....) without constantly updating from the internet.

For me it used to be fun to have a special car or two that was unlocked when you hit a certain level, but now seems with all racers 70 % of the game has to be unlocked. To me that isn't fun especially when it's stuff I have interest in. And then when you take a game like Ride 3 were they lock everything and do it so wrong, it's like what is the point? I thought this was about racing? My only goal is to get better not collect or complete tasks. I understand not everyone feels the same but I don't understand why devs seem to think everyone DOES FEEL the SAME and seem to take offense when you ask for a simple option to just let the player play the way they want.

Again I thought PC1&2 did a lot very very right but the lack of more open offline options just killed it for me. And if the idea of "more fun" is going back to the locked down format of Shift as the only way to access stuff then that already scratches PC3 off my list

edited: I understood this post the other way around.

 

[doblocruiser]

Even without locking things away they still could add lots of things.

Look at AC special events, look at circuit experience and mission from GtSport, look at the Loeb Experience in SLRallyEvo, look at Social challenges in DRIVECLUB.

 

[Russ Petersen]

I see it both ways as to progression. I keep playing Forza single player simply because I have this desire to finish all the races and getting credits is also nice (even though I've got plenty). Kinda silly really. However, on the other hand since in Pcars 2 it's regularly used for league play and such if anything was locked until you got to a certain point that would really get in the way of that as you might have players that have not reached X point in game to unlock content.

Dunno what the best solution is but I kinda wish there was something extra it gave me to strive for in some sort of career mode. Still play it nearly daily regardless as just so many cars/tracks to play with and tweak when I'm not on iracing or other sims.

 

[Sick Cylinder]

However, on the other hand since in Pcars 2 it's regularly used for league play and such if anything was locked until you got to a certain point that would really get in the way of that as you might have players that have not reached X point in game to unlock content.

As a league player this concerns me, however a compromise could be the unlocking of extra liveries.

 

[Jezza819]

In my opinion any videogame has to have some sense of progression. Beating a level, beating a boss, unlocking a weapon, story or new car.
Although PC1 and 2 broke away from that model succesfully, I did feel there was lack of an option for single playermode to feel progression and sense of accomplishment. I think that is what SMS is trying to get back.

That's the reason why I like PC1 & PC2, that I don't have to beat a level or make some other accomplishment to open up cars and tracks. I don't want to have to grind out money or do tests to get licenses to open other things up. That's also probably why I don't care anything about a career in the game now. The last time I did a career in a game I think was one of the older F1 games. I just want to get in and go from the start. Maybe I just have a short attention span.

 

[MroczMR]

Even without locking things away they still could add lots of things.

Look at AC special events, look at circuit experience and mission from GtSport, look at the Loeb Experience in SLRallyEvo, look at Social challenges in DRIVECLUB.

oh yes! Circuit expirience from GT SPort is a thing i would love to see in Project Cars. It would help mastering all those tracks! I even now use GT Sport for training for Project Cars 2. Learning track from Circuit Experience then trying it on PC2.

I also would love to see Campain in style of Racedriver GRID (first one) buying race cars and creating your own racing team would be great and would fit in "motorsports" theme of Project Cars

 

[Gr8_Lakes]

oh yes! Circuit expirience from GT SPort is a thing i would love to see in Project Cars. It would help mastering all those tracks! I even now use GT Sport for training for Project Cars 2. Learning track from Circuit Experience then trying it on PC2.

I also would love to see Campain in style of Racedriver GRID (first one) buying race cars and creating your own racing team would be great and would fit in "motorsports" theme of Project Cars

Agreed. Something like the Circuit Experience from GTSport would be a great single player addition for non-league nights. But to have content locked would certainly frustrate the league players I play with. My largest complaint with GTSport is having to grind to purchase cars. I don't have time for that. After all, any time before or after playing PCars 2 is just waiting.

Oh wait!!! I forgot to mention that the whole "rabbit chasing - rubber banding" should be avoided at all costs! That's one thing that makes GTSport's single player horrible. Starting and finishing places should be of little concern. Real race car drivers don't start from the rear and finish first in fifteen minutes. That's not an accurate simulation. Points for cleanly overtaking? Great! Programmed-rolling-roadblocking AI? Not Great! (Something GTSport loves to do in it's endurance races).

And for what it's worth, I think PCars 2 has incredible AI. It's light years ahead of any other game I've ever played.

 

[cpcdem]

From what I understand, in career maybe there will be locked stuff, maybe not, but for sure there will be more fun elements. For custom offline events, nothing will be locked, so it will be possible to do from the start races with still "locked" regarding the career combos. For multiplayer, nothing will be locked. So I think it's a win-win for everybody, if I've got it right of course!

 

[gregc]

From what I understand, in career maybe there will be locked stuff, maybe not, but for sure there will be more fun elements. For custom offline events, nothing will be locked, so it will be possible to do from the start races with still "locked" regarding the career combos. For multiplayer, nothing will be locked. So I think it's a win-win for everybody, if I've got it right of course!

This is what I hope - in career mode by all means lock stuff away, have progression, grind even. But for $deity's sake, let us drive anything we want in TT/arcade/online/whatever modes outside of career! This is my only request

 

[Corsa]

What do people see in PC2 graphics that I don't? Looks REALLY great on screenshots, but the shadows popping on trees, terrible AA (at 1080p with a GTX 1060 I can't find a setting that looks and runs well), undetailed tracks (especially the ones reused, if only every track looked like Long Beach...) and the colour palette (this one is subjective) make it look worse than most modern sims in "normal" dry conditions in my opinion.

Render 2 frames ahead, super sampling on Ultra. Looks fantastic on my PC.

 

[Konan]

This is what I hope - in career mode by all means lock stuff away, have progression, grind even. But for $deity's sake, let us drive anything we want in TT/arcade/online/whatever modes outside of career! This is my only request

That's exactly what i think is gonna happen...locked stuff is only of use in career mode because that gives you an incentive to continue...there's no need for progress in online/TT mode.
I'm sure SMS is completely aware of that.

 

[Blob_91]

One tip for the career mode. Try to make it not all about winning, finishing third or fifth in a championship can also be enough to advance your career.
Personally I would be in favour of a seperate career mode and grind to unlock cars mode.

 

[MroczMR]

Well look at old Forza games. They had Arcade mode with all stuff unlocked. I think it will be similar in PC3.

 

[SoloWingX]

Render 2 frames ahead, super sampling on Ultra. Looks fantastic on my PC.

Yeah, the most brute force AA with massive performance hit, that works for some. Doesn't fix anything else though and is inaccessible for the majority of the player base if they want at least constant 60FPS in most conditions and scenarios.

 

[Imari]

You mean stuff from the team that has launch two fail games in the last 4 years DC/Onrush

Or two great games that didn't see the success they deserved.

I second this. It's been too long. I want to feel like I've earned the right to drive faster machines.

Forza 7 is honestly pretty good.

I don't understand how having a locked down game is more fun than a game that just lets you play? By locked down I mean being forced to complete a lot of tasks/disciplines that you may have no interest in what so ever just to get to a car or track that you want.

Because you're making the assumption that the things you have to complete aren't fun. Some of us like having an incentive to try things outside our comfort zone, and having a structure to work within towards something that feels like an achievement can be very enjoyable.

Just because you're fine playing in your sandbox doesn't mean that it's the right thing for everyone. Some people prefer the long and winding path compared to simply being handed everything from the get go. Neither playstyle is wrong, and both can be fun.

 

[nyrmetros]

Id hope that they get the fully licenced series, such as Indycar but actually have the complete experience, DTM/Super GT would be a great series to add. Also fully revamped online system like Gt Sport, and improvment physics/ffb so the cars dont feel really floaty.

Full IndyCars please! 2019 IndyCar! Older Champcar ... The Formula X car is almost like a Champcar

We have something massively better coming.

Does that include 2019 IndyCars and full season with tracks ?

 

[fernandito]

Or two great games that didn't see the success they deserved.



Forza 7 is honestly pretty good.



Because you're making the assumption that the things you have to complete aren't fun. Some of us like having an incentive to try things outside our comfort zone, and having a structure to work within towards something that feels like an achievement can be very enjoyable.

Just because you're fine playing in your sandbox doesn't mean that it's the right thing for everyone. Some people prefer the long and winding path compared to simply being handed everything from the get go. Neither playstyle is wrong, and both can be fun.

amen to three replies

 

[NaRP_Fr]

@Ian,
Will Pcars 3 work with a new graphics engine and a brand new programming code (in not mad box) ? mainly to avoid the bugs of previous games, and maybe to be compatible with middle graphic card at 8K @ 60FPs min.

 

[fernandito]

Mr.Bell. Doesn't the eventual and very brief fate of the Steam Machines concern you a little bit at the very least, regardless the Madbox not being the same exact thing?

 

[Russ Petersen]

Yeah, the most brute force AA with massive performance hit, that works for some. Doesn't fix anything else though and is inaccessible for the majority of the player base if they want at least constant 60FPS in most conditions and scenarios.

Yeah, dunno what to say. In 4k on a machine that can handle it it blows anything else out of the water in terms of eyecandy. Particularly the lighting effects. The new ACC is looking pretty good also, just performance is still lower for me than on Pcars 2 when run at 4k. Might be forced to reduce resolution on that game to get 60 fps.

 

[The Cake]

I dont trust them anymore, pc1 was better in my opinion. The feeling waa better when driving and same with graphics. Even the lobby system was better in pc1.

 

[2clicks]

Forza 7 is honestly pretty good.

But is it good enough to warrant the purchase of an Xbox One? Or to upgrade my PC to meet the spec requirements?

 

[Wolfe]

But is it good enough to warrant the purchase of an Xbox One? Or to upgrade my PC to meet the spec requirements?

I would own FM7 if I already had an XBone, if only for the car list, but Microsoft burned that bridge and I'm not going to invest in a dedicated gaming PC again, and Windows 10 sucks.

That collection of Subarus, though... Get working on GT7 already, Polyphony.

 

[Veinz]

But is it good enough to warrant the purchase of an Xbox One? Or to upgrade my PC to meet the spec requirements?

Upgrade your PC, The Xbox is not worth it. This generation of console is on it's way out anyway.

 

[SoloWingX]

Yeah, dunno what to say. In 4k on a machine that can handle it it blows anything else out of the water in terms of eyecandy. Particularly the lighting effects. The new ACC is looking pretty good also, just performance is still lower for me than on Pcars 2 when run at 4k. Might be forced to reduce resolution on that game to get 60 fps.

I am on 1080p which certainly adds to bad aliasing. And high supersampling simply kills performance on my system. I get it. Otherwise, I don't see how 4K would solve any other graphical "problems" I personally have with the game, which are related to LODs (especially shadow pop on in trees), detail on certain tracks or colour palette/"dirty" art style. I much prefer the cleaner visual style of ACC, but TAA ghosting and terrible mirrors have to be worked on there. GT Sport on PS4 looks great as well even on my old HD TV.

I want to upgrade to 1440p this year. The more detailed geometries become in modern games, I feel like 1080p doesn't cut it anymore - there is so much aliasing.

 

[Russ Petersen]

I am on 1080p which certainly adds to bad aliasing. And high supersampling simply kills performance on my system. I get it. Otherwise, I don't see how 4K would solve any other graphical "problems" I personally have with the game, which are related to LODs (especially shadow pop on in trees), detail on certain tracks or colour palette/"dirty" art style. I much prefer the cleaner visual style of ACC, but TAA ghosting and terrible mirrors have to be worked on there. GT Sport on PS4 looks great as well even on my old HD TV..

Guess you notice things I don't as much. I notice lighting a lot and Pcars 2 is stellar there (to me anyways). 1440p will be a nice jump. 4k is worthless unless you are running on a big screen. My sim rig has a 4k 43" tv so it makes a visual difference given I sit so close to it but downscaling it a bit does not hurt a lot. Triple 1440p monitors would be better than my single TV though as would be a nice option when not playing in VR. Wish I had done that instead....

Upgrade your PC, The Xbox is not worth it. This generation of console is on it's way out anyway.

I second that. I started out on Xbox one X and it's good but still has issues (last I played it). I shortly after built a nice gaming pc and sim rig so no longer play on Xbox one X and the bugs it had are not on the PC version. Plus, just a much bigger online community for this game on the PC (not sure how many are online for xbox these days). Easy to find a league to run in for example.

 

[Veinz]

I second that. I started out on Xbox one X and it's good but still has issues (last I played it). I shortly after built a nice gaming pc and sim rig so no longer play on Xbox one X and the bugs it had are not on the PC version. Plus, just a much bigger online community for this game on the PC (not sure how many are online for xbox these days). Easy to find a league to run in for example.

I'm not sure if Xbox has any really good exclusives either, Forza was the only reason I used my Xbox before it died in the summer and I don't miss having it at all. I also noticed the communities in the cross platform games tend to be small on Xbox compared to their PS4 and PC counterparts, didn’t matter what genre of game it was.

I plan on switching to PC asap, I won't buy another console. I found 8th gen consoles pretty lackluster overall imo.