@LOonIE: Well, I can see how bothersome the "Rabid Cowboy Cop" mentality would be in this game, if random players were to latch onto it. Then again, I won't know for another couple weeks exactly how corrupt the street patrol, and by extension, the collective police departments of the United States of America (because they're the people who hired, and trained them to do their job in the first place) are...
By the way, this is in relation to The Crew, not real life. To those officers featured on COPS, keep protecting us.
If you forgot, I made a wall post over a year ago. And seeing as we’re seven days from Calling All Units’ release as of this one, I took it upon myself to remind you that post still exists. As cars on that list have been or have been announced to be added into the game, I’ve removed them because...well, they’re going to be in the game. What’s the point in having those cars on that list anymore? I think that post would be be too long to quote completely, so I’ll just link you to it instead (click
here to have a look at the wall post). And those who don’t want to click that link can instead help themselves to a listing of the bulletpoints:
- The Obligatory Offline Patch
- Get Rid of Crew Credits
- Personal In-Game Avatars (with a filter that all potential images need to go through, of course)
- Drastically improved netcode (48 player sessions, 16 player crews)
- Livery Editor that doesn’t owe as much to Forza or NFS as one would initially believe
- Sort of a “Replay Theater” feature
- Ability to pick your session (Solo, Invite Only, Friends Only, Crew Only, Public)
- The return of “Lose your pursuers/the cops”-type Faction Missions
- 128-checkpoint Event Editor for making your own Faction Missions and PvP events
- PvP Overhaul (addition of Hardcore and Tournament modes another too many other things to mention here; I'm just going to ask that you read the original post for more details)
I have decided to add one more thing to it...and this last one is not about Ivory Tower
at all.
For this one, I consulted the Game Developers’ Bill of Rights (
http://www.ericzimmerman.com/texts/BillofRights.htm), specifically amendment #11, which says that if you're a publisher, you're allowed to pick up a game that doesn't have a publisher.
I don’t believe that The Crew can become the kind of game it truly wants to be under Ubisoft’s care, so I very lightly suggest that if...and this is an “if” so big, not even the executives at can comprehend it...Ubisoft puts up The Crew’s publishing rights for sale, another company step in to buy them and keep the game afloat and alive. Allow me to sum this up in two words:
Switch publishers.
I am aware that I’m well past "going off the deep end", because I don’t think ANY game has ever switched publishers post-launch. And yes, I know that a new expansion is about a week from release as of this writing, but that’s led me to think that maybe Ubisoft aren’t the kind of people who can take this game and bring it from "another one of those games that's not awful, I mean it tries to do something innovative but kind of fails at it" to "one of those games that redefines its own genre, brings people with a common interest together, and helps them to share their passions with each other". What I mean is, despite all the condescending opinions you hear about them and their other projects, Ubisoft still has the legal right to publish this game. Whether or not you like that fact is another issue I won't discuss here, but I don't want this game to be too similar to another already-existing franchise, whether it be Need For Speed or Gran Turismo. It should have its own unique identity, and the people responsible for giving it said identity are those who made the game.
None of us know when, or if Ubisoft is ever planning to let The Crew go at any time, but should Ubisoft ever decide that they want to either sell The Crew, or close down the servers and abandon it, there’s one publisher that I think would be among the first to consider buying it (and I'll openly admit that this is a complete guess, because I don't know how this would turn out if it were to happen)...
Blizzard Entertainment (or, if you prefer, Activision Blizzard) - Just so you know, this doesn’t have much to do with Activision. We know The Crew is designed to be like a CarPG...let’s just focus on those last three letters - RPG. Now let’s addend MMO to it - MMORPG. If any one company knows how to do this and keep it fresh and interesting after over a decade of experience, I believe it has to be Blizzard. I would also think that a Battle.net account would be required to play this game. Lucky for those that have played a Blizzard game since 2009, as they won’t need to create one.
For clarification: I am not saying that Ubisoft can not keep this game afloat at all...at all. I am merely giving the suggestion that if anyone wants to pick up a game after their publisher has let it go because reasons, and said game's developers need a publisher...go right ahead.
Oh, and while I was at it...and because I don’t want to make this post too long even though I'm sure I already have, I went ahead and did up my own mock update for the game...scratch that. It's not an update, as much as it is a full-blown literal expansion of The Crew. I call it...
The Crew 2.0
(Update Version: 2.00)
REMEMBER: This is not meant to be the real thing.
Predicted Release Date: May 10, 2018 (which, if I am not to be mistaken, is a Thursday.)
FOR FREE
Visual overhaul
- Game now runs at 60 FPS on consoles (and at 4K on PS4 NEO)
- Second graphical improvement to just about everything (the roads, buildings, and much of the scenery have been completely redesigned to more accurately reflect the real United States - the localization issues still haven’t been resolved, however)
- The Sebring and Laguna Seca racetracks have been re-scanned and re-designed to more accurately reflect what they look like in real life
- A new lighting engine (you can now see the individual rays of light shining between leaves on a tree on a bright, sunny day in the forest, for example)
- Interiors for all buildings have been redone from the inside out / The car dealership no longer looks like a rusted-up private hangar, but more like an actual car showroom.
- New procedurally generated cloud and weather system (with heat waves, thunder clouds, lightning, heavy rain, fog, gale-force winds, heavy snow/blizzards)
The raising of caps
- Level cap raised to 999 (parts will still cap at level 60)
- Money cap raised to “$1 billion minus one”
Changes to the Status Quo (meaning it's no longer "God")
- Smart loot system has been improved.
- Sessions now support up to 48 simultaneous players at one time.
- PvP lobbies can now hold 24 people. The scoring system has been adjusted to accommodate this.
- Crews can now have up to 16 players. Only 4 at a time are still permitted to go on story missions, however.
- To use The Crew’s online services further, no longer will a uPlay account be required. Instead, a Battle.net account will be required. (All PC users will have to sign up with Battle.net to play the game, unless they have already done so.)
- We’re putting in an Offline mode: It automatically activates if you lose your connection to the servers, so you can still play albeit with AI drivers instead of human drivers. You just won’t be able to access specific features available only if you’re online.
- Strict anti-cheat filter that will detect if someone is using third-party software in an attempt to cheat, or otherwise be a nasty troll in PvP. Offenders will be banned from using The Crew 2.0’s online services, and bans will be issued accordingly depending on how serious the offense is. But when you cross that Event Horizon...
- Microtransactions and crew credits removed. On May 17, 2018, all players will be “robbed” of their crew credits, but they get $5 (ingame) per crew credit they had BEFORE then. However, you should take note that any purchases made before May 10, 2018 are still valid and there will be no refunds for these purchases.
- Cash rewards for all story missions, faction missions, and PvP lobbies have been buffed. This is to make it easier for the average player (assuming they play 4 hours a day for the next 15 days) to accumulate $50,000,000 in less than two weeks.
Improvements to vehicle customization
All vehicles for all specs (except Raid and Circuit) now have more options for customization - as far as what’s already there goes
Introducing new vehicle customization options
- Wide Body Kit (Installing this upgrade will remove any “Front Bumper”, “Rear Bumper”, “Front Fender”, “Rear Fender”, and “Skirts” customization options you have installed.)
- Head Light Tint (360-degree hue lighting, with 11 levels of saturation)
- Tail Light Tint (360-degree hue lighting, with 11 levels of saturation)
- Convertible Rooftop
New paint styles
- “Iridescent” renamed to “Pearlescent”
- Glossy
- Satin
- Custom (Hue / Saturation / Lightness / Shininess / Metallic Flakes / Chameleonize)
- Rims can now be painted (each style of rim, when available to purchase from the tuners, has 4 - I guess - “colors” you can select from, each with a different finish. Metallic Silver, Metallic Black, Matte White, and Chrome Gold.)
NOTE: Many of these vehicles will not have all of these options available, and the following vehicles will have NONE of these options available:
- Maserati Gran Turismo S
- RUF CTR3 Xfinity Edition
4 New PvP Leagues
- Rookie - Represented by either “Iron” or “Steel”. To get to Bronze 4 from here, you would have to participate in 50 PvP events - you’ll get it regardless of how good your win/loss ratio is.
- Diamond - I remember that this might be a new PvP league, that's higher on the pecking order than Platinum. I'm not even sure if that's true now, since everyone's leagues got reset to Bronze 4. Oh well, putting it here, just in case.
- Master - Represented by “Red Diamond”. This is a gemstone that is even more valuable than diamond, and it may be the most valuable of all gemstones in the world right now.
- Grandmaster - Also represented by “Red Diamond”. All I can say about this ranking is this: Good luck…You’re :censored:d.
NOTE: The “Rookie” and “Grandmaster” rankings aren’t numbered.
FOR SALE (US$29.99, or US$59.99 brand new - In the case of the latter, you get all the previous expansions as well.)
2 new locations
- Mexico (including, but not limited to Mexico City, Guadalajara, Cancun, the Yucatan Flats, and Baja California)
- Canada (including, but not limited to most of Southern Canada, Atlantic Canada, the Rockies, and Alaska)
This would add about 4,500 sq.km of land to travel on. These locations would come with their own landmarks, skill challenges, faction missions, story missions, and PvP events.
2 new features
- Paint Shop - Create, and tweak your own stickers from scratch. Then, share them with the rest of the world.
- Event Editor - Allows you to create your own faction missions and PvP events to share with the world.
New 5-10 Elite Factions (and the requirements to get them)
The "main five", as I'll call them, are decisively not these.
Sharks - Have $40,000,000 in cash at one time.
Tigers - Bust 150 other players in FreeDrive as a cop.
Falcons - Escape from 150 Player-controlled Cops in FreeDrive.
Leopards - Drive a total of 24,140 km / 15,000 miles in Fullstock cars.
Penguins - Own every spec of every vehicle in your garage, and the total average of your cars' levels must exceed 800.
Dragons - Chosen personally by the V8 from a pool of hundreds of thousands of 5-10s like us, these are among the best street racers you'll ever meet, talked about constantly by even amateurs aspiring to be like them. They live by the "you get what you give" motto, and won't show you any respect unless you earn theirs. And I when I say you heave to earn their respect, I mean it. To unlock this faction, you must have a PvP League of Diamond 4 or better, win at least 300 of the last 500 PvP events you entered, have competed in 2,000 PvP events, and have a PvP win/loss ratio of at least 51%.
New “Prologue” Story Arc
Series of 7-8 short missions that take place before the main story begins, explaining how the 5-10s were founded by Dayton Taylor, how he grew up with his younger brother Alex (whom you play as throughout the story), how they met Harry, and who Daria is.
8 new sticker categories
- Activision (seeing as Blizzard Entertainment is a sub-company of Activision, I believe this makes some sense)
- Blizzard
- Modern
- The 60s
- The 70s
- The 80s
- Template Presets
- Texture
8 new starter cars, giving a total of 12 possible vehicles you can pick from to begin your journey with.
All vehicles are priced at $22,500 (base) and have all eight specs.
- Audi RS 3 Sportback
- Audi TTS Coupe
- Mercedes-AMG SLC 43
- Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX GSR
- Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32)
- Subaru Impreza WRX STI 2006
- Toyota Supra RZ
- Volkswagen Golf GTI
I believe this last bit shouldn't go with saying, but definitely throw in some new trophies/achievements.
And that's it for the update, I believe. But I'm not done yet, unfortunately.
While I was doing that, I went ahead and renamed most of the story missions. These are 0% official, but I'd like to know what you think of them.
ORIGINAL NAME-------NEW NAME
Welcome to Detroit -----------------------
-name remains unchanged-
Driving Test -------------------------------- Opening Contest
The Initiation ------------------------------- Got Talent?
The Fix ------------------------------------- Mud In My Eyes
Watch the Paint ---------------------------- One Piece
A Little Nudge ----------------------------- Coast Hunter
The Getaway ------------------------------- Jam
The Duel ----------------------------------- There Are No Restarts
The XFinity Speed Challenge -------------- National Preservation
Making a Ghost ---------------------------- Threat Level
Ironclad Dash ------------------------------ Corn Off The Cob
Turf War ------------------------------------ St. Louis Shuffle
Friend ‘Til The End ------------------------- The Rise Of Troy
The Chauffer ------------------------------- Broad Shoulders
Grudge Match ------------------------------ Grachki Match
Omar --------------------------------------- Double Agent
Shakedown --------------------------------- Pile Up
Overpower --------------------------------- Breakthrough
Crumple Zone ------------------------------
-name remains unchanged-
Tsu ------------------------------------------ Straight Into Wonderland
Dirt ------------------------------------------ Caucus Race
On The Case -------------------------------- Soft-Boiled
Green --------------------------------------- Tea Party
The Harry Situation ------------------------ Seeing Things Yet Unseen
Dirty Money -------------------------------- The Walrus And The Carpenter
Running Heat ------------------------------- All in the Golden Afternoon
The Shadow -------------------------------- Changing Surroundings
Red Handed -------------------------------- Quarry Quabble
Rabbit Holes -------------------------------
-name remains unchanged-
All or Nothing ------------------------------ Most Everyone’s Mad Here
Family Matters ----------------------------- A Cousin In Need...
Tested -------------------------------------- But Not Too Far Down South
TKO ----------------------------------------- Wrecking Rockport, Part 1
The Weigh In ------------------------------- Cam
Work The Body ----------------------------- Like A Wrecking Ball
Chin Music ---------------------------------- Launch Interruption
5-10s --------------------------------------- Swamp Fever
Counter ------------------------------------- Dirty Work
Sucker Punch ------------------------------- Smells Like Fish
Round Two ---------------------------------- Wrecking Rockport, Part 2
Predicament -------------------------------- Hard-Boiled
The Main Event ----------------------------- One Last Run
Fearful Symmetry -------------------------- The Enemy Of My Enemy
Test the Theory ---------------------------- Action Research
Local Noise --------------------------------- Swimming With Whales
Grave Dodger ------------------------------ Scrapped Heavy Metal
Rattler -------------------------------------- Regression Analysis
Gumshoe -----------------------------------
-name remains unchanged-
Rolling Deep ------------------------------- The MIDAS Touch
Deadline ------------------------------------ Microsimulation
Open Range --------------------------------
-name remains unchanged-
Hired Gun ---------------------------------- Ski Mask
Escape Velocity ----------------------------
-name remains unchanged-
Whiteout ------------------------------------ Turn On The Iceworks
Burn Coburn -------------------------------- So Clear And Evident
Class Riot -----------------------------------
-name remains unchanged-
Fake Out ------------------------------------ Bustin' Out
Gauntlet ------------------------------------ Wild Nature’s Release
Circuit Breakers ---------------------------
-name remains unchanged-
Smashed ----------------------------------- Endangered Goods
Burner -------------------------------------- Express Line
Mismatch ----------------------------------- Wrong Spec, Taylor
Parlay --------------------------------------- You Know, This Town...
Beat Down ---------------------------------- The Fall Of Troy
Bottom of the Ninth -----------------------
-name remains unchanged-
Shiv ----------------------------------------- Wonderland Revisited
V8 ------------------------------------------- 5-10s
*I feel that, for a climax, the lead antagonist doesn't quite do it...so how about the level of his car equals "your car's level, plus 50"?
In case you forgot, I did not find any news on the internet that said that this update was real. This is a fake update cooked up by one fan.
And that's all I've got, thankfully. Let me know what you think!
The TLDR to this whole post: Screw the rules, and screw the money. I have an idea, and you're looking at it...it gives a new meaning to the term "Never Drive Alone", don't you think?
If you have anything you want to say about either of these posts, please feel free to either post it right in here. Alternatively, I'll accept a PM.