What a week this has been. The racing game genre has grown to the point where a bombshell can be dropped at a moment’s notice and change everything. At a time like this where we’re analyzing every detail, trying to understand what makes the genre tick and how it can continue to grow, it’s these moments of genuine surprise where we can all sit back and say “wow”.
Many of this week’s activities are going to be covered in greater detail, but here’s a quick recap:
- Interlagos Is Coming to Project CARS 2
- Your First-Look at iRacing’s Dirt Oval
- A Behind-the-Scenes look at Assetto Corsa’s Highlands Circuit
- The Forza Franchise Reaches the One Billion Dollar Milestone
- More Details on the Fittipaldi Vision GT Project
- Experience DiRT Rally with PlayStation VR
- Milestone Set to Announce New Racing IP at GDC Later This Month
Just a little over two weeks into February and there’s already so much going on that you have to stop and ponder what could possibly be revealed at this year’s E3. What began in 2015, known otherwise as the “Year of the Racing Game” has only evolved the genre since. Breaching into the world of eSports, the resurrection of acclaimed studios and their associated properties, it stands within reason to suggest the genre is the best it’s ever been and it will be interesting to watch as it continues to grow into something more.
One thing is for certain though: Project Gotham Racing needs to make its long-awaited return as well. Yes, I know Forza Horizon is its spiritual successor and shares much of the game’s DNA, but the two could easily co-exist without butting heads. PGR has always been about style and showmanship, while Forza Horizon is more about open exploration and an overlapping journey.
We can discuss this more later on, without any further ado, let’s get this party started!
GTPlanet Picture of the Week
This week’s featured image is all about trucks. Brought to us by spinner, the behemoth pictured above, which appears to be a Western Star 4800, is tasked with delivering a payload in American Truck Simulator.
There are never enough trucks in the world, virtual or otherwise.
Assetto Corsa: Porsche Pack 3 and Update 1.12 Available Now for PS4 and Xbox One
After having to endure an exceptionally long waiting period, both Xbox One and PlayStation 4 players have finally gotten their hands on the Porsche Pack finale. Meaning, the parity between the two platforms is now closer than it ever has been.
With more cars from the Stuttgart manufacturer than most will know what to properly do with, there’s plenty of content across all three packs to keep anyone occupied for some time to come. Though, naturally, the question, perhaps now more than ever, is “what’s next?” With Porsche no longer bound to exclusivity, we’re all anxious to see what’s to come for Porsche in Assetto Corsa.
The answer may lie in the 911 Turbo S that promptly replaced the mid-engine 911 RSR for both console and PC racers at a moment’s notice. Are there more models in the pipeline or was this really a case of planning ahead?
Assetto Corsa: Highlands Track, Update 1.12, and an Audi Arrives for PC Players
Beginning with the availability of Porsche Pack 3 on consoles, continued over to the PC side of things with the release of the fictional Scotland-based Highlands track and the Group B Audi Sport Quattro S1 E2 rally machine.
Created with community feedback in mind, the ideal racing venue is available in four variations with each one catering to a particular racing discipline. Of particular interest is the endurance-focused layout, roughly the same length as Circuit de la Sarthe. The 1.86 miles long ‘Cabhag Straight’ is roughly half that of the Mulsanne Straight, which may be the closest players come to the 24-hour endurance circuit before a second installment.
Project CARS 2 Q&A With Ian Bell
Since the wheels began turning in January, Project CARS 2 has been a hot topic within the community, and when Ian Bell, the man in charge of Slightly Mad Studios decided to join our community, he was prompted by several dozen questions.
To make the process easier for all parties involved we put together a dedicated Q&A thread. Of the many topics discussed already, Ian has revealed that SMS have been working on the AI with the goal of reducing ‘unfair’ aggression. Wanting players to spend less time finding a setting that works best for them, the team has yet to commit to sliders as represented in the original game.
Equally interesting is wind speeds will factor into handling characteristics, and while the team are still aiming for a “Septemberish” release window, Bell explicitly states the game won’t be shipped until it’s “properly QA’d and sensibly bug-free.”
Good news all around. For the full thread and everything discussed thus far, look no further than the Q&A thread.
GTR 3: RaceDepartment Interviews SimBin UK
RaceDepartment continues to exhibit an interesting relationship with the newly re-established SimBin Studios, bringing us a little more information on the upcoming GTR 3. Right off the bat, two points of interest stand out from the entire interview. The first point being the first playable version of the game, ideally due in six months time isn’t going to be for the public, as revealed by Allan Speed:
RD: So what sort of development plan do you have for GTR3, when will we see the fruits of your labours with the sim?
AS: The plan is six months and we’ll have a first playable. We are talking to some publishers right now and seeing what is out there. It’s not that we need the published deal, because simply we don’t, but you need to explore all options. We’ll have something on all three platforms, it will be one track, weather, damage, new particle system, physics and AI. I suspect we’ll have multiple cars on that track with all the new systems running. This of course is our internal 1st playable that we are talking about and nothing that we will be sharing with the public.
Following this question, Allan speaks a little more about the weather system used in the game, revealing such features as aquaplaning and water displacement that will dynamically affect the handling characteristics as realistically as possible.
RD: Can you elaborate what the weather be like in GTR3?
AS: Well with Unreal we will have aquaplaning and water displacement that will affect the handling of the car, as realistic as possible here. Puddle build up around the track, rain on different parts of the tracks and as much variables in the weather as we can achieve. Weather and in particular rain plays such a huge part in racing and can define certain moments on track which can be the difference between winning and losing.
For the entire interview, and there’s a lot of information to digest, head over to RaceDepartment.
GTPlanet Vehicle of the Week
There’s no denying that, to this day, the McLaren F1 is an engineering and technical marvel, and since its initial production it remains the fastest naturally-aspirated sports car in the world.
There’s enough information readily available on the car to do an entire month’s worth of eye-catching, ear-appealing segments on but for the time being we’ll simply focus on its magic top speed.
The Last Lap
As mentioned earlier, this is shaping up to quite a year already. It makes you stop and think what could possibly be shown at E3 that would blow the collective tops of the community. I’ll pass the question onto you: with 2017 already shaping up the way it has been for the genre, what would you like to see revealed at this year’s gaming extravaganza?
While I don’t expect the Project Gotham Racing series to be revived, especially in the wake of Forza Horizon, it is one of of titles that would send me over the moon. There’s also the recently revived Test Drive Unlimited, but until we’re given something concrete to stare at and/or watch a dozen times over there’s nothing to get excited about just yet.
Gran Turismo Sport is the outlier here. Expected to release some time this year, it could be the jolt that the series richly deserves. You all know where my bias lies: I consider Gran Turismo 2 to be the de-facto standard for the franchise, and while nothing has quite measured up since, I remain optimistic that the franchise we all love can return to being a game, first and foremost, and a marketing exercise last.
Until next time, keep racing.
See more articles on GTPlanet Weekly Rewind.
