Test Drive Unlimited

[JPickford (retired mod)]

The game looks like it has a dodgy framerate from that vid. I know you can't always tell from videos but that one seems all over the place.

[Stroker Ace]

Apart from that pop up, PGR3 looks pwnd already.

Yes, but PGR3 has the PGR handling, which is just beautiful.

It ain't the pretties that make PGR, it's the way it feels.

[K]

That clip reminds me of Mercedes-Benz World Racing more than anything else- the cars even have the same way of steering, in that they seem to rotate around their centre of gravity rather than actually steering properly.

It would have been nice to see a bit more of the track as well, rather than the continual close-ups on the vehicles- TD:U's selling point seems to be the free-roaming island setting rather than the shiny cars.

[Ayton]

We chatted about this a bit here.

I've avoided PGR3 because it just seems too much like Scalextric now that we're a generation on. Round and round and round. I pray TDU turns out well. At least the devs understand in theory what makes a next gen car game.

[max renn]

Yes, but PGR3 has the PGR handling, which is just beautiful.

It ain't the pretties that make PGR, it's the way it feels.

for sure son,for sure.

if it feels like PGR3 it will be a winner,I get the distinct impression that it won't though.

The way the feedback works in that game brings a smile to my face,even now when I'm sat at work.

I wish Bizarre Creations would do an Open Wheel racing game(F1,IRL,etc) built around the PGR engine:wub:

[max renn]

You get it home, everything seems great, until after five minutes you realise: there's no satisfaction, no soul.

I do agree with Ayton's comment about PGR3's 'rails', though obviously many love the game.

I don't have any problem with people calling PGR3 fantastic, it is brilliant at what it does, just don't call it realistic now y'hear.

yeah this could be the case,racing games are always in danger of falling into the no-soul category it's a very difficult balancing act that PGR does quite well,however I've never thought that the PGR model was anywhere nearing realism.

what is the most 'realistic' driving game?

[Robbo]

what is the most 'realistic' driving game?

Live for Speed on the PC. Closely followed by GTR / GT Legends, also on PC.

[K]

K: I quite enjoyed World Racing at the time, but you're right: we should expect more of the 360.

I wasn't really cussing WR, I thought it was quite underrated myself. More of a cruising game than a driving game, really. That's why the video disappointed me- I was hoping for some WR-style shots of laid-back vistas to burn through, rather than extreme closeups of exhaust pipes.

[Hello Goaty ♥]

The game looks like it has a dodgy framerate from that vid. I know you can't always tell from videos but that one seems all over the place.

It just looks very similar to the graphic engine in Most Wanted

[Beertiger]

We chatted about this a bit here.

I've avoided PGR3 because it just seems too much like Scalextric now that we're a generation on. Round and round and round. I pray TDU turns out well. At least the devs understand in theory what makes a next gen car game.

So racing games should get rid of having laps then? That's the stupidist thing I've ever read.

[Hello Goaty ♥]

The best thing about the original Test Drive was point to point racing of course.

[Dave White]

Fuck, that video is amazing!

This looks like what everybody's been waiting to happen to the NFS series instead of the shite they have been pumping out as of late.

I can't wait for this

[ianwuk]

I loved the first two Test Drive games on the Amiga. Never played the third or fourth but enjoyed the fifth and the one on the Xbox (Test Drive: Overdrive) and so this looks rather promising.

[Ayton]

So racing games should get rid of having laps then? That's the stupidist thing I've ever read.

Not at all, if people are happy to keep doing that. Point to point races on open roads have always been more thrilling for me. It's just taste, no need to get punchy.

Seems to me the dawn of a new generation is the perfect time to consider the question: "How can we improve racing games besides just making everything shinier?"

I've got about 230 hours on PGR2; I know lap races can be great fun. But with new hardware, I feel the wonder of new possibilities, and I want developers to think about what's possible, rather than just cram novelties and features into the exact same formula. I always want fewer constrictions. The USPs of Test Drive Unlimited as least tell me they understand all of this. It could of course drive like a donkey, but for now I'm just pleased someone took their head out of the sand and conceived such an open approach.

[K]

Point to point racing is far more enjoyable than endless laps, if you ask me- it captures the sense of actually driving, in that I rarely go out for a spin and end up doing circuits of the M25 all day.

[Beertiger]

but PGR3 has point to point races so it's both the past and the future?

[Flockheart]

Eurogamers first impressions sounded fairly decent and it sounds like the games structure and online components have the potential to be really good.

It's also been stated that it features motorbikes as well as cars which could be interesting.

The official websites pretty swish (link) and features a higher quality version of the trailer thats on Eurogamer TV (though it does still show a dodgy looking framerate and some horrible LOD popping on the trees!)

[kerraig UK]

Blatantly what we need is a long distance racing game with realistically modelled environments. I would absolutely adore an online Cornwall to London race. Starting at the beaches and working your way to the city centre. Say; buckingham palace.

The country roads could be like Burnout, then the motorway would be like that Japanese highway battle game then once you get into town it'd be like GTA. Running red lights would get you pursued by the cops and if you get caught it costs about 20 seconds (the writing of a fine) or something. So you might actually be quicker stopping at the lights.

Likewise, you can go much fater on a motorway than through back streets, but you have to deal with the congestion.

Obviously it would take some tweaking to make it more game playable, but it'd also be the bomb.

Imagine racing the great ocean road from melbourne to Bells beach, or that awesome road that goes from L.A. to San francisco. Or the M25

[K]

The M25's actually in Toca Race Driver 3, isn't it? Or did I dream it?

[elmo]

I can see what Keraig is saying...

It's like Midtown Madness. You were in a city and you were told to get from point a to point b and make your own way there. Of course it would need alot more work than MM3 put in but the idea is there.

[Anaardvark]

TDU is probably my most anticipated game on the 360.

Watch the Developer Interview Here on Gamespot which gives you a much bigger insight into the game. Not only is there the free roaming and the racing but you can buy your own properties and customize the way your avatar looks by buying clothes and accessories etc.

The handling so far looks pretty realistic, if you watch the interview, you'll see the driver putting the breaks on hard, locking up the wheels and sliding off the road before regaining traction. The cars look like they have a lot of weight to them and there are lots of little things that make it look like they've done a good job. Popup in that vid doesn't look to bad either.

In car view looks great too, it's not PGR3 reflections on the windscreen pretty, but it's got nice accurately modeled interiors.

[tyler]

Bikes aswell. More impressions at TeamXbox

[Polmon]

I watched that video; totally jaw droppingly good. For some reason, PGR3 did nothing for me, but seeing this in motion was seriously impressive. It's almost enough to make me interested in the 360.

[Hello Goaty ♥]

The original Need for Speed did point-to-point brilliantly.

I've always enjoyed dancing with my driving abilities (GP Legends is still huge fun).

Long distance is cool because it's a balancing act.

That's what made NfS for me: it gave you lengthy courses with a nice combo of corners and straights.

Alongside a selection of cars which, while closely matched, were entirely unique.

If TD:U's realistic, online racing could be great.

There has to be a risk/reward ethos though; arcade 'wall-grinding' won't do.

Thats the best Ste_Edge impression I have ever seen!

[Shimmyhill]

I hope it sounds as good as it does in the video. GPL still sounds far better than any recent racing game i can think of!

[Badger]

No M25 in Toca 3...just a rumour.

Simple Point-to-point races also feature in Forza: Motorsport.

But I do like the idea of cruising around, and then racing on unfamiliar roads. It's always nice to have something a bit different.

[edargyle]

Blatantly what we need is a long distance racing game with realistically modelled environments. I would absolutely adore an online Cornwall to London race. Starting at the beaches and working your way to the city centre. Say; buckingham palace.

The country roads could be like Burnout, then the motorway would be like that Japanese highway battle game then once you get into town it'd be like GTA. Running red lights would get you pursued by the cops and if you get caught it costs about 20 seconds (the writing of a fine) or something. So you might actually be quicker stopping at the lights.

Likewise, you can go much fater on a motorway than through back streets, but you have to deal with the congestion.

Obviously it would take some tweaking to make it more game playable, but it'd also be the bomb.

Imagine racing the great ocean road from melbourne to Bells beach, or that awesome road that goes from L.A. to San francisco. Or the M25

For a long time now I've thought that one of the greatest games never made was a "Cannonball Run" type game. I'm not talking specifically of Burt Reynolds, ambulances and sexy girls in a Lamborghini, racing type stuff (although that does open up the opportunity to have an interesting array of cars, each with different special abilities to select from??)

But having the main event of the game being a massive point-to-point race with an open-ended map to provide players with a choice of which route to take.

Does anybody remember that F40 racing game that came out on 8\16 bit platforms ages ago? I had it for my Amstrad and was blown away with it at the time. Looking back it seems miles ahead of its time. On an 8-bit computer you had a paper map supplied with the game, which you used to decide your route. Different US Counties had different colored police cars and you had an amazing sense of freedom and choice – (you also had hills!!) which was revolutionary at the time. Its not really been done since to proper affect has it?

Your car would receive race updates via radio on routes with info such as heavy police and roadblocks crashes and the route's\progress of you competitors to help you make your judgments. Different routes would provide different scenery and types of racing. Country back lanes, motorways, villages, cities, off road. etc etc.

As well as the main event you could create variety by having build up races, point to points, out run the police, lap races etc

If you want to make it more "Cannonbally" you could have the ability to set traps or miss-inform other racers of what lies ahead. Due to the navigational side each race would be unique, maybe the map could be auto generated each time. Players could have the ability to create their own races and rules and play them online against other players.

I look at it as being a development of Burnout 2, but rather then concentrating on the crashes and takedown element you focus on the racing and choice of navigation I suppose.

I've read with interest a number of people saying they are bored\dissatisfied with current racers. I mean I'm playing PG3 and I guess I'm enjoying but I'm aware I'm playing the same game I was 6 years on my DC really. Its not about the graphics, I don't care about the photo realism, your going too fast to notice anyway. Someone needs to focus on the game itself, the structure and the freedom given to players.

On a next gen it shouldn't be mid-town madness it should be country madness

[kerraig UK]

The only problem is that as soon as your competitor takes a different route you'd have no idea whos winning. Also, it might make the challenge a bit duller not seeign your adversary.

However, if your car had a sat nav then it could bring the fun back. Having constant updates that your rival is, say, 80 miles from the destination when you are 95 miles away could make you take riskier routes and more chances. your satnav could point out short cuts for you as well as your preplanned route. Most racing games you dont see the short cuts till its too late, and you only get to take advantage of em on multiple plays.

The satnav could also alert you to speed traps. If you were leading you could slow down and cruise through em, but if you're behind you could fly through em and geta bit of a chase going on.

I can imagine not seeing an adversary for 10 minutes and then suddenly meeting up with them on a motorway would be exhilerating.

It also means the cars could have more factors to take into account than just acceleration and braking. A smart car will get thrashed on the motorway by a ferrarri, but on busy streets it'll be able to nip through traffic with ease while the ferrarri gets stuck on the high street. i think it'd need to be a game thats not afraid of going slow on occassion. there would be tenseness involved with being stuck in traffic, waiting and looking for a perfect opportunity to break through.

Having a cannonball run licence could mean enemy AI could be based around the character types. This would make you feel less like you are racing against mindless drones.

Man, I LOVE this game!

[Paradigm]

Lotus Esprit Turbo/Jaguar XJ220 games on the Amiga were point-to-point, weren't they? And they were great.

What a game needs is input by continental drivers to get real-life (well, tweaked perhaps for gameplay but similar) roads into games from a variety of locations: Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Britain (as well as the Isle of Man) etc. Then you'd have proper point-to-point on proper roads, and you could also do various historic races such as the Mille Miglia, Monte Carlo Rally, Targa Florio, and tracks including the famous faces such as Le Sarthe, Nurburgring, Monaco, etc. I'd also like, given that most roads are kind of GT-car roads, big front-engined Ferraris and Astons etc., a kudos system with points for smoothness of driving. Mmm. Car porn.

Anyway this looks really good and I'd be tempted to finally get a 360...

[edargyle]

Lotus Esprit Turbo/Jaguar XJ220 games on the Amiga were point-to-point, weren't they? And they were great.

What a game needs is input by continental drivers to get real-life (well, tweaked perhaps for gameplay but similar) roads into games from a variety of locations: Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Britain (as well as the Isle of Man) etc. Then you'd have proper point-to-point on proper roads, and you could also do various historic races such as the Mille Miglia, Monte Carlo Rally, Targa Florio, and tracks including the famous faces such as Le Sarthe, Nurburgring, Monaco, etc. I'd also like, given that most roads are kind of GT-car roads, big front-engined Ferraris and Astons etc., a kudos system with points for smoothness of driving. Mmm. Car porn.

Anyway this looks really good and I'd be tempted to finally get a 360...

Yeah they were point to point but I'd like to see choice implemented into the race. I like the Sat NAV option suggested by kerraig UK. And maybe you have to build up to the main cannonball run. you have to complete small pirate races, build a reputation in order to be invited to Cannonball. Or maybe save money to pay the entry fee. There can be different classes of racer. You can't join with Burt and the Ferrari's 1st time. Your in a mini or fiesta first time through trying to get a "rep". You want 10th place to be an acheivement. (I'd like to see 100 racers in the Cannonball alla F-Zero. The start finish should capture that type of feeling. You don't see any competitos or just one or two for streches on the road and then theres a "funnel" section in the map where racers all come together before branching off again.

Progress sees cash reward and customisable options. do you invest ina 10second terbo charger for motorway speed\police escape\supa jump short cuts or in upgrades to Sat nav with police radio \ Shortcut AI, or invest in police bribes or big tits to escape from Police speeding detenion.