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Driveclub Eurogamer Preview

Liamario said:
Waste of resources. Looks pretty, but how does it impact the core gameplay.
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Not really. Obviously that is coming through a writer's lens so the language is all fluffed up, and presumably the devs were inflating what is going on.

I'll do the opposite - downplay everything to show that at least some things aren't necessarily huge power drains:

turbulent weather rolls in, skies thickening before bursting onto the roads.
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- The skybox gets a big darker

Crowds at the side of the track reach for their macs and umbrellas, winds tug at the trackside scenery
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play a few canned animations if it starts raining

The heat from the sun dynamically melts the snow, with northern-facing surfaces reacting first.
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- ok this is pretty impressive but I'm sure there are shortcuts :P

Evolution pauses the action and sweeps through the static action, ascending up through the clouds - DriveClub's game world is rendered all the way to the heavens, some two kilometres up."
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- photomode, you can do anything
 
p3tran said:
I only mentioned the reviews because I think shinnn has a point there. its not hard to see.

for me, as a racing dude, for this game specifically, with its known Odyssey of development,
announcing new features (because the direct competition declared and showed them already maybe?)
as an extra thing that will be added AFTER launch, well, thats not something I wanna hear bro.


By my post history you mean what? I can bet you $1000 that I play much more racing games than you ever will.
and btw when I was criticizing early forza5 videos where I saw the car collisions being to ..arcadey, nobody accused me of trolling that game, or even when I was writing that because of a couple of stupid decisions forza5 will be slaughtered, no one accused me back then that I was in some sort of bias against forza.
so are you defending much?
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So you think EVO somehow had a working demo of their weather system; a demo mind you that has blown journalists away, up and running within hrs of Microsoft's press conference? Yeah that makes sense. If that is even remotely true, EVO are magicians of the highest order. Maybe even Merlin level.
 
While the details are nice, I'd rather have 60fps than melting snow and stuff I'll never notice when tearing down the track at 150km/h.
Buuuuuut, I'm sure there never were a trade off like that anyway.
 
Loudninja said:
Weather is altitude-responsive too. Starting out at points high in the Norwegian mountains will see you above the snow line. Racing a point-to-point down the mountainside will move you through the cloud, into heavily snowing sections and eventually to lower altitudes where the snow turns to sleet. And all of this looks even more stunning in the dark of night, with headlights catching the snowflakes or raindrops and glowing brake discs reflecting in the surface of the wet road.
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Sounds amazing.
 
All I need it for this game to support PS3 wheels, I got one last year because I was under the impression it was going to work on PS4.
 
Heshinsi said:
So you think EVO somehow had a working demo of their weather system; a demo mind you that has blown journalists away, up and running within hrs of Microsoft's press conference? Yeah that makes sense. If that is even remotely true, EVO are magicians of the highest order. Maybe even Merlin level.
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they should have one. they have been stating that they are looking into weather since the day the game was announced. they talked weather long before they talked about 60hz, long before they started to miss the release date. "its in the cards" or something in the same lines was what they were saying long before last summer iirc.

back then, when they were scheduled for a day 1 release, I remember having read that weather may come up shortly after the release.
but that was when it was planned to be a launch game.
so, cue all this time, reach last week, and basically we have once again the same declaration, but even now without a firm date......

so I dont know about Melrin level and such :)
 
AbandonedTrolley said:
Anything more than this is wasting power!

night_driver.png
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Hahaha, make sure it's 144p also anything above that is also wasting resources :P
 
I am starting to think every game should just be delayed for a year so the developers can actually get things right.

Can't wait to see how DriveClub turns out.
 
So the Cloud was inside Drivecub this whole time? And it doesn't even need internet access? Someone tell Microsoft!

Nah, Forza looks awesome but this is just mind blowingly out of this fucking world!

I super appreciate the attention to detail and things like wives reading books (albeit a bit sexist...) and umbrella and mac coming out in appropriate whether and snow melting and puddles forming and evaporating realistically are just aces.
 
I wonder how long after release this weather effects thing will become available.

Still, the descriptions of these weather effects are hyping me up.

Is there a confirmed track list or list of tracks revealed so far?

It'd be interesting to know how many there are.
 
The sky/atmosphere is really being talked up, Halo 3 did the same thing in 2007 and Forza Horizon 2 is using the same technique, so they probably need to stop bragging about just how awesome they are.

Saying that, it would be really terrible PR if they did.
 
I think it's a good use of resources, after all the graphics is where most of the resources go, but going by history this kind of hype is used to distract from not-so-hot gameplay. Hope it's an exception.
 
EvB said:
The sky/atmosphere is really being talked up, Halo 3 did the same thing in 2007 and Forza Horizon 2 is using the same technique, so they probably need to stop bragging about just how awesome they are.

Saying that, it would be really terrible PR if they did.
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Halo 3?

Now I see where the complaints are coming from, lol.
 
EvB said:
Forza Horizon 2 is using the same technique.
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That's a bit like saying cars used wheels back in the 1940's so stop talking up that Ferrari. The sheer amount of environmental work being put in is a clear stretch ahead of Forza.
 
EvB said:
The sky/atmosphere is really being talked up, Halo 3 did the same thing in 2007 and Forza Horizon 2 is using the same technique, so they probably need to stop bragging about just how awesome they are.

Saying that, it would be really terrible PR if they did.
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What technique is that? This is what DC is doing

2. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to see the northern lights — it’s possible to see the aurora borealis from the northern tracks in Norway, Scotland, and Canada.

3. All clouds are full 3D models to ensure accurate light diffusion from the sun. They’re calculated at massive distances in a fully volumetric form, so thin clouds cast lighter shadows than dense storm clouds, and their color impacts the feel of the landscapes and cars.

4. Skies are uniquely generated every time you play, so just like in real life you’ll never see the same sky twice. Unless you’re replaying somebody’s challenge, in which case it’ll replicate exactly to ensure a level playing field.
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6. Clouds react dynamically to different wind speeds. This is then converted into a ground wind speed which accurately interacts with all vegetation, overhead cables and other environmental features, based on their height from the ground.
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7. Waves and rippling on the surface of lakes is dynamically linked to wind speed, which affects how clear reflections are in the water.
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http://blog.us.playstation.com/2014/06/05/51-details-about-driveclub-on-ps4/
 
Looking at those gifs side by side I really like the Forza cockpit view better, the Driveclub camera is set too far back, it should be closer to the wheel. I don't want to see so much of the interior that such a large portion of the screen is taken up by the roof and the dashboard, its distracting and makes it hard to see where I'm supposed to be going.

When I'm driving a car in real life I can focus my view out of the windshield and have a clear view of the road, in a video game you can't really do that and it can be a real hindrance. The Gran Turismo cockpit view is the same as Driveclub for me, too far back. Thats one thing that I think Forza really nails.
 
Red Chocobo said:
You have three settings in GT5&6. You can bring the camera closer to the wheel.

Not sure about DC though.
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I have hundreds of hours on those 2 games and I never knew this, lol, I'll have to check it out when i get home. I gave up on cockpit view and went with bumper cam most of the time.
 
I admit I'm not going to be buying this game, but some of this does seem a bit pointless...

Why does the game need to render up to 2 km into the air? You're never going to be driving up there so how is there any benefit to this? Dynamic snow melting is cool I guess but how often are you going to notice this while driving at 150km/h.

I read in another article that one track has something like 2000 flamingos which all have individual AI and react accordingly (this may not have been exactly what it is but it was something similar). What exactly is the point in this when you're going to be getting at most a little glance at it.

I'm sure the game is going to be downright gorgeous. But it seems like they're focusing far too much oh making the sidelines pointlessly detailed.


I also have this problem with Horizon 2 with how they are supposedly accurately modelling the atmosphere.

Make the games pretty but don't go to such crazy detail where no one is going to notice even if they're told about it...
 
jem0208 said:
I admit I'm not going to be buying this game, but some of this does seem a bit pointless...

Why does the game need to render up to 2 km into the air? You're never going to be driving up there so how is there any benefit to this? Dynamic snow melting is cool I guess but how often are you going to notice this while driving at 150km/h.

I read in another article that one track has something like 2000 flamingos which all have individual AI and react accordingly (this may not have been exactly what it is but it was something similar). What exactly is the point in this when you're going to be getting at most a little glance at it.

I'm sure the game is going to be downright gorgeous. But it seems like they're focusing far too much oh making the sidelines pointlessly detailed.

I also have this problem with Horizon 2 with how they are supposedly accurately modelling the atmosphere.

Make the games pretty but don't go to such crazy detail where no one is going to notice even if they're told about it...
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sun melts snow on road, creating water and that influences your gameplay.

But this is next gen stuff... It is funny to see people complaining about them caring about details when for years people have complained about lack of details in games.

Every Gran Turismo thread ever had a lot of talk about ugly trees and boring environments.

And when it comes to basic gameplay, seems like they got it covered - all the previews I have read are glowing.
 
Grimløck;117111293 said:
are you guys somehow threatened that this game may review well? post history says there's some bias there.
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Some bias?

shinn is one of the biggest Forza and Xbox fanboys you will find on the internet.

He has been defending to death forza games and taking shit on gran turismo since the old times of forum uol jogos in Brazil. He never changes.
 
jem0208 said:
Make the games pretty but don't go to such crazy detail where no one is going to notice even if they're told about it...
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The devs went into this. All these details come together to creating a believable driving experience and suck you into the game.

"Your eye really isn't looking at that one centre spot. There's a blind spot about the size of your thumb in front of your eyes but you never notice it. Your eyes are taking in so much information continuously, and it all adds to that sense of speed, sense of location. Some of these point to points, when you're in the supercars doing 220mph in a straight line and there are 12 of you going, its scary and your heart races, and that isn't really achievable without this level of consistency."
 
jem0208 said:
I admit I'm not going to be buying this game, but some of this does seem a bit pointless...

Why does the game need to render up to 2 km into the air? You're never going to be driving up there so how is there any benefit to this?
Click to expand...

It just means they sample a handful of points between the camera and the edge of the atmosphere to get the sky to look right at any time of day. It's only a thing because of the dynamic time of day really, if they didn't do it like that they'd have to fake it some other way.
 
I'm starting to lose my interest for this game again. Don't know why really, but it just doesn't look all that appealing really.

I'm a huge racing fan so I don't know what the problem is.
 
jpbonadio said:
I guess this video wasn't posted yet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaHXl3JZMzA
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This is another good video. You get a good look at the different tracks and the visuals in them. A little way in the footage cuts to a race on the India track and you can see the dynamic lighting as it goes from early morning to midday. It looks fantastic and brings the location to life, I think. The only complaint I have in that regard is that some of the changes to the skyline happen too fast. That moment of sunrise where the clouds are tinted pink begins and ends very rapidly. But otherwise, I think there was a Chile track, the texture of the road surface at low and high speed looked amazing and it's the last thing you'd think to give a damn about in a racer.

For me a bit of a minus in that interview was that, when asked how many cars would be in the game, the guy says 50. That's really not a lot. I don't think anybody really wants literally thousands of cars Gran Turismo style, and it makes sense if they've worked so hard on capturing the look, feel and sound of the cars for there to be less of them. But 50 isn't enough I don't think.
 
jpbonadio said:
Some bias?

shinn is one of the biggest Forza and Xbox fanboys you will find on the internet.

He has been defending to death forza games and taking shit on gran turismo since the old times of forum uol jogos in Brazil. He never changes.
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And YOU are the one talking? :lol :lol
 
Liamario said:
Waste of resources. Looks pretty, but how does it impact the core gameplay.
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I am totally with you on this, despite the 20 or so people that jumped on you for this comment.

Right on. It is a waste when this game is the most basic looking racer ever but the developers programmed it so that snow on the side of the mountain you aren't looking at melted first. Amazing priorities.

This game made sense as a basic launch title, it doesn't make sense as a 2014 title. They should have been working on a sequel.
 
I dunno. Having dynamic lighting and weather affects the view in a dynamic way which for me changes the race conditions each time I play. I don't want to come around a corner and have the exact same lighting affect my view with the exact same lens flare.

I love how I could be coming around a corner and have a dynamic cloud move and have huge glare on my windshield come out of no where and make it harder to see the car I was about to pass. That's good enough for me at this stage. I'm tired of 2d trees, poor lighting, faked lighting, and predictability on tracks.
 
If I had to summarize my 45 minutes of Driveclub at E3 2014 and E3 2013 into one sentence it would be:

"Looks amazing, handles poorly."

Really, I couldn't make sense of what the developer I was speaking to was telling me. This tweener style of handling rubs me the wrong way.

Thankfully, there are four racing games coming out later this year, so there will be plenty of choice.
 
DriveClub threads are the worst. I'm not sure how a game can ever have too much detail, especially seeing as the complaints about the way it plays are misplaced according to the preview in the OP.
 
Radec said:
Delay justified.

I just hope the community will flourish after a month playing this game.
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OK I will admit that they definitely invested all that extra time wisely.

Shame it couldn't make launch, but at least the ambition of the developers aspirations has been achieved.
 
JLeack said:
If I had to summarize my 45 minutes of Driveclub at E3 2014 and E3 2013 into one sentence it would be:

"Looks amazing, handles poorly."

Really, I couldn't make sense of what the developer I was speaking to was telling me. This tweener style of handling rubs me the wrong way.

Thankfully, there are four racing games coming out later this year, so there will be plenty of choice.
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If it's the "tweener style" that bothers you, I'm afraid you have only one choice later this year.
 
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