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DRIVECLUB |OT| Cloudy with a Chance of Jaw Drops

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mid83

Member
I honestly don't want to read dozens of pages of this thread so I'm curious what the general consensus of this game is so far?
 
I honestly don't want to read dozens of pages of this thread so I'm curious what the general consensus of this game is so far?
XNslDDi.gif

forgive the framerate
 
I got this yesterday and really enjoyed what I played of it so far. It looks fantastic and natural. Breathtakingly so at times.
The handling feels good and the racing can be really quite tension building.

I used to play the Forza series but by the time Horizon came out I had grown bored of it. While I could see many of the reasons people loved Horizon I stopped playing it very quickly. I felt like I had got bored with the whole genre.
Driveclub has really sparked my interest again.

My criticisms would be mainly the mess they're in with the servers. It's a poor show really. They've had long enough to prepare for launch.
I also think not having even a rudimentary replay system at launch is crazy. I mean, they go to the effort of creating these beautifully modelled cars to drive and don't really give you any way to look at them racing.

I think the car decal/paint customization is ok but surely they could have given us a bit more control or the ability to combine a few decals to make things more unique?
Also I can't believe they don't let you pick from the range of manufacturer colours available for each car if you don't want to do a custom paint job.

Those criticisms aside, so far I think this game is very good though and would recommend anyone on the fence to try it.
 

Moozo

Member
Just decided to switch the OSD off for the first time. It was the first hill climb - Norway at dusk and into the night. Track I'd never raced before and no minimap to rely on, and also no idea of what sort of time I was aiming for.

It's a shame they threw so much stuff on the HUD, because damn, it looks fucking amazing without it. SO atmospheric hurtling through the snow flurries with just the moonlight and occasional clusters of crowds for company.

In the end I was .9 of a second off the top target :(
 
I just deleted my digital copy by mistake OTL
Now i can't download it from library or the store.

..I need my DC fix , it's been almost an hour!

EDIT: It's downloading!, the download list from the webstore saved me.

it's bugged.. but yeah sen store. i guess it shows you the price still though?
 

DOWN

Banned
The Mercedes GT is a beauty. Now I just need to unlock the SLS and the AM One-77 and my favs will all be here. Already have the Ferraris.
 

Hoje0308

Banned
Turns out I had been driving the Ariel Atom wrong this whole time. Was just messing around and found its actually quite good for flat out ragged racing.
 
yeah, it was weird, it showed me like a inconless version in the store and the price.

yep same here. well i have the receipt saying i bought it if anything goes wrong. i hope this doesn't affect online play if it ever works? ;x

anyways. i guess it's due to PS+ version not being available it's going to be like that for now. but at least we have the license right? lol.
 

kyser73

Member
Damn.

Now I'm thinking I should nip back home, pick the quad up and take it to the sister-in-laws for the weekend...could still do it...
 

Noobcraft

Member
I honestly don't want to read dozens of pages of this thread so I'm curious what the general consensus of this game is so far?
Pretty good here on gaf, but personally it doesn't click with me. It's really bare bones and while the lighting can be incredible, graphically there is a lot of shadow flickering, there is texture pop in, really bad aliasing (the image quality is really bad IMO), and blocky shadows can ruin an otherwise beautiful scene. The driving is rewarding and feels fine, slightly more arcade than Forza Horizon 2 in terms of handling. The menus are all fine. The gameplay is limited but good at what it does offer. For me I'm glad I bought it physically, I don't think I'll own this game for more than a month, it's just not enough game for me.
 

nib95

Banned
I honestly don't want to read dozens of pages of this thread so I'm curious what the general consensus of this game is so far?

Posted this earlier in this thread. The game is fantastic. Honestly if you're even remotely a driving or racing game fan, just go out and buy it.

nib95 said:
So after the fallout from the reviews, I thought I'd check in on impressions of this game from all the GAF'ers over the last few pages. Here's the one's I came across, good and bad, though the overwhelming majority seem very positive.

Apologies if I missed any!

I was waiting as many others for the PS+ edition to decide to buy or not the game but without an ETA for the demo I bought the game a few hours ago.

I am a fan of racing games, I am using the Thrustmaster T300 RS and this is my first impressions of the game:

- I believe its the best arcade racing game I have ever played.
- Graphics: Technically are not perfect but definitely are the most beautiful I have ever seen in a racing game. In some stages with all the effects and that perfect lightning I thought I was in a interactive video... Waiting for weather effects!
- Gameplay: Very fun. Very good stage designing. Challenging AI. Clean and fast UI. Waiting for the online part!
- Driving: Very accessible and fun. Even the slower cars are fun to drive. The feedback from the T300 RS is good but I would like a patch so the wheel can be more heavy and give stronger force feedback effects.
- Sound: I found it ok. No opinion for the music as I don't like music while racing. I would like to hear the super/hyper cars, I am hoping the sound will be better than the hatchbacks.

I played only the first event, even the game is very addictive, as I am waiting for the full experience with the online features.

Really loving this game, perfect for anyone who just wants to race.

Surprisingly I'm not that impressed with the graphics. They're not that sharp and some of the scenery is pretty inconsistent looking. The game looks stunning with the right lighting though.

This game is outstanding. Pure driving, play for improvement to the point of perfection. I've read PGR comparisons but would say this is more along the lines of a MSR debut.

This is a much different game than the excellent Forza Horizon 2. The two will not cannibalize one another. Take comfort in owning and playing both even over the same period of time.

Yeah the racing is so good in this game hah, as dumb as that sounds. The handling is fantastic, I wasn't sure I'd be too keen on it but I love it.

One thing that kind of bothers me is when you're ahead of some opponents, them drafting you seems WAY better than you drafting them. Like they can draft you for a second and then they're flying past you. If I draft I slowly gain momentum and speed. The CPU takes off like a rocket.

Absolutely phenomenal game. It plays like a dream, looks simply incredible (seriously... wow), and has that pull that makes me want to play just one more time. I don't even like racing games much (sims do nothing for me) and I was a bit worried it wouldn't grab me after that year-long hype I had built up, but it even surpassed my expectations. And this is just for the single player so far; this will get so amazing once servers are stable.

DC is great. The mission structure and gameplay may be hated on by some reviewers, but I love it, personally. Love trying to get 3 stars on a race before hopping on to the next. Wipeout Pure (with the b/s/g medals) is the last proper racing game I can think of which made it fun trying to achieve this sort of thing.

The actual racing is pure fun so far too. I like how big a difference the lighting plays in how the race can play out. Sun making you blind in an importsnt corner or street lights MIA in the dark and headlights pointing the way your car is going, not the way you're looking (into the darkness). Weather update should be delicious.

And of course, as everyone knows, the game is gorgeous looking. The first U2 level wow moment for current gen. Haven't even nearly played every track, but dose Norwegian ones. Holy sweet jesus.

I absolutely love the drifting in this game. I could do it all day.

This game is awesome with the Thurstmaster t500. That is all. Now Sony, please get online working.

This is a really good game. Norsk Hill Climb in the Ferrari California from dusk til night was crazy, felt like a rally driver going through that village at 150kmh, lol. Took a couple tries but finally aced it. The Ferrari sound amazing too, good job Evo.

OK so I've played this game for about three hours and I gotta say it's pretty awesome! However I'm not gonna continue playing until the servers are back up. I want those challenges!

I feel that DC nailed the game play and the graphics and the sound. I do kinda wish there were more things to do with that game you earn. Perhaps add a spoiler to your car? Buy different rims? Create custom liveries, Etc...

But even as is, I love the game. Just hope those servers get fixed soon

Have posted previously regards my sympathies towards software development, but DriveClub definitely needed more time in the oven before release.

Would have delayed until following implemented/changed

Photo mode, replay mode, weather
Remove corner penalties (terrible design decision)
Ability to change car colour
Wider car selection (japan,us)
Elements of overarching story/tour progression to give it a more cohesive feel

Online not working is the straw on the camel's back, particularly when it's greatest strength is the point to point, leaderboard attack.

Still enjoying my time but feels like a beta product right now.

Just made it past the "Rookie trophy" event and I'm really enjoying this.

So I played the game for a few hours now and I liked it alot. The driving feels great and the game looks fantastic.

Some things I didn't like so far:

The Timer when you are not on the track. It's not really necessary, you don't really get that far away either way, it feels a little bit off.

That you lose points when opponents drive into you

Oh and of course the lack of online at the moment, it's like something was cut off

Man now that I've played it for 3 hours straight I really can't believe that anyone could give this a 5/10.

Like a dream of a unicorn in a snowglobe. Seriously it is fantastic, zero complaints here about the FFB or anything else. I didn't have to tweak any settings to get comfortable.

Couldn't resist anymore and bought it. The driving reminds me of PGR which is good. Veeery good.

This might sound silly, but the rumble in this game is really immersive. It seems like there are specific points in the track along with how your car is reacting at any give time that give off a certain rumble. It results in some really cool feeling stuff. It makes the cars feel really powerful and weighty, not something I've felt in a racing game before.

So I broke down a got a physical copy. Turns out this game is pretty damn fun. I'm still in Rookie cup or whatever, but so far I'm really enjoying the way driving feels. Sense of speed is dead on. Love how the car shakes when you start to hit top speed and all the other little details. Sound track is great, definitely has a more upbeat vibe compared to GT. I'm pretty casual when it comes to racing games, an enthusiast might want more options like vehicle tuning and assists toggling, but for people who just want a fun racing game, which *looks* realistic, and makes you feel like an expert driver, then Driveclub is spot on.

Shame the online features are pretty much dead, it would an extra element to the game to finish it off.

I love it, too
For my - without testing online features - it is a 9.0 or 9.5

Put 7 hours in this piece, so good. Fuck the reviews

yup. I don't understand the hate either.

Going to post my impressions here again, incase anyone missed.

Ok, so initial impressions after 5 races with pad and then wheel.

Can't get online 8).

Aside from that, plays fabulous with the pad but more importantly for me, the T100 wheel i'd just bought. So for anyone on the fence about this particular wheel, don't be! The FB is really great, and you can adjust the amount via the game itself. I've made a few adjustments to the button mapping so its now perfect for me. Like i say, its plays awesome with the wheel!

Graphically its as good as i was hoping and expected. The image quality IMO is absolutely terrific, there are some things that don't get covered by the AA techniqes used but for me, these are nitpicking hugely. The lighting is gobsmacking, truly gobsmacking, so smooth with the transition from day to night etc etc. Color banding is really smooth which really further add to the believeablity. AF is not the longest in the world but it is a smooth transition and not jarring, and while driving its not something you'll notice. Cars look fabulous, especially cockpit, for me i found the bonnet cam to be my ideal choice (i'll miss out on the swanky windscreen reflection but hey ho). Popup/detail transitions are also very minimal and again its something i just don't or didn't notice.

The sound is lovely!

The A.I i'm finding to be pretty well behaved so far, with no signs of any follow the leader type routines. Yes they can be agressive but nothing ...unfair?

Loading of everything is superb, zero complaints from me, restarts especially.

So there we have it, all this before the weather update lands! SOme of the reviews based on my own thoughts i think have been incredibly harsh but each to their own. My own is the one that counts.

Hopefully the online portion gets going soon so i can get all sorted with my GAF bums from team Cunning Stunts!

just played it for a couple of hours.. all my doubt about this game after the reviews came out were unfounded..

The gameplay, sense of speed, sound, graphics.. unparalleled. I just bought the season pass for this game.

I enjoyed this as a single player game because the servers seem to be down at launch, can't wait to have all the additional content when the online component comes back.

Just did the 1st Canada time trail in the mini and fuck me this game is incredible.

Sound design and sense of speed is amazing. Only played an hour so far but so far so good. Driving feels great. Graphics haven't disappointed (even if a little inconsistent at times) and it's a blast to play.

Oh and everyone needs to go cockpit mode, HUD off, controller vibration on high, music volume 50/60% & sound effects max. Amazing. Just amazing. Audiovisual tour de force.

So I have played a couple of hours and DC is an extremely fun game. I'm normally not into racing games (a bit GT5 and Forza 3 last gen) but it's already addicting...I'm also glad that I disagree with most review scores. :)

My thoughts thus far are as follows:

The graphics are quite spectacular, but I really wish there was better AA. As you level up into faster and faster cars, cockpit view becomes a bit difficult to drive from considering the POV, subtle jaggies, and speed do not play well together. The sensation of speed is spectacular, but until I memorize the circuits, I just can’t see clearly enough to race from the cockpit view in the really fast cars at the moment…. This is just one (probably the best so far) of many graphically impressive ‘moments’ I had last night.
B+ on the Graphics

Speaking of cars. I’ve unlocked most of the hot hatches, many of the sports cars, two supers, and one hyper. The hyper is the Ruf, and as I mentioned above, it was unwieldy from the cockpit view racing on an un-memorized track… it was a beast. I really love the Lotus Evora, it handles well, inspires confidence, and sounds amazing...The cars also strike me as sounding very accurate...
A on the sound.

Going into the release I was super bummed that my G27 is not supported, but considering how the game is being billed as a sim-cade racer, I hoped that it would be assessable without a wheel, and it definitely is. It did not take long before I felt very confident driving the cars with the DS4. There is just enough sim in the handling to make the cars feel unique. Even when...
A+ on the sim-cade physics.

The AI is also fun, though it does like to really get up on your ass. It seems “rubbing is racing” is a credo of Driveclub. I don’t mind (in fact I enjoy) the side to side jostling, but I really avoid rear ending the AI because it’s a bullshit way to race. I wish the AI was as “polite” on the road as I am, but it’s understandable...
B- on the AI.

Finally... The menus… oh god the menus (and music) are excellent, best in class, minimal, tight, quick, effective, clear… sharp is the best word I can think of. You can blaze through the various layers...
A+ on the menu & way-finding.

So that was a bit of a novel, but I hope many of you agree with my assessment and are enjoying what Evo has developed. More importantly I hope that many of you sitting on the sideline wondering if this game is for you, have been able to gleam some useful information from the post. What is presented at the moment is a really good couch racing game, and we all know it’s simply going to get better once they introduce proper leader boards, private lobbies, race replay, photomode, and weather. I just hope those updates are not all that distance.

Well done Rushy & team. Kudos

It's awesome so far. I wasn't even going to get this, but a couple reviews and impressions got me to jump in. Game is a lot of fun so far.

Bought it last night, played for an hour, enjoyed every minute of it. I don't see a lot of the complaints.

It's easy to play yet punishing when you mess up. I love that. No assists, no rewinds, no bullshit, just pure racing and leaderboard romps. Great.

Graphics are disappointing. The environments are brilliantly lit and have an amazing atmosphere and the ToD changes really do affect the entire visual quality, but the individual environmental detail is low, textures are muddy, and there is noticeably aliasing. Looks amazing in motion, looks just alright when stopped.

This game is awesome. I don't know why people gave it a 5 or a 6 as the score. I'm so happy with this game and I can't wait for the Photo Mode.

So I played for about 4 hours last night. Some quick thoughts.

  • Graphics are definitely not as good as some of the preview footage we've seen for some reason. But I am still happy with what I see. As a total package it's the best looking racer I've ever played. Can't wait for weather.
  • Aliasing is an issue - not sure how people don't see the problems. The little flickering white dots on some of the cars is really jarring. (and no it's not my TV, I used a Spyder to calibrate it).
  • It's obvious the "soulless" claims come from people who have not played the game with its online features and clubs. I also felt lonely playing the single player tour offline. Can't wait to play with everyone from DriveClub-GAF (I added like 400 people last night >_>).
  • The gameplay is damn fun. It's 100% not a sim, but it's not NFS power slide around 90degree angles at 150+mph either. I love that this game takes skill.
  • The car models are some of the best I've ever seen - they really make Forza's cars look plastic and fake when switching between both (comparing same car on two different HDMI inputs.). I think it might just be the way Forza decided to render the paint...
  • The soundtrack is great. It just works and blends seamlessly into the racing.
  • The sense of speed is unmatched.
  • When the handling clicked in my head, combined with the visuals and soundtrack I actually got goosebumps several times last night.
  • It really is an amazing experience and I can't wait to see how it evolves.

Been playing the game for a few hours today. It's so much fun and it looks amazing.

The only thing I don't like are the penalties. I hate it when another care bashes against my car during a nice point drift. And I get penalized for it. -_-

But other than that, the game is amazing. Especially for €39. It's such a polished product.

That is exactly what this feels like and I love it.

It's the lack of all that modern "fluff" and "you're awesome - let's fill some bars" that appeals to me, I think.

Lé Blade Runner;133446437 said:
The sense of speed in this game is unlike anything I've encountered in a racing-game. I am gripping my controller way too hard and cramping my hands thanks to this. But the feel, man. The feel. I love it.

Driveclub, I love you. Online might not be working yet, India might be a bit underwhelming visually ( especially in comparison to, say, Norway ), but the feel and sense of speed is pitch-perfect. And that is the most important thing.

I love you.

Delay the game to optimize social components.
Launches, no social components due to shite servers.

Oh boy.

Having fun with single player I suppose, although it's incredibly easy so far. Very repetitive too.

I couldn't agree more, I cannot recall the last racing game that has grabbed my attention like this one has. It has that just one more event hook that I haven't felt in a while. I feel like I'm in bizarro land with some of the mediocre reviews out there. It's an insult to the great work Evolution has done.

Maanged to play yesterday for about 30 minutes, and I'm in love. All I wanted was a game to race, take in the sights and sounds, and nothing else. This is exactly what I got. Very happy with DC and really looking forward to all the content and DLC Evo has planned.

Xater, if you still have room in your club, I'll take an invite!

My feeling so far with playing the game offline and going through the tour is: it sure as hell feels like Project Windmill Racing - the pastoral countryside spin-off to PGR. I would guess this is no surprise seeing that key people from Bizarre are at Evolution now.

IMO it plays really fucking good, already one of my favorite feeling balances between sim and arcade. It doesn't quite feel like any one PGR game per se, it has its own tuning for sure. I agree with opinions that the track designs are extremely good for replayable arcade racing to continually shave time, and I also like the unpredictable and aggressive AI. It doesn't feel like I am competing with pace cars.

My biggest misgiving so far, is that I am kind of thinking it's going to feel light on content with 5 environments, all of which share a similar theme of being in the countryside outside of major cities. (Unless I missed a track variation that veers close to an urban location.) After sampling them, I already feel the need for at least two more locations to provide contrast.

But so far I definitely agree this is a kind of arcade racer we don't get anymore, especially not with these production values.

This game is just so fucking awesome! My dilemma now is, when my little one goes to bed, do I continue on the wheel making a racket in the process, or use the DS4?!

So having played a couple of races now Gerstmann's review seems like crazy talk to me. How can anyone call the driving in this bad and not fun? The overall package is definitely lacking some features but the driving itself is great.

Honestly, the mix of music and scenery combined with the high speed racing (which is really proving quite satisfying) is really hitting the right string for me. While the game plays nothing like it I can't help but recall the great moments of playing Ridge Racer here. The feel and atmosphere of playing the game is part of the experience and I love it. I like the event setup quite a bit as well and really appreciate how fast the game loads. You're just jumping in and out of events like nothing.

I'm definitely concerned about the AI becoming annoying later on, though.

That fucking second race in the first championship you do

Racing with the setting sun in front of you

All those fucking feels

This is next gen

Thank you, Evolution

Absolutely breathtaking

Finished the first few event, driving feels great. The environments are the real star of the show for me though, the sense of scale and attention to detail in breathtaking.Can't wait until the I can connect and play some multiplayer.

Caved in and bought the upgrade. Really enjoying it so far! One question, any way to change audio track during racing?

Man, I can't even begin to tell you how perfect this game feels with a wheel.
Got a chance to put in a few races with a Sport level vehicle. Audi R5.
Felt like an absolute dream.

The AI in this game can be so cheap. I was right in front of the finish line and a car just comes and rams me. This has happened 3 times. Also, the AI doesn't move out of the way. Moving up positions without hitting the other cars is incredibly difficult. To me it feels like an arcade racer that puts sim restrictions on the player and that is very frustrating.

IMO this is the best driving model in an arcade racer since MSR.

I managed to get online via the single event tab and signed in to the social hub there.

Fuck I love everything about this game!!!

- The handling is fantastic;
- the lighting and visuals while in motion are second to none;
- sense of speed is terrifying while in cockpit view;
- ease of getting straight into the racing i.e click, click, racing;
- nailing a tight corner feels so freaking good; &
- I love the soundtrack.

I'm going to put sooo many hours into this. Considering I'm having an absolute blast trying to beat my own scores, I can just imagine how good it's going to be when everything is up and running....sooo good.

Even when using the hatches this game is great but after that the game truely is something else when you get away from the hatches.

I have never played such an intense game where you just don't get sick of trying to go one better each and every lap or challenge.

I'm fucking addicted!!!
 
Need a gif of Jeff Goldblum tapping the screen and saying "Now, eventually you do plan to have online races in your online racing game, right?"

Actually Evolution, as a great way to say sorry for the server cock-ups you could give us a free DLC containing the Group B rally cars and a couple of tracks with gravel sections. That would be a racing orgasm, right there.
(If it's not toooooo much to ask).
 
I've just been able to race online (from France) a couple of races for the first time since october 8th. Pleasantly surprised about the completely lag free experience I had.
 

Oneself

Member
Are you sure the subtract sharpness is not still removing artificial sharpness? On my plasmas even 0 was some sharpness, with -50 being no sharpness. This was also re affirmed by several professional ISF calibrators on review sites and forums etc.

He's right, my 2014 LED from Sony has the same feature. 0 sharpness is around 40.
 
Still can't get online. Had it since the digital copy unlocked, and my sum total of server time was about 45 seconds where I *think* I got to create my club name, and then was promptly kicked back off the server.

So... when does Project Cars come out again?
 

Keihart

Member
yep same here. well i have the receipt saying i bought it if anything goes wrong. i hope this doesn't affect online play if it ever works? ;x

anyways. i guess it's due to PS+ version not being available it's going to be like that for now. but at least we have the license right? lol.

I was able to download it using the download list from the webstore.
 
is tha the a45 that was doing those donuts?
drivetrain realism not one of the games strong points: the a45 is a front wheel biased 4wd that needs massive provocation to drift, let alone leave black circles on any tarmac.
 
Just tried an online race...yeah...when you have people mirror driving trying to protect 5th and 6th place about 10% into a race it kinda ruins it...try to make a pass and get chopped down onto and spun out...no coming back from that

I'm done with that for now
 

Y2Kev

TLG Fan Caretaker Est. 2009
Just played a few races. Wow this is good.

I wonder if the game is doing OK. Maybe it is a good thing the servers are pooing!
 

OneTwoTee

Banned
Sucks that a club is considered inactive if there's only one member. All my friends are waiting for the PS+ version so I can't earn any club XP.
 

Mullah88

Member
The online play is marvelous! Holy shit the cars dont skip, it was perfect the 2 games I played. Won my first race with the RS5 no contest. Second race I came second with the mclaren then I got booted
 
I've held off playing this all day because I can't fucking connect. Beyond mad. What's everyone going to do, start the game again when the online portion is back up or what? Surely playing through it in this state is going to affect trophies and/or some other general game progression?
 
Okay.. i'm not a huge racing guy but how does this feel compared to Gran Turismo ? Everything in this game looks beautiful. Imagine this shit with PS Morpheus.
 
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