I know Simulation is a word that sends waves of apoplexy through a lot of the community (at least when we use it), but I think its fair word to use- were in the business of putting as much of the real world of racing inside your PS2, Xbox, or PC that we can possibly manage. That doesnt just encompass physics (though they are undoubtedly important)- essentially its about putting you there making the same decisions as a real driver- managing the tyres, watching the fuel, keeping an eye on the opposition, and all the while keeping the car pointed the right way between the white lines. Increasing the options for realistically-styled play, both over the course of your time with the game long term (having 2 versions of the career mode, depending on how you want it structured), and things applicable just to each race (qualifying, long races, flags, reliability)- is central to how were taking this series forward. The aim is to allow as much of a simulated experience as each and everyone reading this email wants. We may never satisfy everyone, but the options are all going to be there. Both on and offline.
Another aspect of increasing options for the user is peripheral support. Weve added support for naturalpoints TrackIR system, that allows free-looking within the game based on your head movements. Just the thing when youve got a little frisky with the accelerator pedal on the exit of a hairpin and are now proceeding in a sideways manner. This is just one of the ways in which were acting on feedback received about the last game- In many ways its been the input of the community thats been a driving factor behind a lot of the expanded options of TRD2006.
Something else were moving forward several steps is the sound engine- its been substantially re-written to more fully recreate the different aspects that affect engine sound. Throttle position, engine speed, load, all mixing together for something pleasing to the ear, and dripping with power. Check out this recording made from the game. In the light of last weeks announcements of both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, some people have been asking if the game is headed to those new platforms. At the moment, no- were still focusing on extracting the maximum performance from current generation hardware.
Well, thats all the news for this month. Remember to check out the Forum for the latest chat about the game, and Ill be back in your inbox in a month or so.
