Driveclub Open World

[Lida Rick]

Ispent months playing PGR 4 with microsoft racing wheel, for me it was reincarnation of NFS 5. So I hoped Horizon will be successor of Project Gotham Racing, but it seems physics is not up to PGR standarts. Driving around in open world is not interesting at all because of this, it is just too easy and boring unlike say Assetto Corsa.

Cars handles too well and easy, remember old Maserati formula mission on winter Nurburgring from PGR 4? How many tries it took to complete?

Not arcade. There are auto simulators, which have top physics (though not realistic, iRacing physics is very poor in comparison to reality). The gameplay is about driving cars and not much else.

Then there are arcade games with almost no physics, driving cars in this games is incredibly boring, but they are not about driving cars. Burnout, Carmageddon are about carnage, crashes and explosions, not about driving.

And there are racing games like NFS 5 and PGR: still plenty of physics and gameplay has much more variety than simulators. You have challenges (cones, gates, catching up), traffic, spectacular track and so on. This kind of games is the most interesting in my opinion, combining enjoyable driving and diverse gameplay.

The PGR series indeed had heavier feeling and more demanding physics overall than FH. Since much of the former Bizarre Creations staff ended up at Playground Games, there is an obvious connection between the series and a lot of things inherited. But with FH letting you tear through the fields more of the time than taking 90 corners on city streets, the handling model more or less has to be more forgiving.

I spent months playing PGR 4 with microsoft racing wheel, for me it was reincarnation of NFS 5. So I hoped Horizon will be successor of Project Gotham Racing, but it seems physics is not up to PGR standarts. Driving around in open world is not interesting at all because of this, it is just too easy and boring unlike say Assetto Corsa.

As for Forza Motorsport 7, it has good physics (almost identical to Assetto Corsa), but in terms of fun I will go all the way to Forza Motorsport 2. Modern simulators have too much grip, maybe it is more realistic, but it hides the differences between cars. In Forza Motorsport 2 you can feel everything, all wheel drive, rear drive, front engine, mid engine - they were completely different. Even driving Lotuse Elise and Opel Speedster you can clearly feel the difference between those two cars sharing the same platform.

As it is always the case with open world racing games, open world is an empty filler. Driving in open world without physics is absolutely boring. The game would be much better without it.

The only way to make open world racing game interesting is top notch physics with twisted roads (Assetto Corsa mods) or drviving in the city with realistic traffic and road signs (City Driving).

Driving open world in arcade racer is boring as hell. Because there is no much physics and not anything else. You just drive on the road and that is it, no skill required, no physics, no fun. What I was saying is that driving public roads will be interesting only in full blown sims with full physics, and only if the roads are twisted. Driving highway in Assetto Corsa would be boredom too.

PGR 4 actually had quite good physics, it wasnt simulator but every car drove differently and was recognizable. And it had a lot of interesting events and challenges unlike simulators. It combined the best from both worlds of simracing and arcade racers. For me PGR series is the only and true successor of beloved NFS 5

The problem is, the majority of real world public roads are too straight and boring. That was the major problem with TDU which futured real roads.

To make this interesting in game like FH 4 the roads must be twisted like hell to compensate for the arcade physics.

Driveclub[a] is a racing video game developed by Evolution Studios and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation 4. It was announced during the PlayStation 4 press conference on 20 February 2013, and, after several delays, was released worldwide in October 2014.

Driveclub is a racing game in which players compete in racing events around the world in a variety of different fashions. Players can compete in clubs with other players, earning a reputation as one of the best clubs, and levelling up to unlock better items. Another game mode is tour, essentially a campaign mode. Players can compete in standard races, as well as time trials, by drifting events, and championship tournaments, with a variety of routes located in places around the world. Players may customize their car, their club, or their driver, and may complete optional challenges during events. A weather system and day-night cycle is also included as downloadable content.

Driveclub was released to a fairly mixed critical reception. Critics praised the photorealistic visuals, sound design, and the controls, but criticized the online playability, the inconsistent AI and a lack of gameplay variety. As of July 2015, the game has reached 2 million copies sold, becoming one of the best-selling PlayStation 4 video games.

Driveclub is a racing game in which players compete in races around the world in several different game modes. A major focus of the game is the club aspect. Players may join a club or create their own and will compete against other clubs to ultimately see whose club is the best. Clubs consist of up to six players. Players complete challenges together representing their club and earn fame and XP. The player earns fame by driving well and completing challenges. Fame determines the player's level as well as the club level. As the player levels up, they automatically unlock items, such as new vehicles, accolades, or colour schemes.[3] Every team member's action contributes to the club's overall success.[4]

The game's tracks and environments are inspired by actual places in diverse regions throughout the globe, such as Norway and India (Tamil Nadu).[5] Driveclub features dynamic weather system such as rain and snowfall and a day-night cycle. Each rain drop has realistic behaviour.[6][7]

There are three main game modes in Driveclub; tour, single event and multiplayer. Tour is a campaign mode where single-player events set in various locations can be played using the allocated cars.[8] A set of objectives are present and can be tackled during the events. In the single event game mode, players choose what event they would like to play (drift, sprint, race or time trial) and have the freedom to select the location, weather and other options.[9] The multiplayer game mode revolves around competition and co-operation with real life players. Players can complete challenges with social leaderboards, play with clubs, and play online races.[10] There are a total of 50 cars available initially, as well as over 60 more cars that can be downloaded from the PlayStation Store for free or with a charge.[11] The cars are split into five categories based on their in-game stats: hot hatch, sports, performance, super and hyper. Each car can be customized with paintjobs and stickers.[12]

In April 2014, game director Paul Rustchynsky stated that the delay was caused by the game's "dynamic menu". This menu allows players to quickly navigate from menu to menu, join clubs, race, and perform many other activities within the game.[16]

In early September 2014, Evolution Studios announced a downloadable content (DLC) Season Pass. The pass introduces 11 new courses, 23 new events, and a new car every month until June 2015 (later extended to July 2015). The DLC is both paid, and free.[1][17]

Cars in the game contain an average of 260,000 polygons.[18] Before release, Evolution Studios had confirmed that Driveclub runs at resolution of 1080p and would be capped at 30 frames per second.[19]

Driveclub launched in North America on 7 October 2014, Europe on 8 October 2014, and the United Kingdom on 10 October 2014. However, the game suffered from severe online issues at launch.[20] Evolution Studios had released the first premium DLC packs (Ignition Expansion Pack and Photo-Finish Tour Pack) for free to affected players in November.[21] PlayStation UK executive Fergal Gara apologized for the marred launch of the game.[22]

On 8 December 2014, Sony released a weather patch which added dynamic weather to the game. The feature was delayed up to two months after launch to include all improvements to the weather that the developers wanted.[17][23]

In January 2015, Evolution Studios released a new patch that brought several new features to the game, with the most significant one being the introduction of Japan. A total of five tracks were added, including Lake Shoji and Nakasendo.[24]

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