Gavin Raeburn, producer of TOCA Race Driver 3 gives us the lowdown on the latest Codemasters racer...
Codemasters' TOCA franchise has gone from strength to strength in recent years. Despite some strange gameplay and feature omissions TOCA Racer Driver 2 on PC, Xbox and PS2 is a very strong game relying on features such as intelligent opponents, variety of racing and detailed car damage.
The third game in the series is currently in development and we took time to talk to the game's producer Gavin Raeburn. In this exclusive interview he reveals the level of detail in damage, the physics model and further details on gameplay. And just how genuine were those early screenshots of realtime damage?
Damage model
Boomtown: The new damage system sounds very cool - what sort of damage can it simulate and how will it affect the controls of the car?
Gavin Raeburn: The damage for the engine is one area we've improved in RD3. The water and oil simulation is more realistic, and now the radiators can blow, engine overheat, etc. We've also done some work on improving the aerodynamics and downforce model relating to the damage. For instance, losng a wing is a serious thing when you're in a high-downforce open-wheeler, and not so much in a hatchback.
As with the physics model, we've tried to highlight the difference between the different racing styles (like the fall-to-pieces open wheelers from RD2), and to present as much information as possible about what's wrong with the car through audio feedback.
Physical
How has the physics engine developed since the previous game?
There's a whole load of tweaks to the physics engine since RD2, for example fuel usage is modeled in much more detail, as are the effects of wear and temperature on the tyres. There are a number of extra parameters being modeled to provide quality support for some of our new vehicle types and these have a great knock-on effect in terms of providing subtle improvements even to the more standard cars.
A big change is to do with the suspension and inertia model. It's a bit difficult to explain, but essentially it means you really 'feel' the contact with the road - maybe you're going to have to play the game to feel how good it is!
We've always been pleased with how the physics and sound work together in Race Driver to provide useful feedback on car performance and provide driving cues. The new engine sound system in RD3 is a real step forward, and part of the extra power we've got with it is being used to provide more audio variety based on how the car's behaving and the state of the physical engine model. With this, along with things like the audio distance-filtering, reverb and reflections, we're hoping to bring the physics model closer to the player and help them appreciate the masses of variety available.
Story time
The story mode has always been the trademark of the series. Which if any changes are you implementing in the new story mode? Will we finally be able to tune the cars before a race?
In RD3, we are focusing a lot more on both the aspirational and technical elements of motor sport. To this end, there will be a lot more information divulged in the scenes pertaining to both the cars the player will drive and how to get the best out of them on the track; it’s up to the player how they use this instruction, We've also maintained the most successful aspects of the previous story such as strong characterisation and dry humour to convey this. We’ve also reflected the glamour that is associated with high-end motor sport, which mirrors the player’s success in the game. Technically, we are also raising the bar to give the scenes an extra lick of gloss and realism.
Will we get a proper replay theatre with the option to save replays from time trials as games such as GT and Forza allow us to do?
Race Driver 3 permits you to save and load replays on all platforms. There are no replays in time trials. The ghost car of your fastest lap can be saved so that it’s possible to load and race against it. Ghost cars for the top 50 times online will be posted on the leaderboard and will be available to download and to race against offline.
Freedom?
Will players have the freedom to race the cars they want on the track they want?
Much more so than last time, but due to licensing restrictions there will always be some tracks that certain cars cannot race on. The game is split down into championships where the player can choose any track to race on within that championship. There are also a range of bonus championships giving even more track and vehicle variety.
The first screenshots from TRD 3 showed amazing damage simulation and graphics quality. Were those screenshots really in-game or had they been touched-up for effect?
The screenshots are taken from the PC version, but bar the screen resolution, the different platforms are remarkably similar to each other. We can tune the detail and effects up on the PC version and are working hard improve performance so this level of detail can be maintained in the final version of the game.
Will there be features/tracks/vehicles left out of the Xbox game again that are added in other formats?
All the features and content will be the same for the Xbox version as for the other formats, although we will make use of the extra available hardware where possible, e.g. steering wheels will be supported and normal mapping will be used to enhance the graphics.
What is the maximum number of AI cars in a race?
Up to twenty AI cars at a time, which gives twenty-one cars including the player.
Smarts
The AI in TRD 2 was already very solid. Did you change anything for TRD 3?
The AI system has been improved in many ways. The racing line is now picked in a more realistic and intelligent way by the AI, determined on-the-fly depending on the current track position of the AI car and others in vicinity. The lines chosen will also reflect driver personality, aggression, ability, etc.
The AI cars are now capable of more intense battles, both with one another and with the player. Once passed, AI cars strive to minimise the ground lost, instantly applying pressure for a re-pass.
The performance of AI cars is affected by damage, fuel usage, tyre wear, etc. (exactly the same as the player). Where pit stops are required, AI cars plan their stops to get the best possible performance from their cars, but also react to their competitor’s strategies, including the player’s.
There are more race incidents such as spins and accidents caused by obvious overdriving. As a result, AI cars are now vulnerable to the same risk of terminal damage as the player.
The player will be offered an even greater variation of racing genres that incorporate all relevant rules and regulations. The AI will respond to all rules and flags in each series, but they will sometimes fail to obey the rules, either accidentally or deliberately, again depending on the nature of the driver.
The AI will also now be encountered in practice and qualifying sessions. They will behave as in a real race weekend, doing hot laps and going in and out of the pits, when they will yield to faster cars.
Multiplayer
What is the maximum number of multiplayer drivers? What multiplayer modes can we expect?
We expect to have 16 online players in a race on Xbox Live and PC, and 8 to 10 players on PS2.
TOCA Race Driver 3 has lots to offer online players. There are options to compete in open or closed rounds, shoot-outs and practice sessions. The player can customize each championship with regards to rules, race lengths, starting grid selection and AI. It will also be possible to tune and upgrade vehicles off-line using the new telemetry feature, then use their saved vehicle set-ups to compete online.
Advancements have been made to the ranking system so that a player earns a driver rating for each championship and for each of the seven main disciplines. These individual ratings are then aggregated to give the player an overall driver rating. There is also a hall of fame style leaderboard for Xbox Live in which the top 50 fastest players on each track, in every championship, will be able to post their ghost cars, allowing other players to compete against them offline.
Players will be able to unlock game content through online as well as offline play. There is also a new spectator mode where players will be able to watch the live race in progress when they join a session.