PROJECT CARS 2 (PC)
Slightly Mad Studios has needed two years to completely renew its successful driving simulator that comes back to PS4, Xbox One and PC with strong improvements in all sections. Will it be up to the expectations?
We took a little walk in time to, first, travel to the 70s and talk about Gran Trak 10 , one of the first arcade racing games where white points plotted the circuit and a sprite representing the vehicle was controlled by a steering wheel, two pedals and an archaic change of gears to go around on its unique path and reach the maximum possible score. In his day it was quite a revolution to find a cabin like that one - weighing more than 200 kilos - that besides being so complete included some light physics that affected the behavior of the car. Especially when most of the software for electronic entertainment were simple Pong clones.
The tonic of including an impressive cabin in all the driving games of the time - or at least a steering wheel and several pedals - existed until its very extinction. It was extremely rare to take a look at the arcades of our neighborhood and not find an arcade of Out Run, Sega Rally or Virtua Racing with its impressive furniture or the mythical Super Off Road with three or four leaflets according to the version that the owner took to the lounge . Almost no plate faithfully reflected the real behavior of a vehicle on the track but at least the developers wanted to make us feel as if we were the ones driving the vehicle, to pretend that we were the pilots.
In the case of consoles, to recreate in a peripheral the components used in those gigantic pieces of furniture and to give the steering wheel a similar realism, the user was invited to empty their pockets so that after a few video games they took advantage of the full potential of the accessory. All that without counting the cookies we could receive if we insinuated the purchase of the peripheral to our parents. Fortunately, things have changed and most players can afford current games to launch, and even if we plan correctly, ensure a quality flyer that allows us to enjoy a lot of simulation titles.
Talking about the creation of Atari at the beginning of the analysis serves to verify the mime that was printed in that old seventies arcade and how you wanted to give a sense of realism about the control of a vehicle since the beginning of the genre. Forty-three years have passed since the launch of that machine recreational to realize how today, the effort to offer the best simulation experience in a driving software is still valid. Slightly Mad Studios - from now SMS - is another of those companies that two years ago wanted to print the maximum feeling of realism at the wheel in a competition title called Project Cars and that this week receives its second and much improved delivery, Project Cars 2.
Making realism
The British studio was founded by Ian Bell, Stephen Baysted, Stephen Viljoen and Andy Garton in 2008 and it took just one year to launch its first title under the umbrella of the all-powerful Electronic Arts, Need for Speed: Shift . That Bluray was one of the first games of the franchise that embraced the simulation in a way never before seen and achieved success in all the websites that echoed the album - score of 8.5 in our magazine - a fact that allowed him to make a second delivery that obtained the same luck in relation to valuations.
SMS wanted to take control of its future and built what was one of the best realistic driving simulators of recent years, Project Cars, with the feedback received by the community of players of World of Mass Development as well as its patronage. More than 80,000 players interested in the world of motor racing, virtual racing professionals and other renowned players such as Nicolas Hamilton, Oliver Webb or René Rast achieved that Project Cars was acclaimed by the industry for the enormous amount of details applied to the behavior of the vehicle. tracks offered and the many variables that we could apply to the mechanics of cars. And most importantly, the first to offer all this also in consoles. Unfortunately not all the entertainment systems in which the game was announced enjoyed their version, Wii U being the only one not to receive it due to its low power .
The development of Project Cars 2 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC has gone through the same creative and collaborative processbut without leaving aside a facelift so generous that they practically look like different games still having as a common link the main brand. The game has received a flood of improvements both technical and in the field of simulation that are impossible to mention all of them in the analysis and unless you are not real fans of the world of motor, little or nothing will help you decide for the purchase of the same. So much has been the effort on the part of developers to create the perfect simulation video game that trying to understand all the news and improvements made to the game would not have been possible without the knowledge of two experts in the world of simulation and the engine to help in the elaboration of this analysis. On the one hand, an experienced professional pilot of driving simulation games and,
Professional pilot
Before entering the field we must warn you, Project Cars 2 is not a game for casual players or impulsive buyers of the driving genre . It's an extremely realistic title that even with driving aids, it's tremendously complex to master. Although this delivery has received noticeable improvements in its handling with pad, it is essential to use a compatible steering wheel to master the driving of vehicles. The AI of the opponents is very worked, the climatic changes affect the behavior of the vehicle and the circuits need to be known so that rain and other atmospheric events do not leave us sold. Later we will explain this point.
Project Cars 2 as at this point in the text you will have already deduced, it is a driving simulator that puts us in the shoes of a Nobel driver who tries to gain a foothold in the most distinguished competitions based on developing his professional career over five years different sports disciplines. There are six ranges to overcome with up to six competitions in each of them and one of the novelties of Project Cars 2 is that the player can freely choose where to start from among the first four ranks. The indomitable karts in the Kart One, Ginetta Junior Challenge, Renault Clio UK Cup or the Porsche Cayman Cup are just some examples that show the diversity of championships by which we can start our career. Along the way there are long-term goalssuch as winning championships in different disciplines, getting to be the ambassador of a brand of constructors or winning manufacturer testing events. As we gain reputation with the brands with which we associate, we unlock our own events where we can continue competing, as well as invitations to historical events or with certain conditions imposed by the organizer.
Trajectory mode serves as a tutorial for what is actually the most important social characteristic of Project Cars 2, online competition and its sporting aspect in eSports . While we build our professional career we will learn to make adjustments in our four-wheel machines, learn the behavior of the 180 vehicles included in this new delivery -110 more than in original Project Cars- and know the 60 tracks that we can cover at the wheel.
There are multiple options to configure when carrying out our mission and hanging the champions champion medal in the Trajectory mode. From changing the aggressiveness of the AI or skill level, allow re-start in races, configure the aids that simplify the handling of the vehicle, automatic start thereof and even the return of honor. It is, as we say, the perfect place to break your hand and prepare for the endgame of the game.
Online content
Unfortunately this is perhaps the section that we have been least able to devote to this analysis because, even though we have tried it, it has not been possible for us to compete against other players for lack of them . We have only seen a couple of records in the Community Event that imply that few have been able to enjoy this experience. However, the absence of competitors has not prevented us from checking all the options that are proposed to us when measuring our skill at the wheel before other players in the world. We will update the analysis with the sensations and the online competition system once we can prove it in depth.
The online version of Project Cars 2 is divided into two tabs, Quick Match and Community . In the first we have Online Events that are the classic rooms where people propose circuit, vehicles, weather conditions and all kinds of regulations and the possibility of creating our own room for other players to join our game under our conditions. The second tab shows the Community Events created by the developer and that challenge the players to make the best possible time with the conditions and vehicles they allow. These events change mostly every week and so far eight have been planned since the launch of the game until mid-October. There is also a sectionTime trial where to leave our notch in the table of classifications of the circuit where we want to beat the time by a car of our choice and with our own settings. Finally we see the eSports section , a menu where we are informed of the latest developments in the professional section of the game, an option that allows you to view streaming eSports events of the moment or already concluded in deferred and another that shows a calendar with the upcoming championships related to Project Cars 2.
Another important feature in the online section is Driver's Licenseor better known as online reputation. To increase it, two variables are taken into account: cleanliness when driving a vehicle and performance or competitiveness. Leaving the track, colliding with elements of the circuit, against rivals or shortening the track in the corners will mean a reduction of points in our Driver's License, whereas if nothing of that happens, it will go up generously in points. The machine will also take into account our Driver's License when it comes to be victorious in a race if we have achieved victory against players with a higher reputation than ours or, on the contrary, inferior. In the first case our score will be much higher than if we easily win players with less experience than us. This feature is important when creating personalized games with a good sports climate and will limit the entrance to community events where a minimum Driver's License is also necessary to participate in them. There are a total of eight "cards" and a performance level that goes from 100 to 5000. By default each player will start at the lowest card and 1500 performance points, that is, we will have an online reputation U1500.
Obsession with details
The premise of a driving title has always been the same simulation by means or the purest arcade, burst the times and get the first position comfortably. That is why now we want to focus on what is really the gasoline that drives the engine of Project Cars 2, the obsession with details and the absolute need to resemble reality , a feature that has been reinforced in this new release to limits that seemed unable to be fulfilled.
We will start with the circuits of Project Cars 2. To begin with about fifteen of them have been reproduced in the game thanks to the technology of laser scanning , which is able to faithfully reflect on the game the tracing of the same with their imperfections. For the Rallycross tracks, a different technology was chosen, which according to SMS was more precise to capture the irregularities of such singular terrains, photogrammetry by drone. All this obsession for the tracings are complemented in a masterly way with the new feature LiveTrack 3.0, a marvel of the programming that we are going to detail.
LiveTrack 3.0It is a tool capable of altering the driving on the track thanks to its ability to detect weather conditions of all kinds. Barometric pressure, temperature of the track and environment, the ratio of the track to sea level, the temperature changes in the vehicle as well as its tires and even the porosity of the circuit asphalt. That is, if one part of the route is more likely to drain water better than another in real life, the game will also be reflected in that way. The fact that the vehicles tow water, mud or gravel to dry track, will also influence the driving when we go back through that point. That is why practically the player is forced to know circuits like the palm of his hand and remember his most problematic points, their imperfections and avoid places where serious mishaps can occur. On the other hand, the ambient temperature, the wind and the continuous tracing of the cars with the passage of time will be responsible for dictating the drying time of the track when it has rained, this last one also causing thegrip if the stroke is completely dry.
To all this we must add the LiveGrass technology , capable of recreating the flora of the circuit both in qualities and in its color palette depending on the season in which we compete. For example in spring the grass is fresh, green and more humid than usual, which will make our vehicle skid more if it makes contact with it. In summer the opposite happens, a dry and yellowish grass will cover the edges of the path and give more grip than when in full growth. This detail will also affect the treetops of the stage but, obviously, will not affect the cars that are competing.
The regulation of the cars is still as complete as in the first delivery and this time allows changes to the air in any type of control with the push of a button. These changes depend on the type of vehicle selected and its different configurations. The slow extension of the shock absorbers, the blowing pressure of the engine, the limited slip differential viscous, the weight distribution ... a host of mechanical features that invite the user to share their knowledge with other playersthanks to the option adhered to that effect in the setting menu itself. And if ours is not precisely to be virtuous of the tool bank, a virtual track engineer will ask us questions to detect what is happening in the vehicle and will advise us on what adjustments we must make to make our car behave better on the track. It seems incredible with so many options available but any small changes we make will be reflected in our driving .
The tires have received a huge facelift being now the first commercial videogame where they behave more realistically. The physics of them is totally dynamic and is based on a system of nodes. Now the game is able to detect the deterioration of the tire by the abrasive properties of the track, the external temperature of the circuit and internal vehicle, the heat dissipated from the brake discs, deformation or pressure of the tire itself. In addition, graining also affects the behavior of the wheels creating additional problems in driving.
A new system of Force Feedback has been implemented in Project Cars 2 to make it simpler but at the same time more complete than the last delivery. There are three profiles -four in the PC version- that by default give experiences of greater or lesser intensity but that in turn can be configured in gain, volume, tone, effects and power of the spring. In addition to being able to configure all these options from the pause menu in the middle of the track, the possibility of making changes to the FFB is also included from the contextual menu that appears in the middle of the race if we press the set-up button mentioned above. We have had the opportunity to test all the profiles with the official Thrustmaster flyer and the experiences have been more than satisfactory.
Artificial intelligence is always the subject of debate in driving video games and the first iteration of the brand was not spared. In Project Cars 2 the AI has new ways to make things difficult for the player . Now even at their lowest level of aggressiveness and skill they can be a tough obstacle for the little seasoned players thanks to their new realistic behaviors off the track, the addition of special tires for competitors that ensure better grip on the track and less behavior. robotic However we have seen how in conditions of thunderstorm or snow, the machine was capable of making turns and maneuvers that in normal conditions could not have been assimilated.
Climatic transitions -from sunny day to night-time thunderstorm in real time or in accelerated time-, rewriting of controls to better adapt to the controls, the public adapts their clothes according to the season, a new Director mode that allows to coordinate the cameras of the Multiplayer races so that a Retransmitter can broadcast the images of the director on Twitch or YouTube and a lot of little news that join Project Cars 2 to try again to be the best driving simulation game of the moment.
Sensations at the wheel
The sensations that we have lived piloting the more than 180 vehicles included in the series in Project Cars 2 during the last and intense days have been most satisfactory. We have been able to thoroughly test the behavior of the cars with both the DualShock 4 control and the Thrustmaster T150 steering wheel and, of course, the licensed peripheral has been victorious in all our tests reflecting an amazing behavior of the physics of the vehicle thanks to its Force Feedback. Stepping on the piano slightly, noticing the pressure of the tires, the rain, the force of the wind pushing the vehicle and other adverse conditions are exquisitely simulated both in the motor cars and in the force that the video game prints at the wheel. We are perhaps facing the simulator of the momentand it will be difficult for someone to steal the throne in a long time. It is commendable the amount of detail that Slightly Mad Studios has taken into account when making his new creature and the mime with which he has blessed both the wide variety of available cars and the tracings. Even the G force suffered by professional pilots is simulated to such an extent that it can distort our view from the helmet if we go too fast or make sudden changes with the steering wheel.
The sensations with each vehicle are totally differentand forces you to understand its mechanics and make adjustments to achieve taming it. Each one sounds different and it is even possible to find what may be failing if we pay attention to the sound of it. With the tracks the same thing happens. You start to dominate Laguna Seca until a slight drizzle begins to leave puddles and your strategy is ruined. I will not pass by here again you get to think and yet you stumble over the same stone and at the same time you see how your opponent has left gravel on the track and the fatal becoming occurs. However in your next lap you make the same mistake but you see how the sun's rise has dried the track and there is only a simple wet effect that little or nothing affects your newly changed tires. Each race is different as are all your decisions on the track.
However, everything that glitters is not gold and we have had some bad experiences, especially in terms of activating unnecessary aids to improve our driving skills. If we spend activating improvements to make our car more manageable will cause us a sense of frustration that will become even more obvious when taking curves. The control of the car will be almost non-existenton them and the AI of the machine will make decisions for you to the point that it will control the car so that, according to her, it takes better curves. It will make incomprehensible gear changes or it will leave the car in a small state of neutral where you will be unable to accelerate to gain a few seconds. Have you tried a video game where an object inverts the crosshead or the keypad? That is the feeling you will have if you abuse the piloting aids in Project Cars 2. We understand that they are very necessary for inexperienced players but losing the control role does more harm than benefit to the game .
On the other hand there is the AI of the rivals controlled by the machine. They are extremely realistic but sometimes, as mentioned in the previous paragraphs, they make real adventures at the wheel that any human at the wheel is unlikely to execute. Not only does the player get scared from the game but also subtracts realism in a video game that aims to get it. And finally we have not had the opportunity to see our car destroyed. We have tried several collisions against other contenders or against retaining walls and the most we have seen are small pieces flying and a festival of sparks but nothing of dented sheet or loss of headlights. We know that a system of physical damage is implemented with total realism but we have not been able to replicate it in our games even activating the option destined to it.
Technical realism
The first incursion of Project Cars in the video game market was already a good example of what PlayStation 4 could move under its circuitry. Diverse graphic errors, losses in the rate of constant images per second and some scenes with few details were mixed with vehicle models and quite surprising climatic effects. Luckily SMS has done a spectacular job in Project Cars 2 and has solved most of the errors we saw in the first delivery. The game runs at 1080p resolution with no fps lost in most situations. According to Slightly Mad Studios the rate of images of Project Cars 2 on PlayStation 4 is set at 60 fps and in the absence of a tool that allows us to affirm categorically that this is the case, we opted to say that the game works at a somewhat lower rate. It's not the 40 we got to see in the original Project Cars but not the 60 that promise. At least that is the feeling that has caused us to play so many hours. Be that as it may and apart fps war, Project Cars 2 moves really smooth in most situations even when there is something more polygonal load than usual. Of course, if a strong climatic condition is joined by a high polygon load and a large number of vehicles on the screen,a terrible tearing and the dreaded frame pacing make an appearance to tarnish the gameplay for a few seconds. Luckily, it depends more on the weather than on the rest, so it usually happens a few times, but there it is.
We have noticed that the sun flare and other realistic effects that sometimes did not allow us to see beyond a couple of meters in the first iteration have been reduced . There is a slight popping or late load of polygons in the most distant parts of our field of vision and the reflections in the cars are not as good as we expected for a game of such caliber. The modeling of the vehicles is exceptional and is full of details although a little sparse indoors. The scenarios have also improved remarkably and most of the visible elements have been redone from scratch and have been endowed with a greater number of polygons. Finally, the load times have been drastically reduced - except when loading a circuit - until they are almost instantaneous.
The sound section has received novelties with the implementation of Fmod Studio and it has had to recreate the base of the original again to the standards of the new system. All audio is positional and has DTS and Dolby Surround sound . This means that any damage that occurs in our car will be easily detected with the positioning of the sound. Beyond the new system created for the audio, we have not noticed much improvement to an already in itself sound section quite complete. As in the first videogame, the only music that will be set is on the main menu and will again have female choruses. Once in competition, there will be no music as it happens in other video games. The voices are complete in English -released through the DualShock 4- speaker and thetexts in Castilian . This is a serious problem when driving if we do not master English because the game forces us to read tiny texts in the middle of a curve and can harm us more than helping us.
conclusion
Project Cars 2 is a must buy for all those fans of the engine and the online competition on board a racing car. The work done by Slightly Mad StudiosIt is impressive at all levels and a good sign that in simulation issues there is still a way to go. All the improvements received in this new release make the game very different from what we saw in its first part and is able to scare away the ghosts of the past with just a couple of hours of play. It has a technical section to remove the hat, stability almost bombproof, a sick obsession with details, an exquisite simulation that shows off all its benefits if we decide to enjoy it with a licensed flyer and a competitive landscape with which you can achieve an important gap in the field in the eSports championships. It is not a game for all audiences and it is something that we want to emphasize again.
The best
- What has been achieved in the simulation section is fantastic.
- Take advantage of the full potential of PS4.
- 180 vehicles available and 60 tracks.
- Infinite possibilities in the adjustment of the cars and in the configuration of the tracks and their rules.
- Its full photo mode.
- Real sound for each of the available cars.
- Loading screens almost non-existent or very fast.
Worst
- In situations of high stress he suffers from a terrible tearing.
- While the commander behaves much better than before, he still does not enjoy playing with him.
- The AI sometimes makes strange maneuvers.
- We have not been able to try the online.
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