official DriveClub

[Polonium]

Just pre-ordered it from the store for ?35 - I refuse to change my account to the Irish one and pay in Euro's :lol:

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Just pre-ordered it from the store for ?35 - I refuse to change my account to the Irish one and pay in Euro's :lol:

 

Tip for the neowinians, http://www.cdkeys.com/playstation-network-psn/psn-cards/playstation-network-card-35-ps-vita-ps3 and use the FB 5% off for like if you have FB. DC for even cheaper :)

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

All the DLC tracks are free, that's the right way to support a driving game (keeps MP from being fragmented)

 

 

Another nice video

 

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

From a Driveclub event yesterday, the weather updates can't come soon enough!

 

[DirtyLarry Veteran]

From a Driveclub event yesterday, the weather updates can't come soon enough!

I have to say, them patching in the weather effects after a year long delay does really is a missed opportunity and not the best timing considering the delay. Hopefully it is worth the wait but especially considering how fickle the gaming community is these days, they are going to have some trouble not catching heat for the delay, and I have to say it might be justified.

[Polonium]

the delay was there because the game was severely broken - it's not like they had a little bit of work to do to hit October '14 release, they essentially rewrote the game.

 

A small additional delay for a patch to enable even more to what looks like a great game isn't a big issue in my opinion.

 

The gaming community needs to grow up a bit and stop with the sense of self entitlement on everything.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

I have to say, them patching in the weather effects after a year long delay does really is a missed opportunity and not the best timing considering the delay. Hopefully it is worth the wait but especially considering how fickle the gaming community is these days, they are going to have some trouble not catching heat for the delay, and I have to say it might be justified.

It's apparently hitting next month I think. With the PS+ edition, a reduced price for the full game for PS+ owners, and dynamic day/night and cloud/sun cycles I think gamers can put up with playing now (clearly marketing decision to put up against Forza), than the game coming out next month with full weather.

Forza 5 launched without weather or night racing. At least we are getting both here on the first PS4 racer...

I can see what you're saying Larry, but if the game is solid and the only community crying is about waiting another 30 days for weather I can't really see a big fuss. All DLC tracks are free as well, they're doing a lot right to support the game, that should matter more - Instead of them just shipping out Driveclub and saying you can wait for Driveclub 2 for weather.

I like this post from a GAF member who must of been at that event above with the rain video

Speaking with a couple of the devs last night, they fully expect to not review well... but... turns out they don't really care. They're looking at the bigger picture, the long game (so to speak). Driveclub after a few months will be a different beast. They're focusing on constant support and development post-release.

A lot of the features were never intended for the original release but the 12 months delay allowed Evo to make a start on these features. Maybe being so open and transparent about this stuff is going to bite them in the arse. Maybe if they'd kept quiet about photo mode/weather/replays then such concerns about the title being "unfinished" would have been avoided.

I dunno about anyone else but I'm happy with the approach Evo have taken. They are being totally open about what's coming. That's something that should be applauded and appreciated rather than the constant bashing they're getting about an unfinished product.

Driveclub isn't going to be a "fire and forget" game for Evo. It was clear last night it's been a labour of love and something that they're going to support going forwards with equal amounts of love.

On a separate note, imagine a new Motorstorm in these amazing environments. Imagine each location being more of an open-world style map.

Imagine...

;-)

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

I don't get the sense the game is unfinished tbh, but I've probably not followed it as closely as some.

 

I thought the delay was due to all the social features they added?

 

Obv, they could just be saying they don't expect to review well to save face. Better to remain humble about it and then reap the reward if the opposite happens.

[The_Fox]

The guys that developed this I see them at the co-op everyday in the north west of England. Standard developer stereotype with ps4/ Sony medallions in toe. Where we work there is about 10 of in the department that have ps4's. We had the  cheek one day to ask for beta keys lol. Good group of guys.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

"The only way we could support weather was by building a full atmospheric simulation. Weather in most video games tends to be an afterthought, or it tends to be a fullscreen effect. Yeah, you could put a shader on the road, and you could have the road get wet and you could put raindrops on the windshield and all the rest of it, but to truly capture the thing that you?ve just described, to make sure that you can?t see the seams, you have to start with the simulation.

This isn?t just an engine for DriveClub, it?s the engine for our whole lifecycle of PlayStation 4 so it had to be extensible. When we wanted to add to it, weather was the next logical step really, and as trivial as I?m making it sound, it was almost as simple as just adding precipitation to that system. If you?re simulating everything else, and then you add precipitation to it, it interacts with all the other systems.

For example with the rivers in the game, if you put it on heavy rain and you let it rain constantly throughout the race, they will rise because everything interacts. Everything is a simulation.

I was playing around with Photo Mode the other day and I didn?t even know we did this until I paused it and I was looking right at one of the tyres in the rain and there?s kick-up from the wheel, but looking closer, there was pools of water in the grooves of the tyre and I thought, why have we done this, we?re insane! Surely we?re insane, but I think it was just a by-product of the simulation, it just, it blew my mind."

More @ http://nzgamer.com/features/1372/driveclub-interview-with-design-director-simon-barlow.html

[DirtyLarry Veteran]

That's all fine and dandy but I have been playing games for a long time and it is not until the past couple of years it has all of a sudden been an okay practice. I am not on board with this new school of thought that the end vision for a game can be patched in at a later date. Really is that simple.

For example I hear Battlefield 4 is finally in a state they always intended it to be.

Must be good for all those people who stuck with it.

I did not. I would not.

Now do not get me wrong. I know and understand a game may have some hiccups the first couple of days it is released. Maybe even the first couple of weeks. And patches will be required for those bugs and to get it to a better state. I get all that.

But features that are considered an integral part of the experience and differentiates said game from other games?

Yeah, I am not so lenient there.

 

I personally believe games should be released how the developer intends them to be on Day 1.

First impressions and all of that.

As such, I would have preferred it to be delayed even more. I have no issue with that.

Especially if this weather system is such an integral part of the game as they explain it to be, then I say wait until it can be a part of it Day 1.

 

I know the argument is going to be I can just wait to play it until the patch/DLC comes out.

I supposed I could.

But that gets back to the point I actually am not a fan of and/or support the whole mindset that I should have to do that or it is okay to do that.

Again, delay it. That is fine by me.

But if you are going to release something for me to consume I consider that product ready for consumption.

 

Whether it is a video game, movie, TV show, the list goes on and on.

If it is meant to entertain me, which is what I consider video games, my personal favorite form of interactive entertainment, then it should be ready to make its best impression on Day 1.

What does this picture say besides the fact I preordered the game?

It says it will be playable in about 30 hours (I took it a few hours back).

Well my time is limited. Now that it is getting colder out I will have more time to play, but that is still not going to be more than 10 hours a week, and that is a very, very good week. Will probably be closer to 5 to 6 hours a week.

So if a developer releases a game, I am going to play it, especially if I have been looking forward to it.

This has nothing to do with entitlement and everything to do with the reality of my own situation.

By the time they release the weather, especially considering the time of year and the amount of releases, I may not even check it out.

I just do not have spare time to check out multiple games and I almost never, ever go back to a game once I have checked it out.

Is that fair? Maybe not. But it is the truth of the situation.

 

Hell, I am trying to figure out how I am even going to have that much time to play DC since The Evil Within comes out a week later.

So this Tuesday I am going to play a version of the game that is not considered the final version of the game.

Who's fault is that exactly? By the responses here apparently it is mine.

And sorry, I do not buy that at all.

 

I know the next argument is going to be well this is a heavily online and social game. In those types of games change and new enhancements and features are par for the course. It is the nature of these types of games.

 

Maybe once I play the game I will see and come to appreciate this fact.

However right now to me it is just another racing game with some cool social features.

 

Perhaps I am just an old man who is set in his ways and I need to be more understanding. Hell, I know the amount of effort involved in making games these days is gargantuan.

However at the end of the day I guess I am just old school in my thinking. I am spending my hard earned money on this game.

When I spend my money on anything else I am not expected to understand it is not completely finished. In fact many people would consider it crazy to even think that was okay.

[Polonium]

I fully agree with pretty much every you say there, but the thing is - this is how the games market is now. The internet, the ease at which patches can be distributed, the fact the consoles all have storage media .. the list goes as to why it is as it is.

 

I went through a spell of saying I'm not buying anything at launch as 99% of games are just not 'finished' ... thing is, it will be a sad and lonely game world if I did that. The titles are certainly playable when they launch, they are just forever evolving and I applaud that. You pay your ?40/$60 or whatever and then the game continuously changes throughout it's shelf life.

 

That's a good thing imo

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

That was a good read Larry, thanks for your perspective.

I guess all I can offer up for discussion is if the weather wasn't planned for the game, they were just doing day/night racing, and then started working on weather during the delay it is a tough argument with marketing with FH2 just out. If they delayed the game again, even if just for a month or two how much damage could that do to the image of the game? I would maybe even say to you don't rush for day 1 and hold off till the patch hits - Or even just try the PS+ edition first? We have the tangible evidence weather works, is real, must be almost complete and is coming - Not just devs words on a blog (we have videos).

The difference with BF4 is it launched broken. DC so far seems to be fully playable from start to finish, with all online components intact.

But that was a good read on your behalf.

Maybe this is a physics bug though unless some thing has been clipped lol

[neo1911]

Lol there used to be some cheat in old games to randomly launch cars in air like that

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Lol there used to be some cheat in old games to randomly launch cars in air like that

GTA? lol

Dat lighting/sunset. Sucks EU get the game two days before UK!

[LaP]

I fully agree with pretty much every you say there, but the thing is - this is how the games market is now. The internet, the ease at which patches can be distributed, the fact the consoles all have storage media .. the list goes as to why it is as it is.

 

I went through a spell of saying I'm not buying anything at launch as 99% of games are just not 'finished' ...

That's a good thing imo

 

 

Personally i now buy games when they 1+ year old. I pay less and i get a fully patched version.

[Praetor]

Personally i now buy games when they 1+ year old. I pay less and i get a fully patched version.

 

yep i also do that; it's a shame the current state of the game industry: i mean, people are willing to pay HEAVY for a end product hopping that is fully funcional but just after some months that same product is now fully playable - that should be since day 1. Very tight schedules for the developers, combined with poor consideration for the users results in unfinished produts being sold as complete.

 

imagine if cars had the same treatment as the game industry: you buy an good, expensive car but then it pass most of the time in the brand car shop fixing stuff that should be properly made and tested.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Personally i now buy games when they 1+ year old. I pay less and i get a fully patched version.

 

This is tough for early buyers... Been stung a lot due to it.

 

Maybe I am being a little lenient on Driveclub after Larry's post, I guess PS4 owners are just starved for a racing game. It's CLEARLY a tactical decision by Sony to push for now for two main reasons

 

a) FH2 has just launched

b) GTA5 and the next COD hit November/December time and will decimate everything

 

Mostly a), but I'm sure if Evo have given internal dates for weather being late Nov/Early Dec then Sony will have been weighing up what mine is better to stand on.... Another delay for a month or two and facing monster titles, or get it out fully complete minus rain/snow to compete with FH2 with a patch within ~2 months.

 

What does the least damage? We'll see. Review wise doing what they've done will probably hit the hardest, people having just reviewed FH2, maybe even some racing fatigue, versus reviewing in a month or two plus gorgeous rain/snow.

[DirtyLarry Veteran]

Well I caved in and picked up the Thrustmaster T80 Wheel. So yeah, chances are I will be checking out the weather patch when it is released.  :laugh:

The wheel itself is getting slammed by the racing enthusiast community, but I only paid $25 of my own cash. I traded in 3 games I was completely done with (two of them were 3DS games) so I really did not have much to lose.

On top of that, I double checked and GameStop has a 30 day full return policy even if it is used, so I really had nothing to lose at that point. If it sucks, I return it.

I just could not see spending $300 on a racing wheel, which is what would need to be done to get a good wheel with Force Feedback, etc., so will see how this T80 works out. 

I just could not see playing a game like DriveClub without a wheel. So will see if this thing is total ###### or not. It actually does not feel as bad as I thought it would be. My HUGE complaint with it already is the USB wire is super short. Like not even 6 feet I do not think. Luckily I had an old USB extension cord, or it would have been pretty beat. Huge oversight already, so yeah, I cannot say my expectations are high.

I did keep my Logitech GT wheel out just in case, will try that and see what happens, as I am partly wondering if they will support Logitech wheels and they just cannot say they will.

 

So with all that said, I think AB does touch on something above about the fact it is coming out so closely to FH2 combined with the fact they will not have the weather, and I just fear that could impact their review scores. I want any first party game to do good on the Playstation consoles (if they deserve it) for the obvious reasons of the better the games do, the better the systems do overall. So I do think it may be a legitimate concern. Only time will tell I suppose.

 

I am actually contemplating calling out of work tomorrow.  :shiftyninja:

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Pre-loading has started in UK.

 

Reviews are up in a few hours I believe.

 

Larry as a fellow Neowinian with a 5.1 surround system supporting DTS please give me impressions. GAF are saying crank the volume up and it's bliss, I want to know if finally on a PS platform we have something that sounds better than GT :P

[DirtyLarry Veteran]

Pre-loading has started in UK.

 

Reviews are up in a few hours I believe.

 

Larry as a fellow Neowinian with a 5.1 surround system supporting DTS please give me impressions. GAF are saying crank the volume up and it's bliss, I want to know if finally on a PS platform we have something that sounds better than GT :p

No problem, I will let you know how it sounds on my 7.1 setup.  :laugh:

I am at work, never took off, but I believe due to my stomach issues I am taking a half a day today and will be heading home at lunchtime.  :shiftyninja:  :rofl:

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Getting slated, the Gamespot review is brutal (but complaining about lack of rewind and penalties for car and track collisions is stupid). It's basically just go play Forza instead, one paragraph until it's mentioned - http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/driveclub-review/1900-6415900/

 

5/10

 

Highest non-Sony based site reviewing I think I've seen is Gametrailers at 8.6. Keeping my pre-order after listening to GT, taking away all the tuning nobs and being more arcade is fine for me, just want to race and have fun with friends. I'll leave sim up to GT.

 

Maybe there's a reason PGR died :/ Arcade based sims just not finding their place in amongst full on sim, full on arcade or open world?

[DirtyLarry Veteran]

Yeah right after I posted I saw the review thread on gaf and read the same reviews you did.

I love racers like this myself but I can see how people do not. I absolutely can.

With that said I did not expect it to get this slammed.

So we will see.

Everything people seem to be slamming it about is stuff I am not to bothered about one way or the other.

I do not need to social aspects and all of that nonsense. Anyone that knows me here knows I always say this no matter what the genre.

I just need a compelling and engaging singe player experience with some basic leaderboards and I am good.

I also love when games are able to emulate driving insanely fast. Whether it is a simulation or an arcade experience, I enjoy driving fast.

So I may very well love it.

If I do not, I will say so no doubt.

But as I just shared above I am pretty easy to please and I view a lot of the other added on stuff that people deem necessary these days as superfluous.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Yeah right after I posted I saw the review thread on gaf and read the same reviews you did.

I love racers like this myself but I can see how people do not. I absolutely can.

With that said I did not expect it to get this slammed.

So we will see.

Everything people seem to be slamming it about is stuff I am not to bothered about one way or the other.

I do not need to social aspects and all of that nonsense. Anyone that knows me here knows I always say this no matter what the genre.

I just need a compelling and engaging singe player experience with some basic leaderboards and I am good.

I also love when games are able to emulate driving insanely fast. Whether it is a simulation or an arcade experience, I enjoy driving fast.

So I may very well love it.

If I do not, I will say so no doubt.

But as I just shared above I am pretty easy to please and I view a lot of the other added on stuff that people deem necessary these days as superfluous.

 

You better join the Neowin club! Although it might just be me and you lol. If I were paying full price for this I probably would have cancelled and tried PS+ first. Right now I have PSN wallet funding sitting there for Friday, and I can't think of anything else digital based I plan on buying soon, so I'm happy to leave ?35.99 for DC, support a UK studio and hope I enjoy it.

 

I mean I played the game just last month at Eurogamer and had fun, nothing is fundamentally broken about the gameplay. It controls well, I guess the expectations were for it to be more in-line with Forza Horizon's approach as FH is an offshot to Forza. But this isn't an offshoot to GT, it's Evolution doing their own thing, was always more of a PGR like-for-like than something to compare to GT  :/ We'll see. Look forward to seeing what you think Larry.

 

Anyway, here's the DLC plans

 

[Polonium]

The reviews were always going to be mixed - people expect far more than what is actually being offered by any game at the moment... Destiny is a perfect example.

 

I'm sure Forza Horizon 2 is great fun but what does it do that Horizon didn't? I personally see no difference and don't see why so many sites are creaming over it.

 

Drive Club is a new IP and we all know that it will evolve as it's supported long after this week, ultimately making it a better game all round. 

 

The Eurogamer review (written by the editor of an Xbox site) is laughable, as is the Gamespot review. The best reviewers in my opinion, the ones who are fairest, are usually Videogamer.com. In my opinion they speak it how it is and they say that the game is light on content, needs a bit more, but it's still a great track racer. Seeing as DC is a track racer, that's good enough for me.

 

The reviews comparing it to FH2, DIRT, GRID, GT etc.. they need to stop, think and review the game on it's own merits.