The Crew First Impressions

DDastardly00
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Sounds like a clean interface, thanks!
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grooks10
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MadManCK wrote:You can, for instance, switch of all game interactions and just drive and cruise to the horizon. 8-)
Yessss! I'm so happy to hear this! I don't usually like doing those open-world challenges that screw up the relaxed cruising experience *cough cough* Forza Horizon *cough*

And yeah, that interface does sound really handy! Thanks for the info!
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DDastardly00
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I just came to the realization that it's only April, the wait for this game is now going to be that much harder :lol:

And I still need to decide which console to buy to play this on, PS4 or Xbox one.
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September sounds about right for me, still waiting for the snow to melt and the golf courses to open here. Then a very short golf season, and I'll be ready to spend time on a new game.
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MadManCK
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Bezrider wrote:Not too sure how the missions will work yet (maybe ManManCK got some hints when he was in Lyon) what I do know is they tend to make a big thing about cooperation in The Crew and how all the missions can be done as an individual or as a team.
They also say if you have a go and find it hard to complete a mission you can just call on your crew members to help.
Some achievements involve driving as fast as you can without hitting anything, following a line or doing slalom type stuff. Others involve races or take outs. The cool part of doing them collectively is that only one of the Crew needs to get a Gold part, for everybody to get it. And it is more fun doing them together.
In addition to the collective bonus, you get individual achievement rewards as well. The best performer gets most cash. And you get XP as well. The whole achievement system is designed to keep you going. The fluent transitions from free ride to race helps with that a lot. The whole game stays at a pace all the time and keeps you involved.

In free ride you also get XP for doing an overtake without hitting anything, make a controlled drift or drive full throttle. A bit FRIM like, but more natural. Instant rewards.

And when you just want to drive around and cruise a little, you can switch off all interactions, making the Crew the ultimate Cruising game as well.

Add to that the excellent driving dynamics, the huge playground and you can see why i really like this game. :2thumbsup:
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Another article on The Crew capsulecomputers

Some interesting quotes from the article:
And if you’re worried about potentially unfair match-ups, the team have nullified such insurmountable handicaps through, not only the level-based matchmaking, but also by level-locking upgrades; ergo, if you’re at level 30, you can’t equip a level 35 exhaust, instead being forced to send it to your HQ upon acquisition. This is especially relieving for those with concerns about the inclusion of microtransactions.
Story missions focused on the player’s infiltration, and eventual busting of the 510′s, tie together the entire experience and provide a plot for why the player character must traverse the U.S., starting in the Michigan capital, and ending in Los Angeles. Moving on, there was one final step before getting out on the open road – designating points to ‘Perks’. Another RPG-esque system, Perks enable boosts to a multitude of different aspects in respect to both performance and rewards, e.g., nitrous lasting 2 seconds longer, or 5% more cash earned from winning races.
New code has also been implemented that ensures players are not stifled by constant crashes; how this is achieved is a matter of calculating intentions – if feedback suggests that a player was in the midst of pulling away from an unavoidable, although partial, collision at the last second, then the game will reduce the inevitable impact and ever-so-slightly guide the player-controlled car left or right from the victim’s, maintaining a significant measure of momentum. If collision is head-on, or there is no input to suggest the player acted to avoid impact, then an appropriately damaging and halting collision will occur. This is quite a smart, helpful system that is appreciated in a game where certain races become wild, sprawling affairs and enjoyment and general traversal could be severely curtailed by accidents in a traffic-heavy zone. Also noticeable is the intelligence of the A.I. Computer controlled vehicles are extremely reactive, and thus feel substantially more realistic than in any driving game that comes to mind. Much of the time, A.I. vehicles are stiff and non-responsive to their surroundings, at least to a certain degree.
In The Crew, vehicles will swerve to dodge a crash, and if you block the road, they will not simply stop and wait for you to move, or scrape against a wall in getting past the obstruction you have caused. These A.I. citizens actually care about their vehicles, rather manoeuvring skill-fully in what is the best, safest way around. Their reflexes are fast, almost as if another player is controlling them; it is extremely impressive. Pedestrians and animals will similarly work to evade your metal machine of destruction, although this tech has been seen in many games past and present. Racing in multiple physical conditions brings their own challenges, but racing at night also ups the ante, requiring more focus and deftness.
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MadManCK
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Especially the part about the improved Ai is interesting as the cars were still behaving a bit erratic when we played in Lyon. Already a lot better than in TDU2, but that is not too hard to top, lol. Interacting Traffic is hard to get right and can improve gameplay quite dramatically.

What also strikes me is that everybody who has played the game, both professionally and community members, is instantly glued to the game and wants to play more. And that is the best compliment for the game makers at Ivory Tower and the rest of the Crew at UbiSoft.

:spy:
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blehz
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MadManCK wrote:What also strikes me is that everybody who has played the game, both professionally and community members, is instantly glued to the game and wants to play more. And that is the best compliment for the game makers at Ivory Tower and the rest of the Crew at UbiSoft.
I had a lot of doubts before reading your story and some others after it. It's quite impressive indeed. Although I haven't played anything yet, I have a lot of trust in it now.
It comes from the creators of TDU, it is a project of many years and Ubisoft is one of the better publishers out there. (if only they wouldn't fail so hard with UnotPlay)
:2thumbsup:
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MadManCK
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After having played The Crew during the Route909 event a couple of things stand out.

First of all the traffic Ai has improved a lot. They don't create random accidents as much anymore. They still can make your life miserable though.

Second: I think driving on HC mode was a bit more easy than i remembered from the demo. But now i drove only starter cars with a level cap so maybe that is something to explain the difference. Also the devs mentioned that it sometimes changes with every build. So still not representative for the final product. Very good already. And playing with a controller on HC was fun as well.

There are a lot of hints to succesful racers from the past, like smugglers run or even burnout paradise. They have taken the good stuff from a lot of those race games and implemented it in their way in the Crew. So much cool stuff in an action packed game. Great fun.

The game runs fluently without any hickups or hanging image. They really have spent a lot of time in making sure of that. It results in very smooth gameplay.

I can't wait to play again. This game has sex appeal :2thumbsup:


:spy:
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eyalf83
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hi,
first, great review! thanks.

what about the multiplayer thing? does it will be like TDU2? real people will drive all over the map? even without creating crew's or event?
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