As you have already noticed, the people at Ivory Tower and UbiSoft are really interested in keeping a good relation with the community.
The game was already postponed twice, because of the feedback that was used to improve the game even more before release.
They improved the graphics and refined the Car Physics even more.
And even after the release of the game, there will be a constant flow of updates to make the game even better. When i asked Stéphane about possible new content, you could see him drift away a little, already shifting gears, one year ahead.
I imagined his brains working like the see through of the car engine and gear box that was shown to us by the car designers earlier that day.
The whole project is now in the capable, well manicured hands of Anne Blondel from UbiSoft, the Executive Producer, who will make sure the project gets done, so Stéphane can focus on working on the game itself.
The next big thing will be off course the server stress tests and preparing this great project for the release. There is a dedicated server team working on that as well. Just like there are specialists in every department of the Studio.
There won't be a lot of new stuff added to the game before release. More important is to get the game as stable as possible now and than the testing can begin.
You could also feel the good vibe in the studio as they are entering the exciting final stages of development, after a rush of almost 7 years.
This also explains why they won't rush the release. They have worked too hard for that. They want it to be as good as they can when the game gets out. And i like that.
All feedback and ideas will be read and can make it to the game in future updates, when they think it can contribute to the game and the fun.
They are truly interested in our feedback. This is just the beginning.
The Crew & The Community
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How this is all shaping up now is very promising, the way everyone at Ivory Tower and Ubisoft are willing to listen to the grass root players can only be a good thing for the development of this game.
I have read most of the reviews over the past 24 hours and on the hole they all seem very positive about the game.
The only small niggles have been about the Facebook tie-in for the Golden Number plate codes and the micro transaction thing.(still looking into these).
Lets hope the final stage goes ok and it get released around the September mark.
I have read most of the reviews over the past 24 hours and on the hole they all seem very positive about the game.
The only small niggles have been about the Facebook tie-in for the Golden Number plate codes and the micro transaction thing.(still looking into these).
Lets hope the final stage goes ok and it get released around the September mark.
Yes, it is really good to see companies who actually care about their customers.
I think they are also a little proud of their product. And they have every right to be.
If you are working 7 years on a project like this, you want it to be successful and the idea to generate direct input from the community is a brilliant one IMO. It generates a lot of useful feedback and also gives the development team an extra boost to see what they are working for.
There were a lot of tweets and facebook messages from Devs going crazy over our reviews.
It seems like they have a real good time now. And that will only get better in the upcoming months.
I think this interaction with the gaming community is refreshing.
I think they are also a little proud of their product. And they have every right to be.
If you are working 7 years on a project like this, you want it to be successful and the idea to generate direct input from the community is a brilliant one IMO. It generates a lot of useful feedback and also gives the development team an extra boost to see what they are working for.
There were a lot of tweets and facebook messages from Devs going crazy over our reviews.
It seems like they have a real good time now. And that will only get better in the upcoming months.
I think this interaction with the gaming community is refreshing.
During my visit to the Ivory Tower Studio in Lyon, i had the pleasure to have a chat with Sebastien Tixier, the guy who is responsible for the Force Feedback and Wheel setup for The Crew. A real Physics Guru, who worked on TDU1 as well.
One of the reasons why TDU1 worked so well was the combination of physics, force feedback and interaction with the gaming environment. The base physics were not even that great, simcade at the most, but the symbiosis of those three key elements made the driving in TDU1 special.
I bought my G25 wheel especially for Test Drive Unlimited and it rocked. I played hundreds, even thousands of hours on Oahu because the driving felt alive.
So i took the opportunity to thank Sebastien, who is largely responsible for that driving experience.
Knowing that this guy, together with Sylvain (car physics) is working on the wheel setup, is great news for any wheel fanatic who will play The Crew. Not only will the car handling be great. The translation of the physics to what you actually feel in the wheel will be spot-on.
Off course i have only played with the Thrustmaster T500 during the playtest. That seems to be the reference wheel they use during the development. But a large collection of wheels, pedals, shifters and other hardware was piled up near Tixier's working space.
As i described in my review the feel and driving during the test with the wheel was awesome. If you want to experience The Crew to the max, get a wheel.
I asked him how he manages to "translate" the car physics to the wheel, so you actually feel the suspension working and also feel the weight of the car, as with a lack of G-Forces of real world cars, that is also a bit emulated through the wheel.
In some games the FFB is so bad that a lot of players switch it off and prefer to drive without it, as it only comes down to some unrealistic jerking on the wheel and retarded controller rumble at the most. So what makes the difference?
He explained to me that 88% of the FFB comes directly from the physics. So if the physics are good, so will be the FFB. He is very humble about it, but i think that the 12% he adds to the mix are what makes it really good and special. They go through great lengths to get it as good as it can be.
I was really excited as i saw a Fanatec Club Sport Wheel over there and he confirmed that the shifting lights will be natively supported by The Crew. That is awesome, as i usually have to run 3rd party parallel programs to make that functionality work in other games. It only shows the dedication and interest they have in providing the best possible driving experience for all wheel users, even exotic ones like mine.
I also dug up some Q&A from the French TDU site.
Tixier revealed a few interesting facts in that interview
For instance the different parameters that will be added in The Crew in comparison to the physics in TDU1.
While in TDU1 only vertical suspension movements were used, The Crew will have a full 3D Geometric suspension system, including dynamic camber and toe.
The tire model in The Crew will have volumetric multi touch patch management, while in TDU1 it only referred to a single point under the wheel.
Only 2 basic differential models were used in TDU1, where The Crew will have a complete differential management system, 5 basic types with 3 subtypes.
The Crew will have complete independent management of all wheels and can also support multiple axles, so an 8 wheel vehicle with 4 wheel steering is possible.
This also explains why i thought the driving was that good in The Crew, as you could really feel the car work during the driving. Experience the tires bite the tarmac and controlled sliding when they lost grip. The feedback was even better than in most real life cars, lol.
Driving on the cool roads of the USA in The Crew with a wheel will be a special experience, thanks to guys like Sebastien Tixier.
It will be good
One of the reasons why TDU1 worked so well was the combination of physics, force feedback and interaction with the gaming environment. The base physics were not even that great, simcade at the most, but the symbiosis of those three key elements made the driving in TDU1 special.
I bought my G25 wheel especially for Test Drive Unlimited and it rocked. I played hundreds, even thousands of hours on Oahu because the driving felt alive.
So i took the opportunity to thank Sebastien, who is largely responsible for that driving experience.
Knowing that this guy, together with Sylvain (car physics) is working on the wheel setup, is great news for any wheel fanatic who will play The Crew. Not only will the car handling be great. The translation of the physics to what you actually feel in the wheel will be spot-on.
Off course i have only played with the Thrustmaster T500 during the playtest. That seems to be the reference wheel they use during the development. But a large collection of wheels, pedals, shifters and other hardware was piled up near Tixier's working space.
As i described in my review the feel and driving during the test with the wheel was awesome. If you want to experience The Crew to the max, get a wheel.
I asked him how he manages to "translate" the car physics to the wheel, so you actually feel the suspension working and also feel the weight of the car, as with a lack of G-Forces of real world cars, that is also a bit emulated through the wheel.
In some games the FFB is so bad that a lot of players switch it off and prefer to drive without it, as it only comes down to some unrealistic jerking on the wheel and retarded controller rumble at the most. So what makes the difference?
He explained to me that 88% of the FFB comes directly from the physics. So if the physics are good, so will be the FFB. He is very humble about it, but i think that the 12% he adds to the mix are what makes it really good and special. They go through great lengths to get it as good as it can be.
I was really excited as i saw a Fanatec Club Sport Wheel over there and he confirmed that the shifting lights will be natively supported by The Crew. That is awesome, as i usually have to run 3rd party parallel programs to make that functionality work in other games. It only shows the dedication and interest they have in providing the best possible driving experience for all wheel users, even exotic ones like mine.
I also dug up some Q&A from the French TDU site.
Tixier revealed a few interesting facts in that interview
For instance the different parameters that will be added in The Crew in comparison to the physics in TDU1.
While in TDU1 only vertical suspension movements were used, The Crew will have a full 3D Geometric suspension system, including dynamic camber and toe.
The tire model in The Crew will have volumetric multi touch patch management, while in TDU1 it only referred to a single point under the wheel.
Only 2 basic differential models were used in TDU1, where The Crew will have a complete differential management system, 5 basic types with 3 subtypes.
The Crew will have complete independent management of all wheels and can also support multiple axles, so an 8 wheel vehicle with 4 wheel steering is possible.
This also explains why i thought the driving was that good in The Crew, as you could really feel the car work during the driving. Experience the tires bite the tarmac and controlled sliding when they lost grip. The feedback was even better than in most real life cars, lol.
Driving on the cool roads of the USA in The Crew with a wheel will be a special experience, thanks to guys like Sebastien Tixier.
It will be good
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I already read the info on the French forum but reading all about it again still gives me goosebumps just the same. Ironically, Tixier is part of the reason I won't be playing the game... at least not until I'm bored with just driving around for the sake of it, which only happened in TDU after 4 or 5 years. So with 7,000 miles of roads, that should only take about 40 years or so.
Did you play Forza 4 and Horizon? How would you say the Hardcore mode handling in The Crew compares?
Did you play Forza 4 and Horizon? How would you say the Hardcore mode handling in The Crew compares?
NascarVike wrote:Tixier is part of the reason I won't be playing the game... at least not until I'm bored with just driving around for the sake of it
PS I don't have an XBox...