A few weeks back I asked you guys to submit questions to forward to the developers at Codemasters about their new game GRID. Well, they just got back to me with some answers--from Ralph Fulton, Chief Game Designer, no less. Take a look:
CarDomain: How long did it take to develop this game?
Ralph Fulton: GRID has taken just over 2 years to develop.
CarDomain: How many people we involved in creating the game?
Ralph Fulton: We’ve had a team of 50-60 development staff working on it in the UK plus we have a an art studio in Malaysia that has contributed to it as well – it's a multi-million dollar, AAA project that requires a lot of talent and big investment.
CarDomain: How much of it is based on what you developed for DIRT?
Ralph Fulton: GRID has been created using a heavily upgraded version of the Neon engine from DiRT called the EGO engine. The engine features upgraded environmental detail, the ability to display over 20 cars and can now handle night racing, which was not present in DiRT. The upgrades are not just visual, but are present in the overall presentation of GRID from the physics to controls to the menu system.
More Q & A after the jump!
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Check out this cool footage from the in-car cam in the Boxer4Racing Subaru at the Road America track. If you wait for it, you'll see the wrecked Challenger on top of the tire wall on the outside of turn 1.
The fourth installment of Grand Theft Auto dropped today, and honestly, I was kind of surprised how little controversy the "controversial" game seemed to generate. This is an election year, after all, and given that most politicians will take any opportunity to pander to parents, I figured one of the major candidates would have made a statement about how the game is "harming the children." Even this piece on MSNBC focuses more on how fun it is to wreak havoc than any of the hoopla surrounding the series. So what do you think? Has the uproar passed, or is this the calm before the storm?
Two weeks ago, I wrote about how some of CarDomain's most hardcore gamers were slinking out of work early, saying they had to go "finish up their taxes." Of course, I suspected they were bailing to go snag copies of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. Now, I'm not right often, so when I am, I like to gloat about it, and from the bloodshot eyes and blistered fingers I observed the next morning, I was on the money. But not everyone was lucky enough to be able to pick up this wicked game on release day, and out of the goodness of our hearts, we've decided to give two copies away. So how do you win one? Simple. Just leave a link to your ride page and a brief explanation of why you deserve this killer game in the comments section. That's it. Just to be clear, humor is appreciated, obscenities and whining about how you never win anything are not. So have at it! We'll announce the winners on Friday!
When the Codemasters guys wanted to make sure the drifting in GRID was as realistic as possible, they went to European Drift Championship judge and Team Orange Manager "Sleepy" Hiroki Furuse. Here's his take on the new game, which comes out in June.
Oh, and we sent in all your questions to the developers at Codemasters. They are heads down getting the game out, so it may be another week or two before we hear back, but stay tuned...
If you grew up playing video games in the 90's, there's no way you can't appreciate an RC car that plays the Super Mario Brothers theme song on a series of variably-filled bottles. It must've taken some serious long-term dedication to trial and error to get this pitch-perfect.
While there's a lot of us here who can say that, due to frugality or convenience, we're no stranger to using automotive seats for furniture, Formula One driver Takuma Sato has kicked it up a notch by offering this signature F1 gaming seat for about $600 US. Looks like they're not available in the US at this point, but Sato better hurry it up if he wants to cash in—the contraption just happens to be the exact value of the economic-stimulus rebate that we'll all be getting in May! Meh, I think I'd rather spend mine on my cars. Via BornRich.
More than a few CarDomain staffers have already left for the day, mumbling about how they need to go finish up their taxes. But it's a strange coincidence that all the people who've procrastinated about sending in their W2s also happen to be the most hardcore gamers in the office. So it's pretty clear they're actually just heading out to buy the Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, which drops today. Given that I'll take any excuse to miss work, and since the game features 70 brilliantly rendered rides and a multi-player function which supports a whopping 16 drivers, I can't really blame them. If you already have your copy, let us know what you think, and if you don't, stay tuned. We'll be giving copies away next week. In the meantime, check out the wicked trailer below!
Ever wanted to ask a video game developer what went into making a game? Here's your chance. Below, Chief Game Designer Ralph Fulton talks about the making of GRID, the cool new racing game from Codemasters which launches in June. Cool, right? But we know you guys have some questions of your own. So post 'em below and I'll get them to the developers. They're busy guys, so it may take a week or two to hear back, but we'll get your questions answered.
Codemasters, the guys who brought you DiRT, have a new game up their sleeves: GRID. I'll be working with their dev team to bring you some behind-the-scenes info on the game over the next few weeks. The game arrives in the US in June for Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION3, Games for Windows, and Nintendo DS (I don’t have the exact date yet--I’ll let you know when it's official). If you haven’t heard about the game yet, GRID is all about racing. The action take place in Europe, Asia, and North America, and each region will feature different tracks and different cars. European events include Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans Sarthe, while Asian events will have downhill mountain racing and drift events. North American racing takes place in urban centers like Washington D.C., San Francisco, Long Beach, and Detroit, with a focus on muscle cars. And the Codemaster guys are aiming to make it the most visually impressive racing game ever developed. Here's a sneak preview--a BMW 320Si at Jarama in Spain. We also a video of the replay cam.
Anyone who's seen Jurassic Park knows raptors are a menace, and that the world would be a better place without them. Maybe that's why running them down in this online time-waster feels so satisfying. While the company does make you install a little player before you can start bagging raptors, the graphics are pretty sweet, and there's a satisfying crash when you nail one. Check it out.
By David
aka Highspeedhijinks
Not all of us bought a Playstation 3 when it was released in 2006, but you better believe that come April '08, you're gonna need one: because that's when the latest edition of Gran Turismo hits the shelves. Gran Turismo 5 marks the 10th anniversary for the game that allowed all of us the opportunity to drive cars and race tracks we could only dream of. This latest edition was created to provide the player with the maximum picture quality and clarity using 1080hp HD technology. If you want an idea what that looks like, check out this thread over at TideFans.com for some mind-blowing screenshots. The game features three brand new models that tuners can't wait to get their hands on: Subaru STi, Mitsubishi Evo X, and the drool-worthy Nissan GT-R. Since this isn't the full version of the game, it'll only have 37 cars and 5 tracks in 10 different layouts; but that's still 1850 different ways to enjoy the game. The previous edition (GT4) released with over 700 cars, so there's no telling how large the new game might grow to be.
After a couple of high-profile delays, Rock Star Games is set to release Grand Theft Auto IV on April 29—and gamers around the world are already salivating. But before their latest cash cow drops, it appears Rock Star is settling some old business. Remember the firestorm which erupted when hidden sexual content was discovered in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas? Well, a class action suit was filed on behalf of people who bought the game and were offended by it, and they won. Check out GTA Class Action Settlement website for all the details. As with a lot of class action suits, there's a graduated scale which pegs how much cash you're eligible for to how much you can actually prove you were harmed. The funny thing? Even if you don't have proof, you can still get a cut. The head honchos at Rock Star are probably crying all the way to the bank.
The concept behind AMG's the Launch isn't complex, but it's still pretty fun. The point? Just get the best start you can. That's it. I haven't been good at video game in like 20 years, so predictably, I kind of sucked at it. But the visuals are cool, and the sound of the motor is sick. My best time is 4.772. What's yours?
For some reason, I'm a sucker for driving games. So when I looked into the Intel booth and saw some F1-looking cars hooked up to video monitors, I figured it would be a great chance for Sean and me to spend a few moments off our feet, racing each other! Turned out this wasn't so much a video game but a webcam mounted onto a remote control car about half a mile away. Sean and I would be driving head to head remotely using WiMax technology (basically, long-range wireless: several miles versus dozens to hundreds of feet for WiFi). Sean of course spanked me at this "race" (hey, driving by webcam isn't easy!) so I didn't get entered in the drawing for a new laptop. Oh well.
Are you a complete gadget geek? Then what are you waiting for? Head over to the SoundDomain Blog for complete coverage of the Consumer Electronics Show!
