Posted Jun 17, 2007 at 10:37PM by Nicolo S. Listed in: Interviews, Games, Project Gotham Racing 4 Tags: Bizarre Creations, Ben Ward
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Project Gotham Racing 5 - Image 1Project Gotham Racing 4's enhanced weather simulation features have definitely raised eyebrows and made people wonder what's in store for the upcoming PGR game. Fortunately, IGN along with Team Xbox were able to put Bizarre Creations Community and Web Lead Ben Ward on the hot seat to reveal some sweet details.

There will be 10 different types of weather. These include:

  • Clear: A normal, sunny day. Your cornering will be sharp, assuming you have the skills.
  • Overcast: There will be lots of cloud cover, but no change to your vehicle dynamics.
  • Light Rain: A little drizzle, but nothing to change your driving style too much. The track surface will be slightly slippery, and you’ll find that too much gas will lead to your backend sliding around more than usual.
  • Heavy Rain: Lots and lots of the wet stuff. Your visibility will be reduced, and you’ll be peering between frantic windscreen wipers when using in-car view. Deep puddles form around the track, and should be avoided at all costs.
  • Wet: The aftermath of a heavy rainfall. Clouds are still brooding in the sky. The track is wet, but the puddles are dissipating and everything is slowly drying up.
  • Storm: Danger time. Rain, clouds, thunder, lightning. The sky is black, and your chase camera will be obscured by heavy rainfall. Keeping your car on the track will be difficult… but racking up the sliding Kudos won’t be!
  • Light fog: A slight haze rests over the city, giving a slight reduction in visibility. It does not affect vehicle dynamics, but stay on your toes and don’t let any corners creep up on you.
  • Heavy fog: A huge cloud descends over the track. Visibility is severely reduced, and finding your way is difficult. On some tracks you can drive uphill and rise above the fog, so use this opportunity to scout out the route below.
  • Icy: A really, really cold day. Puddles are starting to freeze over, so watch out for them. You’d be silly to go out without wearing a bobble hat.
  • Snow: The track is icy and slippery, snow is falling from the sky, and all the puddles have completely frozen over. You’ll need to drive slower and avoid the icy patches; even if it means straying from the racing line.
Weather transition will happen dramatically, which means a blizzard won't come out on a clearly sunny day. When they do change, however, we'll see tropical storms and the like.

Tracks won't change even if weather does, aside from puddles forming up and causing your wheels to slide a bit more. Ward stated that races will still be reasonably consistent even if the day starts clear followed by rain shower.

AI will respond to the weather accordingly. Vehicle selection, driving style, and judgement will differ depending on the situation. For the first time, PGR gets a dedicated AI programmer so we can expect good things.

Find the full interview by clicking on the Read link below.


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6 Comments


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   by Shatterdome - 2007-06-18
 » Well..

I may just wait for gotham 4 for my first 360 racing game....

Always loved the sweet mix of arcade and realism in the gotham franchise....ever since DC...maybe i'll get 3 since it's only $15....get back in the groove for 4....

   by lmxloco (Unregistered) - 2007-06-18
 » .

God I can't wait for this one...if they can pull off these weather effects without a noticeable drop in framerate or sacrificing a lot of graphical integrity...then this could be one of the best overall racers ever.

   by Advertising -
   by random (Unregistered) - 2007-06-18
 » I Agree...

If they can pull this off... it seems like they will be more poised at creating the most realistic driving experience.


   Re: Jin Wu - 2007-06-18
 » I Agree

I've always loved their games since the Dreamcast. I knew 3 was a rushed game and given time 4 was gonna be great and it looks like it will be.

Hope they put the DJ's back in!
   by Shatterdome - 2007-06-18
 » They just.,,,

Better avoid using any churches in the game.....

haha

   by zav (Unregistered) - 2007-06-18
 » Great!!

PGR 4 looks sweet! forza 2 should of had dynamic weather also, oh well let's hope forza 3 does or better :)



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