BHMS: Could you introduce yourself and your development team. Tell us a little about the team's background, have you worked on a racing game before, etc.

Leo Cubbin: My name is Leo Cubbin. I'm the Development Manager on IndyCar Series and I work for Codemasters in the UK. For this title we are using a Development Team called Brain In A Jar.

Brain in a Jar: Brain in a Jar was formed in late 1998 by a group of individuals who between them have experience of over eight published racing titles. Our aim was to build a studio to produce cutting edge racing games that were fun to play and yet still held some grounding in 'real' physics.
We spent nearly two years developing our core physics and car dynamics engine and working on the unfortunately aborted game 'Ferrari 360 challenge' (not a sequel to 355, but a racing series based on the car of the same name). We were very excited to get involved in the development in Indycar series (then IRL) as quite a few of us were fans of the old games.

BHMS: Before one starts developing a game, he has to decide whether to go for a hard-core sim, an arcade or something in between. What will IndyCar Series be and why have you decided to go down that road?

Brain in a Jar: We started out by making the game as realistic as we possibly could. We then tweaked the game-play, control system and assists to make it as accessible as possible.

Leo Cubbin: The focus for IndyCar Series is to create the most authentic reproduction of Indy car racing that there has ever been. So in that respect I guess you could call it a "hard-core sim". However, our aim is to include as many types of game player as possible, therefore the game has to be accessible. This is why we've included elements such as the driving assists (which are not available in real life Indy car racing) to allow gamers of all skill levels to get into the game. You'll be pleased to know that you can customise the game to suit your own individual tastes.

BHMS: Since the game is labelled as an official IndyCar Series game, does this mean we will see all official tracks, sponsors, drivers and teams? What effect will the recent name change to IndyCar Series Indycar Series have on the game?

Leo Cubbin: We have all the licensed tracks and top drivers and teams from the 2002 season and in keeping with the sport we have changed the name to IndyCar Series.

BHMS: I have noted promotion of your simulation on the IRL's official website. To what extent does the IRL see your simulation as a way to generate additional fan interest in the series? Also, to what extent does the IRL contemplate further promotion of the simulation?

Leo Cubbin: The IndyCar Series is a high action, high excitement, adrenalin-fuelled motorsport. They are keen to promote the series wherever possible. IMS are in the business of great racing. We are in the business of producing great racing games. It's a perfect partnership.

BHMS: What technology was used to develop the tracks? Lately most of the developers use GPS data.

Brain in a Jar: Most GPS systems these days are still far from accurate; errors can emerge of up to nearly a foot (30cm). With all of the Indycar tracks being either very modern facilities, or maintained to a very high degree to meet ever changing safety regulations, it proved to be more beneficial to use CAD plans and spiral data (the curvature of the track) for their construction. All of the plans we used were supplied by the architects and constructors that have worked on each of the tracks, and were very accurate.

BHMS: What are the 6 classic Indy 500 cars to be included, and will they have different physics, or just different bodies and paintjobs? From which era are they and will we be able to race them against today's cars or will this be a separate historical race?

Leo Cubbin: As with most games, some of the original design ideas never make it into the final game. Unfortunately the classic Indy 500 cars never made it this time, but who knows, perhaps in the future...