Material Maps

Richard Burns Rally uses a very different map generation technology to other rally titles. Often rally games use one material per polygon.

The ground surface in our game is build up by texture-mapped polygons � each texture has its own material map. This means that on any given piece of track, we can realistically model a variety of ground textures � from different depths and states of gravel, grass, rock etc. This also allows us to accurately model the complex transitions between each road surface, making our stages accurately reflect the real life events the game is based on.


What this means for the player is that wherever he places his tyre on the track, the road surface at that spot will impact onto handling and wear models. The player can maximise his speed by reading the road and positioning his car where the most grip is. A slight deviation from one surface to another will affect his performance.

In addition, our model allows for changes in the road surface to be made according to dynamic weather conditions and the performance of other cars over the track. Emulating the experience of a real life rally driver, your performance will be affected by when you race � drivers racing first will �sweep� the track of loose material for those that follow.