| IndyCar Series Facts : | ||
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| 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...BHMS: How complex will the physics model be? Did you have any outside help from the real IndyCar Series teams? Brain in a Jar: We've had lots of help and support from the teams. In particular Drier & Reinbold and Panther. Dallara have given us a lot of detail on the aerodynamics also which has helped a lot. Our main drive in creating the physics model was to strike a balance between realism, accessibility and complexity. These goals are considered by many to be mutually exclusive, but we disagree. The physics model we have created is simple enough for a first time player to be able to pick it up with a default car setup and have fun with - while being complex enough for a hard-core racer to really get into tuning the car to achieve really fast lap times. BHMS: Are the physics modelled in a way (much like the IRL cars) where downforce levels allow close racing? Some have even called IndyCar Series racing like NASCAR restrictor plate racing - is this what we can expect? Brain in a Jar: You can certainly expect very close racing. Drafting plays a major part in the game. We have actually slightly exaggerated the effect of drafting to create lots of overtaking. This also tends to result in close 'packs' of cars. You never get the entire field spread out in a long line. BHMS: Strategy plays a big role in racing. What can we expect in that department? Brain in a Jar: If you're running in long races with fuel, tire wear, race rules and full damage, you can expect to use all the strategies of the real drivers in the race. Adjusting your fuel mixture to gain horsepower or save fuel. Using your weight-jacker to compensate for any changes in your cars handling as fuel weight and tire quality changes. Using drafting to gain an advantage for overtaking, or save fuel. Deciding on pit strategies, whether or not to pit during caution periods, whether or not to stay in sequence with the leader etc. BHMS: After talking about physiscs and strategy, we obviously have to cover the garage and setup adjustments. What has IndyCar Series in store for all the wannabe mechanics and will there be a telemetry? Brain in a Jar: In the garage you'll be able to adjust your tire pressures, spring rates, damper settings, ride height, gear ratios, camber, toe in and wing angles. BHMS: Lately there is a big demand (mostly by off-line racers) to have a save game feature. I know IndyCar Series will have one. Can you tell us a little more about it and why do you think this feature is important. Brain in a Jar: The feature is essential for full season, while you can run through the entire 15 race schedule in one session if you want to, it's far friendlier to allow you to stop when you want, and come back to the action right where you left off. The game uses an auto-save feature (which you can turn off if you wish) this saves your progress after each race, and during pit stops within each race. It gives you more choice. BHMS: The IndyCar Series' fan base is growing because the races consistently deliver photo finishes - should we expect this type of racing from the AI? Will the AI be adjustable? Brain in a Jar: IndyCar Series the game employs a scaling AI difficulty, the skill and effort put into the race by your opponents will change on the fly to give you a challenging race whatever your ability. At the end of each race you'll be informed of the average strength the AI was running at. You can of course turn this feature off and run against full AI opponents that will give no quarter if you wish, and they will push to the very last yard. With the cars being practically equal in ability we spent a long time working on the AI to make your opponents challenging and fun to race against. We also endeavoured to match our AI drivers to their real life counterparts (Sam Hornish Jr. likes to overtake on the outside, and so does our Sam Hornish Jr.). We looked carefully at data from the season's races and tailored our drivers accordingly (just watch out for a certain South African)!BHMS: Let us not forget the damage model. Spectacular accidents aren't far away when open-wheels cars are racing wheel to wheel at speeds over 200mph. How much emphasis did you put on this part of the game? Brain in a Jar: Damage systems are fast becoming an integral part of any racing game these days, and with that in mind a great deal of thought and effort went into ensuring that the physics and rendering system could handle displaying damage even with 33 cars on track. BHMS: Staying on topic of damage, will parts fly off and will they have collision damage? What about oil on track, fire, etc. and let us not forget the breakdowns? Brain in a Jar: Crash damage will vary depending on the difficulty setting you choose. On 'Easy' your car (and the cars of the other drivers) will be indestructible, while on 'Normal' the components of your car will only be damaged to a certain degree (it will always be drivable enough to get back to the pits for repairs). On Pro however your car will be susceptible to a wide array of damage that will impact on it's performance. You may get away with a little rubbing against the wall with the only damage being some extra tire wear, but as the impact power goes up so does the damage. Heavier bashes will buckle your suspension or wing, costing you cornering grip and some mph from your top speed. Your cooling system, gearbox, electronic engine management system and the engine itself can also be damaged by impacts or even bad driving (run your car on the rev limiter for too long and you may blow your engine)! If you get into really big smashes you may completely lose your wings, totally buckle you suspension, smash your engine and leave your car and you out of the race. BHMS: Judging by the screenshots, IndyCar Series looks fantastic. What about the sound? Where did you get the samples, how important is the sound for you... Brain in a Jar: Sound forms 50% of your experience in a game sometimes more, and so it's a very important aspect of the design. We sampled the racing cars at IMS and recorded impact, scraping, crowds and other sound effects to produce a rich audio experience. BHMS: When the race is over, people like to view replays. How many cameras will there be and will we be able to save full race replays? Brain in a Jar: There are a wide selection of cameras to choose from when watching replays, TV cameras, chase cameras, on-car cameras etc… And options to slow down the action, watch different cars and skip to different parts of the replay. The length of replay saved will depend on the platform and system the game is running on. BHMS: Custom paint schemes have become big part of sim-racing. Will we be able to paint our cars in a paintshop or will we have to edit certain files? 20Q: Two companies released painting templates before they released their games. Are you thinking about following that trend? There's no custom editing but its something worth considering in the future! BHMS: Release date is Spring 2003. Is there a set date for the promised demo version? Brain in a Jar: IndyCar Series is releasing on PS2 in the US on May 13th, with PC and Xbox editions to follow in June. The games will also be launch across the rest of the world in June. The PC demo will be available just before launch, just as soon as we've perfected it! BHMS: Thanks you for taking the time to talking to us (and our visitors). |
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Comments : |
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| Author: jbodin | 14-05-2003 |
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I wonder if Brain in a Jar looked at any other Indy-style sims, or things like the now-defunct IRL Heat mod for NASCAR Heat? Also, I wonder where they found their pool of beta testers -- I know of nobody in the active sim racing community who was involved in the testing for IndyCar Series, and that makes me wonder about how serious they are about the "hardcore" aspect. -- JCB |
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| Author: John Bodin | 14-05-2003 |
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The ability to save your progress after each race is pretty typical -- I think you can do that with virtually ANY halfway decent game that includes a career or championship season function. The part that sounds great to me is the ability to save your progress during pit stops within each race -- THIS is something that has been almost universally overlooked by most modern simulations (post-NASCAR 2, anyway). The setup options also sound encouraging. -- John Bodin |
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| Author: davidan | 14-05-2003 |
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Is it true this game has no multiplayer, if so that's a real shame as it seems to have some potential based on their interview, but without multiplayer it's failed from day one in my opinion. |
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| Author: Bobo88 | 15-05-2003 |
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I have to agree with davidan on this one! The interview sure makes it sound tempting, but if it doesn't have multiplayer, I won't be buying it. IMHO, racing games are MEANT to be played against other humans! The AI are good for practice, but there is nothing like racing other who are unpredictable! The AI become very predictable eventually! Please consider multiplayer! Otherwise, the game sounds like it'll be great! |
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| Author: TimCollier | 15-05-2003 |
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I also concur with Davidan...without multiplayer, you really have half a game based upon today's standards for ANY type of gaming, especially racing. While I'm sure that the final product will be polished and have it's merits, the two things that bring about concern is the multiplayer issue, and the "tweaking" of the physics engine, such as modification of the effects of drafting. What else might have been tweaked, and how much does it take away from this being a "true sim". I guess we'll know soon once a demo is released...but it's good to see a new face and a new form of racing come to the table. |
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| Author: ThomasH | 15-05-2003 |
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Remeber, most of what has been said here, also were said when Nascar1 or/and Indycar Racing1 was released! It´s all realitive I guess...;) Just dont read to much into it...remember RaceDriver for one? |
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| Author: leonardo | 16-05-2003 |
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what about multyplayer?!?! |
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| Author: j_hotch | 16-05-2003 |
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Question: Custom paint schemes have become big part of sim-racing. Will we be able to paint our cars in a paintshop or will we have to edit certain files? 20Q: Two companies released painting templates before they released their games. Are you thinking about following that trend? Answer: There's no custom editing but its something worth considering in the future! Comment: You can't even skin your own car? What the crap? |
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| Author: D_Kirsch | 17-05-2003 |
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"Our main drive in creating the physics model was to strike a balance between realism, accessibility and complexity." "We have actually slightly exaggerated the effect of drafting to create lots of overtaking." Those two statements are all I need to hear to decide that I won't be playing this game. What the developers had previously said suggested that IndyCar Series might be a racing sim with all of the aids turned off, but those two statements have made it clear that it's not. True racing sims don't "strike a balance" with the physics, or "slightly exaggerate" the effect of drafting. It's really a shame too, because IndyCar Series had looked pretty good, but if it's not going to be as realistic as possible, what's the point? "The physics model we have created is simple enough for a first time player to be able to pick it up with a default car setup and have fun with - while being complex enough for a hard-core racer to really get into tuning the car to achieve really fast lap times." It would certainly be understandable if the physics were "simple enough for a first time player to be able to pick it up" with the driving aids turned on, but that statement makes it sound as if the physics will ALWAYS be that simple, and that the only challenge will be adjusting the car to run faster lap times. If this is actually the case, the physics model must be dumbed down quite a bit, because in real life, even keeping an Indy car under control takes a lot of skill, and even experienced drivers can lose control in a heartbeat. I certainly hope that I've misinterpreted what the developers have said, and that this level of difficulty WILL be reflected in the physics model. Otherwise, I'm sorry to say that I have no interest whatsoever. |
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| Author: Dan F | 17-05-2003 |
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Check the screenshots at worthplaying,com. They have a screenshot of the main menu and "multiplayer" is right there. The game has multiplayer...it does't have on-line play due to licensing restrictions, according to codemasters. |
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| Author: TimCollier | 19-05-2003 |
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Dan, thanks for the info...I followed your lead and looked at the screenshot. What they were previewing was the PS2 version, not the PC version. I'm hoping for multiplayer in the PC version, but I have yet to read anywhere that it is a part of this game. Also, what do you mean by not having on-line play? Were you referring to the PS2 version? I'm not trying to start anything, was just hoping that we could get a clarification on this... |
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| Author: jbodin | 19-05-2003 |
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I got a chance to check out the X-Box version at the Speedway this weekend, and I'm very encouraged now -- even though it won't have multiplayer support, it seems like Codemasters did their homework from a race sim perspective. What I experienced on the X-Box version felt a LOT like ICR2, with updated graphics (which ain't bad at all). I've posted a brief "First Impressions" piece on my site: https://irlinsider.adnetweb.com/sims/indycarseries/ At this point, I'd say that IndyCar Series seems promising! |
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| Author: Scott | 19-05-2003 |
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I can't wait for this game!! |
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| Author: koh feng wei | 21-05-2003 |
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this game can u give free? |
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| Author: Ed d\'Agliano-Luna | 30-05-2003 |
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A very concise, forthright, and honest question and answer article. |
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| Author: DodgeRacer | 01-06-2003 |
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I am very dissapointed, i thought this game would include multiplayer. I was getting ready to buy it before reading that :( |
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| Author: Allan | 19-07-2003 |
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These interview miss the point completely.Racing games should be meant to racing someone,not the dam computer.I'm only interested in online racing games no others.Does it linkup over the internet?how well and how many players.That's the only question that's seams to be left out all the time. |
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