Ahmed Boukhelifa of Eden Games was kind enough to take the time to answer
some of our questions about the upcoming driving game. Here's what we
found out about the game...
GT: Will Test Drive Unlimited be a racing sim or an arcade racer?
AB: Think Gran Turismo for Dummies. Easy to learn, hard to master. We
have so many cars - the online way to make them feel very different (besides
graphics) is to make sure they handle differently, like in real life. So we
always tried to make sure we had a realistic recreation of the real cars, with a
true realistic and physics engine at the heart of our game. However, we also
wanted to make sure anyone and everyone could get into the game and have fun.
The driving help system provides - like in real life ABS for example -
assistance that will help you to control braking, drifting. So if you want to go
for an easy entry into the game and get the adrenaline rush fast, turn all the
helps on. But when you'll want to earn those extra seconds that'll give you all
the gold cups - try to deactivate all helps and learn to truly master the
beasts.
GT: Will the single and multiplayer aspects of the game be integrated,
or will players have separate offline and online cars, houses, etc.?
AB: You play the same game online or offline : drive freely around the
island, enter buildings (car dealers, fashion shops...), or go for a race. If
you're online, you'll meet A.I. inhabitants of the island while driving who may
challenge you. If you're online, it's true players you'll meet while driving the
island, in online challenges, clubs and drive-ins. That's one world, and many
ways to play and explore it, offline or online.
GT: Will the game have story-based missions or will it be played as a
series of individual races and challenges?
AB: The single player mode will be presented as a series of individual
races and challenges, which will earn you money and unlock new cars, new
dealerships, new areas of the island, etc.
GT: What are some of the challenges you can expect to find in the
game?
AB: Solo and online challenges are split in different categories :
- Time: be the fastest - time attack or last man standing for example
- Speed: reach the maximum speed, or do not go below a certain speed
- Race: versus other player online or AIs
You won't find two identical challenges on the island, because of the many
different rules they're created with: limited to some vehicles, to some players,
penalties for leaving the road, with or without traffic cars, police cars...
Moreover, in solo mode, you'll go through additional missions like for
example the Transporters, where you have to convoy cars for inhabitants of the
island.
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