Driver review (PC version)

Just like I said in this NG, Driver is a disappointment on the PC, Midtown Madness is a better game, and this review pretty much backs up my views. http://www.gamespot.co.uk/pc.gamespot/driving/driv_uk/review.html I'm going to give this game a pass. I don't care if the thing has stellar force feedback if the game is ugly to look at and the driving physics is so stiff, plus those boxy cities with nothing but sharp right angle turns.

>Just like I said in this NG, Driver is a disappointment on the PC, Midtown >Madness is a better game, and this review pretty much backs up my views. >http://www.gamespot.co.uk/pc.gamespot/driving/driv_uk/review.html I love the demo. The review wasn't too harsh... 7.5 out of 10. The fact that somebody has already produced a great mission editor shows that the game is open ended. Hopefully, they'll be a lot of great car hacks/add-ons like for SCGT. As far as 90 degree turns go, the city in Driver reminds me of a local boro near me. Lots of one way streets, and sure enough, 90 degree turns. If there are more open environments that still have the same 90 degree turns I'll be a little disappointed. Tim

its a dissapointment.... but then SCGT was similar, i mean the out of the box version of SCGT is nothing like the version on my hard drive. what i mean is people will finish waht the programmers couldn't and improve the game! (hopefully:) -- =========================================== Regards, SCHU. Not yet open, but soon to be opened... my Schumi site! ===========================================

> >Just like I said in this NG, Driver is a disappointment on the PC, Midtown

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> >Madness is a better game, and this review pretty much backs up my views. > >http://www.gamespot.co.uk/pc.gamespot/driving/driv_uk/review.html > I love the demo. The review wasn't too harsh... 7.5 out of 10. > The fact that somebody has already produced a great mission editor > shows that the game is open ended. Hopefully, they'll be a lot of > great car hacks/add-ons like for SCGT. > As far as 90 degree turns go, the city in Driver reminds me of a local > boro near me. Lots of one way streets, and sure enough, 90 degree > turns. If there are more open environments that still have the same 90 > degree turns I'll be a little disappointed.

If it's anything like the Miami city in the demo, it nothing but 90 degrees turn. You can draw the whole city on graph paper. And if it anything like the demo, there will be artificial barriers (who the hell barricades their home with a concrete wall with no door to get out and barricade the entire city with bushes?) and no open environment, just the road and the sidewalk, because of said artificial barriers. The great thing about MM is "If you see it, you can drive there." and you can drive off the roof or elevated floor of some buildings in MM.

IMO the flaws in Driver are the very arcadish physics model and (judging from the demo, maybe retail is better) the lousy reaction to a steering wheel. I don't think people can improve that. CU Zolli, who still hopes GT will improve that.

The physics are supposed to be arcadish, it's an arcade type game, not a sim.... ;) Dan Belcher Team Racing Unlimited

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>>Just like I said in this NG, Driver is a disappointment on the PC, Midtown >>Madness is a better game, and this review pretty much backs up my views. >>http://www.gamespot.co.uk/pc.gamespot/driving/driv_uk/review.html >I love the demo. The review wasn't too harsh... 7.5 out of 10. >The fact that somebody has already produced a great mission editor >shows that the game is open ended. Hopefully, they'll be a lot of >great car hacks/add-ons like for SCGT. >As far as 90 degree turns go, the city in Driver reminds me of a local >boro near me. Lots of one way streets, and sure enough, 90 degree >turns. If there are more open environments that still have the same 90 >degree turns I'll be a little disappointed.

If you look at the first screenshot in the review, you see a winding mud road - no right angles there. The driver engine obviously has its limitations, but since you can *drive* at other than right angles, it shouldn't be too complicated to create roads accordingly. I just hope that the controller setup for the final version is improved. With the twitchy steering, digital gas pedal, and brake/reverse in one, I find the car uncontrollable with my wheel. I prefer driving even the new demo with keyboard input when this steering setup is the only alternative. -- Wolfgang Preiss \ E-mail copies of replies to this posting are welcome.

Zolli schrieb: For an arcade racer this has to be the best physics model simulating bouncy US family coaches (even if they look like a sports car ;^). l8er ronny -- The box said "Windows 95 or better", so I installed LINUX! |\ _,,,---,,_ I want to die like my Grandfather, ZZZzz /,`.-'`' -. ;-;;,_ in his sleep. |,4- ) )-,_. ,\ ( `'-' Not like the people in his car, '---''(_/--' `-'\_) screaming their heads off!

Wolfgang Preiss schrieb: Same here. Maybe some tweaking of the wheel setup would help? Have to check it out. l8er ronny -- The box said "Windows 95 or better", so I installed LINUX! |\ _,,,---,,_ I want to die like my Grandfather, ZZZzz /,`.-'`' -. ;-;;,_ in his sleep. |,4- ) )-,_. ,\ ( `'-' Not like the people in his car, '---''(_/--' `-'\_) screaming their heads off!

> >>Just like I said in this NG, Driver is a disappointment on the PC, Midtown

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> >>Madness is a better game, and this review pretty much backs up my views. > >>http://www.gamespot.co.uk/pc.gamespot/driving/driv_uk/review.html > >I love the demo. The review wasn't too harsh... 7.5 out of 10. > >The fact that somebody has already produced a great mission editor > >shows that the game is open ended. Hopefully, they'll be a lot of > >great car hacks/add-ons like for SCGT. > >As far as 90 degree turns go, the city in Driver reminds me of a local > >boro near me. Lots of one way streets, and sure enough, 90 degree > >turns. If there are more open environments that still have the same 90 > >degree turns I'll be a little disappointed. > If you look at the first screenshot in the review, you see a winding > mud road - no right angles there. The driver engine obviously has its > limitations, but since you can *drive* at other than right angles, it > shouldn't be too complicated to create roads accordingly.

That winding mud road is just a texture on a flat road, from what I see from the picture. I'm talking about a real winding road by architecture, which MM has.

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> I just hope that the controller setup for the final version is > improved. With the twitchy steering, digital gas pedal, and > brake/reverse in one, I find the car uncontrollable with my wheel. I > prefer driving even the new demo with keyboard input when this > steering setup is the only alternative. > -- > Wolfgang Preiss \ E-mail copies of replies to this posting are welcome.

cancellation warned.

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>> If you look at the first screenshot in the review, you see a winding >> mud road - no right angles there. The driver engine obviously has its >> limitations, but since you can *drive* at other than right angles, it >> shouldn't be too complicated to create roads accordingly. >That winding mud road is just a texture on a flat road, from what I see from >the picture. I'm talking about a real winding road by architecture, which MM >has.

Now, where exactly are the real winding roads in MM? There are non-90-degree angles, sure, and there are elevation changes - both of which are missing from the Driver demo (wait, there are elevation changes at the bridges) -, but no real curves either. You don't have to look too closely to see that the MM streets are made of *very* large polygons - one can easily count the segments of the entire semi-circular highway. It's not a curve, it's straight-corner-straight-corner-straight etc. etc. A 'real' winding road, IMO, has to be made up of so many polygons that the user is fooled into believing that there are no polygons at all. -- Wolfgang Preiss \ E-mail copies of replies to this posting are welcome.

> >> If you look at the first screenshot in the review, you see a winding > >> mud road - no right angles there. The driver engine obviously has its > >> limitations, but since you can *drive* at other than right angles, it > >> shouldn't be too complicated to create roads accordingly. > >That winding mud road is just a texture on a flat road, from what I see from > >the picture. I'm talking about a real winding road by architecture, which MM > >has. > Now, where exactly are the real winding roads in MM? There are > non-90-degree angles, sure, and there are elevation changes - both of > which are missing from the Driver demo (wait, there are elevation > changes at the bridges) -, but no real curves either. There are no 'real' curves by architecture in ANY game at the moment. The only games that are beginning to have real curves are Quake 3 and probably Unreal Tournament. ...like the way it's done in EVERY game!! Beside Q3 and UT, what other game doesn't employ that straight-corner method??? Bottom line, the road aren't straight in MM, they turn and bend, there are other turns beside 90 degrees intersections, unlike the pefect straightaways as far as the eye can see in the cities of Drive until you hit a sharp 90 degrees corner. Not true, just look at the curved surface/architecture of the Q3 map in the Q3test. If Quake Rally ever comes for Q3, we will see true winding roads. > -- > Wolfgang Preiss \ E-mail copies of replies to this posting are welcome. cancellation warned.