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Forget Gran Turismo, GTR has been crafted by true racing professionals...
When creating racing games, one of the most popular genres, you need to have that something extra special to make it stand out from the rest of the competition. With the standard so high this makes things even harder but GTR is already causing a stir amongst the few who have seen this title. Due for release in Germany and some Scandinavian territories soon, the rest of Europe will have to wait until to 2005.
GTR is billed as a new ultra-realistic simulation by the SimBin Development Team. The game is based on the FIA GT Championship racing series and GTR includes all of the cars and drivers from the season of 2003 as well as the prestigious 24 Hour Spa race.
Developed and tested by the FIA, GT drivers utilize actual racing telemetry data from the featured teams, GTR is quoted as being able to deliver the most realistic driving experience the world has seen to date. With the game looking the part, Derek dela Fuente spoke with Johan Roos, Marketing Manager at SimBin Development Team AB.
TVG: To start with tell us about SimBin and what you have worked on as a team or individually before?
SimBin Development Team AB is a software development company comprising around 60 world class artists and programmers - all racing enthusiasts - spread across the globe in ten different countries and four continents working in a distributed development environment united with the single vision of creating the ultimate racing simulation. The company core structure is a sort of mix of real life racing people and highly talented game developers that previously called themselves SBD. They became very famous back in 2002 when they were active as 'modders' and released the mod GT 2002 which was praised to the skies by both gamers and media. Their Headquarters in Sweden, SimBin Development Team AB was founded in 2003 by CEO Henrik Roos, a three times Swedish GT champion and current competitor in the FIA GT world championship. Most of the SimBin administrative, marketing and PR staff also come with a history in the real life racing industry.
TVG: Tell the readers a bit about the FIA GT series and how much help you had from them to ensure full authenticity?
Now in its eighth season, the FIA GT Championship is growing from strength to strength, proving to be one of the most successful European series of the last ten years. The championship sees some of the most beautiful sports cars battle on some of the greatest circuits, like Ferrari, Porsche and Lamborghini, of course, but also Chrysler Viper, Lister-Jaguar and Saleen. It consists mainly of three-hour races, which means driver changes, refuelling at pit stops and there is also plenty of strategy, as well as lots of on-track excitement. The cooperation with the organisation and teams has been very close and we have been receiving actual data logging files from the teams. We have had meetings with the organisations and tracks so we could receive CAD files of the tracks, etc. We established contact with the tyre manufacturers who supplied us with really detailed spread sheet data on tyres which has been very useful for the tyre physics in the game. During the development, the FIA GT drivers themselves have also continuously tested the game, putting in invaluable feedback on the behaviour and features of 'theirâ?? cars.
TVG: There are many racing games around so what do you believe makes yours better, more exciting, and more challenging than all the others?
The AI for example ensures that the opponents are really fighting you. Theyâ??ve got balls â?“ if you leave a little gap they get in it, they will force you into making mistakes and really defend their position by going off their lines. If they think that they can overtake you out of a corner they will try, again and again, until you or the opponent makes a mistake. The sheer amount of cars is impressive, same goes with variety of those cars, all of them are individual with their own characteristics, like in real life. The cars look exactly like their real life counterparts, sound like them and drive like them, what more can be asked for?
TVG: We are told that the team is creating the game out of their own pocket. Firstly, if this is the case, how can you compete against all the other games that have high production costs and values and also do you have a publishers/distributor for places like UK/Italy, Spain, Greece, SA, and CZ?
We have been working on our own, self funded up until when we recently signed with 10 Tacle and PanVision for publishing in the different territories you mention above (GTR will be published throughout the UK courtesy of Atari).
We have had the opportunity to involve the right people already from the start into the SimBin project, people who believed in GTR and the future of SimBin and were willing to take risks in this process. To be honest itâ??s been a bumpy ride and we have had some dark moments, but itâ??s really looking good now and we are so glad to be able to work with these partners to get our products on the market.
TVG: We are informed the 70 in game cars are accurately modelled? Firstly, could you name some along with your favourite and what aspects in the creation of the cars are you most pleased with and how detailed and extensive will deformation/detection points on cars be when racing?
The cockpits are just amazing, and the sounds, and the physics, and the intelligence of the AI cars, not to mention the graphics of the tracks and cars, I canâ??t for the world pick a favourite of those that I would be most pleased with, there are so many aspects of GTR that are stunningly good. The artists in SimBin are simply a bunch of geniuses with a good management, connected to real racing I might add.
I think that a big reason for the renaissance thinking and the level of unique content in GTR is first of all the amount of reference material and data that has been accessible thanks to the close connection to real life racers and teams, but also because of the freedom provided to the creative directors and to the development process itself.
TVG: Expand a little on a couple of the adverse driving conditions and locales on offer and does weather or climate play a part?
The weather is of course dynamic and is changing from dry to rain, etc, thus affecting your car in a most realistic way.
LIVE Trackâ?¢ technology will cause racing circuit conditions to change dynamically, affecting the optimum driving line and offline characteristics, including a racing line that variably builds up grip levels as rubber is laid on the circuit, and a subsequent decrease of grip over the course of a race as the oil from the cars mixes with the rubber on the racing groove.
What are the prime and sub objectives, game modes for the game and is it more of an arcade or real feel offering?
GET REAL - This is definitely as much of a real feel offering as it can get, GTR aims to simulate the FIA GT as close as it gets in the Simulation Mode. But, there are several game modes available such as 4 levels of Arcade driving styles, Semi-Pro and finally the king of the hill in Simulation.
Arcade: Simulates 4 different types of driving styles similar to what youâ??ll find in other arcade genre games but with a good feeling of realism and stunning graphics. Semi Pro: This is the level in between the hardest level of arcade and simulation. Simulation: Here we simulate reality as close as we can, you have to practice and gain experience to master both the level and the cars. It takes time to become a good driver in simulation mode without any helps on.
TVG: Are the vehicles or playerâ??s driving skills the main focus and what part does character building and rival drivers play?
For some people GTR will be the biggest challenge against themselves, to find the perfect corner, brake at the right place and turn in exactly at the right spot, and find that perfectly balanced lap where you feel that you did master the car and not the opposite. It will take you many laps to get that feeling of perfection though, and when you master one of the many cars in GTR you just head off to the next one and get to start all over again, as all the cars in GTR are so unique and so different in characteristics.
Others will love to race against the incredible AI opponents in the game, and just add more and more opponents adding to the challenge as you grow with the game and learn to become a good driver.
The LAN and Multiplayer features in GTR are so good so people are 'gonna' love to race their friends online, itâ??s just painstakingly good and addictive to race this game online.
TVG: Name one aspect of the game you feel is innovative or new!
There are lots of new goodies that are brand new to the genre in GTR.One small detail which is awesome is the fact that you can adjust your seat in all the cars in GTR, both forward/backward and up â??n down.
Another detail is that we got the Motec software distributed with the game. Itâ??s the actual analysis software that real life racing engineers use to evaluate the race cars â?“ the game has been programmed to function with this software and you can, as in real life, extract the data from your laps in the game into this software and analyze your driving skills/techniques to the smallest detail.
GTR is scheduled for a UK release in February; weâ??ll have a Hands On preview of the promising racer soon.
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Game Information
Available On:
PC, 360
| Release Date: | Players: |
|---|---|
| Out Now | |
| Publisher: | Genre: |
| THQ | Racing |
| Developer: | PEGi Rating: |
| SimBin Development Team |
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Added:Sun 01st Apr 2007 22:59, Post No: 6
GTR should have been out at the end of march 07. Release the damn game PGR 3 is making me pull out my hair!
Added:Fri 23rd Feb 2007 02:06, Post No: 5
sorry but its been confirmed for release in the fall
Added:Thu 08th Feb 2007 18:32, Post No: 4
This game will never see the light of day. Sorry guys.
Added:Thu 08th Feb 2007 17:49, Post No: 3
This game is not the Grand Tourismo that is on the playstations, it is a console version of GT-R which is known as the best racing game ever released for PC.
Added:Tue 23rd Jan 2007 17:29, Post No: 2
ahh is this yet another 360 game to piss all ove GT HD lol go back to the drawing board sony cant you think of some thing new even a new name like GT RIP
Added:Sat 06th Jan 2007 14:23, Post No: 1
i smoke grass