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Ford Racing 3 Q&A Feature
Derek dela Fuente
27/10/2004
Terry Watts, Game Designer at Razorworks gives us details on the impending release of Ford Racing 3....
Ford Racing 3, as itâs name suggests is the third in the series of this ever evolving, popular, mainstream, racing game. Derek dela Fuente spoke with Razorworkâs very own, Terry Watts, Game Designer, about what goodies and exciting features have been worked on for the game.
TVG: What has the team developed before and what would you say is your core expertise?
The Razorworksâ team was founded in 1996. Its first title âEnemy Engaged: Apache Havocâ, a combat helicopter game for the PC, was released to critical acclaim in December 1998. Its award-winning successor followed in March 2000.
Soon afterwards, Razorworks moved into cross-platform development, and in 2002 âTotal Immersion Racingâ was released for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC.
Keen to stay with the car-racing genre, Razorworks linked up with the Ford Motor Company to develop âFord Racing 2â for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC. It was released with great success in October 2003.
Building on the success of âFord Racing 2â, Razorworks has just completed âFord Racing 3â.
TVG: With so many great racing games around what do you believe makes yours so special or interesting?
Ford Racing 3 is a premium quality racing game at an affordable price. It provides a true arcade, pick up and play experience, the focus of the game being on fast and frantic racing. It is pack racing at its best. The game is immediate and accessible but still provides the depth of play expected by the most dedicated racing fan.
TVG: Please highlight the one big, original, innovation of this title?
For the first time in the history of the Ford Racing series of games, more than 50 Ford cars have been brought together in a single package. The range of Ford cars available is incredible: players can go back in time and take Fordâs original Model T onto the racetrack or step into the future to drive the brand new 2005 Mustang. With 11 different Race types and 26 tracks available, the player can push the Ford vehicles to their limits.
TVG: What is the biggest task for the team when developing a sequel and what did you learn from the first two? To continue, what kind of feedback did you get from the public?
A lot of effort went into making Ford Racing 2 into a great game. The challenge was to improve on the already high standards that we had previously set with Ford Racing 2. Ford Racing 2 was the first arcade racing game we developed and we learnt many things from it, especially in the areas of track design and building, car handling, and game presentation.
We had a lot of positive feedback from the public. They enjoyed the pick up and play aspect of the game and loved the range of cars and tracks available. The only complaint received was about the difficulty levels being set a bit too hard. We have been careful to address this problem with the sequel.
TVG: Please tell the readers about some of the cars on offer, especially the futuristic ones you are designing?
There are 55 vehicles available to unlock in the game. Each has been carefully selected from Fordâs impressive line-up of past and present cars. Here is just a selection of the many new cars: Model T, Model A, 2004 SVT Lighting, 2005 Mustang, 2004 Falcon XR8, Sierra RS500, 78 Mk III Capri.
TVG: What input and feedback did you get from Ford and did you bring in any experts/outside personnel to assist on the project?
We maintained constant communication with Ford in America, Europe and Australia. They provided the reference materials and advice to enable us to model all of the cars to exact real-world specifications. Each vehicle model in the game has been inspected and approved by Ford designers â“ the very same people who designed the real things.
TVG: Tell us a few details about the diverse conditions on offer?
One of the key features of Ford Racing is that it contains both road and off-road racing. Racing on the off-road tracks is a completely different experience to racing on the road tracks. Off-road tracks are filled with jumps, dips, hills and lots of difficult racing surfaces. Switch to the road tracks and experience super fast road races along highways, country roads, and gravel trails.
Off-road tracks have Arctic and Paradise Island themes, with six tracks in each. Arctic tracks are cold, dark, and difficult; players will battle through the slippery snow and icy water as they race for the finish. The Paradise Island theme provides a complete contrast; these locations are based on exotic sunny islands where the player has to navigate sand and fast flowing waterfalls.
Road tracks have New England and Japanese themes. The first group of tracks is based on the leafy roads of New England; the player will be kicking up leaves as they race through harbour areas and open highways. The Japanese tracks are a bit trickier; winding roads will take the player through temples, construction sites, and oriental villages.
TVG: When the game starts, what are the first requirements for the player?
At the start of the game, there are four challenges and one competition unlocked. Completing the challenges and competitions unlocks cars, tracks, and race types for your Ford Collection.
The slower classic cars are available first, allowing the player to work out the tracks and different car handling styles. They can then move onto the super-fast modern and performance cars.
The player is given four cars and one track free at the start. There are 28 challenges and 14 competitions to complete. Once they have been completed, the player can construct their own challenges and races in the Ford Collection mode.
TVG: What kind of modes of play are on offer and can you pick one that is a fav of the team that captures the real spirit of the game?
There are 11 different race types available in the game:
1. Standard â“ Normal racing.
2. Elimination â“ The last two cars on each lap are eliminated from the race.
3. Duel â“ Try to win against one car on the first lap, two on the second, and three on the third.
4. Drafting â“ Slipstream five cars before the time runs out.
5. Driving Skills â“ Pass cleanly through gates to earn enough time to complete a lap of the track.
6. Second Out â“ Collect good bonuses while avoiding the negative bonus.
7. Time Attack â“ Try to improve on the best lap times.
8. Racing Line â“ Keep to the racing line to be rewarded by boost.
New Race Types:
1. Boost â“ You have two seven-second boosts per lap. Use them strategically to win.
2. Relay â“ At the end of each lap, swap the baton to the next vehicle by drafting.
3. Overtake â“ Overtake the required number of cars before the time runs out. Hitting the cars will inflict a time penalty.
The boost race type is the favourite here at Razorworks. It combines the fast and frantic pack racing, with the intense speed of turbo boosts. There is nothing better than using a well-timed boost to race past the leader on the final stretch to win the race.
TVG: What are the main differences between the formats, apart from controls and how technology focused is the team?
Each format has received a major feature upgrade:
The PlayStation 2 version is now running at 60 frames per second, making the gameplay silky smooth. The tracks are also more detailed and interactive than they were in Ford Racing 2.
The Xbox version now has full online racing functionality for 6 player racing.
The PC version now has LAN and network play functionality as well as improved special effects.
