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TOCA Race Driver 3 Q&A Feature

Derek dela Fuente

04/01/2006

Gavin Raeburn shares a few thoughts on the eagerly awaited return of TOCA...

Dating back through an 8-year heritage, the TOCA series has captivated a wide breadth of racing gamers. The 3rd game in the Race Driver series offers many new features and additions including in the words of Codemasters, "an incredible new particle effects system and deeper damage physics which will give the game an even bigger focus on realism". The attention to detail also covers refined AI, new game modes to cover all aspects of motor sports along with some well loved and familiar cars.

Derek dela Fuente spoke with Gavin Raeburn, Executive Producer, who went into detail about some of the new elements on offer.

With a winning brand like TOCA is there ever an issue that if you change and add too much you could lose some of the 'spirit' that made it successful, whilst conversely gamers are looking for a whole host of expanded and new ideas, you could lose direction? How do you plan for a new TOCA and is there one main focus?

I think the spirit of TOCA has remained the same since the original version with the series constantly evolving around a central theme of aggressive pack racing, good AI, large grid sizes, quality physics and car damage. Play the original TOCA and it will still feel like the TOCA of today, but the latest version now has dozens and dozens of championships to choose from and a whole host of extra options and play modes.

Could you tell us a little about the progress through the game and the type of vehicle classes players can expect?

Within the new Pro Career mode of the game there is a clear and logical order and importance in which the player works their way through the various championships. Each of the six spokes in this mode is designed to offer the complete career that a real-life race driver might take through a given discipline. So, for example, a player selecting the Open-Wheel racing spoke would start their career in Professional Go-Karts, progressing through a range of championships that include amongst others, Formula Ford, Formula Palmer Audi, Formula 3000 and ultimately a drive in the latest BMW Williams FW27 Grand Prix car. Each of these championships in turn introduces rules and regulations specific to the championship and with handling characteristics and increasing power, the player is continually being offered new challenges.

"The end result is a narrative that is far less "soap opera" and much more motor sport orientated."

There are so many improvements, new additions to the version currently in development, why such a monumental leap forward? Is it all part of the evolutionary cycle of the series?

The racing genre is very competitive so we never hold back on new or fresh ideas that we could include in the series. The evolutionary expansion of the series helps with this as once areas of the game get introduced and locked down, they can then be expanded upon in future versions. Just look at how comprehensive our on-line modes and options are in TOCA Race Driver 2006 to see how far this has progressed since TOCA Race Driver.

Conversely do you consider that annual updates have any negative impact on the series and/or allow you the time to continue pushing the series forward?

The TOCA series is not quite an annual update as the average time we spend on each version is around 18 months. In addition, work usually starts on the next version well before the current version is finished and this is enough time for our large dev team to add all the new additional features we want.

The Career mode and running narrative appears to have split the TOCA audience down the middle; what does TOCA Race Driver 2006 bring to the table, perhaps less linearity and branching storylines based upon performance/rivalries on the circuit?

In TOCA Race Driver 2006, we've increased the number of scenes that play in response to your performance (or lack of it) on the track greatly. Furthermore, the scenes are focused much more on the attributes, history and best way of driving our different racing marques than previous titles. The end result is a narrative that is far less "soap opera" and much more motor sport orientated.

The TOCA series features one of the most (if not the most) advanced damage simulation in a racing videogame; perhaps you could elaborate on what enhancements TRD2006 features?

We've made quite a few mechanical and visual improvements. Mechanically, impacts on the engine bay are going to affect how well the engine works. Damage to the radiator or repeated over-revving, especially at slow speeds with little airflow over the radiator, will all lead to overheating and can mean retiring to the pits. Dirt from the road can also inhibit the effectiveness of the cooling process. Players that really punish the car will have to keep their fingers crossed that the engine lasts the race.

We've also done some work on improving the aerodynamics and down force model relating to the damage. For instance, losing a wing is a serious thing when you're in a high-down force open-wheeler, but not so much in a hatchback!

"It was important for us to insure that every car in the game has its own nuances and unique characteristics..."

We have also tried to highlight the difference between the different racing styles (like the fall-to-pieces open wheelers from RD2), and to present as much information as possible about what's wrong with the car through audio feedback.

The AI cars will now be vulnerable to the same risk of terminal damage as the player.

The sheer variety of vehicle classifications on offer throughout TOCA is one of the series most notable features, but how hard is it to incorporate such diversity and ensure that each type handles differently, remains authentic, etc...

We were fortunate to gain access to every car in the game, and received detailed feedback, not only from the manufacturers, but also from drivers and mechanics that race these cars in real life. It was important for us to insure that every car in the game has its own nuances and unique characteristics and quite often, the only way to get these is to talk to people who have had the experience of really pushing these machines to their limits. We have over 400 parameters that dictate the handling of each car, so players will really get a different and unique experience from each vehicle in the game.

What's in store for the online multiplayer?

We've spent a lot of time improving and adding to the multi-player element of the game, especially due to the success we enjoyed last time round, with the online community really getting involved with TOCA. First of all, we've implemented a full online flags and rules system. We also have online practice and qualifying sessions and players can adjust these along with race rules and flags to create the experience they require.

The rating system has also been revamped and improved and we now all players to have a separate driver rating for every single championship in the game, a rating for each of the six disciplines and an overall rating. Players will also be able to access online leader-boards which show the best lap times for every track, in every championship.

"There's real buzz within the studio about the possibilities afforded by the next generation consoles..."

In addition we have implemented an online spectator mode, where players in the lobby can watch the race as it progress and we have also added an online-only mode called elimination, where players can compete in any championship with the last placed driver after each lap being eliminated.

Finally where do you see the series heading in the next few years, particularly the translation to the PSP and Next-Gen consoles?

We have been exceptionally pleased with the PSP version of TOCA Race Driver 2 and the great reception it has received from press and players alike. Future versions of the game on the PSP are more or less assured, but with additional emphasis on providing gameplay that are uniquely suited to handhelds.

There's real buzz within the studio about the possibilities afforded by the next generation consoles and the scope it gives not only for massively enhanced graphics, but also how the power can be harnessed to improve the gameplay experience in both single player and multiplayer online modes. We are brimming with ideas that unfortunately for now are being kept keeping firmly under wraps. What we can say is that the core values of aggressive pack racing, comprehensive damage, advanced AI and the widest possible representation of the world of motor sport will still form the bedrock of the TOCA experience.

TVG would like to thank Gavin Raeburn for taking the time to answer our questions on the return of TOCA. TOCA Race Driver 3 is slated for release on the Playstation2, Xbox and PC on February 24th, so look out for a Hands On preview very shortly...