PS3’s underrated racing hero returns! Codemasters talks us through it
Codemasters might be most synonymous with DiRT and Formula 1 when we reflect on this generation’s racing output, but 2008’s Race Driver: GRID was undoubtedly its most experimental
entry in the genre, a pretty varied racer that pioneered an influential rewind mechanic before lying dormant for many years.
“GRID 2 is a tarmac-based racer that immerses the player into a world where Street, Road and Circuit racing are all brought together into a unified series,” says executive producer Clive Moody,
describing how the game fits into the context of Codemasters’ other racing titles. “As well as reflecting human and technical precision, GRID 2 captures the diversity, rivalries, the emotion and
drama of competitive motorsport, and the journey to driving superstardom.”
We ask Moody how feedback from the original GRID informed the sequel this many years down the line – it turns out a lot of the sequel’s focus comes down to you personalising your racing experience. “We always carefully consider feedback from all of our titles. The original GRID experience still stands up today and it was paramount that we didn’t break what was already great. With that as a starting point we set out to create a rewarding game with additional depth and longevity.”
Moody continues. “One element of this is through an evolving world where your successes as a driver are reflected back into your experience. A growing roster of race-tuned cars to compete in, garage facilities that grow with you, new rivalries as you compete in bigger and more prestigious events, all the rewards that come with being a racing superstar.”
Possibly the most interesting addition to GRID 2 is LiveRoutes, which alters the race while it’s playing out, inspired somewhat by the growing spate of dynamic racing games that change on the fly, like Split/Second or Ridge Racer Unbounded. “LiveRoutes is GRID 2’s method of keeping the player on their toes. At its heart, it’s a dynamic track system that seamlessly modifies the player’s route through our city tracks whilst they race. Players will be able to turn this option on in custom races
in single player and online in order for them to maximise their challenge.
Whilst it’s always fun to keep trimming your lap time and aiming to set the best time for a track that you know back to front, we really liked the idea of having to think – and react – on your feet. So
with LiveRoutes, a corner won’t ever just be presented in the same sequence; instead you’ll have to tweak your approach, racing line, braking point and exit on every corner as they unfold in front of you. We were inspired a little by open world games – we really liked the variation they provide – but with this system we’ve managed to keep a sharp focus and goal for the player unlike open-world titles.”
Tailoring the cars and respecting that part of the experience has been vital for Codies, too. “We’ve branded the handling system TrueFeel, which is really more of a process through which we aim to create accurate portrayals of what each car’s essence and character is. This included obtaining hugely detailed specs and data direct from the manufacturers and feeding them into our handling and physics systems. But more than that, we then cross-reference the stats and hard data with the experiences
of drivers who’ve actually had their hands on these cars for real. There really is no substitute for this kind of feedback when creating an authentic experience. I wouldn’t say this is a radical departure from the handling systems of the past, but instead these things go together to heighten the effectiveness of a lot of the same values we’ve always maintained.”
At this point in the generation, we’re always curious to hear if developers are hitting the limits when it comes to the PS3’s capabilities, but Moody seems confident that there’s a lot more to get out of the system. “Whilst the prospect of a new generation of console hardware is genuinely exciting, the current generation technology keeps on giving.
We continue to push boundaries and set the benchmark for vehicle damage, with our new carbon fibre damage modelling looking spectacular. From a visual standpoint the game extends far beyond anything we have previously achieved. A big part of this is down to an entirely new lighting system. Light, shade and light bounce is now much more realistically calculated, meaning cars and tracks sit together in the scene perfectly. Take a look at our night tracks to really see this shown off. These are techniques you expect to see on highend PC games, but rarely on console.”
A high-end racing title to see out the generation, then, and perhaps even a glimpse at the sort of dynamic, forwardthinking driving games we can expect from the next generation of PlayStation hardware. Codemasters knows this genre inside and out – GRID 2 is unlikely to be the first move away from that.
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