If you saw our Facebook page yesterday then you'll know we spent a rather constructively destructive day at Wimbledon Stadium for the UK launch of Codemasters' new racer DiRT: Showdown. We've got a ton of stuff coming up (including footage from our time behind the wheel of a real demolition derby racer) but we'll kick things off with an interview...
After we got some hands-on time with the game, we grabbed fifteen minutes with the developers and chatted to Senior Game Designer Mike Chapman about what Showdown has to offer, as well as DiRT4 too.
FSX: What motivated
the move towards an arcade style and the idea for Showdown?
Mike Chapman: It’s an idea that has been in the studio’s
mind for quite some time. You could argue that the gestation of the idea goes
all the way to DiRT2 – it had that ‘festival atmosphere’ that wasn’t just all
about racing. We knew we had this great damage model and I think we always
wanted to make a Destruction Derby game. During the development of DiRT3 we
realised we might have the chance to make this game and it’s been a great
experience.
FSX: Who can you see
as the target audience for the game?
MC: Well, first of all, I wouldn’t say that people that have
enjoyed previous DiRT games won’t enjoy this. But, by virtue of it having a
Destruction Derby in it, I think that it has broader appeal. I think that it
will be able to reach out to a new audience, hopefully even those who don’t
otherwise enjoy car racing games. Most people get satisfaction from the feeling
of slamming one car into another!
FSX: Showdown
features a lot more fantasy vehicles than licensed cars. How did you find the
experience making your own cars?
MC: As soon as we saw the demolition hearse car, we knew we
were onto a winner. We knew it meant we could have so much variety in the game.
Straight from the off we could create a ton of cars with different silhouettes,
different sounds and have the boost effects coming out from all sorts of crazy
exhausts. Being less po-faced and less serious means there is so much scope for
variety. Players can pick their favourite cars and liveries and keep them
competitive with upgrades that mean they can use them for more events as they
progress through the career.
FSX: Can you tell us
more about the functionality of the website statistic tracking RaceNet
features?
MC: In the game we have specific RaceNet events and every
week there will be a new RaceNet mission that feeds into the website. If you
perform well in that event, it allows you to unlock content in the game. Win a
RaceNet tournament and that will unlock a car livery that you can wear as a
‘badge of honour’ you can show off in online races. We see real longevity
through the RaceNet connectivity.
FSX: Were there any
multiplayer modes that you wanted to add that didn’t make it into the final
game?
MC: We thought about a Last Man Standing Destruction Derby
mode and really wanted to include it but knew that online, it just wouldn’t
work. Few gamers would have the patience to sit in an online lobby after they
had been knocked out. We also wanted to keep the Eliminator mode from the
career mode but again, we couldn’t really support that online. We wanted to
keep people racing, not waiting. We know that they are considered hallmarks of
a demolition event but felt it was more important to keep players as part of
the action.
FSX: What would you
say to people who are waiting for DiRT 4?
MC: Firstly, I’d say that Showdown gives the opportunity to
really focus in on core experiences and with this game we can showcase the more
action sports side of the franchise. Of course, in the future, in means that
DiRT 4 can pursue a more ‘credible’ motorsport experience. Now, a more distinct
split means we can fully commit to pleasing all audiences and do both proper
justice.
FSX: How would you
respond to any critics who might think Showdown is an inappropriate direction
for a series that used to be a ‘pure’ rally experience?
MC: It’s really important to us when we hear people say that
and the first thing we want to do is please fans of our games. The existence of Showdown gives us the opportunity to drill down into a more hardcore motorsport
experience further down the line. We can steer it back towards what people enjoyed
from the days of Colin McRae: Rally.
FSX: Thanks for your time, Mike!
