In a recent poll asking what OverTake community members plan on racing next, the results overwhelmingly pointed to offline racing. As a result, OverTake Editor Angus believes developers must listen to the call for greater single-player functionality in racing games.
Image credit: Reiza Studios
This is starting to feel like I am beating a very old and very tired drum. But sim racing online in the traditional public ranked servers, and even the idea of league racing is becoming more and more tiresome in my opinion. But thankfully, I feel less alone as last week, we ran a pole on the main page asking what the community is planning on doing next in sim racing. The result? Over half of us voted in favour of an offline experience.
Surely then, now is the time for game developers to listen to the outcry of the community, hit pause on the procession of always online arcade titles and ranked racing systems and instead give single player fans a bit of substance.
50.3% of OT Users aim to race offline next.
Within a day of launching the poll, Offline racing had been added to the options and already amassed a great deal of votes, quickly hitting a majority. The response held over 50% of the votes throughout the week until now when, at the time of writing, Offline racing accounts for 50.3% of all responses.
Second place saw iRacing get 12.7% of votes whilst Le Mans Ultimate represented 10.8% despite its Early Access state.
Holding a majority of the votes, albeit from just 959 participants, this shows a renewed interest from community members in back-to-basics, offline racing experiences. And that is not the only reason developers should finally divide their attention away from the cash cow that is always online gameplay.
Earlier this month, Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown launched to, shall we say tempered success. You can read our review of TDUSC here. Whilst we appreciated fun arcade driving physics and impressive engine sounds, there was no getting around the, at times game-breaking, server issues leaving many stuck in loading screens or even unable to launch the game.
Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown may look pretty, but feels empty. Image credit: Nacon
Those lucky enough to enter the main bulk of TDU gameplay in its 2024 guise faced baron landscapes struggling to capture the life that a 1:1 scale of Hong Kong Island should. It seems the push for 'natural' player encounters whilst exploring the world led to a disappointing priorities ladder in which AI cars and other solo gameplay elements like a living world fell to the wayside.
This sort of title is no better after a few years however as Ubisoft's The Crew showcased earlier this year. Back in March, the first of its name was delisted from store pages. But it gets worse as not only could new players no longer purchase the game, but those who did buy the 2014 title could no longer access it either. The title's so-called always online servers now became always offline with servers shutting down.
Since then and no doubt following backlash from the decision, the game's developer has implemented offline modes for both The Crew 2 and the most recent Motorfest. But the first title which, in many fans' opinions was the best of the bunch, will never be officially accessible again.
I hope Assetto Corsa EVO gets better AI than the series' previous entrants. Image credit: Kunos Simulazioni
In my opinion, there are two main areas developers must make strides to ensure a captivating single player experience with one very much requiring the other. At the core of it all is stronger AI.
Take a look at chatbots like ChatGPT, and you will realise that these fully programmed computers almost give off an impression of self-awareness and reasoning. Whilst I understand that a field of 20 cars individually driven by a powerful open-source chatbot would blow up even the most advanced PC builds, selling the lie of aware AI is crucial.
We need to see rival cars that defend at the right time, react to how you are placing your car and think far into a race regarding tyre strategy and aggression. Instead, we currently have a collection of locomotives following a set of pre-selected train lines including pre-programmed spins and pitting at predictable tyre wear percentages.
I remember playing games back in my youth like V-Rally 3 with its cool contract signing idea and later the original Forza Horizon and its progression system restricting you to certain cars throughout the game. Nowadays, developers either throw every bonus at players from the get-go or make a game so hard that grinding for hours might just about earn you a set of fuzzy dice.
Then again, a truly iconic career mode requires a great amount of creativity and that is something I do not have. All I can do is hope a modern racing game will be released soon with immersive AI and a progression system that actually makes me want to come back time and time again.
Do you think racing game developers are doing enough for the single-player experience? Let us know in the comments.
Image credit: Reiza Studios
This is starting to feel like I am beating a very old and very tired drum. But sim racing online in the traditional public ranked servers, and even the idea of league racing is becoming more and more tiresome in my opinion. But thankfully, I feel less alone as last week, we ran a pole on the main page asking what the community is planning on doing next in sim racing. The result? Over half of us voted in favour of an offline experience.
Surely then, now is the time for game developers to listen to the outcry of the community, hit pause on the procession of always online arcade titles and ranked racing systems and instead give single player fans a bit of substance.
The proof is in the Poll
Starting last week, OverTake Project Manager @Jimmi Allison launched a poll destined for the website's home page asking community members where we all plan on racing next. Initially focusing on a specific list of various racing games and ranked racing services, the comments show AI racing offline quickly became a desperately missing option.50.3% of OT Users aim to race offline next.
Within a day of launching the poll, Offline racing had been added to the options and already amassed a great deal of votes, quickly hitting a majority. The response held over 50% of the votes throughout the week until now when, at the time of writing, Offline racing accounts for 50.3% of all responses.
Second place saw iRacing get 12.7% of votes whilst Le Mans Ultimate represented 10.8% despite its Early Access state.
Holding a majority of the votes, albeit from just 959 participants, this shows a renewed interest from community members in back-to-basics, offline racing experiences. And that is not the only reason developers should finally divide their attention away from the cash cow that is always online gameplay.
Always Online, Always Problematic
In recent weeks, several stories within the open-world racing game niche have highlighted the major issue with always-online gaming, especially in the racing game world.Earlier this month, Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown launched to, shall we say tempered success. You can read our review of TDUSC here. Whilst we appreciated fun arcade driving physics and impressive engine sounds, there was no getting around the, at times game-breaking, server issues leaving many stuck in loading screens or even unable to launch the game.
Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown may look pretty, but feels empty. Image credit: Nacon
Those lucky enough to enter the main bulk of TDU gameplay in its 2024 guise faced baron landscapes struggling to capture the life that a 1:1 scale of Hong Kong Island should. It seems the push for 'natural' player encounters whilst exploring the world led to a disappointing priorities ladder in which AI cars and other solo gameplay elements like a living world fell to the wayside.
This sort of title is no better after a few years however as Ubisoft's The Crew showcased earlier this year. Back in March, the first of its name was delisted from store pages. But it gets worse as not only could new players no longer purchase the game, but those who did buy the 2014 title could no longer access it either. The title's so-called always online servers now became always offline with servers shutting down.
Since then and no doubt following backlash from the decision, the game's developer has implemented offline modes for both The Crew 2 and the most recent Motorfest. But the first title which, in many fans' opinions was the best of the bunch, will never be officially accessible again.
How to Improve Offline Racing?
This whole idea of putting effort back into the offline experience and pushing single-player development is not just about making games fun and as immersive as possible in the here and now. Instead, it is about ensuring a title lives on well beyond the community's online adoration has faded away. And all that starts with a fun and engaging offline experience.I hope Assetto Corsa EVO gets better AI than the series' previous entrants. Image credit: Kunos Simulazioni
In my opinion, there are two main areas developers must make strides to ensure a captivating single player experience with one very much requiring the other. At the core of it all is stronger AI.
AI Development is Lacking in 2024
AI, computer opponents or bots. Whatever you call them, the rivals that make single-player racing work are one key aspect in sim racing that struggles to receive the love of developers, especially in recent years. Sure, Automobilista 2 is set to receive vastly reworked AI mechanics whilst the likes of Le Mans Ultimate and iRacing are slowly pushing smarter AI. But for the most part, I feel progress has been slow when you consider the advancements of AI outside of gaming.Take a look at chatbots like ChatGPT, and you will realise that these fully programmed computers almost give off an impression of self-awareness and reasoning. Whilst I understand that a field of 20 cars individually driven by a powerful open-source chatbot would blow up even the most advanced PC builds, selling the lie of aware AI is crucial.
We need to see rival cars that defend at the right time, react to how you are placing your car and think far into a race regarding tyre strategy and aggression. Instead, we currently have a collection of locomotives following a set of pre-selected train lines including pre-programmed spins and pitting at predictable tyre wear percentages.
Racing Games Deserve Better Career Modes
But there is no point to competent and believe AI cars if it is just to set up random races. Recent racing game releases have also shown a lacklustre and uninspired approach to offline game modes. From EA Sports WRC's repetitive Career to Forza Horizon 5's campaign, the idea of an immersive Career Mode is desperately lacking in modern racing games.I remember playing games back in my youth like V-Rally 3 with its cool contract signing idea and later the original Forza Horizon and its progression system restricting you to certain cars throughout the game. Nowadays, developers either throw every bonus at players from the get-go or make a game so hard that grinding for hours might just about earn you a set of fuzzy dice.
Then again, a truly iconic career mode requires a great amount of creativity and that is something I do not have. All I can do is hope a modern racing game will be released soon with immersive AI and a progression system that actually makes me want to come back time and time again.
Do you think racing game developers are doing enough for the single-player experience? Let us know in the comments.
