PC3 Another Project CARS Title in The Works?

[Paul Jeffrey]

Slightly Mad Studios head Ian Bell has reportedly confirmed the smash hit Project CARS franchise is due another new release - Project CARS 3 is in the works...

Never one to be shy with the big predictions, Bell has taken to the GT Planet forums to confirm to fans that another Project CARS game is in the works by Slightly Mad Studios, and with a typical shyness we've all come to expect from new PCARS news, Bell has suggested the next instalment of the franchise will " blow anything else, planned by anyone else, out of the water".

Now call me a sceptic, but we've heard statements like this before in relation to Project CARS games, and although both PCARS 1 and 2 certainly do some things very well indeed, for many players they often leave more than a little to be desired in comparison to their main sim racing rivals.. especially when compared to some of the grandiose statements made by the developers during the build up period prior to release.

Now of course this "announcement" is very early in nature, and as such very little is known about the intentions of SMS and the development path of PCARS 3, but one thing is for sure, whenever a PCARS title is in the works, plenty of excitement is sure to follow..

Stay tuned for more news as and when it becomes available...

Project CARS 2 is available now on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.

Check out the Project CARS 2 sub forum here at RaceDepartment for more news, discussion and features on this sequel release to the hugely popular Project CARS franchise of games.

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[tpw]

I’m about 50% rF2, 40% PC2 and 10% other (AMS/R3E/DR) nowadays. With the right car, right track and right conditions (same can be said for rF2), PC2 is an intensely immersive experience for me.

IMHO PC2 is an amazingly ambitious and technically extremely accomplished piece of software, let down by: some prominent and unresolved bugs; some questionable management and communication decisions; some incredibly irritating emotionally invested supporters; and some truly delusional circle jerking detractors. The following seems to cover most of the anti PC2 sentiment on RD and elsewhere...

“I don’t like Ian Bell or SMS, therefore PC2 is ****”
“I don’t like PC2’s implementation of some driving feature or other, therefore the game is ****”
“Other people say the game is ****, therefore the game is ****, even though I haven’t played it”
“The graphics are great, therefore the game is simcade ****”
“PC2’s flaws make the game ****, my preferrred title’s flaws are easily overlooked with a healthy dose of hypocrisy and logical fallacy”

Every single sim game makes compromises to present the enormously complex racing experience on limited consumer hardware. Every sim game is afflicted by numerous bugs and substandard implementations of various features. Every sim game suffers from developer and management overpromises. Only PC2 gets crucified.

I don’t buy into SMS hype, but I’m interested to see what PC3 can accomplish.

 

[corsamode]

Some staff from Evolution Studios joined SMS, so I expect better audio and visuals in this one.

I just pray for a longer Q&A, they can't deliver a game full of bugs again.

 

[Emery]

But they got a lot right: The AI is good.

Just because the AI are better than AC's AI doesn't mean they're good. The first lap is a mess with unrealistic corner cutting and huge gaps between cars and once they get lined up on subsequent laps, they're the most robotic out there.

The graphics are the best of all current sims, including ACC.

Have you forgotten all the flickering textures due to z-fighting?

 

[Emery]

Only PC2 gets crucified.

I doubt that.

 

[Majuh]

Strange that there are no yellow flags in this best racing game with the most options to simulate a real racing environment...

The game does have yellow flags, but admittedly there needs to be a quite big crash for them to show up.

 

[Emery]

The game does have yellow flags, but admittedly there needs to be a quite big crash for them to show up.

Lazy flaggers!
Seriously, I've never seen them and it's pretty common to have a big pile-up on the Indy oval with AI.

 

[kondor999]

Lazy flaggers!
Seriously, I've never seen them and it's pretty common to have a big pile-up on the Indy oval with AI.

Hey, did you know that you can use the quote function to reply to multiple postings? It's not necessary to do a new post for each reply.

 

[Emery]

Already knew that, but it's only useful when you've read through all the posts before replying. Some people do, most do not. From an organizational view, I use multiquote when the subject is the same inside my reply; you'll notice I've used multiquote in post #123. When the subject is unrelated, I believe good practice for reading comprehension is to start a new reply... blame that on my technical writing background!

 

[InsaneOzzie]

It's not that the game is crap that it's getting shredded, I get the impression from reading these threads that most people own the title. The big issue for myself, and it seems many others, is that they (SMS) don't want to fix the issues that exist in PC2 and would rather rake more funds from the pockets of the sim racing community by releasing a new title, this smacks of purely being greedy.

If PC2 is as good as many say, then why the fek is SMS already working on the next release, shouldn't PC2 have the longevity similar to AC, GTR2 or rF1. These sims have lasted purely because the devs listened to the community and worked to enhance the games appeal and sorted out many of the issues that were plaguing the title, why don't SMS do the same?

Why not listen to the people that have been calling for the bugs to be fixed, after all their the ones that have invested in your game/sim, there the community that trusted in your pre-release spin that it would be the "best ever" only to be disappointed and abandoned after 14mths, or banned from their forums for voicing an opinion on a bug that they refuse to rectify, or better yet, just ignore the problem (ignorance is bliss).

If SMS aren't interested in fixing PC2's bugs then open it up to the community and let them fix it, I'm sure it would be a far more enjoyable bug free sim. But this wont happen due to SMS being money orientated, and you can argue that point all day, but their actions tell the story. Ian Bell has a long history with racing game development and an understanding of what the community prefers, but it would seem profits have overcome loyalty, at least we still have Kunos, Studio 397 & Raceroom showing their appreciation for the communities loyalty.

SMS need to take a long hard look at themselves, if they want to survive in the long run.

 

[gamer19]

So they're "money oriented" cause PC & PC2 doesn't have open source code ?
Yeah right.
I've said it before and I'll say it again... sometimes you gotta appreciate when you know everything in your game is top quality, cause it's all being made by paid professionals, sometimes one prefer quality over quantity.

On this topic I say...
"fool me" once "fool me" twice "fool me" for the third time. Just bring it on already.
About the only thing I wish is done better in PC2 is more consistent AI, more cosistent quality in some cars and tracks and little better force feedback.
Car behaviour is overhyped anyway. And it's always subjective anyway. I don't remember not oven once that I crancked up PC2 without having fun. Reminds me of F1 2018. Not really official Ferrari F1 simulator but always oozing with good times. Never feel like I just have waisted my last couple of hours.

 

[Sun Levi]

I see the passion behind SMS but the execution just...can't compete with others.

 

[RufGTI]

nice label you thrown in there, no doubt what side of the political spectrum you come from

Actually I'm registered member of a center-right party, as a leftist I wouldn't be capable of trolling...

 

[ChaosZeroJK]

Another announced failure on the horizon crammed with dlcs like PC1&2 were.

This is the same guy that promised to offer a dinner in a 5* restaurant (with him) and a rental Ferrari for a day to the highest tier backers back in the day and paid people not to spread criticism about his game.

 

[Damage Inc]

What they are missing is somebody that knows and understands how a car should handle (no I am not putting myself forward) as I don't know half the stuff I should know, but still learning.

Like @Fonsecker his talent was recognised and is now working for AMS. @mclarenf1papa why don't SMS employ him for handling and physics, no brainer?

Looking at threads / forums and see what people produce and ask them, instead of people that earn ££££ and no sod all about how a car should handle.

Shaun

Complete nonsense, SMS and both games had a plethora of REAL racing drivers actively involved in the development process. I'd rather a game developed with the opinions of Ben Collins et al than some no mark armchair racing "expert". Like most people here are. Get off your high horses for gawds sakes, it's truly pathetic, if any of you lot had any sort of real skill you'd be real racing drivers and or in the industry already. Just a bunch of the worst types of critic mashing their keyboards over a game that costs less than a night out as if it's the worst thing to happen to humanity. Get a grip you spuds.

 

[whip]

Complete nonsense, SMS and both games had a plethora of REAL racing drivers actively involved in the development process. I'd rather a game developed with the opinions of Ben Collins et al than some no mark armchair racing "expert". Like most people here are. Get off your high horses for gawds sakes, it's truly pathetic, if any of you lot had any sort of real skill you'd be real racing drivers and or in the industry already. Just a bunch of the worst types of critic mashing their keyboards over a game that costs less than a night out as if it's the worst thing to happen to humanity. Get a grip you spuds.

anyone with a driving licence can tell you pcars feels nothing like driving a car, it doesn't take lewis hamilton to tell you that

 

[Damage Inc]

anyone with a driving licence can tell you pcars feels nothing like driving a car, it doesn't take lewis hamilton to tell you that

Strange how there are loads of people with driving licenses who say it's fine.....I mean just listen to yourself and understand the complete shite you just spouted. It's OPINIONS. SMFH.

edit christ I'm out of here as the completely idiotic nonsense I read is just too depressing.

 

[HazelR]

anyone with a driving licence can tell you pcars feels nothing like driving a car, it doesn't take lewis hamilton to tell you that

Funnily enough my DashCam footage demonstrates most people with a driving licence don't know how to drive properly at 30 let alone 130....

I am NOT a racing driver, but I do know that in most sims the tyre grip is lower than in real life to make the game more challenging. Proof is that a similar vehicle to my 27 year old RangeRover cannot even corner at the same speed as my real life vehicle!

 

[roadyroad]

But what I'm seeing in this thread, where a basically good (but not perfect) sim is ripped to pieces as being total crap? It reminds me of how the flight sim business was ripped apart by its own fans. I remember them criticizing Falcon 4 so much that, as of 2018. we still don't have a single flight sim since 1999 that features a dynamic campaign. The devs themselves listed impossible-to-make-happy hardcore flightsim fans (and the high costs associated with placating them) as the primary reason they just stopped trying.

I agree. My rant against the PCars franchise is not against the game in itself, but about SMS. This company is on the way to kill this franchise by taking bad business decisions. And that's a shame because indeed these series brought back crucial features from the old sims (weather effects and day/night cycle). rFactor2 did it too but it's not that popular because not for the mass market. Without Pcars, other sims would not feel the necessity to include dynamic weather and day/night cycle in their next titles. They became must have features again thanks to Pcars.

By the way, there were dynamic campaigns in flight sims after 1999 . It is a missing feature in the most advanced current flight sim with modern planes, DCS, though, what a shame...

 

[whip]

Without Pcars, other sims would not feel the necessity to include dynamic weather and day/night cycle in their next titles. They became must have features again thanks to Pcars.

i don't know how you can possibly claim that when other sims were massively more popular than pcars despite not having these features.

besides rf2 had these too, so saying its cause of pcars isn't true

 

[roadyroad]

If PC2 is as good as many say, then why the fek is SMS already working on the next release, shouldn't PC2 have the longevity similar to AC, GTR2 or rF1. These sims have lasted purely because the devs listened to the community and worked to enhance the games appeal and sorted out many of the issues that were plaguing the title, why don't SMS do the same?

Because these sims had modding possibilities. SMS made the choice, I think the right one, to make a title with a lot of content, with really different racing categories, and with crucial features, without relying on the community (rFactor business model, at the end, was making money at the expense of the modders ; is it not extremely greedy when you think about it???).

While disagreeing with SMS business decisions, disrespectful of their customers, it is necessary to remember that the initial investment they made to create this sim must have been huge and I assume that in SMS accounts there is a huge amortization cost each year that needs to be justified with a sufficient income. The need to get new revenues is normal, it's part of running a business. ISI has shown how bad their business model with rFactor2 was and was not the right thing to do. AC lacked many features and relied on the modders ; now with ACC modding is not supported anymore, limited content but more features, and I assume future DLCs or new titles with the same engine, the Pcars2 way...

The way to do it is another thing and I just think SMS do not realize we are in 2018 and that Pcars's features won't be exclusive anymore in the next years.