Career / Story Mode in Sim Racing – For or Against?

[MarkR]

A great progressive career mode can add a lot to a racing game. This does not need cut scenes or flashy graphics, good writing alone will do (see a tiny game like the recent Objects in Space for an example). No racing driver starts out in F1, games should capture that. Starting out in a Ginetta, Clio Cup or Mk2 Escort and working up through the various categories is good with me.

Having said that, yes more serious racing games should offer a way to access the content without working through the career for those who want that. I see that as no different to offering triple screen support or VR for those - like me - who prefer that too. For those who don't want such things they can of course remain an aside.

The bottom line problem for me is that single player racing games that demand players having to win a race to progress (often from a low grid position gt, Forza etc) promote poor race behaviour and narcissism. People who only play single player think they always have to, and are going to, win. A good career mode and I have hopes for ACC to be that, will set realistic race and championship targets based on the strength of the team and cars. This in turn is likely to teach and promote much better overall race behaviour. There should be joy in a midfield battle, that's the life of most racing drivers. A career win should feel like a true achievement.

The other problem is that online racing simply isn't good enough yet. Most online racing is more like Wreckfest than F1. Until decent track limits, car contact and penalties are established it'll be difficult to see racing games become mainstream. Human stewards are one solution but from experience until they are more neutral in gaming the issue of friendship, alliances and biases are still too much a problem.

I don't think racing games need a cinematic career. If there is one it will need to be as good as FIFA's The Journey. That is brilliant, fully cinematic and the gameplay is the same as all other modes of the game. Personally I'd love it if it did happen but I don't see a racing game making enough money to make that so.

Most of all make career modes a choice. I can play FIFA in career mode, story mode (The Journey), online, FUT or weekly championships. All are available, no one impedes the other, playing any or all of them makes me a better and more rounded player.

 

[daniel1]

Would it not be better for the devs to spend their talent and time developing the "driving" experience ? For example working on the track details and the physics/feedback of the sim rather than bugger about with "characters". Funnily I'll bet some of us spend time at our rigs to escape the "human" aspects of our day to day lives.Not in an antisocial manner of course.
But hey as long as the "storyline" can be optioned out....

 

[Leonardo Chaves]

They are so boring to me personally, i just pick a car and track and get to business.

 

[NikiGouda]

-

Unpopular opinion: I love project cars 1 and 2. Why? Because of its very cool and unique career.

If you weren't RED, i believe you would mercilessly downvoted here for
this "bold" statement. Both games get so much unnecessary hate.
On the topic: I don't need story in sim racing games but i don't have a
problem with that either if i can choose. Never understood this black or
white thinking of some.

 

[Jayenn]

An F1 2018 style career with evolving teams and technology across multiple racing series where you can't only switch from one team to another, but also between racing series would be totally awesome to have in a sim. Drop the press stuff and some other presentation things that get repetitive after looking at it for the first time and you've got a winner in my book.

 

[Bob Gnarley]

When applied to racing, the term "sim" means simulation of real world variables such as weather/track conditions, tyre state, spring/damper rates etc. Story line? Go read a book!

Racing drivers DO have career's though, no harm in simulating that.

Really the career mode I'd like is one where you work your way up through Karts then have the option to fork off into either a career in tin tops or single seaters, you know, like an actual career! Then perhaps retire and become a well paid sports commentator...

 

[Turk]

I haven't really played a sim that had a career mode. Most the games that have them seem more game than sim to me so I had no interest in buying them.

For me a simulator is about simulating a machine, its about interacting with the machine. I have no interest in the game just improving skill. As long as any career stuff doesn't get in the way I don't mind it being there. I did try the Forza Horizon demo and all the cut scene stuff annoyed the bejesus out of me. It was just pandering to the player ego.

 

[Miguel Batista]

I actually like a career mode like in PCARS 2 but my favourites are "careers" like gran turismo where you need to get licenses to access better cars and events. I think it is an unexplored niche in sim racing to have a license based progression and races where you can't win and have to keep to the team's objectives. One of the pitfalls of many a racing game is that "you must win to progress" mentality. It creates bad habits and it translates to online wreckfests. I play offline quite a bit both for practice and to drive stuff I actually want and can't find a league or a championship for it. From RSS GT pack to historical endurance (908 vs 330 vs gt40 and 917k vs 512S vs Lola T70 Mk3) to 1991 F1 and RSS Formula 2000. I am getting back into sim racing and offline is a must so as not to give other player's a bad experience imho.

 

[Cote Dazur]

Grinding no interest
Career mode no interest
Game play no interest
I play every day and the only motivation I ever need is a working wheel and working VR goggles.
I can do the rest on my own.

 

[WallyTP]

Against. It's a total waste of resources and it always turns out to be LAME.

 

[Tar Heel]

Ive created my own custom offline championships in the usf2000s on rfactor 2. Entering my 5th year now. Every year there are team and driver changes, livery changes, track changes, rule changes. Everything. That is enough to keep me enticed because sim racers arents just online, as it has been suggested. I am a sim racer and i much prefer offline to online because i can choose exactly when i race, what i race.

For me, yes a story mode might not be a sim, but a game. But career progression is something that keeps me enticed, otherwise i get bored.

How'd you do that?

 

[Mike Smith]

Strongly for.

As much as I enjoy sims without (rF2, AMS, etc.), there's something I miss about saving up enough to buy newer better cars like the Gran Turismo series, or progressing to the next level of motorsport like Project CARS.

 

[Paul Glover]

There is nothing more boring to me then playing computer games!
As you @Paul Jeffrey already know from stealing this thread idea....
Good look with it here!

I don't know where you have got this from, we discussed this in our podcast the other week and decided to talk about it so more and from that Paul has started a discussion.

 

[aka2k]

I like the older Gran Turismo games. GT4 is the pinnacle of the format, with missions, used cars and new cars showrooms, a plethora of championships and special races. It was awesome. I do like Forza career as well.

I don't think a racing sim needs to be drab and devoid of life, but it doesn't need to be all fluffy and cheesy like TOCA Race Driver. I think GT has perfect the formula (and somewhat killed it off after GT6) for keeping me coming back to play for months.

 

[ozm8ey]

Even in arcade racers like the crew the story mode turns people off. If its not not perfectly then it usually sucks. Career mode on the other hand is good as long as it doesn't have cinematic's story to it. Forza motorsport 4 had a tiny bit on cinematic's in the career mode but that was just jeremy clarkson talking which was fine.

 

[Nestoche]

Funny you say this. I asked that same question to them when they took it out! I paid for all those addons not only because of the nice DTM and ADAC cars with their own season addons but because of the "Experiences" and the nice presentation that it came with licence overlay graphics etc. All removed and replaced with the generic RRE overlay graphics.

I understand that having the original licensing DTM graphics means nothing to some but to me it did. It is what I paid for when they advertised it but they took it away just like that..no notice..nada! Was upset at the time but I am over it now. Never purchased another thing from them ever since and probably never will....

Oh well..that's how it goes when you purchase something as unique as RRE where they control and take away features you already purchased due to the way their system works but I knew that going in...My fault!

Funny, a few minutes ago i asked where the experience mode in R3E went.

For me, the racing itself is most important in a game.
But i also always loved offline championships. I can play them whenever i want. Especially if they are based on a real series. Immersion is the key word.

R3E had that and offered it specifically and advertised with it. Now the experiences are gone. Why is that?



I think they are not a must have, but they are great for the people who, from time to time, want to feel like they are driving with the big guys. Leisure time, playtime.

I dont need a career mode for that, though. Official liverys, names, tracks, on air graphics and a bit of atmosphere is enough. And most importantly: Official rules implemented. SimRacers would benefit from those things, too.

 

[newbert]

Grinding no interest
Career mode no interest
Game play no interest
I play every day and the only motivation I ever need is a working wheel and working VR goggles.
I can do the rest on my own.

This!

 

[numbersevenhull]

I picked up PC2 only last week and have to say it's surprised me a little and I'm having a blast with it, primarily because of the career mode which really binds the game, and possibly due to the fact I haven't done one of those in years (normally AMS, rF2, iracing etc)

I think most sim racers enjoy a bit of structure, be they find that in league racing, an iracing season, SRS or a career mode. Sometimes it's just nice to be presented with car/track combinations to overcome and be introduced to things you might not drive rather than be floundering in sandbox heaven and hell without goals.

Story modes though are best left to your own imagination

 

[billymitchell]

How about a 'story mode' for my online career? Looking at my dropping iRating, I could really use the spin of some good PR!

 

[BP]

The offline "career mode" is your race history: best laptimes, best finish for each track/car combo, # of pole positions, wins, etc

The progression of your career (offline) combines those things with raising the AI difficulty, length of race, rules used and assists used, with the ultimate goal being (hopefully) to consistently beat the AI at max difficulty with full rules (or the real world rules depending on series) and no assists.

Online career progression is similar, granted you start with more manageable cars and keep your expectations realistic; you WILL be a backmarker when you start. Without practice, you'll continue to be a backmarker even longer. With proper practice you'll improve, but not everybody can be Jim Clark, but nearly anyone can be a competent driver.

You may always be a backmarker, but the goal should be to gradually get faster through consistency and improved racecraft. It's not about being the best, someone will always be faster.

Lastly, your "story mode" is the actual interaction with the sim racing community...sharing or withholding setup tips, beef with other drivers, admins ("marshalls") who rain down praise or punishment depending on your actions on and off track...seriously, who needs an artificial story mode when we have you wild, crazy and opinionated lot to argue with 24/7/365?!

rFactor 2, AMS, iRacing et al have story modes...it's called forums.