PC2 Project CARS 2 announced with crowdfunding options

[Alex Franchini]

Slightly Mad Studios has officially announced a sequel to Project Cars today as Project Cars 2 is now official, and the WMD crowdfunding campaign has gone live.

Apparently the first big difference with the first title is that PCars 2 will feature off-road racing, along with Touge and Hillclimb events.

The crowdfunding tool-packs, which you can see on the WMD page, start from 50 British pounds and go all the way to 10,000 pounds.

Here's the shortlist of the PCars 2 features:

• THE LARGEST TRACK ROSTER EVER – 50 unique locations and 200+ courses including ‘loose surface racing’ on dirt, gravel, mud, and snow. All will have dynamic time of day and weather allowing you to play anytime, anywhere

• THE WIDEST VARIETY OF MOTORSPORTS with 8 different disciplines now including Rallycross, Hillclimbs, and Touge. 200+ cars from over 40 different vehicle classes including never-before-seen Concepts and Banned Race Cars

• CO-OP CAREER – Play as the Teammate Driver, Spotter, Driver Swap, or Co-Pilot. More choices, more opportunities, more strategy, greater risks and greater rewards

• SEAMLESSLY CONNECTED – Socialize and compete via Online Track Days, have players from around the world take the place of AI-controlled drivers in your solo play, and get news updates on the Driver Network around you

• PRO ESPORTS RACING – Skill & Behavioural-based matchmaking, create your own Online Racing Leagues, and Live Broadcast and Spectator functionality

• YOUR HOME FOR RACING – Your own personal, customisable Test Track to tune and test your cars. Invite others to showcase your passion for racing and learn race craft and engineering with the Project CARS Academy

Update: First videos already out on YouTube
Update 2: Videos have been removed from YouTube

 

[Dave R]

I really don't get why so many people that don't like pCARS, SMS, Ian Bell and the whole WMD concept and community at all have to shout this fact over and over through the Internet. Is there some kind of mission or crusade that I may have missed? Or shall we need to save our children from walking to the dark side? Why don't all these people just forget about it and play the other titles? If there would be true indicators or even proof that SMS is going to fraud their customers, well, then call Scotland Yard and send a SWOT team over to SMS... else ... I really don't get it. Aren't there other problems on this planet or is this just a first world issue because there is no other struggle ?

The reason is that many of us bought into this hype and purchased the game without a demo in good faith that what we were reading was true. This was going to be an amazing experience. This was going to revolutionize the way we play racing games. It just turns out it wasn't true. Many of us bought the digital version which means no refunds, no trading it in once we saw the issues the game had, and no selling it to someone else. It just sits and takes up space on our hard drives until the issues are fixed, and now that we see they've moved the largest amount of their development staff to PC2, it lessens my resolve that these issues will get fixed. Couple that with the fact that when these issues are pointed out to SMS, folks get banned, and the head of the studio comes over here and accuses RD of nonsense and denies existence of some of the bugs. You have several hundred members here alone who aren't happy with the state the game is in and goodness knows how many elsewhere. Those that paid for the game and aren't happy have every single right to complain and ask when the issues will be fixed and have every single right to recommend and warn others against a purchase of the game.

 

[David Ignjatovic]

But doesn't it remain his ( aka "the Prince of Darkness") party anyway? And if it's (or has become) Dracula's Reich of Evil why not stay away from such painful areas? I still don't get why so many get so upset and not just leave it as it is and ignore or stay away from it at all? Or does the sim racing community has to be on a crusade against such evil development studios and/or publishers that fraud their high ideals - then maybe one of the Kings of the Crusaders should make a list of them to blame them so that everyone could stay away (why do I have to think about George W. Bush now...???)

Yep, i promote proper working simulators like Stock Car Extreme etc, and don't mind exposing the fraudsters. ...happy to do it.

 

[Richard Eriksson]

Time for me to reiterate another of my discussion points:

I think we must refrain from throwing this on the devs. These guys do good work there and this whole WMD marketing business is likely NOT of their doing.

Some very talented and experienced guys work with SMS, lets not wreck their reputations.

The ones to blame are the management AND the investors who oversee and control WMD (yes, its not the dynamic idea you think, its a conscious business plan, look at who is in charge of the WMD efforts in house, lots of HR and investor guys).

Unfortunately the talent of these devs will be unused yet again, after being ripped off by EA on the Shift series. Maybe Kunos is hiring?

 

[Bryan O'Connor]

Name me a studio of that size who immediately don't start on a sequel as soon as the predecessor is complete and released?
The only reason we know this is because it's being crowdfunded.
Other studios wait until E3, ComicCon or some other event to announce them.

Pretending you're outraged by this is comical. Forza 6 was started as soon as Forza 5 went Gold. Same with GT6 etc.

My only concern is the crowdfunding. Surely they made enough money from the original to fund it themselves?

 

[Richard Eriksson]

@Bryan O'Connor, its true for most AAA crap publishers of kids games yes. EA, Ubi Soft and the like.

Most of the mindless kids will not care. The more sophisticated sim crowd will be used to platforms going for 5+ years with constant updates. The types of software is different.

So before you say again that this is normal... Yes it is, in the world of blockbuster games for kids and teens. In the simulation crowds it is not.

 

[David Ignjatovic]

Name me a studio of that size who immediately don't start on a sequel as soon as the predecessor is complete and released?
The only reason we know this is because it's being crowdfunded.
Other studios wait until E3, ComicCon or some other event to announce them.

Pretending you're outraged by this is comical. Forza 6 was started as soon as Forza 5 went Gold. Same with GT6 etc.

My only concern is the crowdfunding. Surely they made enough money from the original to fund it themselves?

They still want unpaid beta testers and marketeers. ...

 

[Kimmo Kokkonen]

They still want unpaid beta testers and marketeers. ...

Volunteer, really, are you serious? Thank you very much we really appreciate your help!!!

 

[Dyrgl]

2 things in that video I find hilarious, "Project Cash" and "Slightly Mad Studio but insane customers", those are keepers.
Thank you for sharing.
@Dyrgl, you reached the spoiled kid in me in less than 20 messages, you made it to the list, congratulation!

I don´t know if I´ll be able to cope with that. The pain is inmense.

 

[Robert Walker]

I was burnt once, I won't be burnt again. I won't ever give SMS any of my money ever again. I won't be lining Mr End's pockets.

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

Name me a studio of that size who immediately don't start on a sequel as soon as the predecessor is complete and released?

The question you should ask yourself here is whether the predecessor can be classed as complete?

With so many bugs and missing (advertised) features customers have the right to complain about the current state of the game and about the timing of the announcement.

SMS themselves clearly state they don't need funding for a second game so the conclusion you see posted on the interwebs that the funding is needed to recruit free marketeers can't be far from the truth. Proving the successful guerrilla marketing campaign with PC1 I can't really blame them either. It obviously worked for them with Project CARS.

Bad ethics? Maybe. Successful? Absolutely.

If your goal is to make money at all costs and don't give a damn about what people think of you, this can be yet another success in the making, no doubt.

I for one miss the days where you could buy a complete sim racing game on a disc that worked straight out of the box. But with the arrival of the internet post release patching has become a standard. Rush it out, defend it with your guerrillas, and fix it (hopefully) later when the money is at the bank.

If the development phase is so extremely important there is something available that suits that need for many other games already: Steam Early Access.

 

[Bartolo]

I am happy to wake each day and breathe air, work, raise my children...
To be able to sim race is a huge bonus in my book-
A real treat-
I own slightly above starter rig, slow FPS, one of the few left on this earth who is
a real live moron with tech stuff-
But when I get to race, sit in the seat, feeling immersed,
I could not care any less that most tech things we have at this moment
are already outdated- this guy or company is Flim Flamming that guy or company-
Jimmy Crack Corn with that stuff-
Many of you list equipment that I could never own
Be grateful these sims exist for us
just remember the first time you sat in your rig- that should help a bit...

 

[LTC_Mike]

That good old days ... where you had a comprehensive, immersive, full of new ideas game on just a single 720 kB (880kB if you were a lucky Amiga user) floppy disk ... o.k. graphics were a little reduced compared to what it's possible today - but did we have less fun ... or think about the good old 70s: no personal computers at all ... kids got out in the fresh air, played with wooden, handcrafted games, no reboot, game crash, expensive updates ... Sorry - couldn't resist

Besides (BTT): I am sure SMS goal is to make as much money as they could (they even have to feed 140+ plus mouthes) from their ideas ... is that bad? Is their product a fraud? - It has bugs (quite a lot) and some are at some level game breakers. Did they not deliver 4 Patches within one month after the final release and did they not be commited to do so for another 23 month? All together with payed an free additional content and new features? Which modern racing title has none bugs? I can remember very well how long the list for Assetto Corsa still is and this really tiny development studio just announced that they would make out of their stuff a console port ... rFactor2 ist still beta (a very well done beta, but it is) and no one knows if it will ever get final, R3E is still beta, too, and charges a lot for it's DLCs and so called Experiences etc.

I am afraid the good old days are gone forever and the only decision one has today, is to stay away from any game in the first year of its release and see what's going on and how others (that couldn't resist...) rate that title.

And maybe one would like to invent a system like it still exists in other industries were "good behaviour" results in a higher and better positive rating for ones products ... But as mentioned by others. 1 Million sold copies in about 1 month and an average game rating above 80 is not that bad at all ... and personally, I still have a lot of fun with this game, too - that's what counts to me

 

[Rob Miliczky]

Name me a studio of that size who immediately don't start on a sequel as soon as the predecessor is complete and released?
The only reason we know this is because it's being crowdfunded.
Other studios wait until E3, ComicCon or some other event to announce them.

Pretending you're outraged by this is comical. Forza 6 was started as soon as Forza 5 went Gold. Same with GT6 etc.

My only concern is the crowdfunding. Surely they made enough money from the original to fund it themselves?

Name a studio that crowd funds one game, then sells that game, according to the studio "it sold great". 2 months later they start crowd funding the sequel. Go ahead.

This is not about them starting work on the sequel. This is more about the fact that the first game is still a mess and mainly, that if the first game sold so well and the CEO of the company himself announced multiple times that they don't need money to make the sequel, yet they are still taking money off people.

Go explain that to me.

 

[Dinca Andrei]

I am happy to wake each day and breathe air, work, raise my children...
To be able to sim race is a huge bonus in my book-
A real treat-
I own slightly above starter rig, slow FPS, one of the few left on this earth who is
a real live moron with tech stuff-
But when I get to race, sit in the seat, feeling immersed,
I could not care any less that most tech things we have at this moment
are already outdated- this guy or company is Flim Flamming that guy or company-
Jimmy Crack Corn with that stuff-
Many of you list equipment that I could never own
Be grateful these sims exist for us
just remember the first time you sat in your rig- that should help a bit...

What does this have to do with the fact that people felt ripped and now express themselvs on the forums.
Everybody should say"" ...ah well i got burned,no biggie,lets move on..."" ?
There is nothing to stop this kind of behavior...
If u state something,officialy,i trust you on your word and give you my money to find out after i got the product that i was decived..how is this right?
Look at the mess it was at the release for all platforms.
The flame will steady get lower over time on this situation but people will not forget....i bet my hat that the next game pCars 2 will not reach the half of the pCars1 sales.

 

[David Ignjatovic]

Besides (BTT): I am sure SMS goal is to make as much money as they could (they even have to feed 140+ plus mouthes) from their ideas ... is that bad? Is their product a fraud? - It has bugs (quite a lot) and some are at some level game breakers. Did they not deliver 4 Patches within one month after the final release and did they not be committed to do so for another 23 month?

Committed to......that remains to be seen, but from my POV, you should only be paid for good-excellent work, but it's questionable for unfinished or broken work.
I'm just worried that this is a pattern known in the industry as "planned obsolescence", ofc, the problem will be solved later with a patch or if necessary, a whole new GAME....at our expense, lol.

With characters like micas, how can you trust they'll ever do right by the consumer rather than by their pockets?

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

I am sure SMS goal is to make as much money as they could (they even have to feed 140+ plus mouthes) from their ideas ... is that bad?

Not at all. All simracing developers out there build games for one purpose: to make a living.

Don't think anybody is questioning that.

 

[Dinca Andrei]

Looks like they aim for a even bigger team.
Slightly Mad Studios ‏@slightlymadteam 5h5 hours ago
We're hiring! We're looking for Physics, Tools, Server, and Gameplay Programmers as well as UI creators!

 

[Andy_J]

Looks like they aim for a even bigger team.
Slightly Mad Studios ‏@slightlymadteam 5h5 hours ago
We're hiring! We're looking for Physics, Tools, Server, and Gameplay Programmers as well as UI creators!

Lets hope they get good ones this time...........

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

I am afraid the good old days are gone forever

That's really a decision game developers now make for themselves. You could also choose to release a game in an almost perfect state. How many patches did GTL & GTR2 receive in the last 10 years? One? Worked straight out of the box for almost everybody and you could actually feel the love that was put into this game by the developers that worked on it (despite the **** that was going on behind the scenes on a management level).

With PCARS, GRID Series, RACE Pro, F1 201x Series, any Milestone game (and unfortunately many other games as well) I don't feel that love anymore as a customer. The game has become a product. (although I fully realize it has always been a product, even in the good old days).

As an example of pure detail and love check this, this and this soundtrack. I get overwhelmed by great memories by just listing to the music, not even have to race a single meter in game . I don't have that with any recent game anymore although the remixed GTR2 song in Project Cars came close.

 

[LTC_Mike]

Committed to......that remains to be seen, but from my POV, you should only be paid for good-excellent work, but it's questionable for unfinished or broken work.
I'm just worried that this is a pattern known in the industry as "planned obsolescence", ofc, the problem will be solved later with a patch or if necessary, a whole new GAME....at our expense, lol.

With characters like micass, how can you trust they'll ever do right by the consumer rather than by their pockets?

"Unfinished and broken" ... if you rate pCARS1 that way you will hardly find any modern racing title that isn't unfinished or broken in some way.

"Planned obsolescence" ... I think you overstress that term concerning software development. If you rate software like this then no development or technical progress could ever take place because it makes your investments in older stuff (hard- and software) dispensable at some point. But "planned obsolescence" means that someone builds a product that way that something breaks within a certain period so you have to buy something new to replace it, isn't it?

If I understood SMS right one of the reasons they decided to bring a complete new build of pCARS, named pCARS2 was that they want to include complete different kinds of tracks than today and that means that they have to improve, rewrite etc. the game engine - otherwise no loose surface tracks could be build or handled within the current engine ... maybe they don't tell the truth at all, but they have choosen this way and all we could do is trust or not trust them and buy or leave their products...