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

 

[Kimmo Kokkonen]

Can't wait PC2 (LOL), PC1 is so good, I don't have any bugs, did you got all??? I dont use AI because its not work, I dont use online because its not work etc, I use only best cars and tracks and everything works fine. PC2 will be a mind blowing simulator, with PC2 you can uninstall everything else...the train is coming and cows will fly...SMS keep up good work!!!

Ps. must say that I may not buy any new simulator as Dirt Rally and PC1 both are good enough, so sorry SMS but you will burn all your moneys with PC2...sorry.

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

the rest is supplied by shadow investors with the sole interest of a quick return. Just like it was with pCars1...

I am surprised to read that this information was available to WMD members. Then why wasn't this communicated with the customer-base and why did some WMD members defended forcefully that the crowdfunded 3.7M was the actual budget that was used to make Pcars.

Don't get me wrong, personally I think it's none of our business who pays for what, but as this world of mass development was a transparent process where gamers called the shots I find it very interesting to read the confirmation of shadow investors.

So we can safely conclude now that gamers don't have any influence and the unnamed big boys behind the scenes call the shots? Then why still the need for crowdfunding? Another four year interest free loan and another large free marketing force that will roam the web like with Pcars1?

If so I am not looking forward to the coming three years with the same repetition of nonsense and false advertising we have seen with the first part of Pcars and the free WMD marketing force defending it online.

 

[SwaggerJacker]

This does not feel like crowdfunding to me. It is pre-mature pre-order. Even Activision will not initiate pre-order for next year's Call of Duty less than 2 months after this year's COD release. IMHO this trend of making people pre-order waaaaay before reasonable amount of game development HAS to stop.

What I don't understand is that I'm pretty sure SMS know there will be overwhelming negative feeling towards this early pre-order decision in sim racing community. Why do they still do that?

See post #55

 

[AndrewBo]

Best part is:
A participation on the game’s returns is no longer included in the membership packages due to legal reasons.

 

[Emerson Meyer]

 

[Radu Oros]

mod-edit: already posted in #1

 

[Ole Marius Myrvold]

Found first footage from pcars2

Also see the first post here

 

[Radu Oros]

Also see the first post here

Ok cool didn't notice, as when I revisit the thread I'm brought directly to last read post.

 

[Chris]

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 

[Aidan Keranen]

I thought this was serious, then I saw the word "SEAMLESSLY" and realised 'haha, sure.'

 

[GTAce]

A lot of people here don't quite understand how game development works and what the purpose and idea behind this concept is. You know, I'm very critical about pCARS and how some things turned out, but you people need to get your facts right:

- Game development on a sequel usually starts either right after, or even before the predecessor is out. This is absolutely normal and the plan for a pCARS 2 is ages old.

- The WMD concept was and still is meant for people, who want to invest and participate in said development. This is only possible when you open up the funding process right at the beginning, which they're doing now.

- They couldn't do it secretly for current members, because it'd get leaked anyway.

- Why are you complaining about the funding? Not only is it necessary for the community, so only people with real interest will be able to shape things, more budget will help immensly. Some here say pCARS 1's revenue would be enough, but they seem to forget that game development is extremely expensive. pCARS 1 didn't even have a third of the budget of a Gran Turismo or Forza.

- No one is forcing you to purchase a toolpack. Leave space for people who really care, this will help anyway.

- The game is still 2 - 3 years away.

SMS should've clarified these things in the press release, because it's obvious that trolls and fanboys will bite with such news.

 

[Justin]

Paying £1000 to have dinner with Ian Bell? Really should be paying me £1000 to sit through that...

Anyway, for any aspiring game developers out there, here is how to commit game marketing suicide...by announcing a sequel a month after release of a game that still requires a multitude of bug fixes. Promise patches and content updates all you like, but you don't convince anyone until said updates are released and are proven to fix the things that need fixing. Development on new games directly after releases of old ones is commonplace, but don't announce that fact to a community that is still hoping for things with the game they just purchased. It is completely silly.

Also I don't really get why this is being crowdfunded? They require nearly 3 times the amount of pCARS 1's investment total to develop a game that will likely have a significant portion of content from the original game, not to mention that there is publisher backing involved this time as well...

Plus there's the small fact the original game is a million-plus seller. No added income from that, not at all.

Yes Ian, because setting an entry investor level at £50 (4x the entry level of the original game) is really going to allow a lot of people inside the development process...which going by the first game's development cycle wasn't anything exciting anyway. And this is coming from a WMD member as well.

Oh well, a few more years of pCARS shill hype should be fun to deal with.

I really want to like pCARS right now, as there is plenty to like about it at a core level. But the issues, the community and stuff like this just makes me think its a waste of time. There's so much potential going to waste.

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

Paying £1000 to have dinner with Ian Bell?

You forgot a zero, its 10,000

 

[Richard Eriksson]

I am surprised to read that this information was available to WMD members. Then why wasn't this communicated with the customer-base and why did some WMD members defended forcefully that the crowdfunded 3.7M was the actual budget that was used to make Pcars.

Don't get me wrong, personally I think it's none of our business who pays for what, but as this world of mass development was a transparent process where gamers called the shots I find it very interesting to read the confirmation of shadow investors.

So we can safely conclude now that gamers don't have any influence and the unnamed big boys behind the scenes call the shots? Then why still the need for crowdfunding? Another four year interest free loan and another large free marketing force that will roam the web like with Pcars1?

If so I am not looking forward to the coming three years with the same repetition of nonsense and false advertising we have seen with the first part of Pcars and the free WMD marketing force defending it online.

I would say it was fairly obvious on some parts of WMD from the start. But the level of the discussions there changed over time. It became a hype train and a company shut off from criticism in the end. To start with, the intentions where good and i feel that the first months where awesome on the forums. Then as pressure increased from certain "moneymakers" the tone changed.

I would love to see a post mortem done on the WMD model, but it is unlikely to happen. It is a good idea, but the problem for SMS is that the wrong kind of interests took over, fueled by management that wanted to whip the hype-crowd into a frenzy to shift units.

Also, anyone with a background in software on a larger scale such as this project can easily debunk the whole "3.7 million" thing. It's not possible, if you don't hire indian contractors only and completely cut the cost on everything. Something SMS has not done.

But remember... 3.7 million in donations (we can now call it donations since the refund thing is not happening for regular members, however it will for some more "high profile" ones) is not the full budget. SMS always spoke about investing their own money as well. This is a major chunk, and it should be read as: "Money given to SMS by external investors and creditors".

However i still believe WMD had a good intention. However, once the major players got involved (remember some "members" donating 100k dollars), it turned into something else.

Management at SMS wanted this route i guess. Me view as a measly low level member (day one WMD supporter) is that the devs never intended it.

The problem is still that they need to eat and management/creditors do not give a flying crap about simracing crowds like this one. They want to compete with Assasins Creed and Call Of Duty. So we get the finger eventually.

Also, the hostility shown by SMS core management towards the end was shocking. Any naysayers where banned (not me though), all non-hype guys where dismissed and the whole thing just took an ugly turn closer to release...

 

[Kurei]

Are they jumping on this 'rally' bandwagon because some people wanted it in the first, or because CodeMasters blew-the-doors-off on the revival of the 'rally sim' ?

 

[Richard Eriksson]

A lot of people here don't quite understand how game development works and what the purpose and idea behind this concept is. You know, I'm very critical about pCARS and how some things turned out, but you people need to get your facts right:

- Game development on a sequel usually starts either right after, or even before the predecessor is out. This is absolutely normal and the plan for a pCARS 2 is ages old.

- The WMD concept was and still is meant for people, who want to invest and participate in said development. This is only possible when you open up the funding process right at the beginning, which they're doing now.

- They couldn't do it secretly for current members, because it'd get leaked anyway.

- Why are you complaining about the funding? Not only is it necessary for the community, so only people with real interest will be able to shape things, more budget will help immensly. Some here say pCARS 1's revenue would be enough, but they seem to forget that game development is extremely expensive. pCARS 1 didn't even have a third of the budget of a Gran Turismo or Forza.

- No one is forcing you to purchase a toolpack. Leave space for people who really care, this will help anyway.

- The game is still 2 - 3 years away.

SMS should've clarified these things in the press release, because it's obvious that trolls and fanboys will bite with such news.

Ok, i'll pick it apart.

Point #1:

Yes, sequels are planned from day one, as is DLC and the like, IF you mean to target the AAA "game" crowd, and compete with Call Of Duty and whatnot. Simulations are built as platforms and have a much longer span, as they are thought of as a different kind of product than your average "lose interest in one month" hollywood like AAA "game" releases. There is a huge difference between these kinds of software, for good reason. The first type is "hollywood" entertainment, meant to be a franchise, making cash first and foremost, the second is meant as tools and platforms for enthusiasts more than mainstream games. I've worked on both in my carreer...


Point #2:

The sad truth is that investors are not equal and are not treated equal. Some investor marches in with big money and then he runs most of the show.


Point #3:

Money comes from the wrong kind of backers, who are in the project for the wrong reasons (from a simracing point of view) so it is rather a bad thing actually. The guys who wants the hype to live, who will crush any criticism and who will aim to increase revenue will invest more and call the shots. The hostility shown by some community members at the end was horrible.


Point #4:

No matter IF you plan it, DO NOT announce it now.


Point #5:

It will still cost more than 7 million. That money is coming from somewhere else.


Oh, and a final note... The hostility within WMD will eventually consume it...

And that is the real shame because the product has REAL promise.

 

[Justin]

You forgot a zero, its 10,000

Oh wow.

I hope that whoever gets that privilege is treated to an awesome 12 course meal because that will likely be the only highlight of that night.

It's like he didn't expect this sort of backlash. Good lord, he must live in a bubble or something.

 

[Chris]

Paying £1000 to have dinner with Ian Bell?

£10,000.
A meager £1000 only gets you dinner with the development team.
But don't worry, your £10,000 will be well worth it as your handy get around car will be a Ferrari 458, which is perfectly suited to the famously wide open and congestion-free roads of the inner CBD of London.

 

[Dave R]

Oh wow.

I hope that whoever gets that privilege is treated to an awesome 12 course meal because that will likely be the only highlight of that night.

It's like he didn't expect this sort of backlash. Good lord, he must live in a bubble or something.

He made his bed. Now he can lie in it.

 

[John Addison]

Actually its a bit of a slap in the face if you ask me. There is so much to work on in the 1st one and they have really addressed nearly nothing that the multilayer needs not even the stupid auto pit crap. At least invest another year or season into the fixes at full staff before starting another one. I do feel a bit abandoned. Its like Pcars in its current stage is awesome and with some more work could be great but ah screw it...lets go make more money.....