Creative Director Pete Shea Discusses the Deep Possibilities of Race Driver: Create & Race

by Louis Bedigian

“Once your track is saved to the game card, you can race on it in other game modes including online.”

Ever since Sim City revolutionized the world creation / manipulation genre, developers have been applying a piece of that innovation to their games. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater came impressively close with its create-a-park mode, a feature that allowed players to design an articulate skatepark with dozens of ramps, rails, and half-pipes.

Now Firebrand Games and Codemasters have teamed up for a Nintendo DS-exclusive racing game that’s built for players who want to build racetracks from the ground up -- Race Driver: Create & Race. 

“As soon as players begin Race Driver: Create & Race, they can start designing and building their own custom circuits,” said Creative Director Pete Shea. “Players can draw directly onto the DS Touch Screen with the stylus to layout a track. By earning in-game currency through winning races and challenges, they can then purchase more interesting track and scenery pieces from the rewards shop. They can then add these to their circuits, before saving it to the game card and racing it in single player, multi-card play and online Wi-Fi.” 

What will the track construction screen look like?

Pete Shea: The layout of your track is shown in 2D top down view on the bottom screen alongside toolbars for manipulating the track. A 3D preview of the current track piece is shown on the top screen.

When building a track, what parts will players have access to? Curved roads, straight roads, etc?

PS: There are over 60 different track pieces including many types of straights, bends, chicanes and bridges, as well as scenery pieces to position alongside the circuit such as foliage, buildings, car parks, windmills and even lakes or hills.

Can you apply barriers, road blocks, or other hazards?

PS: No, hazards are not currently supported. You can switch the look of your circuit between two different styles, however.

How does the game translate from construction to actual playable content? Is there a building/loading period?

PS: No, your track can be driven immediately from within the Track Designer with only a very short loading delay. You can test drive it on your own, or race against a computer controlled car from within the Track Designer. Once your track is saved to the game card, you can race on it in other game modes including online. 

What can we expect from the pre-made tracks/circuits?

PS: There are 32 real-world circuits with 45 different configurations. Circuits include all of those found in the DTM and V8 Supercars Championships, as well as classic American circuits including Indianapolis and Laguna Seca.

Now let's shift gears and talk about the core racing mechanics.  How would you describe the game's handling?

PS: The game has an arcade take on the simulation style handling seen in previous Race Driver games. Each of the cars is set up to mirror its performance in real life. We've taken great care to make sure the digital controls on the DS are well tuned to offer fun driving for newcomers, and depth of play for hardened race drivers.

In what ways are the DS's dual screens being used, and is the touch aspect supported?

PS: The 3D racing is displayed on the top screen. The bottom screen shows the race radar- a map of the circuit near to you, with other drivers marked on it, as well as your damage indicators. Touch screen control is not used during the actual racing. We did experiment with adding touch screen controls, but felt in the end that this was not as much fun as racing with the traditional buttons and control pad setup. The Track Designer is controlled using the stylus and touch screen.

The announced vehicles include the Koenig GT, the AMG Mercedes C Klasse DTM, and the Chevrolet Silverado Truck. That's a high range of differences among vehicles. Is this where the rest of the game is headed?

PS: Yes, we have included a varied mix of touring cars, GT racers and classic vehicles. 

How are you balancing the controls so that each vehicle handles differently?

PS: Each vehicle has its power and gear ratios set up to mirror its real life performance. The steering and traction is then tuned individually to give the cars different weights and a unique feel. We're very proud of the depth of simulation we have managed to get working on the DS – it’s this depth that allows for each car to handle differently.

Can you tell us anything about the multiplayer content? Is there more than one mode of play? Any modes or features that can only be accessed in a multiplayer game?

PS: The multi-player games are focused around Championship racing- with players scoring points for winning races in a series. In local play, players can setup Championships themselves- defining the circuits and rules for each Championship. In online play a voting system is used to determine which Championships to race. Players can also choose to race on their favorite custom circuits built with the track designer in both multi-card and Wi-Fi play.

Players also have the ability to customize the look of their car when playing multiplayer games. They can choose a color for the car, and a set of livery decals. As players progress through the game, they can unlock and purchase more liveries to make their car stand out from the crowd.

The game also includes an online Ranking system to improve matchmaking, and Global Leader boards, allowing people to challenge the lap times of the best players in the world.

Are there any features/tracks/vehicles that are not available when playing with just one game card?

PS: Single-card play only features a single Championship to race in, but does include eight circuits to choose from. Single-card races play exactly the same as the full game.

Thank you for your time.