Special interview with DrivingItalia.net on Shift featuring Slightly Mad's Ian Bell
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Will it be easy or difficult to make tracks and import them? Skins? How many ideas from Driver's Republic have transferred over to Shift, if any at all?
Ian Bell: Although we're not focusing on this as a mod platform, I have no doubt that the smart guys out there will be playing around with it sooner rather than later. The incentive will be high as this represents quite a leap in PC racers. We didn't use anything from Drivers republic.
Will the difficulty setting be as accurate as other sim games?
IB: SHIFT is built on the most advanced physics engine we've made, and is by far the most advanced and realistic physics engine of any of the mainstream racing games. We're talking about an engine that can run unlimited threads, detailed physics parameters running at around 400 Hz on consoles. Things like tire deformation based on g-forces, tire pressures, rubber thickness, which only the most diehard sim fans will notice, but we know it's there.
We have a full realism hardcore mode called Pro that you can choose to race in from the start that will feel natural and comfortable as well as raising the bar for handling compared to anything out there (or due out soon) for all of our hardcore race sim fans. This can be combined with one of three AI difficulty levels, and on the Hard setting, the AI will fight extremely hard and give no quarter - even the most talented racers out there will find a great challenge here. The AI will block your pass attempts, take places back, make mistakes and end up overcooking corners, and will hold a grudge against you if you are too aggressive towards them.
You'll really get to know these drivers and rivals over the course of the game, and they'll get to know you and your unique Driver Profile.
Why have all the Trailers and videos shown bad driving/crashing/ sliding and not skilled driving or battling? Where are the videos showing off the realistic physics and handling if the game is supposed to be able to have a full simulation mode as well? I noticed the steering wheel never turned more than 90degrees in either direction.
IB: Our primary goal with our promo videos so far has been to relay the intensity of the driver's experience and get people talking about the game. They've been great for this purpose, helping us get the word out. All of these videos have been with a gamepad and on the more arcade settings. Expect to see some more serious racing action in our trailers as we get closer to release.
On the PC version, how many cars will be allowed on the racetrack simultaneously? The Nurburgring Nordschleiffe feels empty with less than 50 cars on track.
IB: SHIFT will have 16 cars on track simultaneously, and we've been working hard to ensure that the SHIFT experience is the same on all platforms. Additionally, a hard limit like this allows us to really push the limits of the visuals of the different systems, ensuring the game looks as good as it drives.
I'm interested in whether or not you'll be able to set your own race distance parameters, I find the 3-6 lap races unsatisfactory. I'd really like to be racing for at least 30 minutes per race and more if possible.
IB: How about 20 laps of the Green Hell against a full grid of your best mates? I think you'll be sufficiently sweaty and sore at the end of that run.
Will there be templates available to skin default cars?
IB: SHIFT has a very full featured paint shop within which you can create nearly any livery style you can imagine. The advantage of this system is that your custom skins will be seen by everyone you race against online.
Is there a changing weather and day/night feature at real time in the game?
IB: We felt we could offer a more tailored and polished experience by keeping with preset weather and times of day for different track layouts. With dynamic weather and time there are always visual compromises that we didn't want to make, instead choosing to concentrate on really beautifying our selections. While the engine is capable of racing in the rain, feedback shows a tiny percentage of players ever actually do it.
How well will the steering wheels supported, and how is the feeling with them? Will it be like in GTR2 and GTL?
IB: On PC, we are supporting as many custom controller configurations as possible, with custom control mappings, axis settings, and FFB settings all adjustable to suit your taste. I'm biased of course, but I think a panel of scientists would determine that it is a fact that SHIFT plays incredibly well with a FFB wheel.
Is there an option to turn off the blur effect at fast driving w/o turning off the effects during the accidents?
IB: On PC your anti-aliasing settings will affect this to some degree, but being dazed when in a crash is a part of racing. My advice is to avoid crashing if you don't want to see the effects. You won't notice any blur whilst driving in the same way you don't notice it in a video replay of a real race.
Will the track have good grip at the racing line and less aside?
IB: Yes
Is there an option to get into the pits, because the tires are gone and the fuel is empty?
IB: There will be no pit support.
Regarding the three difficulty modes promised. I was wondering how you plan to meet them. The method used in GTR2 and related sims (Build one hardcore physics engine, then apply all assists for new/arcade-oriented/wimpy drivers, and allow the driver to turn them off) or separate physics engines for each difficulty?
IB: There is one core physics engine underneath everything. Novice modes will not just have driving aids, but will also have a slightly relaxed driving model, slightly increased grip, and other changes to ensure accessibility while maintaining the soul of the individual cars and the soul of the SHIFT experience.
Speaking of physics engines, will this game's physics be more in line with GRID, Forza/GT, or GTR2?
IB: You can't really compare SHIFT's physics to any of those games. The physics are tuned for realistic behavior on top of the most advanced simulation engine in this generation. We'd rather have you play SHIFT and tell us how it feels. We're confident that we'll be seen as the most accomplished racer of the current generation when the demo is released.
How will the damage effect car performance in "Pro Mode"? Will the damage be only visual or will it affect performance in "Pro Mode".
IB: There are four levels to the driving model, and all driving models give you the choice of using visual damage only or 'full' (performance) damage. Again, the engine supports any level of realistic visual to physical damage but we will be tuning the levels to ensure a fun experience. Bumpers will fly off, hoods will be popped open, doors will be bashed in, and if you've got full damage on, your suspension will bend, your steering will pull or get sloppy, and your engine will be destroyed, barely limping around to the end of the race. We made the decision to keep the focus on action without critically severe punishment, since this is a racing game, not a crashing game. There will be consequences to your actions with full damage on, and it will likely destroy your race, but you will always be able to at least limp across the finish line to collect your profile points.
Will tire wear play a part during races? Will Tire wear be present in "Pro mode" and will it be real time tire wear, accelerated tire wear, or a fixed tire wear per track? Will we be able to feel the difference from cold tires and warm tires? Worn tire from new tire?
IB: Tire wear is not included in Need for Speed SHIFT.
Do cars have to be Unlocked through a career mode?
IB: Many cars are accessible out of the box in Quick Race, but if you want to customize and personalize your car, you will need to unlock it in career mode and earn the money to purchase it and buy upgrades. There are some special Reward Cars that will need to be unlocked through the career, but you will have access to at least one car in every tier so you can be competitive online from the start.
Will there be a dedicated server, or an EA owned dedicated server/cluster (if so, will there be an European server too), or a 3rd party service such as MS Live, or will it be mostly P2P coupled with a central matching server? (it's kind of important to know for those planning/willing to run a league)
IB: We're running a client server system with all the infrastructure of EA behind it. The latest information I have is that there will be a European server.
Any advanced league related features like setting weight penalties from the server, or online driver swapping?
IB: This is not included in Need for Speed SHIFT
In the last titles of NFS the multiplayer was not so much develop. In this one we'll have a good netcode for MP races?
IB: The multiplayer code in SHIFT is all new, not a recycling of old systems. The new code is solid, fast, and reliable, as you'd expect from a next-gen online title.
How will the replay and camera system work? Will Shift have a replay theater similar to GTR2 where you can save your replays and view them from multiple car and track angles?
IB: SHIFT has a short instant replay available from the pause menu, and a full replay at the end of the race.
What will you guys do to ensure to people that Shift is not a GRID clone?
IB: We have a lot of respect for Codemasters and GRID was really well executed and a lot of fun. It might seem at first glance that the games are similar, but there are several key unique points that set SHIFT apart. The first thing to mention here is our physics engine. The foundation of our physics is a much more serious simulation than what you'll see in other mainstream racing games.
In GRID, the player has a job managing their sponsors and their career progression. SHIFT's focus is on the true driver's experience, the intensity of racing, and each driver's unique style, their Driver Profile. Our opponents will react to you based on the way you've driven over the course of your career. You may be feared with a reputation for being extremely aggressive, in which case some opponents will try extra to avoid you while others will be out for revenge. If you're a respected precision driver, some opponents will try harder to block you from passing, as they'll know it will be hard to take the position back. SHIFT's focus on the true driver's experience demands the player be mindful of the moment, pushing hard, but avoiding reckless behavior. Serious consequences are a big part of racing, and key to the true driver's experience.
Will gears be mappable to keys so people can use their custom shifters?
IB: Yes.
Will the drifting be a separate mode with its own set of physics as in GRID and NFS Pro Street? OR will drifting dependent entirely on the car setup similar to Live For Speed and Richard Burns Rally
IB: Drifting in SHIFT is a different race mode, but still using the same base physics. Each car is specially tailored for drifting in drift mode, though, as any pro drifting racer would setup and tune their car specially for drifting.
What are the main differences among the way you realized Shift and your previous titles?
IB: This is big budget and mass market. Aside from that we're doing things as a team we have always done. We passionately set out to raise the bar for authentic racing games, in all areas, across all platforms.
The new graphic engine looks stunning: do you think we will see details like flat tyres in a future title (maybe the Ferrari Project, which we believed to be a more hardcore sim)?
IB: Thank you, we're very proud of the look, the team has done a tremendous job with the visuals in SHIFT. To answer your question, you will see flat tires in SHIFT with performance damage on. You will see the tire’s sidewalls flex and bend under load. It's something we've wanted for a long time and we're excited to bring it to you now.
We see that iRacing and Codemasters are using laser scanning technology in order to reproduce tracks: did your team look into it?
IB: Our track layouts are extremely realistic. This is an area where we are confident we are surpassing the competition. We use data from multiple areas to ensure this. In addition to satellite imagery and GPS data, our track modellers have studied thousands of hours of video, ensuring that the experience of racing on a real life circuit in SHIFT matches every detail of the live onboard racing footage seen. Additionally, we have been extremely fortunate to have been provided with detailed racing telemetry data from certain racing teams, which allows us to reverse engineer the nuances of a track's character through studying suspension movement, braking points, and g-forces on the real racing cars. It's not enough to simply get measurements and photos. If you want to recreate the experience, you have to know the subtleties of the track's surface contained in these data treasures that even laser scanning can't deliver. It does no good to know about a 5mm bump in the track if you have no data to show how it makes a car react. And the reaction, the experience, is what truly matters.
Will the car setup be available in NFS_Shift? If so, will it be just "an option" or will be mandatory to have a good setup in order to obtain good performances?
IB: All cars come preset with a great driving setup so everyone should be good out of the box, but you can choose to dial in the exact feeling you prefer for your driving style with an extensive setup garage.
Will the engine physic consider things like tires wear, tires compound, differential settings and other setup setting?
IB: There is a simple tuning screen for more novice players with simple understeer/oversteer type balance sliders, but for a more experienced player, they can enter the advanced setup screens and adjust all those settings that sim racers are used to having control over. Serious gearheads can adjust camber, spring rates, front/rear toe, sway bar stiffness, bump stop length, acceleration/deceleration lock and preload on differentials, fast slow bump/rebounds and much, much more, even the size of the openings for radiators and brake ducts.
About the AI, will be competitive as the great Grand Prix Legends and Grand Prix 4 ones? I see that in gmotors games the AI have been forgot to develop. In Shift, we could see cars defend position, try to overtake us and more?
IB: The AI system in SHIFT is highly advanced, and playing on Pro/Hard, even the aliens will find a challenge here. The AI will race hard, defending lines, fighting for position, and may let you out brake yourself into a corner, only to sail past you on the exit. At lower levels, we will see the AI act in a realistic way for a novice, missing brake points, going off the road, spinning out sometimes, but always knowing where the throttle is.
Will there be future race track downloads (will EA go for future DLC tracts)?
IB: We are not discussing any DLC plans at this time.
Will the FOV angle be selectable by users? Vertical or Horizontal FOV? In which range of values?
IB: FOV will not be adjustable on console. We will not likely officially support it on PC, but curious users should have no problems finding the right file to modify for their preferences.
car physics: will each different car model have a dedicated physics file? How many car and physics file in NFS Shift?
IB: Yes, each car has its own unique physics file, plus there are unique files for suspension types, tire types, gearbox types, turbo/supercharger types, engine types, etc. There are more than 500 separate physics files in the game as of now, many with dynamically changing aspects. This huge collection of files allows our physics programmers to create a detailed and realistic simulation of all of the key defining factors in car behaviour and many of the more subtle details that are missed in nearly all racing games. This is the difference that makes a player say "this just feels right!" when playing SHIFT. For example, when the tyre sidewalls flex under load in a corner, it minutely changes the shape and location of the tyre's contact patch, which in turn changes how the tyre grips the tarmac as it strains to keep hold. Without details like this a driving game can still be fun, but it can feel sterile and dead. With SHIFT we're pushing the limits of physics processing on consoles, delivering a racing experience that is alive, gripping, visceral, and believable.
changing a car will I have to change and adapt my driving style (like in P&G GTR2 mod)?
IB: Definitely. Again, this is a very authentic racer at its core, so weight/balance, drivetrain, power curves, tyre pressures, etc., will all have a big effect on how a car handles. The way you drive a stock FWD Honda Civic is obviously going to be different from a stock RWD Camaro, or the race tuned AWD Audi R8 LMS, for example.
We have a detailed advanced setup screen for those that want to tune a car for exactly the behavior that they prefer, but all inherent physics characteristics of the cars are in the game.
in NFS will we find out different tires models and physics: different tires with different brand (for example: Goodyear, Firestone, Pirelli, ...) and different performance? different tires type (soft, intermediate, hard, rain, ...) with different performance?
IB: There are 33 different tire types in the game. There’s a big difference between different tire types, stock tires and upgraded tires (improved compounds, track tires, full slicks, etc.)
will arcade mode and sim mode use the same physics engine/file?
IB: They use the same base engine, but our novice mode adds a combination of driving aids and physics tweaks (grip, etc.) to achieve a more accessible, yet still believable driving model.
what about force feedback?
IB: There is full force feedback support for all the standard wheels on console, and as you'd expect on PC with plenty of options to setup the wheel for your preferred feel.
Thus the PC version will be superior lol
Jan 30 2009, 10:22 PM, updated 17y ago
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cool
shukks
wants 2 fight back with nordschleife 
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