Is "career mode" really going to happen?

[eobet]

Saw the facebook post but I didn't see a thread on it...

Are Kunos really adding a full career mode? Don't those take several months to develop, even if it's a rushed thing? Since I'm guessing that no existing customers asked for it, are they doing it to please oldschool publishers for a traditional mainstream brick and mortar release? Do they want to compete with Project CARS and GRID 2 on this then (with the obvious question are they going to lower their standards to that level or are they going to try to convince that customer segment to raise their standards)?

I'm just worried because of their past development schedule history and that I don't believe any of them have any experience with creating a full career mode game...

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

Only 10% of the people regularly race online so to cater for the remaining 90% including a career mode is a smart thing to do when trying to sell a profitable product for your business.

Not sure why a career mode should imply that standards will be lower.

 

[Sebastian Wolff]

you don`t know anything, do you? And yet, you assume...

 

[Fred Joseph]

Haha

Don't worry eobet, they know what they are doing.
I don't like offline mode myself, but as the IA will be good , why not a relaxing race that you can reset from time to time ?

Marketing wise, it's a good move.

 

[Requiem84]

Let's break you post down:

Saw the facebook post but I didn't see a thread on it...

Are Kunos really adding a full career mode?

They have not fully released a statement on this, but Marco made some very strong suggestions on the AC FB page. So yes, we can safely assume AC will have a career mode.

Don't those take several months to develop, even if it's a rushed thing?

Assumption, assumption. Code wise, programming a careermode is much easier than coding a complex tire model, which relies on unbelievable difficuilt and complex mathematics.

a careermode is quite simply an advanced version of the UI, in combination with the AI. As the UI in AC is dramatically improved over netKar Pro, I feel quite safe that they can tackle the careermode without it costing too much time.

Since I'm guessing that no existing customers asked for it, are they doing it to please oldschool publishers for a traditional mainstream brick and mortar release?

Marco referred to the pointers the team received from gaming journalists, players who tried the TP, and other people from the industry.

AC is trying to get onto steam. They are aiming at the 'simcade' market now, which is a MUCH bigger market than the sim-market. To appeal to the Forza/Gran Turismo/NFS Shift/Grid etc players, a career mode is necessary.

Do they want to compete with Project CARS and GRID 2 on this then (with the obvious question are they going to lower their standards to that level or are they going to try to convince that customer segment to raise their standards)?

No, they have stated that the main priority will be to have realistic physics. It's the core business of Kunos Simulazioni. Why should they lower their standards?

The only thing the hardcore simmer will notice, is that AC will offer a lot of driver aids like you can already see in the TP. Without these aids, AC will be one of the most realistic games, if not the most realistic game at all.

There is no need for them to make the game more unrealistic of simple, as casual gamers also enjoy cars that drive realisticly.

I'm just worried because of their past development schedule history and that I don't believe any of them have any experience with creating a full career mode game...

Agreed, it could take some time more, but not in the order of half a year more. I don't feel rushed to play AC. I rather have them releasing a great game later, than an average game sooner.

 

[William Levesque]

Remember the Career mode in the mid 2000's Nascar game ? Now that was awesome... I'm hoping something similar for the offline racers.

It's really just a few scripts, shouldn't take very long.

 

[Kazumi]

If it leads to delay is speculation, we don't know how much of its infrastructure has been planned since the beginning or is already done. There's no reason to not add more seasons or events at a later point.

As I said main point for me is you can pick any car and find appropiate offline or online events. It doesn't have to be just about progression, grinding or unlocking stuff. But we will see what Kunos are cooking

 

[Rupe Wilson]

I still use GTR2 with its driving school that was such a good feature...
I hope the career mode has the ability to teach you also, as opposed to just finishing first and working you way up the ladder to glory...

 

[nothke]

Basically, career modes are heavier on art than on code. Code is really a simple variable based, no complex math, anyone could do that..

F1 Challenge 99-02 Season mode involved approximately.. 5 lines of code xD It was just a point system that counts points at the end of each race.. While the art department made 2 videos, one for winning a race, and one for winning championship (EDIT: maybe there were introduction videos for each race, or is it some other game I confused with? anyway..), . Aaaaand.. That was it! And it was ok, for that time..

Now of course by meaning "career mode" is "a sense of achievement that makes you go to the end". rF had a "career" system with money which you earn racing, but it was a failure, cause, it's firstly a modding game, no one ain't got no time for earning virtual money, and secondly it doesn't offer any achievement except getting new cars or car parts, which.. well there wasn't much. I don't think anyone actually played rF in that way.

Now the obvious confusion with AC getting a career mode is, just like rF, it's a modding game and it's a simulation, and then how are we going to feel achievement if we can just dl mods? AC is however going to have lots of cars so unlocking cars

Now look at games like GTA. You are free to drive any car, do whatever you like, and go anywhere (except new islands, and there's the catch).. But you still play missions and want to go to the end.. Well that's cause missions are really 40% of all the content. The story, cut scenes, animations, dialogues, specific models, code.. And it really gives you a cinematic experience and a way to immerse into the world through the story.

But it's really down to developers what they really want to do. Is it going to be a general way you play the game, like from the start you can only play with bad cars and move up the ladder, or is it going to be a separate "career mode" and "sandbox mode" where you chose anything. Are they going to just make some money earning/car buying system without lots of content (most probably), e-mail system where you manager calls you to remind you of your contract, or repair/upgrade car (simpler), or add victory animations, videos and other more graphic related things (most unlikely and most time consuming)

I haven't played the latest games like Codies' F1, but generally that's how it's always been done.

 

[Bakkster]

Remember the Career mode in the mid 2000's Nascar game ? Now that was awesome... I'm hoping something similar for the offline racers.

You mean, start in the modifieds, hire engine and chassis builders, maintain your budget to get a front of the pack car without totaling your cars and needing to buy new ones, save up your best engines for the plate tracks? Awesome, but I wouldn't expect it from AC. Nor really any top-tier sim yet. Mainly because it depends on the ability to wear out parts which begin worn out for the next race, or perhaps more importantly to purchase upgraded components. Nobody does that right now.

I'm expecting more like Forza's World Tour mode. A loosely organized set of races into a 'season'. If there are ten tracks at launch, make the season 10 weeks long, visiting each track once. Earlier seasons use slower cars and club layouts with easier opponents. Later seasons are race spec machines, longer races, harder AI. Basically, just a guided set of races for you to do if you can't decide in quickplay. Something like that would also make using DLC a bit easier, just pull in some DLC or modded tracks if they're available.

 

[eobet]

Only 10% of the people regularly race online so to cater for the remaining 90% including a career mode is a smart thing to do when trying to sell a profitable product for your business.

Not sure why a career mode should imply that standards will be lower.

I forgot about that statistic (last time I checked, it was actually true but it was a couple of years ago so I'm guessing the numbers should have shifted somewhat now).

The reason I made the lowering of standards comment was that I'm guessing of the 90% who race offline, a fair chunk of them still want to race using chase cam and perhaps a gamepad or even keyboard, which might require arcade type physics (though AC already has assists).

But still, does anyone think that there is any chance that Kunos might release an online only version of the game ahead of the full offline version with career mode?

 

[Requiem84]

But still, does anyone think that there is any chance that Kunos might release an online only version of the game ahead of the full offline version with career mode?

No.

 

[Jari Vinnari]

I think that 10/90% is perhaps true in Consoles but I think In PC world the difference is smaller. Also it really depends on the game because I have hard time belieiving that only 10% of for example Battlefield 3 players play online.

 

[LazyBug]

Looks like this thread already dead since May 2013 but i try not to open new thread so here i go.
I going to get my own copy today & since i probably spend most of the time playing offline so i quite concern about how the career mode is but so far i cant find any new about it.
I actually have doubt how interesting AC career mode going to be consider it only 35 cars & 11 tracks in v1.0 .. i feel like a career mode with just 11 tracks are little bit too short, if not boring. So any clue ??
(Dont tell me the career mode is actually doing 50 races & level up & unlock new car using that 11 tracks again & again, thats boring & feel a little cheap to me )
Thanks first

 

[Michael Hornbuckle]

All we know is career mode will be the absolute last feature implemented and will not be in until V1.0. Nobody knows how good or bad it will be and probably won't know until it gets here.

 

[LazyBug]

Yeah i know it wont be in before v1.0 but not even a little info how the career looks like is just a big let down for me

 

[Nobby76]

Sorry a little late to the party... Id expect it will be implemented at some point, more than likely at the end, just before final release. Some of things that kunos said "will be" in the game are actually already there or the basics of it are, such as AI, muliplayer racing (not practice mode) against AI i cant remember what site i saw it on, but it has already been posted how to race against AI cars. although its not "needed" yet so it isnt fully working correctly. But yeah you can already race against them. From what i read you can have a couple of AI cars in the race and everything will be fine, but if you use more than 2 or 3 then the rest of the cars just crash into each other. apparently it was just some text file that was modded to unlock the race menu..

So yeah if they said its gonna be in, then its probably gonna be in.. as a lot of the other stuff they said was gonna be in already has the basics made.

 

[Requiem84]

Career mode will be added when we get to v1.0.

Confirmed by Marco.

 

[LazyBug]

The only question is how the career mode going to play like. A max 3 hrs long where player pick a car and win all that 11 tracks type of career mode ??
I dont really give any hope on this game, Pcars should has a much interesting career mode than this one.

 

[Tomaz Selcan]

Pcars should worried about physics, tire model, FFB..