PC1 Project CARS career mode video preview released

[Jack Hunsley]

Following the latest delay of the highly anticipated Project Cars the team over at Slightly Mad Studios has released a new video detailing the career system within the game.

With early promises of 'The Ultimate Drive Journey' career mode which would allow players to progress through each respective step on the racing ladder, this feature, especially for myself, has been one of the most talked about features of the title.

Interestingly, the career mode will not use the traditional ‘unlock’ system seen in many other racing titles such as the Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport series as Project Cars will allow players to jump straight into any category right from the off. That means if you fancy yourself as the new Max Verstappen, you can move straight into the top tiers in the game offers without having to go through the process of unlocking each series one by one. Personally whilst this doesn’t appeal to me (mainly because I’ve been hankering for a fully in-depth career mode ever since I first started Sim-racing) I can still appreciate that this will be welcome news to many people’s ears, and for very good reasons.

The career dashboard is another interesting addition. In a similar vain to the news articles and social media integration seen in several newer EA Sports titles, amongst others series, the dashboard acts as your main hub for accessing information and smaller tid-bits such as tweets from fans and rivals drivers and drivers competing in other series that help immerse yourself in this new racing world. Meanwhile the news that you will receive offers from scouts and companies whilst you race your way to top, whilst perhaps not groundbreaking, has gotten me more excited than a sane person probably should be about a racing game.

Finally the inclusion of long term goals under the title 'Historic Goals', which are based on the career achievements of Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher and Travis Pastrana, ensures that those aching for a long term project will not be left disappointed.

With Project Cars now touted for release on 2 April 2015 only time will tell if its career mode promises to live up to hype. Or at least if it can become my go-to racing career simulator and knock the original Grid off its current high pedestal.

Watch the in-depth Project CARS: Career Mode Trailer here

For more on Project Cars make sure to check out the forum or share your latest photos and videos in our dedicated gallery.

 

[Blkout]

Looks good, sort of a mix between NFS Shift, GRID 2 and Forza 4.

 

[Connor Caple]

I wouldn't call GRID a sim, in any universe. I didn't like the handling (or total lack of actual physics) in GRID, GRID 2 or any of the NFS series and it's pretty obvious that they're all pretty much arcade racers. Shift and Shift 2 made an effort, but were still ridiculously unrealistic.

Forza has its good points, as does Gran Turismo, and may be closer to being sim-like than any of the titles mentioned above, but are still way down the list even when compared to something more elderly like rFactor or Race07.

PCars seems to be paying race drivers to say nice things about it which, when you're aiming for a console/mainstream market. is probably a good idea, but to me it is ruining any credibility that those drivers may have had.

I've tried PCars at a friend's house (he was some kind of backer) and it feels like a Need For Speed game, not a sim. Quite disappointed, to be honest, as the career stuff does look fun.

 

[Blkout]

I wouldn't call GRID a sim, in any universe. I didn't like the handling (or total lack of actual physics) in GRID, GRID 2 or any of the NFS series and it's pretty obvious that they're all pretty much arcade racers. Shift and Shift 2 made an effort, but were still ridiculously unrealistic.

Forza has its good points, as does Gran Turismo, and may be closer to being sim-like than any of the titles mentioned above, but are still way down the list even when compared to something more elderly like rFactor or Race07.

PCars seems to be paying race drivers to say nice things about it which, when you're aiming for a console/mainstream market. is probably a good idea, but to me it is ruining any credibility that those drivers may have had.

I've tried PCars at a friend's house (he was some kind of backer) and it feels like a Need For Speed game, not a sim. Quite disappointed, to be honest, as the career stuff does look fun.

Connor, not sure if you were replying to my previous post but I was referring to the career mode structure as a mix of those other games. I still don't know how the final gameplay will be until its released.

 

[RaceNut]

The problem with trying it at a friends house is you probably don't know what settings were used and getting the FFB to work good still takes some knowledge of the FFB setups. I don't know of a single car in Pcars that has great FFB out of the box at this point. Without some tweaks, the driving feels wrong but, when tuned for the right feel - it's really quite good and not even comparable to the Shift series IMO, no matter what mod is used to enhance them.

 

[William Wester]

...
I've tried PCars at a friend's house (he was some kind of backer) and it feels like a Need For Speed game, not a sim. Quite disappointed, to be honest, as the career stuff does look fun.

Wow... not even going to comment, the release is near!

BTW, had a blast on Nordschleife with the GT3 and Formula B cars last night, especially after installing the Jack Spade FFB tweaks.

 

[Ryan Soucy]

The career mode that I've done so far has been a blast. I started in an FFord and won the US trophy and got invited to the Euro Shootout. In between races I got invites to do a SuperKart race in Dubai and a trackday car championship at Sonoma. I got to travel the world, drive different cars, and I didn't get paid a cent, so what better can simulate the life of an actual race car driver?! As a guy who mainly races offline, I love a deep career mode and you can actually edit session length on a race by race basis, so if I have an hour, I can do 20 laps, if I have 15 minutes, I can do a 5 lapper. To each his own I guess.

 

[SnappyDEe]

I wouldn't call GRID a sim, in any universe. I didn't like the handling (or total lack of actual physics) in GRID, GRID 2 or any of the NFS series and it's pretty obvious that they're all pretty much arcade racers. Shift and Shift 2 made an effort, but were still ridiculously unrealistic.

Forza has its good points, as does Gran Turismo, and may be closer to being sim-like than any of the titles mentioned above, but are still way down the list even when compared to something more elderly like rFactor or Race07.

PCars seems to be paying race drivers to say nice things about it which, when you're aiming for a console/mainstream market. is probably a good idea, but to me it is ruining any credibility that those drivers may have had.

I've tried PCars at a friend's house (he was some kind of backer) and it feels like a Need For Speed game, not a sim. Quite disappointed, to be honest, as the career stuff does look fun.

You're going to like the final product. I read so many posts on so many forums that I am confused by all the "hard core" sim/sim racer stuff. I don't even know if any of these games accurately simulate the feel of driving all of these various race cars and race tracks. At this point...I don't know if I even care! I have had access to daily builds of pCARS since the beginning. It has come a long way for sure. Is it better than any other SIM/game? In some ways, it is. It has better FFB than some titles but not others, better graphics than some other titles but not others...etc. As it stands, I put pCARS right in the middle. I believe that it's real value lies in the opportunity that it presents.

I honestly believe that this title will ignite the desire in many people new to sim racing to try other stuff. Which is good because it brings more competition and it helps to sell other titles. Also, if it sells well, it will raise the stakes. Other devs will have to step up their game to compete. Competition among devs will generate better products. It will force innovation.

For those you reading this who may be wondering, I like the following titles:
R3E - fun physics and unbelievable sounds. I keep wanting more content and can't wait for dedicated servers. Connectivity can be an issue.
GSCX - great physics and very good AI. You better be in a league if you want MP.
iRacing - best for people with busy schedules, physics and FFB are "okay". Gets expensive quickly.
pCARS - graphics are nice, AI is really good right now, custom race settings to suit any desire, sounds on some cars are very nice and others are just okay,
Assetto Corsa - is on my wish list and I'm certain I will like it. A lot.
rFactor - too much work. Sorry, I'm lazy and technically challenged. graphics out of date. I still love the HistorX mod and it will stay on my PC forever.
rFactor 2 - same as above, I am just too lazy to have to do all that modding.
GT Legends - my favorite because I love classic cars. Really wish someone would purchase the license somehow and re-boot the game with all of the modern/updated features.
Forza 4 - the best of Forza, in my opinion.
Forza 5 - hate it.