WRC8 WRC 8 The Game

[Paul Jeffrey]

Kylotonn Racing Games have confirmed this September will see the release of the next officially licensed World Rally Championship video game - WRC 8.

Imaginatively titled as always, the eighth instalment to the steadily improving WRC franchise of games is set to launch on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC this September, and promises to be an all round improvement on previous iterations of the long running franchise.

New for WRC 8 will be a revised physics system across the many varied different racing surfaces within the game, plus the inclusion of what looks to be an already very impressive looking dynamic weather system, presumably adding a feature to allow the 100+ official WRC stages to be experienced in a variety of different weather conditions.

Of the new dynamic weather, Bigben and Kylotonn had the following to say during a brief press release to accompany the brand new announcement trailer:

"A new dynamic weather system has been developed to add random elements to the driving experience, but also to increase realism in the game. Managing the weather is a real challenge for the drivers: modified grip, car settings adjustments, tyre selection optimization, weather team relationship to ensure the best tips and information on the latest conditions. More than mere visual effects, climatic conditions become crucial, especially in the management of your career"

Of course with the title coming out toward the end of the year, the new WRC 8 release will replicate the 2019 FIA World Rally Championship season, including the latest cars and drivers from the official teams' of the category. Featuring over 50 drivers, including the returning multiple champion Sébastien Loeb in his new Hyundai, 14 different events across over 100 individual stages, WRC 8 certainly lacks nothing in terms of scale.

Most importantly of all for sim racers looking to get their rally kicks, Kylotonn have promised that "WRC 8 will go above and beyond WRC 7, especially in the steering requirements and the realistic physics of the vehicles" - one of the weaker points from previous releases.

As well as the class leading WRC cars, the new game is also set to feature a selection of vehicles from the WRC 2 and Junior WRC categories, alongside a number of historic cars. Team management is also set to play a role in the expanded career mode, with the player able to improve their car by way of upgrades and team developments, of which more details are expected to be revealed in the near future.

Exciting times for fans of sideways action.

WRC 8 releases for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Steam/PC September 2019.

Check out the upcoming WRC 8 sub forum here at RaceDepartment for the latest news, discussions and conversation prior to the big game reveal this September!

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[testdriver77]

Hi all

Want just to ask which settings do you have in this game?
Got installed it, done my settings, went on the trainig ground at noon and it looks strange...
Especially there is a kind of shadow/opaque cloud around trees. Hard to explain.
Would be nice when someone with similar system can post his settings.

My system:
Inter Core i7-6700k / 4GHz
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 G1 Gaming
Corsair Proffessional Series HX750i 750W
Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 5-EU Socket 1151
16GB Corsair DDR4 3000MHz 288 DIMM unbuffered
2x SSD je 525GB Cruicial MX300 2,5"

 

[newbert]

Thanks, Martin! Downloading now....

 

[newbert]

..... in particular WMR? If so, how do you access it?

Reason I ask is my Steam-based games use SteamVR, but WRC 8 isn't steam-based.

Just installed the game today and like what I see so far. I'd like it even more if it supports WMR, but if not, that's certainly not a deal-breaker for me.

Thanks!

 

[north]

No VR support.

 

[newbert]

No VR support.

OK - Thanks.

 

[Rally_1337]

It really is like using Steam in most aspects, just using a different service with a different interface.

Like Steam or Uplay when they where new, Epic launcher misses things like trophys, forums, workshop for mods, etc.

 

[Rally_1337]

Have you checked the energy saving options of your rig? Or is maybe some antivirus scanning?

 

[Rallycameraman]

Having said that, still the overall quality of stages in DR is much better, I'm just moaning about design choices. That long Wales stage in WRC8 for example is fantastic - you start at the seashore and big cliffs, then you climb more to the land, there are some fields, then you're into the woods, then lakes... The way terrain changes, not only foliage, it adds to that feel that you're actually moving from place to place.

That for me is reason enough not to buy WRC8. It doesn’t sound like Wales at all.

It sucks they can’t/won’t give us real world stages outside of the super specials. I want to drive on the same roads they do in the real WRC, roads I’ve driven myself too. Is it really too much to ask for?!

 

[Ho3n3r]

I'd never even heard of the Epic Store before the current WRC 8 exclusivity situation, much less purchased anything from there --- so how does WRC 8 work after purchasing?

Do you have to install some kind of "Epic" software (as a shell of some kind) to run WRC 8? Or will WRC 8 run in "standalone" ny itself (ie - Just create a shortcut for it, dbl-click and drive)?

If you need Epic software, is it a separate download/installation? Or does it download/install automatically when downloading/installing WRC 8?

Sorry for the ignorant questions, but I'd like to know the situation before purchasing WRC 8!

Thanks!

Same as Steam. Don't overthink it.

 

[Rally_1337]

Not discussing if it a smart move - for that you need to be privy to the details. Steam takes a big cut, EGS takes a smaller cut. Kylotonn games have not been big sellers on Steam, getting mediocre reviews at best. The move to EGS probably made sense for them.

Instead of making the game EGS exclusive, they could sell it also on Steam, but for a higher price in order to compensate the higher share Valve takes.

 

[Ruy Horta]

Instead of making the game EGS exclusive, they could sell it also on Steam, but for a higher price in order to compensate the higher share Valve takes.

So you think it is actually preferable that the consumer pays the difference in the name of choice?

...of course consumers will swallow that whole, not complain about price difference?!

I can already imagine the sweet response on the Steam forum about having to pay more than EGS buyers.

Of course maybe it is just me being cynical.

 

[evo1982]

Have you checked the energy saving options of your rig? Or is maybe some antivirus scanning?

Thanks man, it was my bitdefender antivirus, turned off the 'advanced threat scan' setting & the game runs perfectly

thanks again

 

[Rally_1337]

So you think it is actually preferable that the consumer pays the difference in the name of choice?

Of course not the perfect solution (this would be having the game on every store including GOG and retail for the same price), but still better compared to EGS only imho.

 

[KittX]

That for me is reason enough not to buy WRC8. It doesn’t sound like Wales at all.

It is happening over ~16km stage though, if it makes any difference. What is it apparently is a collection of some most key places of WRC stages, combined together into fantasy stages.

I do miss the natural stages from Rally Championship 2000 too.

 

[newbert]

Is it just me, or is the driving and/or the stages in WRC8 significantly more difficult than in DR2? Granted, I'm a less than mediocre rally/sim driver, but I find WRC 8 to be quite a bit tougher than DR2.

I'm not exactly sure why that is, but my impressions are:

a. WRC's stages seem to be narrower and less "forgiving" overall.
b. I find that the areas in shadow in WRC are VERY dark, making it difficult for me to see what's ahead. (Is there a way to brighten these areas up a bit?)

I'd be interested in hearing what others think about WRC8 vs DR2.

Also, which car/rally stage combo would you recommend for a lousy rallyer like me to start with?

Thanks!

 

[Nevini]

Does this game support TrackIR I cannot seem to find any information.

Thanks.

 

[testdriver77]

Got Wrc8 yesterday (26 Euro) i meanwhile drove several stages. At the moment i am not completly sure about the graphic.... on some stages it looks really good (Argentina, dont know the stage now, at evening).
Some other places look on some areas not so good but its acceptable......escpecially some trees. Dont know why. Maybe its a problem of settings on my rig.
Today ive figured out, that its better do use fullscreen boarderless instead fullscreen. Now it runs smooth.

The sound is quite good in WRC8. Some details are noticalbe like damaged brakes, or engine failures. Loose ground sounds alse good. But imo the sound onboard is little bit better in some cars then in DR2. This means that the DR2 sounds are not bad.
Ist hard to explain but to push the Hyundai through the stage is "feels" like the car has endless power and the car love to be pushed.

Physic of the car is under the level of DR2 but its not bad. Its much better then other WRC games. This is a big step. Its not perfect but its make lot of fun to hit the gas. Some stages are nice to drive fast and they are quite long.
I saw already some funny behavior of the car after a crash but DR2 is there on some situations not better.....
I like the potholes with water. Its funny to fly through them and this is what i miss in DR2.
Its strange but when you drive through waterspots/river the water do not splash on the windscree like in DR2. Not a big deal but would be better for immersion.

The tarmac stages are also good. Germany and Corsica has lot of cool areas.
Finland feels like to drive on a german autobahn Imo it seems to be too wide..... the DR-version of Finland is harder.

So at the moment its a quite good supplement? (hope its the right word for that) to DR2. As a DR2 driver you can jump in and have also lot of fun. I like it.

 

[Case_]

Like Steam or Uplay when they where new, Epic launcher misses things like trophys, forums, workshop for mods, etc.

Not for me it doesn't

(Especially Steam forums could go die in a fire right now and nothing of even remote value would be lost.)

 

[Sébastien Degraeve]

I just saw that a mod (RFPE) would be in preparation to improve the behavior of the car.

I don't know if you remember but it's the same team of developers that had released a similar mod on Dirt Rally 1.
https://www.racedepartment.com/downloads/dirt-rally-rfpe-mod.12130/

 

[Case_]

Some of the WRC8 stages can be kinda "crazy" regarding the width of the road and the general frequency of the corners and such (which I think is the result of the stages being fantasy tracks). The handling of the cars also can feel somewhat weird at times with a bit of "lag" in the steering or whatever it is, plus they launch into the air on various bumps quite easily. And the not-so-ideal FFB also doesn't help to feel the car.

But overall, even if DR2 is the superior game in every aspect IMO, WRC8 is actually fairly close, which is nice.