One of my first forays into PC gaming was Test Drive 3. I remember spending countless hours of my youth smashing into stray deer roaming through through the countryside, out running the police--and fiddling with that stupid anti-piracy wheel key the game shipped with. Despite that one failing, Test Drive 3 is a game I have fond memories of, but for whatever reason, I haven't done more than read up on iterations of the series that have become available since that time long, long ago.
At E3, however, I got the chance at a hands-on demonstration of Eden Studios' upcoming Test Drive Unlimited, and while brief, it caused many of those chipper memories to come, ah, racing back. I recently conducted an interview with Ahmed Boukhelifa, the producer of Test Drive Unlimited, to find out more about this multi-platform racer.
Shack: How many licensed vehicles are available in TDU? Are there different types (e.g., cars, motorcycles) and what sets each apart from the others? Please list some examples of "name brand" cars along with some of their attributes.
Ahmed Boukhelifa: At launch, we'll feature 90 cars on the DVD. Each car is as unique as the manufacturer: Test Drive Unlimited will be offering everything from the world-record speed holder Koenigsegg to the popular mainstream muscle car, the Ford GT. We're also offering rare vintage classics never before seen in video games, and right down to colors offered, each car will be a perfect representative of its real-world counterpart.
Shack: How do you go about acquiring new vehicles?
Ahmed Boukhelifa: We've made that option as customizable as the rest of the game, which says a lot. You can race for pinks, you can trade or purchase via Xbox Live, you can accrue enough cash to purchase outright from dealerships on the island - it's really up to the person playing the game. The Test Drive Unlimited Stock Exchange is where it all happens.
Shack: How customizable is each car? Has the dev team aimed for realism, or can I go all out as long as I have the funds/imagination?
Ahmed Boukhelifa: Each car is fully customizable as it relates to its real world counterpart. The upgrades you select for performance (you will not be able to physically modify your vehicle) will be straight out of the manufacturer's catalogue. If you have the cash to soup up your ride's engine, you'll be able to purchase the exact upgrades as you would in the real world.
Shack: How about character customization? Basics, or all-out?
Ahmed Boukhelifa: All-out for sure. Right down to how big you want your ears. For me, it's all about a Magnum P.I. mustache and a Testarossa. (It's Hawaii!) There are serious clothing options too.
Shack: Tell us about the multiplayer aspect of the game. How does it work? Meaning, how do I challenge another player for a race, what else is there to do besides race other drivers, etc. Also, tell us some about the island the game takes place on.
Ahmed Boukhelifa: The multiplayer functions in the game are truly next-gen. When you're online and out cruising on the island, you'll be able to locate other racers by the red dots on the Oahu map. Those dots are other racers and where they are on the island. You can challenge, or be challenged, by anyone on the island or, additionally, if you want to set preferences so that you only see a cars/racers that match your set preferences, you are able to do so.
As far as the island - it's Oahu, baby! We mapped out everything we possibly could to include in the game. That includes: real landmarks, parks, roads, buildings, etc. We removed dead ends and smaller roads for game continuity, but the scenery on the island is as close as possible to the real thing and it includes over 1,000 miles of roads to race on.
Shack: Tell us about Challenges: the varieties, the rewards... everything!
Ahmed Boukhelifa: There are a total of 45 achievements in the game including solo challenges, collections of cars, bikes, clothes and houses. There are also level changes according to your score, and as you progress you can unlock new features (photo mode, game mode, editor mode, etc) You can also unlock new challenges in game mode.
Obviously we have the expected challenges of Time, (be the fastest from A to B), Speed (reach the maximum speed), and finally Race (be the first to finish.) There are so many options for the challenges, i.e. – whether you can limit vehicles, have cops or not, or implement specific rules to the race like “last one standing” etc.
Every challenge will have a specific ranking: per week, month, overall, etc. as well as general rankings. Every solo and multiplayer challenge is ranked, and overall aggregated rankings are also available. There will also be themed competitions, of which the info will be sent via the ingame mailbox.
To create a Challenge, you’ll use the “challenge editor” and choose the type you want (time or speed), you’ll edit your parameters (Traffic, cops, entry conditions), you’ll set your path on the island, set the entry fee and reward, set a name for the challenge and go from there. There are more options, but that’s the general idea.
Shack: How does the police system in the game work? What I mean is, is it GTA-style where the more bad stuff I do, the more heat I'll bring down? Also, are there times when the police will not chase you down, or are they always on the lookout for law breakers?
Ahmed Boukhelifa: Speeding around Oahu is fun, but can bring unwanted police attention. Police vehicles will give chase if the player is speeding, and will give fines if caught. The fine is deducted immediately from the playerÂ’s money. Police are either parked alongside the road or are patrolling their streets. The player can outrun the police. They will give up the chase and return to their previous location. The player has a radar detector that warns of nearby police. Police vehicles also appear on the map.
Shack: What I enjoyed most about the E3 demo of TDU I was given was that some standard racing game mechanics seem to have been simplified. For example, when I crashed and went off-road, I was able to simply press 'Back' on the 360 controller to instantly right my car. What else has been done (and if not to the gameplay, then to the game as a whole) to make certain busy work go away?
Ahmed Boukhelifa: We made the map interface easy to navigate, because if you got lost or turned around and the map was complicated, it would take several minutes to figure out where you were on the island - which can cost you valuable time and possibly cash if you were in a race.
Shack: With TDU, was the goal to develop an arcade or simulation racer? Perhaps something in-between? Did you meet your goal(s), and if so, how were they accomplished?
Ahmed Boukhelifa: Our goal was to create the ultimate racing game for next-gen gameplay. Test Drive Unlimited is a great hybrid of both concepts mentioned, as it's as much a lifestyle/sim game as it is an awesome racing game. We started out with our ideal place to race, added our ideal racing set up and also wanted to create a game where your character was as much alive as the gamers playing the game. We are confident that what we're delivering to the market is a seriously fun and addictive title that blurs several genres of games and becomes a must-have title for any gamer.
Shack: What can you tell us in the way of how the game will upgraded/expanded upon over time? Will there be new cars, challenges, etc. available over Xbox Live or other net connections?
Ahmed Boukhelifa: We plan to utilize marketplace for several aspects of the game, one of which I can tell you will be car packs. We also plan to offer more music via Marketplace, but as for who or what types, I won't say just yet.
Shack: Thanks for your time! Anything else you'd like to add?
Ahmed Boukhelifa: See you in Oahu. Bring your best racing skills, because you're going to need them.
