Hands-on Sneak Preview: Project Cars 2
Project Cars 2 will deliver the “ultimate driver journey” with ground-breaking vehicle handling simulation, enhanced multiplayer functionality and dynamic, photo-realistic environments.
Just days before the 2017 Long Beach Grand Prix, CXC Simulations — a leading manufacturer of motion-based racing simulators — hosted its third VR Racing Night and treated guests to an exclusive preview of the upcoming Project Cars 2 video game.
Four Motion Pro II simulator rigs were paired with Oculus Rift headsets so drivers could be fully immersed in their digital racing experience. The 360-degree views, force-feedback components, and simulated g-forces transported you onto the track, allowing you to really feel what the car was doing and flirt with the limit of available grip. I put in a few laps behind the wheel of both an Acura NSX GT3 racecar and a Honda-powered INDYCAR, and the experience was unbelievable — I exited the simulator with sore forearms and an elevated heart-rate!
As someone who’s logged many hours into the original Project Cars, I was thrilled to sit down with Rod Chong, Chief Commercial Officer of Slightly Mad Studios, to chat about what’s new in Project Cars 2.
6SpeedOnline: What features are you most looking forward to showcasing?
Rod Chong: “We’re really excited about the updated tire models and handling of the cars. Project Cars 2 has really broken through to some new ground thanks to a technical partnership with Pirelli. Together with our in-house engineers and Pirelli’s expertise, we’ve unlocked incredible potential with our simulation, resulting in a real-world feeling that comes through in the handling of our cars. You can legitimately execute a drift and feel when the car’s approaching its limit.”
The attention to detail in Project Cars 1 was amazing. How have you enhanced the realism for Project Cars 2?
“There are now four seasons in the game, meaning you can race all the tracks in winter, spring, summer, and fall. We’ve also added a new rain/water run-off simulation that’s completely dynamic, which plays a big part in affecting grip on certain tracks where there might be dirt or gravel — the rain will form puddles in low areas and even turn dirt into mud for a completely different experience!”
Can we expect to see an expanded roster of car manufacturers and real-world tracks?
“Yes! We’ve secured a lot of new licenses for Project Cars 2, which means players will have access to a large number of new tracks, like Streets of Long Beach, as well as additional big-name automotive manufacturers — you can probably take a good guess at which brands we’re adding by comparing key German, Italian, and Japanese manufacturers that were missing from the first game.”
What goes in to faithfully recreating a complex track like Streets of Long Beach?
“We had a big team come out to Long Beach last year during the grand prix weekend, and shut down the roads in the middle of the night to laser scan the entire track. About 900 reference photos were taken, including some taken from a helicopter. We then combined and analyzed the photographs and laser scans to make a perfect recreation of Long Beach — everyone who’s tried it thinks it’s incredibly accurate.”
Anything else that the fans can look forward to in Project Cars 2?
“Oh, there’s so much to look forward to! There are a lot of new multiplayer and eSports functionalities so you can organize your own championships. We’ve also implemented a new licensing system for multiplayer so you can find people that drive just like you — if you’re a clean driver, you’ll be paired up with other similarly-skilled players so you can have a rewarding online experience and not get crashed out at the first corner.”
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We’re excited to have more seat time with Project Cars 2 in the near future. Look for Project Cars 2 to release later this year for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. In the meantime, brush up on your driving skills with Project Cars Game of the Year Edition.
