FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage Q&A
We talk with producer Danny Rawles about the next-gen crash-'em-up from Bugbear.
It's crashes galore in this gameplay movie from FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage
The FlatOut series has established itself as the go-to destination for some of the biggest, most elaborate car crashes in video games. Need proof? Check out these numbers: 39 tracks, 12 cars on the track simultaneously, and 8,000 objects to crash into. Bugbear's latest entry in the FlatOut series is the upcoming FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage, a game that's based on the previous FlatOut 2 for the Xbox and PlayStation 2, but is being welcomed into the next generation of consoles with more visual flair, more online options, and more destructive power. For the full lowdown on the game, we recently chatted with Ultimate Carnage producer Danny Rawles about bringing the game to the Xbox 360, his favorite tracks in the game, and the challenge of creating compelling video game crashes.
GameSpot: What did you learn from the first two FlatOut games that has been applied to this version?
Danny Rawles: In FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage, we learned to focus a lot more on what we were trying to achieve and what type of game we wanted to produce. We also concentrated more on the gameplay, and made sure that not only should the game look fantastic, but also the gameplay should be more focused on carnage and complement the great technology and visuals. One of the key philosophies we used throughout was to ensure that the game was fun. We've also created the best [Xbox] Live experience in the FlatOut series by fine-tuning the existing game modes and including a few new ones.
GS: Beyond the obvious graphical upgrade, how does Ultimate Carnage differ from FlatOut 2 for the Xbox?
DR: We spent a lot of time creating a richer gameplay experience over FlatOut 2, and as such, we included a lot of new game modes. We had this idea of splitting the game in two for the single player, and thus created FlatOut Mode and Carnage Mode. FlatOut Mode is the slightly more serious side of the game; this is the championship career mode where you win points over a series of cups and classes, while buying and upgrading cars. There are around 15 hours' worth of gameplay within the game, depending on your skill level. The Carnage Mode offers more instant action and quick rewards played out over a series of individual challenges and events, but don't be fooled, it will still take you about 10 hours to complete it.
GS: What did the switch to the Xbox 360 allow you to do that you couldn't have done before?
DR: The most obvious thing is that the game now looks gorgeous thanks to the power of the 360. There are so many graphical advancements and techniques we've employed, I could go on forever listing them...but the key thing we set out to do was to make sure the subtitle "Ultimate Carnage" actually meant something. With the power of the 360, we increased the number of cars on track by 50 percent, from 8 to 12, and increased the number of persistent physical objects you can crash and interact with from around 5000 objects to 8000. Add in the real-time shadow maps for absolutely everything in the game (including all 8000 objects), the fully deformable, persistent damage model for every car with real-time environment mapping, and stunning water rendering with real-time reflections, and you start to realize there are very few racing games out there that can match FlatOut's visual and technical prowess.
GS: What modes are in the game and what can you do in them?
DR: Ultimate Carnage is absolutely jam-packed with content and variety; there is always something new for the player to experience or challenge themselves with because we have so much in there. The Carnage Mode offers up some really cool and interesting new modes such as Carnage Race, Deathmatch Derby, and Beat the Bomb. One of my personal favorites is the Carnage Race, where you are given a set amount of time to wreak as much carnage and destruction as possible, while wrecking as many opponents as you can in the process. It's kind of like a cross between a normal race and a Destruction Derby. It really is the epitome of "Ultimate Carnage," which is why I think it works so well. The Deathmatch Derbies are also great fun because we've now introduced a whole host of power-ups into the mode, and given the player a set amount of lives and a time limit, all within the confines of a small arena. Things get very messy very quickly! Of course there's also new stuff to play online as well, which I'll get to later...
GS: What new rag-doll physics games are there in this version?
DR: The rag-doll stunt games are actually adaptations of the games found in the previous FlatOut games. So all the old favorites are there, such as High Jump, Ring of Fire, Basketball, and Field Goal, to name just a few.
FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage Quick Links
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- GameSpot Score7.5good
Check Prices: $12.99 – 39.95
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FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage Official Movie 2
Take a look at this crazy footage of FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage.
- Aug 31, 2007
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- Empire Interactive
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- Release: Oct 2, 2007 »
- ESRB: Teen
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