FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage Q&A

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.

GS: The best arcade racing games feature great tracks. Tell us about some of your favorite track designs in the game and what makes them so special.

DR: It's always hard to pick, with so many different environments and great tracks, but if I had to single out one, I'd say the LA storm-canal tracks. The tracks are fast, wide (especially the storm-drain sections), and have great alternate routes, which always keep the races interesting. Visually they look great as well, especially with the sunset lighting, which drenches the environment with a warm orange glow and creates long, soft shadows everywhere.

GS: What's new with Ultimate Carnage's multiplayer?

DR: As hinted at earlier, we've made sure the multiplayer Live play is as rich and inclusive as the single player. None of this "racing against other people's lap times/ghost cars" or "dead serious pixel-perfect racing," we're talking about the full-fat, full-monty, no-holds-barred FlatOut experience. Straight out of the box you can jump online and play up to eight players in any of the race, derby, or rag-doll stunt events. Nothing is watered down, nothing is turned off, the effects are all there, the objects are all there, full voice chat, the game looks just as gorgeous--and get this, it doesn't lag, and the frame rate remains solid throughout. We also have exclusive game modes online, such as the Head-On race mode whereby after completing a lap around the track, you have to turn 180 degrees and race back the way you came.

GS: What's the toughest thing about making a good video game crash?

DR: The toughest thing is making it look convincing. Making sure the hit detection is accurate and making sure that the resultant damage is what the player would expect to see in a real-world situation. This is why each and every one of our cars has a meticulously modeled damage-mesh with varying degrees of deformation and wear--from slightly scratched to completely mangled. There are around 40 deformable and breakable panels on each of the cars; these range from things like the doors, boots, bonnets, bumpers, etc. When subjected to enough force, these objects will be completely ripped off the cars.

Throw in some awesome particle effects such as glass shattering, debris thrown in the air, and sparks flying, and you start to build a picture of how accurate and detailed our crashes are in FlatOut. Not forgetting the physics engine that runs behind everything, a realistic crash won't look realistic unless the forces, mass, momentum, etc. aren't accurately calculated. Luckily for us, the bespoke physics engine handles all this in its stride without skipping a beat. And the thing to remember is that the damage is procedural and persistent. We don't reset the car damage as other racing games do, or fade anything anyway. If you crash your car (and you will) the car will get more and more damaged, right through until the end of the race. It's even possible to get so damaged that your car will catch fire and eventually explode, at which point it's game over! This is rare but can happen.

GS: A game like this lends itself to plenty of "oh snap" moments. Describe your favorite from this game as you've been working on it.

DR: Wow, there are so many, especially since our world and physics are persistent... You never quite know what you're going to see next. I've lost count of the amount of times I've said, "Damn, I've never seen that happen before!"

There is definitely one that I'll always remember, though, because it was just the most incredibly cheeky way to overtake another car I've ever seen in any racing game. There were a pack of cars racing through a barn; I was tussling with the car in front of me when I smashed into one of the wooden barn doors on the exit. The door landed on the car in front at an angle creating a ramp. Luckily I had enough nitro to boost up the ramp and jump over the top of him. It was one of those open-mouth moments where I couldn't quite believe what had happened, sheer genius, but something that will never be repeated again even if I tried it a million times. I kept that one on looped replay for a while, showing as many people as possible in the office. Damn, if only we had savable replays.

GS: What's the future like for the FlatOut series? What elements would you like to see in a "dream" version of the game that haven't been implemented yet?

DR: The future is looking very good for FlatOut. We've already launched in Europe to rave reviews and exceptional consumer feedback. We're soon to launch in North America, and we have FlatOut on the PSP in the final stages of development. All that carnage and mayhem on PSP, it's just amazing what the guys have managed to squeeze out of the system. There are loads of ideas and "dream" ideas for future versions, but right now I'm keeping tight-lipped about them.

GS: Thanks for your time, Danny.