Project Gotham Racing 3 Designer Diary #1

Currently scheduled for release alongside the Xbox 360 console in November, Project Gotham Racing 3 is an ambitious racing game that will let you race through the streets of real-life cities such as London and Tokyo. The game will be among the first to really take advantage of the Xbox 360's new online features, and is undoubtedly Bizarre Creations' (Fur Fighters, Metropolis Street Racer) most ambitious title to date.

Big Ambitions

By Ben Ward
Web Developer

I've been working here for a few months now; I've been tasked with letting you guys know about what we're up to here in the studio. In between playing with fluffy bunny rabbits and annoying, busy developers, I write various articles about the game-creation process and how we're handling things. I'm also responsible for BizarreOnline.net--our new community portal. Anyway, down to business...

Bizarre Creations is a medium-sized video game developer based in the Northwest of England. We're probably best known for the Project Gotham Racing series on Microsoft's Xbox. PGR2 was the foremost thought in my mind when I attended my first interview at Bizarre. Having played the game for literally hundreds of hours since the UK launch day, I was looking forward to meeting those behind the game as much as the interview itself!

Fortunately, I was offered the job a few days after my second interview. Nice! A hectic weekend ensued, in which I packed up my entire life and relocated to the other end of the country in just three days! It was a massive change, but I was confident that the move was for the best, given the great impression I had of Bizarre so far.

I wasn't disappointed when I arrived for my first day at work--the developers here are incredibly talented, and it's humbling to be working alongside such experienced people. There's also a sense of modesty around the office; I think some of those at Bizarre don't realize exactly how successful their products have become! It sounds clichéd, but the people here really love what they do. From working late nights to chatting about mesh deformation systems around the water cooler, it's obvious that Bizarre employs those with a passion for video games first and foremost. You can see this in the studio's past titles, from Fur Fighters right up to PGR3 on the Xbox 360.

This passion for games goes all the way through the company, right to the top of the food chain. Martyn, the managing director, is also a designer in the company. When he's not in meetings discussing important things, he's huddled around a monitor, fine tuning everything from physics to interface buttons. For a business with 100 employees, finding time for the managing director to spend most of his working day with the development team is a miracle in motion.

Of course, the big news for me personally when I arrived at Bizarre was seeing PGR3 actually in development. At the time, the game was still top secret, but it was great to know that it was already many months into production by the time I arrived. I was eager to have a look at what was planned for the third game in the series, and as the guys explained some of the new features, I found I had to pick my jaw up off the floor! It was a little strange to jump into the timeline at such a late stage; I was being wowed by things that other people in the office had long since forgotten about.

When I first played PGR2 on the Xbox, I remember being impressed at the improvements it had made over its predecessor. It's as if the design team had made a checklist of all my issues with the first game, and addressed them in the sequel. Well, guess what? They seem to have done the same thing with the third game.

If you've been following the development of PGR3 at all, you probably already know some of the big features that the guys and gals at Bizarre Creations have been working hard to implement. They're not just here to make a sequel--as usual, they want to push the boundaries of what you'd expect from a PGR game, and from a next-gen console, too!

So here's a quick rundown of some of the main features of the game (although this is by no means an exhaustive list):

Gotham Racing – A real sport with real champions

Gotham Racing isn't just a game anymore, it's a real sport. From intense online rivalries to TV-style presentation, you'll be pulled into a convincing racing universe like never before. Become famous when you set the fastest lap, and watch as your replay is beamed around the world via Xbox Live.

Gotham TV, our unique online televised sport system, ensures that real heroes and villains emerge on the worldwide stage. You'll be kept up to date with all the happenings in the PGR3 universe, from your friends winning a race, right up to being alerted when a new tournament is about to start. Achieve global fame and recognition as you hone your skills over Xbox Live!

Earn Kudos and respect

You don't just get kudos for a simple slide any more. You'll get rated on several factors, making driving for Kudos in PGR3 more skillful than ever before. A completely reworked Kudos system ensures that Gotham Racing veterans will appreciate the new features, while newcomers will quickly find a way to express their driving skills.

All of your favourite maneuvers are still there, but many have been given added depth. For example, on a hairpin bend you'll get rated on your approach to the corner, the length and positioning of your turn around it, and the exit of the bend back onto the open road again. These three factors will add together to make Kudos in PGR3 a much more satisfying experience.

Life begins at 170mph

Each of the cars featured in PGR3 was chosen based on their ability to reach at least 170mph. We've got the most desirable supercars in the world, all modeled to extreme detail. You can even see the working speed dials and radio controls on the dashboards. The great thing about the car selection this time around is that, while we've got some fantastic automobiles, there is still a large variation between them.

But isn't this all too fast, I hear you say? Fret not; the "slowest" cars in the game are still not a patch on those in the top slots. There's plenty of variation in the cars, and indeed, in their handling styles and capabilities, too; except this time, they all go superfast! I'll address this in more detail in a future diary.

Race how you want

PGR3 doesn't force you to race cars or tracks you don't want to race; this time, you can approach the career mode how ever you wish. Stick with your favorite car if that's your preference--the game lets you play it how you want to--so you can buy your favorite supercar early on in your career and use it right through to the completion of the game if you wish. The decision is now yours to make, not the game designers.

If that's not enough for you, why not make your own tracks with the new Route Creator? Craft your own route through the cities, and challenge your friends on it over Xbox Live, or race artificial intelligence opponents offline. And there's plenty more exciting modes that we're not even allowed to talk about yet!

A new level of realism

When we say real cars in real environments, we're aiming as high as we can get! As you'd expect with the next generation of consoles, PGR3's graphics have been improved on all fronts, but to a level which sometimes amazes even us! The new standard is high-definition and Dolby 5.1, and we're no exception. Expect 720p graphics and full 5.1 surround sound, as well as widescreen support for those who want it. Don't worry if you don't have all of this newfangled technology in your living room, though... The team has been working hard to make PGR3 look absolutely excellent on a regular TV as well.

Make sure you come back for the next development diary. I'm going to be talking to people from all areas of development on the team, and if you want more info on the game, then you don't want to miss this!