View Full Version : The end of an era...
The Project CARS franchise will cease to exist:
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/ea-dropping-project-cars
Sum Dixon-Ear
08-11-2022, 13:06
Not just the pC franchise.. but the entire SMS team has been disbanded and scattered to the four winds. What a truly sad day.
Sum Dixon-Ear
08-11-2022, 13:18
I want to thank every last person who was with SMS for bringing me the greatest racing series I've ever played, I'll miss the old girl more than I can express into words.
And, of course, the community and Mods who made this such a suitably Mad and fun place to discuss all things Project CARS and way beyond.
It really is the end of a glorious era, I'm just glad to have been a tiny part of that.
As you drive off into the sunset one last time, thanks for the cherished memories.. gone but never forgotten...
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^^^ nice screenshot :D
It's a very sad end to something that has been a part of my life for 11 years now. Of course, I still have the games on my PC, I can play them whenever I want. I can still get a buzz from seeing my screenshots 'in the wild'. I will still have all the friends I've made along the way. But a little light in my life has just been switched off and that makes it a very sad day indeed.
I hope all of the team can be relocated to jobs they can continue to enjoy doing, they were (in the most part) a fantastic bunch of people. Except Tom and his stupid baseball caps :D .
Sum Dixon-Ear
08-11-2022, 14:01
^^^ nice screenshot :D
I had my suspicions.. I hoped it would have been your's.. nobody else ever captured the spirit of pC quite like you Cluck.
I was but one of many that did the franchise proud in that regard (yes, I am blowing my own trumpet - let's face it, we all would if we could). I never gelled with the photo mode in pCARS3, which is why I think I took barely a dozen shots with it. I went back to pCARS1 and boy does that feel inferior now. pCARS2 seriously nailed it, IMHO, in terms of the tools it put in our hands, despite the little graphic engine gremlins at times. We also have the late, great Roger Prynne to thank for starting the amazing screenshot thread in here, the one that I probably spent more hours in than would be otherwise classed as 'healthy'.
I cannot stress how important to my life this franchise has been. I am going to Le Mans for a 2nd time with people I met through WMD, then league racing. As I said to a few of them just now, in one of our Whatsapp groups, the pCARS franchise may have come to an end but our friendships will continue for far FAR longer. There are a lot of people across the world that owe new friendships to this franchise and, for that, everybody that worked at SMS should be very bloody proud of themselves.
I will cherish my time in WMD (1 and 2), and everything that followed, for a very long time, which is why I really do wish everybody at SMS, past and present, all the best.
https://twitter.com/slightlymadteam/status/1589988617120022529?t=I-XrQN8MNeea-74Ew9P8pQ&s=19
Sum Dixon-Ear
08-11-2022, 14:35
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It's just unbelievable and hard to comprehend...
Sum Dixon-Ear
08-11-2022, 14:41
It is.. so many wonderful memories.. it will take a long time to fully sink in that this is the end.
"Be careful what you wish for" springs to mind... I remember how some wished Pc3 would fail to the extent that SMS had to change direction again.
Guess what?
They changed direction allright...
:(
c172fccc
08-11-2022, 15:30
Really sad :(
Shaadum59
08-11-2022, 15:30
A big thank you to EA. Thank you Forza and NFS. Games that bore me to death today, but that bring in a lot of money with their open world - gamepass obliges - and the thousands (millions) of casu players that will generate funds.
That's what video game racing is all about today. An open world however bland, teenage driving and a weekly follow up to get you to turn on your console every day.
"We are focusing $$$ on our strengths in our $$$ racing portfolio, particularly licensed IP and $$$ open-world $experiences$, and expanding our franchises to be more $$$$ socially-led with long-term $$$ live services that will $$ engage $$ global $$$ communities.$$$$ "" EA said.
I am very saddened by this news. What will be left, seriously...
Sum Dixon-Ear
08-11-2022, 15:48
Yeah.. thanks a bunch EA...
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RyokoMaruyama
08-11-2022, 17:08
It's very strange to me that PCARS1 and 2 got delisted so close to each other, when other games that get delisted due to licensing go down with a year or two of space. What's more strange was that apparently PCARS1 was up on the Steam store until yesterday.
All of this is really fishy, and Ian Bell probably had no idea that this would happen to the extent that it did. Perhaps it was a threat to comply to the live service model that Skate and The Sims did?
Also, it would be nice if anyone uploaded the WMD builds for 1 and 2 just for archive's sake, since the IP is pretty much dead in the water now. RIP.
Uploading the WMD builds would land that person in deep water, legally. I used to keep hold of the early builds, that we had to manually download from SMS, for pCARS1 but have long-since deleted them as I figured the authentication servers would have long-since been shut down. Same goes for the Steam builds, they needed to go through an auth server to start. Yes, I'm sure somebody could patch around that, but that would be as much an infringement as uploading the files in the first place.
Dammit! :dispirited:
I hope that the guys are poached by Ian or EA/Codies WRC team, at least.
RyokoMaruyama
08-11-2022, 18:19
This gets more and more questionable by the second. This was clearly not done in good faith.
It came pretty much out of the blue for the staff as well...
It's very strange to me that PCARS1 and 2 got delisted so close to each other, when other games that get delisted due to licensing go down with a year or two of space. What's more strange was that apparently PCARS1 was up on the Steam store until yesterday.
All of this is really fishy, and Ian Bell probably had no idea that this would happen to the extent that it did. Perhaps it was a threat to comply to the live service model that Skate and The Sims did?
Also, it would be nice if anyone uploaded the WMD builds for 1 and 2 just for archive's sake, since the IP is pretty much dead in the water now. RIP.
Keep in mind there are two different publishers involved here. Bandai Namco is responsible for pulling PC1 and PC2 from the stores. They own that IP. EA is responsible for shacking PC4.
EmilGlockner
08-11-2022, 18:30
Farewell, pCARS! It has been an awesome time. Thank you, Slightly Mad Studios!
Cholton82
08-11-2022, 18:31
PCars 1 was the game that got me into Sim racing , When PC2 came along I don’t think I played another game for a year.
When the 3rd came out I gave it a hard pass and stuck with PC2 and made the move to PC.
Forever grateful for those two games and the hundreds of hours of fun playing them.
Hope all those employees find work
Sum Dixon-Ear
08-11-2022, 18:37
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Gutted, devastated, frustrated, yet not really surprised.
I hate how most publishers don’t think Sim can sell. EA could’ve grown their own big Forza, GT competitor… But chose to stay with the arcadey casual racers. I think PC4 had a higher sales upside than those same arcade racers, but you would have to show a little trust. I wish the team could go independent, what a frustrating ending to a brilliant development team.
MaximusN
08-11-2022, 19:18
Very bad news. Although I'm wondering if the engine can still be licensed and/or improved upon. I guess not so our(/my) only hope ex-SMS people will flock to Reiza and build AMS2 into something (more)awesome. Not sure about the details of the deal, but I guess an AMS3(or something else even by Reiza) would need a new deal to be done and I don't think EA would bite.
Also wondering what Ian has planned(and was able to negotiate when leaving) as he must have seen this coming a mile away. I really hope it s something about being allowed to use the engine if abandoned.
I'm still hopeful, but EA is on my avoid-if-possible-list for now.
Very bad news. Although I'm wondering if the engine can still be licensed and/or improved upon. I guess not so our(/my) only hope ex-SMS people will flock to Reiza and build AMS2 into something (more)awesome. Not sure about the details of the deal, but I guess an AMS3(or something else even by Reiza) would need a new deal to be done and I don't think EA would bite.
Per Ian's Twitter comments a while back, it sounds like Ian hired back the original group that moved with him from SimBin to Blimey!, to SMS.
Sad news, Pcars 1 was my first sim and this license will remain special to me.
I hope Assetto Corsa 2 will be great, I was expecting PC4 and AC2 in 2024, now it’s just AC2 !
Uploading the WMD builds would land that person in deep water, legally. I used to keep hold of the early builds, that we had to manually download from SMS, for pCARS1 but have long-since deleted them as I figured the authentication servers would have long-since been shut down. Same goes for the Steam builds, they needed to go through an auth server to start. Yes, I'm sure somebody could patch around that, but that would be as much an infringement as uploading the files in the first place.
I might have kept a couple...
How early would you like....
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and a few more....
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Olijke Poffer
09-11-2022, 06:33
RIP Pcars. It made me love sim racing. Still my favourite game to play. Sad news.
Just read about this now on IGN dot com. Sad to hear.
Shame really, as i was looking forward to seeing what sort of beast Project Cars 4 would become. Although looking at some of Ian's twitter posts Konan has shared in here, i'm hopeful this won't be the end. And the team will re-form possibly under a new name, and continue where they left off.
Strongly convinced now that EA is actually a real version of Kirby. (Yes, the same round, pink Kirby character from the Nintendo games)
Inhales everything, keeps it's good parts/powers, and spits out the unwanted remains. Surprised EA hasn't also poached Kirby from Nintendo, to use as a company mascot.
It was Project Cars 2 that led to me getting involved in an online racing league with a group of local AUS & NZ people for a few years. Something i never thought i'd do, cause i thought i'd be rubbish at it. But, fun times were had.
Especially when we'd do our pre-season test events or off-season mess around social races. RX Lites in the snow for Christmas, etc..
Anyway, like others, i just want to say thank you to the SMS team and everyone else involved, for creating 2 awesome racing games in the form of Project Cars 1 and 2. Even though there's still a glitch/bug on the Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4, where a small part of the headlight model is out of alignment with the rest of the mesh.
PostBox981
09-11-2022, 19:21
Gutted, devastated, frustrated, yet not really surprised.
I hate how most publishers don’t think Sim can sell. EA could’ve grown their own big Forza, GT competitor… But chose to stay with the arcadey casual racers. I think PC4 had a higher sales upside than those same arcade racers, but you would have to show a little trust. I wish the team could go independent, what a frustrating ending to a brilliant development team.
This is what I never understood - PC2 can be toned down to arcade level if you so wish, with racing line, auto-brakes, damage off, fuel consumption off, tyre wear off etc. The perfect sim that offered both - sim and arcade at the same time. The perfect Jack of all trades. Seems like people didn´t understand. Such a shame.
John Hargreaves
09-11-2022, 19:56
I'm starting to get the feeling that maybe Ian's not all that keen on EA.
Also thinking it may be mutual and that someone at EA has been out to get SMS since the Shift days.
Although I'm afraid I have no evidence other than the voices in my head.
He probably got a lot of money from EA. After a break he must be keen on making a new company and a PC4 called GTR revolution.
As long as we get a good sim, it’s OK.
Maybe they're not happy about Ian starting a new project the minute the embargo was lifted?
Because if they consider sales of both pCARS 1 and 2, there is no way imo that they would come to the conclusion the franchise is dead... It does make one wonder about other motives.
And i think many will see it that way...
John Hargreaves
09-11-2022, 20:38
Project CARS franchise went from nothing to being a major IP over just a few years, never felt that dead to me.
Sum Dixon-Ear
09-11-2022, 21:22
Part of EA's statement reads - "Following an evaluation of the next Project CARS title and its longer-term growth potential, we have made the decision to stop further development and investment for the franchise."
Hmmm.. considering what has been said elsewhere stating that the next version was going to be something "very special" and that the long-term growth potential of the series was pretty much down to EA themselves (through investment, PR and advertising).. it certainly casts doubt upon their motives and any commitments to SMS and the pCARS franchise.
I think their entire statement can be translated thus - "We did this out of spiteful revenge and could not care less about the harm this will cause to actual people's lives nor the wider racing community, so f*ck you!"
John Hargreaves
09-11-2022, 22:27
PC franchise would give EA its own Gran Turismo/Forza Motorsport - I'm sure those two have found a niche audience over the years. Definitely something afoot in this story, I may be biased but it makes little objective sense to kill off such a respected brand. EA do have form on doing this though.
I'm starting to get the feeling that maybe Ian's not all that keen on EA.
Well, this wasn't that many years ago: https://wccftech.com/slightly-mads-ian-bell-outraged-ea/
Sum Dixon-Ear
09-11-2022, 23:50
PC franchise would give EA its own Gran Turismo/Forza Motorsport - I'm sure those two have found a niche audience over the years. Definitely something afoot in this story, I may be biased but it makes little objective sense to kill off such a respected brand. EA do have form on doing this though.
I installed Project CARS 2 on my PS5 for the first time yesterday, along with my relatively new DD Pro.. I haven't played it in around 2 years now. I've been focused on GT7 since it's launch and find it a lot of fun.. an incredibly well polished game, lovely to look at and plenty of content. ACC really doesn't float my boat whatsoever, so GT was my only go-to native PS5 title.
I started a new pC2 career and chose the Ginetta contract.. it completely blew me away.. the physics, the subtle nuances and detail within the FFB, Livetrack, the sounds, the HUD, the sheer depth of choices in set-ups and button assignments and the fantastic Fanatec support despite me running in 'legacy mode' on the wheel. I cannot stop playing it again now, with a renewed appreciation for everything great about the title.. and just experiencing the sheer joy in driving on the limit.
I honestly doubt whether I can ever enjoy GT7 again after this.. it just feels so sterile.. so numb.. almost too polished in comparison.
It breaks my heart that I will never see a Project CARS 4 now. I pray that any further games from the old SMS team might, somehow, make it to console.. but I fear that may be nothing more than a pipe dream.
Damn you EA.. damn you.
satco1066
10-11-2022, 01:22
the thing is, last gen consoles were to weak for pCARS2.
I was one of the few XBox testers as WMD member and it was unplayable with my xbox one s.
On XBox series X and PS5 it runs very well afaik
Sum Dixon-Ear
10-11-2022, 01:55
I disagree... the game played, in general, very well on PS4.. it really ran beautifully on the PS4 Pro with Boost Mode enabled. It could bog down a bit under certain weather conditions etc.. but never 'unplayable'. On PS5 it runs perfectly, but graphically it is obviously a last gen title.
Assetto Corsa on console, on the other hand, was an absolute mess until the Pro's Boost Mode allowed it to generally hit 60fps. The same was true with ACC, the performance was woeful until the optimised PS5 version was released.
Last gen Xboxes were notoriously weak consoles so I can quite believe that your experience with pC2 was somewhat substandard.
I'm starting to get the feeling that maybe Ian's not all that keen on EA.
Also thinking it may be mutual and that someone at EA has been out to get SMS since the Shift days.
Although I'm afraid I have no evidence other than the voices in my head.
Well, this wasn't that many years ago: https://wccftech.com/slightly-mads-ian-bell-outraged-ea/
Lol, i was just about to post that same article. I only found it a few nights ago, while searching for something else P-Cars related.
I disagree... the game played, in general, very well on PS4.. it really ran beautifully on the PS4 Pro with Boost Mode enabled. It could bog down a bit under certain weather conditions etc.. but never 'unplayable'. On PS5 it runs perfectly, but graphically it is obviously a last gen title.
Assetto Corsa on console, on the other hand, was an absolute mess until the Pro's Boost Mode allowed it to generally hit 60fps. The same was true with ACC, the performance was woeful until the optimised PS5 version was released.
Last gen Xboxes were notoriously weak consoles so I can quite believe that your experience with pC2 was somewhat substandard.
I've heard the game in general is quite dark on PS5, both from various people on here and a friend who tried it on his PS5. Which is why i won't bother installing P-Cars 2 on mine.
But yeah, i agree with you. It ran really well on PS4, and i just have the regular non-pro PS4. And i do still use my PS4 for things, so if i need to i can play it on that.
Sum Dixon-Ear
10-11-2022, 14:18
I've heard the game in general is quite dark on PS5, both from various people on here and a friend who tried it on his PS5. Which is why i won't bother installing P-Cars 2 on mine.
But yeah, i agree with you. It ran really well on PS4, and i just have the regular non-pro PS4. And i do still use my PS4 for things, so if i need to i can play it on that.
Shadows can look very dark at times, especially while in the garage.. but I find that recalibrating the in-game HDR helps a lot. The game does seem to suffer some contrast issues on PS5 without adjustments to saturation.. this was also apparent with PC3. Manually disabling HDR on the PS5 fixed any over-saturation issues with PC3... but doesn't really work with PC2. On track it actually looks very bright and vibrant.. if anything I'm tempted to tone down the colour saturation a wee bit.
EDIT : I just tried a few in-game Visual FX tweaks.. and switching off Post Processing Filters and setting Exposure Compensation to the maximum has improved the general brightness and contrast of the game quite a lot.
https://traxion.gg/original-project-cars-creator-trying-to-re-hire-ea-team/
Well, this wasn't that many years ago: https://wccftech.com/slightly-mads-ian-bell-outraged-ea/
But wasn't that water under the bridge? Didn't he say recently, when EA acquired Codemasters that this was a thing with the "old" EA bad guys, while the new guys at EA are good people and he had a lot of trust and respect for them?
John Hargreaves
10-11-2022, 19:59
What will become of this forum I wonder? It would be a great shame if it went the same way as SMS.
Same as with the discord, undetermined ATM...
Sum Dixon-Ear
10-11-2022, 20:17
What will become of this forum I wonder? It would be a great shame if it went the same way as SMS.
Hopefully it manages to fly under the radar of our new overlords.. I'm sure we'll find out soon enough.
With any luck the community hub can stay intact.. I mean, unlike Ian, nobody on here has ever called EA monopolistic, money-grabbing, unscrupulous, heartless ghouls without a semblance of care for the gamers who actually make them obscenely rich. That would never do... ;O)
John Hargreaves
10-11-2022, 21:04
Does EA even know this forum exists? It feels like a lovely forgotten corner of the internet, and that's why we like it here.
Ssssshhhhhh, you'll wake them up
Sum Dixon-Ear
10-11-2022, 23:00
Ssssshhhhhh, you'll wake them up
Uh oh...
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Javaniceday
11-11-2022, 03:59
I wonder if we'll ever get the full story of what happened with pc3, Bandai Namco's contract, the sale to Codies and to EA, to Ian's departure, etc, etc.
What will become of this forum I wonder? It would be a great shame if it went the same way as SMS.
Unfortunately this forum almost died with PC3.
Look at this thread, 6 pages at the moment, 3 years ago we’d be at page 60.
The forum was getting quieter well before pCARS3 launched anyway, once support for pCARS2 ended and there was no sign of any further updates. Combined with people drifting off to other games or new pursuits in life - a number of people in our league, for example, packed up sim racing for good well before pCARS3 came out - and the poor reception to pCARS3 amongst those hoping it would be a 'sequel' to pCARS2 (as the name would suggest it would be), you had the 'perfect storm' of a forum in decline. But like the famous Norwegian Blue parrot, the forum never died, it just rested.
With no future for Project CARS on the horizon, the chances of this forum surviving are pretty slim it's sad to say. It costs money to host it and sooner or later somebody is going to spot that expenditure and say "is this really necessary?" and the plug will get pulled. I'd love to see the powers that be have some common sense and just leave this forum, but common sense wouldn't have seen SMS shuttered by EA. There is so much history on this forum, as there was on the old WMD forums, that will be lost forever, such is the volatility of our digital lives now. It's a real shame as I'm sure there are many that have some very happy memories of some of their time on this forum. The one thing it can't take away is the real friendships some of us have made.
Sum Dixon-Ear
11-11-2022, 12:24
With no future for Project CARS on the horizon, the chances of this forum surviving are pretty slim it's sad to say. It costs money to host it and sooner or later somebody is going to spot that expenditure and say "is this really necessary?" and the plug will get pulled.
That may depend on whether the vBulletin contract was a one-off payment or requires a monthly sub. We might indeed be nothing more than a dusty old relic.. lost beneath the digital floorboards, forgotten and neglected, for all eternity.
And, yes, it would be terribly sad to lose all the history and resources accumulated on here.. I've certainly enjoyed my time interacting with the community... however, I doubt very much whether that sentiment is reciprocated whatsoever.
I have heard of cherished, lifetime friendships being made by many through this forum and the Project CARS franchise in general.. sadly, nobody has ever befriended me as I'm just an annoying Scottish c*** (you can fill in the blanks).
But the domain name has to be handled and this forum exists on a server somewhere that, presumably, is costing a bit of money to keep running. That's why I worry that, at some point, somebody is going to notice and no matter how small an amount, it's an amount that they will see as redundant :( . We'll find out, no doubt, at some point.
I remender we had a great time during Pcars 1 alpha and beta. Week after week the physics were changing and we could play online together and share our feelings in this forum. Good old times.
@Ian, make a wmd with open membership for your next game, whatever you name it.
That may depend on whether the vBulletin contract was a one-off payment or requires a monthly sub. We might indeed be nothing more than a dusty old relic.. lost beneath the digital floorboards, forgotten and neglected, for all eternity.
And, yes, it would be terribly sad to lose all the history and resources accumulated on here.. I've certainly enjoyed my time interacting with the community... however, I doubt very much whether that sentiment is reciprocated whatsoever.
I have heard of cherished, lifetime friendships being made by many through this forum and the Project CARS franchise in general.. sadly, nobody has ever befriended me as I'm just an annoying Scottish c*** (you can fill in the blanks).
Not all Scotts are like that though, my friend Savoury for example can come over as a typical Scottish c*** sometimes,but it's mostly a front he keeps like many of us do.
Don't ask him though, because he'll deny it...
;)
Sum Dixon-Ear
11-11-2022, 16:35
TBH I doubt whether that is a front, Konan.. we Scots have taken up being c***s as our national sport... ever since we discovered just how bad we are at football.
John Hargreaves
11-11-2022, 17:53
Yeah I would be genuinely sad to see this forum go, especially the way it currently is with just a few of us bumbling around. I still check in here most days (a habit I started in 2011 and never kicked) and read the few new posts and there is always something going on, but it lacks all the bitching and bickering you see in every other place on the internet. It did get a bit hot round the PC3 release I'll give you that, but for a long time now it's been a quiet civilised corner of the internet.
I see many of my chums here pop up in other forums from time to time, but there's nowhere quite like this one.
Sum Dixon-Ear
11-11-2022, 22:40
... It did get a bit hot round the PC3 release I'll give you that...
Did it, what on Earth happened?
I lead a very sheltered and innocent life.. I shy away from any kind of conflict.. even mild disagreements get me terribly upset.
Glad I missed it all TBH.
John Hargreaves
11-11-2022, 22:50
Yeah you wouldn't have liked it, some of the people were a little bit disappointed and sometimes were even a little bit unkind :rolleyes:
Sum Dixon-Ear
11-11-2022, 23:09
Good Lord.. I'd have just...
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Sum Dixon-Ear
12-11-2022, 00:11
Feels so good to be sitting behind the rig with all the accessories working again.. been too long..
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David Wright
12-11-2022, 13:07
This is sad news. I worked with many in this team back when they were Blimey! Games making GTR2, and prior to this I worked with Gustavo on mods for GPL. They are a very talented team and I hope they find re-employment with other developers.
While it is easy to blame EA for all this and of course they have this track record, I do feel Ian Bell should also take some responsibility. If you look at SMSs last three releases, Fast & Furious, Project Cars 3 and Project Cars Go, they were all disasters. This wasn't EAs fault or even Codies fault. All three titles were initiated and largely developed when SMS was independent
IMO PC4 was always going to be a very difficult sell. Hard-core sim racing titles rely heavily on what I would term credibility. Few of us have driven a racing car so we are not fully equipped to judge the realism of a racing sim. We need persuading that a racing game is realistic. A "guru" behind a franchise such as Dave Kaemmer, Aris or Niels with a long and unbroken track record in sim racing is a huge plus. Project Cars always suffered for credibility because very few linked SMS with GTR2, but instead with Shift. Nevertheless Project Cars did carve out a fanbase. However, when PC3 was developed, Ian largely ignored this fanbase, presumably hoping to attract a new larger fanbase. And he then compounded this by marketing PC3 to the PC2 fanbase as full sim. Having tried to sell PC3 as a full racing sim, selling PC4, even to PC2 fans would be very hard. Once you lose credibility its very hard to get it back.
Sum Dixon-Ear
12-11-2022, 14:20
While it is easy to blame EA for all this and of course they have this track record, I do feel Ian Bell should also take some responsibility. If you look at SMSs last three releases, Fast & Furious, Project Cars 3 and Project Cars Go, they were all disasters. This wasn't EAs fault or even Codies fault. All three titles were initiated and largely developed when SMS was independent
On the other hand, Ian has always been an innovator and not afraid to try and bring new things to the genre. F&F, PC3 and PC GO were all attempts to break new ground, widen the sim racing genre and, hopefully, allow the studio to expand into mobile gaming, adventure games and even more 'sim-lite' titles.
If Ian was afraid of taking on hugely risky, innovative products then Project CARS would never have existed in the first place. You can't have one without the other I'm afraid.
He's made a hugely succesful career for himself and will go down in gaming history.. and rightly so. Too many on here choose to characterise him as a failure, when the exact opposite is fact.
Personally, I applaud him for all of his endeavours, successful or not.
Yeah I would be genuinely sad to see this forum go, especially the way it currently is with just a few of us bumbling around. I still check in here most days (a habit I started in 2011 and never kicked) and read the few new posts and there is always something going on, but it lacks all the bitching and bickering you see in every other place on the internet. It did get a bit hot round the PC3 release I'll give you that, but for a long time now it's been a quiet civilised corner of the internet.
I see many of my chums here pop up in other forums from time to time, but there's nowhere quite like this one.
Same here. I'd also be sad to see this forum disappear.
I've enjoyed becoming part of this lit.. well, not so little community over the years.
Olijke Poffer
13-11-2022, 08:39
Same here. I'd also be sad to see this forum disappear.
I've enjoyed becoming part of this lit.. well, not so little community over the years.
2nd that m8. It has become a part of my life.
Manuel Pauli
13-11-2022, 17:39
Then I say goodbye quietly too. The WMD era will always have a special place in my heart
RacingTopsy
14-11-2022, 00:18
To me the WMD period will always be a time I will fondly remember, I've made many good friends and learnt a lot, got a wonderful experience and insights. I've just realised that these 10.something years I've been here currently make up more than 1/3 of my life and I've 'grown up'* during this.
In my brain I always thought of pcars as a happy place where I sometime can turn back to and devote more time to again, when I have some spare, but that is not an option more and it's in a way harder to come to terms with that than you'd initially think.
I'm very glad I've made the friends that I've made and would not ever have met otherwise and all the good times I've had here and with them elsewhere, thank you SMS! :)
*ahem
ckleanth
14-11-2022, 00:20
New member here. I got the game last year during lockdown and it kept me and some of my mates entertained racing each other on the PS5/PS4.
(I did buy PC3 and what pita that is compared to PC2...)
I know EA has pulled the plug on PC4.. and there were no updates on PC2 for some time however they have not said they will pull the plug on PC2 have they?
The Automobilista and Automobilista 2 engine was made with the SMS MADNESS Engine (well now EA engine). I have no idea about Automobilista 3 and what engine they think of using but hopefully EA will allow them to carry on developing the game should they want to use the MADNESS Engine.
Then you have Ian Bell saying that he's working on a GTR Revival but since the engine that drove PC franchise is now owned by EA he has to start from scratch - that's no easy task but I hope he makes it...
I suspect that the move to license Madness to Reiza was some kind of insurance policy for him, for a situation like this. I wouldn't be surprised if there are legal terms under which he can now get the engine back from them in some legitimate way.
ckleanth
14-11-2022, 09:42
Yesterday I did have a look at Ians tweets and in one he mentioned that they are using unreal 5 engine and in another that he is working in such way that he is not affiliated in any publisher to develop his game. Regarding the unreal engine asseto corsa and assetto corsa competizione are using Unreal Engine 4 so.. it can be done..
Personally I don't think Ian wants or intends to use the EA/SMS MADNESS Engine... but all this is speculations...
If he still wants those ray-traced leaves then UE5 is probably a good bet ;)
I'm just as devastated as most of you, over 10 years here and had high expectation for PCARS4. But when CM was acquired by EA, we knew this could happen.
What is not understood is that EA have decided to close the company instead of trying to sell it (may be they tried, I don't know). AFAIK PCARS4 was quite advanced, and for a reasonable price they could have sold the company with the Madness Engine and not throw it all away. Even Ian Bell could have been a candidate to take back the reins and guarantee the continuity of the project and the jobs.
But EA is only interested in big numbers and SMS doesn't fit into their business plan. Sad but expected.
MaximusN
14-11-2022, 15:24
Yesterday I did have a look at Ians tweets and in one he mentioned that they are using unreal 5 engine and in another that he is working in such way that he is not affiliated in any publisher to develop his game. Regarding the unreal engine asseto corsa and assetto corsa competizione are using Unreal Engine 4 so.. it can be done..
Personally I don't think Ian wants or intends to use the EA/SMS MADNESS Engine... but all this is speculations...
I dont think AC uses UE4, but rather it's own engine. Only ACC was built in UE4. And the Madness engine(or parts thereof) could still be used for physics if they really wanted. I certainly wouldn't mind. ;)
EmilGlockner
14-11-2022, 18:29
If he still wants those ray-traced leaves then UE5 is probably a good bet ;)
If this is a way to sneakily have a better trees thread for Ian's new project, I approve! Also, what about Saab cars?!?
John Hargreaves
14-11-2022, 18:31
Then I say goodbye quietly too.
Excellent first post, welcome to the forum ;)
If he still wants those ray-traced leaves then UE5 is probably a good bet ;)
UE5 seems ok but that’s not the first think I expect from a racing sim.
I’d prefer to hear about an extremely detailed physics engine, always more accurate. Honestly I don’t really care about realistic looking leaves flying around.
If this is a way to sneakily have a better trees thread for Ian's new project, I approve! Also, what about Saab cars?!?sNOw
John Hargreaves
14-11-2022, 22:14
I do think it's time for a generational leap with game engines and graphics though, and there is plenty still to be done with physics. If you look around, all the pieces are out there - Unreal 5 level graphics, physics that could take the best from seta tyre model, BeamNG soft body and collisions, even Wreckfest can teach us a thing or two about colliding with the environment. No one sim has it all, but a truly next gen sim needs to.
All the current sims are on ageing game engines so the scene is ripe for someone to do what PC1 did a decade ago.
ckleanth
14-11-2022, 23:36
yes you are right. and just today also read that that Kunos Simulazioni are developing Assetto Corsa 2 in house using their own technology / developed engine (similar to what SMS did). They say they will not use Unreal because they need greater flexibility
link below but forum thinks its spam so can't put the http bit...
traxion.gg/why-assetto-corsa-2-will-use-a-brand-new-game-engine
I guess if you really want to, you can do anything and develop a game engine from scratch. I do hope we can see Project Cars Revival in the future.
In the meantime I hope EA don't pull the plug on PC2 and this forum (great resource). I'm still enjoying the game and race with my mates and online.
c172fccc
15-11-2022, 04:41
sNOw
Don't. You wouldn't want to anger Iannah.
In the meantime I hope EA don't pull the plug on PC2
Both 1 and 2 got delisted though. They pulled the plug on a possible new SMS game as well and the company got dissolved into the greater EA.
I would say "pulling the plug" is an understatement...
yes you are right. and just today also read that that Kunos Simulazioni are developing Assetto Corsa 2 in house using their own technology / developed engine (similar to what SMS did). They say they will not use Unreal because they need greater flexibility
link below but forum thinks its spam so can't put the http bit...
traxion.gg/why-assetto-corsa-2-will-use-a-brand-new-game-engine
I guess if you want you can do anything hopefully we can see Project Cars Revival in the future.
In the meantime I hope EA don't pull the plug on PC2 and this forum (great resource). I'm still enjoying the game and race with my mates and online.
Once you get past about 6 posts or so (i think it's 6) then you can insert links and images. All the good stuff.
Both 1 and 2 got delisted though. They pulled the plug on a possible new SMS game as well and the company got dissolved into the greater EA.
I would say "pulling the plug" is an understatement...
They've not just pulled the plug, but they've gone ahead and cut the end of the plug right off. Then cut the power cord into small pieces.. and bent the pins on the power unit where the cord plugs into the device.
^^^ Then they took all those pieces and put them in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory in the cellar with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard.”
with apologies to Douglas Adams
ckleanth
15-11-2022, 16:24
I hope the forum lasts that long :(
Tbh I never had an issue with EA because i don't really buy or have any interest in their games.. up until they had bought codemasters...
ckleanth
15-11-2022, 16:27
I fired up asseto corsa on the ps5 yesterday.
I know its not the same if compared with all the mods available on the pc. Even so Project cars 2 is so much better :(
^^^ Then they took all those pieces and put them in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory in the cellar with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard.”
with apologies to Douglas Adams
Really? Damn.. I must have missed that bit. Maybe they did that after i left..
PostBox981
15-11-2022, 18:33
I do think it's time for a generational leap with game engines and graphics though, and there is plenty still to be done with physics. If you look around, all the pieces are out there - Unreal 5 level graphics, physics that could take the best from seta tyre model, BeamNG soft body and collisions, even Wreckfest can teach us a thing or two about colliding with the environment. No one sim has it all, but a truly next gen sim needs to.
All the current sims are on ageing game engines so the scene is ripe for someone to do what PC1 did a decade ago.
Here we go again. :cool: Anybody willing to put a list together in which we collect all features that a next gen Project CARS should have? ;)
traxion.gg/why-assetto-corsa-2-will-use-a-brand-new-game-engine
Quite an interesting read actually...
Here we go again. :cool: Anybody willing to put a list together in which we collect all features that a next gen Project CARS should have? ;)
I'm fairly sure the ultimate racing game/sim already exists.
It's called a track day, lol.
And no, it's not a cheap game.
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