(FAQ) PCars2 "For Dummies"

[3800racingfool]

Seeing all of the repeated questions being asked over and over (and over) again. I decided that we as a community should try and hopefully help take a bit of a load off the Moderators, previous WMD members, devs, and Ian himself by creating this FAQ regarding Project CARS 2. In this thread you'll be able to find answers to most of the common questions and/or responses people have about this announcement including quotes from Ian and other staff/wmd members. I've combed through all 50+ pages of the announcement thread as well as a bunch of other threads and will continue to keep this thread updated as much as possible.


Project CARS 2 "For Dummies"

Q: What is it?

A: SMS has announced that they are planning to begin development on Project CARS 2. They have set up a WMD funding site with information as well as membership levels. Note that this is an announcement of development, not that a game is going to drop within months. Many game studios do not announce anywhere close to this early in the development cycle. However, since SMS is being different by allowing the public to assist in the game's development through the WMD portal, an announcement needs to be made this early to give the public a chance to get it from the very beginning. Think of this as less of a "we're going to release PCars2" and more of a "PCars has been enough of a success for us to want to make a sequel".

Q: PCars2 already? PCars1 was just released!

A: Believe it or not, this is actually how game development works. Whether it be SMS with PCars, MS with the Forza series, even games like Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto start the next installment of the series soon after the release of the previous game (sometimes even before).

The fact is we DELAYED the start of pCARS2, on my say so, until the release of patch 1.4. I wanted pCARS1 in a better state before we got going.

We would normally have started about 4-6 months before pCARS1 hit the shops. That's fairly normal in the industry.

It's only how almost every other game brand on earth operates...

Q: But why announce it already?

Because we've started on it now. If we didn't we wouldn't be starting on it with the public, as we promised we would... We could leave announcing it until 6 months before release in a couple of years time, but can you see how that might not be ''Users helping us make a game'?

Q: But the bugs! Shouldn't SMS "finish" PCars 1 first?

A: PCars 1 is finished from a production standpoint. Additional content and bugfixes will continue to be released. SMS has a team of roughly 40 people working on PCars 1 still correcting issues and prepping/finishing DLC content. In fact, since Project Cars 2 was announced, SMS has also announced Project CARS patch 2.0 announced Project CARS patch 3.0 containing over 75 over 140 fixes, adjustments and additions across all platforms.

Purchasers of pcars1.0 have a right to a well-functioning game and Ian/SMS are working hard to provide that.

Q: But is 40 people enough?? / Why can't they use everybody??

A: Not everyone can help. A person who is a texture artist has no idea how to code the FFB system. The person(s) who designed the GUI and menus haven't the slightest clue how to code AI. To paraphrase Star Trek: "Damnit Jim I'm a 3d artist not a code developer!"

From my own experiences, 40 people on a post-release piece of software is extensive. Especially when it consists of 1/3rd of your total development team. (I work in the IT industry and deal with many pieces of software from many different companies.)

Enough? Forty staff costs us 400k dollars per month approximately. For a team of our size that's a massive amount of people staying committed to a shipped game longterm.

We are spending so much of what we're making on pCARS1 back into pCARS1 for the longterm that it's scary.

Q: Isn't it too soon to release a sequel?

A: PCars2 isn't going to be released tomorrow. It is being built essentially from scratch which means it may take years before a product ever hits the shelves/steam.

Seeing as build One of pCARS2 is available today, and seeing as members want to be involved as early as possible (most from the very early stages) when do you recommend we should have announced it?

The dev period for pCARS2 will be decided by the members. I hope it's not going to take as long as pCARS1 but 2ish years is probably a good initial guestimate.

Q: I just bought PCars 1? I feel ripped off!

A: You needn't worry. Project Cars is still being supported and will still have lots of content on the way both free and paid DLC. In addition to that, PCars2 will still be a couple years away from release so you'll still get plenty of great playtime in on the first installment of the series.

We know what's coming for pCARS1 and it's substantial and long term.

We've already promised the first year of updates for starters.

Q: Hey this *insert feature here* was supposed to be in PCars 1! It's not there and now they're saying it's going to be in PCars 2! What gives?

A: It's the unfortunate reality that trying to package everything under the sun into a game would extend it's development time indefinitely. As a result sometimes features that were planned or even announced may not make it into the final game. Project Cars is not the first game to be subject to this reality and it definitely won't be the last.

Another way to answer this question with a counter question: Would you rather play Project Cars 1 now sans a few features. Or would you rather put up with delay after delay and have the game turn into a Duke Nukem Forever style marathon development that may or may not ever see the light of day?

SMS could have put another 2 years into developing PC1 to get everything in that is now planned to be improvements in PC2. However, they would have gone bankrupt not even half-way through those 2 years. At some point you have to close down the scope of a game (or any project) so you can finish it and get it out, that is basic business practice or you won't survive.

Q: Do you really have to crowd-fund another title?

A: It's less about funding the title and more about allowing the community the opportunity to help, in a significant way, with the development of the game.

We don't need the money!! We are allowing those who are interested to join a full development process from scratch, to alter the direction and design of a AAA game. The fees are simply to ensure we don't have to keep answering questions like this...

The intention was always to allow a limited group to join in the development with us. We have no expectations of the members contributing more than about 10% of the development total.

Q: But isn't 50 for just a basic membership a little steep for a game?

A: The price points are set where they are to help prevent trolls and other people who aren't actually serious about helping from being a big problem. You have to want to help if you're willing to shell out serious money to be a WMD member.

you're not just paying for the game, you're paying for the experience of shaping and molding something while having early access.

(on development) ...this is all down to the members. They'll guide the development. This isn't normal 'kickstarter or early access' style developing.

Q: I don't have a PC. Can I help develop on the XB1/PS4 platform?

A:

For Xbox users we're working on this: http://uk.ign.com/articles/2015/06/1...ess-to-console

For PS4 it's still up in the air but we think we'll at least be able to get Alpha and Beta builds out. We're hoping for more though and await any news from Sony.

Q: How soon can I start testing on XB1?

A:

We don't now yet, this is all new, and not just to us. We'll make it clear as soon as we can though.

Q: What membership/toolkit level will I need to purchase to get XB1 access?

A: Tentatively, the Silver toolkit will be required. It will likely depend on how things go with Microsoft and XB1 Early Access to determine that though.

Yes Silver and above.

That's unknown at the moment. If early access becomes a reality, only after that SMS will be able to speak out about that

Q: What if the XB1/PS4 testing doesn't pan out? What else do I get for my money?

A: You will still have the opportunity to influence the game's direction. Have input on the design, modes, features, and everything else. The only thing you would be unable to do is test.

You will be able to participate in the WMD discussions, read Patch Notes and Design Documents, get all news first and you will be able to enjoy a friendly bunch of all kinds of people. If Sony makes it happen to have an early access program eventually, SMS will do anything in their power to enable you to play the latest console builds as soon as possible.

Q: How long are the signups for WMD going to last?

A:

Two or three months we think, maybe more. We want to see how we can handle the support and interaction as the numbers rise adn we're judging it by ear.

UPDATE: It has been announced that signups for pCars2 will be closed on 9/1/2015.

Q: Will signups for WMD be re-opened in the future?

A: Not likely. As it stands the current quota of members in WMD for pCars 2 has been met.

Q: Can I upgrade my tier at a later time (ie: start with Bronze and upgrade to Gold)?

A: Yes.

Yes you can upgrade freely.

*Note* By "freely" he means at any time not "you can upgrade for free".

Q: Are there going to be real racing drivers helping develop PCars2?

A:

Ben Collins
Nic Hamilton
Oli Webb
Rene Rast

And few others

Plus Doug and the other physics guys have racing experience too

Q: All I'm seeing in the press release is rally cars. Is PCars2 going to be a rally game?

A:

pCARS2 isn't 'an offroad game'.

Q: Can I get a tl:dr version of this FAQ?

Well, it isn't exactly short, but user ermo did a fantastic job here.

Again, I will continue to update this thread as more information arises. If community members would like to post questions and their associated answers (from a reliable source) below I will add them to the FAQ as well. (And credit the appropriate people.)

Note: All quotes where trimmed for context and to remove names.

Thanks to ermo for the tl;dr rundown.

Thanks to ermo, stux & Umer Ahmad & for additional questions and info contributions.

A special thanks to Ian and the WMD crew for providing the answers and reference material cited here.

P.S. To any naysayers/whiners who even think of trying to crash this thread: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7X2_V60YK8

[Bouyo]

I want my money back ...

Just kidding. PCars2 can't come fast enough! The thought of burning through Corsica in a GroupB car like the S2 or the 037 makes me wet myself. This is the content right?

On a side note, shoudn't we just forget about Pcars2 now unless we're on the dev team? I want to keep banging on about how PCars can be improved, that's what this forum is for right?

[Aldo Zampatti]

Stickied!

[MaXyM]

PCars 1 is finished from a production standpoint. Additional content and bugfixes will continue to be released.

Actually it is not (depending on what do you mean by 'production standpoint'). There are features (in oposite to content and bugfixes) which are missing but has been promised to be released post-release. Proper support for 3monitor setup is good example.

[TheReaper GT]

One question, since XBOX early access is turning into a possibility, what toolkit I have to buy to have access to that when it arrive?

[roslinman]

nice post, hopefully this helps stem the tide

[Kart14]

Here is another question for you developers. Will Project Cars 2 have more realistic crash damage?

[3800racingfool]

Actually it is not (depending on what do you mean by 'production standpoint'). There are features (in oposite to content and bugfixes) which are missing but has been promised to be released post-release. Proper support for 3monitor setup is good example.

Production Standpoint -

1. All major features and gameplay modes/options are finished/implemented (may not be 100% fully perfect as is the case with 3 monitor support).
2. Game is generally bug free. (I say generally because testing with 1000 people and testing with 1000000 people are entirely different.
3. Minor balancing issues may need correction, but no major problems are present. (AI is an example of a minor issue, a major issue would be the handling of say the BMW Z4 GT3 having the performance and handling of an FA car.)
4. Most importantly: game is considered "ready" for release by the developers. (you, me, and joe's sister could go on all day about what constitutes as "ready" but, at the end of the day, it's the devs call.)

One question, since XBOX early access is turning into a possibility, what toolkit I have to buy to have access to that when it arrive?

Not sure, I would assume possibly a silver toolkit but I do not know. I will attempt to find an answer if one's been posted.

Here is another question for you developers. Will Project Cars 2 have more realistic crash damage?

That will depend on licensing for cars and a host of other factors. It's currently far too early to say.

[Aldo Zampatti]

One question, since XBOX early access is turning into a possibility, what toolkit I have to buy to have access to that when it arrive?

That's unknown at the moment. If early access becomes a reality, only after that SMS will be able to speak out about that

[TheReaper GT]

That's unknown at the moment. If early access becomes a reality, only after that SMS will be able to speak out about that

Well, I can buy a Silver toolkit and upgrade it later if necessary. Thanks anyway.