For me, the handling didn’t really work, it had potential but didn’t grab me in the way I wanted and so I moved onto Forza Motorsport 2 and on from there. So, back to 2011, I had received my code and following the recent success of my F1 2010 coverage, I finally had a decent wheel and rig to take my automotive experience and enjoyment to a whole different level. At this point I was still in the dark as to the potential success of the forthcoming video content. But as ever, would maximise any exclusive in producing a Preview To Content video. Already views were up, and without any clue as to how I was going to cover this, I set out on my journey through Test Drive Unlimited 2.

When creating content like this in a livestream, uncut style manner, there is always that concern, how will I play this? What if I play poorly? How will it affect my reputation? All kinds of potential pressures. Instead I threw all of that into the bin and just enjoyed myself playing the game, and did I enjoy myself. It was obvious to the audience that despite the games many technical forthcomings and rather clunky design, I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of  this game world. Driving it at times as if I was in a real car, other times I just wanted to explore. Test different cars, or give myself a massive nose in the plastic surgery clinic.

Then jetting off to Hawaii, it was wonderful to explore a comparatively new land, especially with my limited experience of the first game. The play areas were huge, the worlds felt alive, meanwhile the voice acting felt so comically bad as to increase the overall charm of this gaming world. I just wanted to explore more and more, and that lead to my extended Sunday drives. Unfortunately the Sunday drives have since been removed due to spurious copyright claims, which at the time meant deleting videos rather than demonetising. So, instead here’s a look at Hawaii.

As a journalist and content creator, this was a transnational time for me. Publishers wanted my content to be less ‘bedroom’ and more produced. That started a change in direction for many years, be it for better or worse. But in recent months with the live streaming on my Twitch channel  I feel like it has all come full circle. I’m back to just enjoying the game and inviting you all along for the ride.

So, follow on Twitch and join me in the coming months when we start this journey all over again. Diving into Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown, I don’t know what’s in store but given the huge progress from Kylotonn over the past few years, I’m expecting something very special. A world rich with detail, dynamic handling even better than WRC 9, weather and vast 1:1 terrain. Everything feels like it has built to this point and I can’t wait to share the culmination of that decade long journey through automotive gaming.

The post My Test Drive Unlimited Journey; Going Full Circle appeared first on Team VVV.

The World Rally Championship is arguably the most challenging racing series on Earth, crossing the globe with rough and unpredictable terrain, the journey is epic in scale and tests both man and machine to the limit. It is something many of us will never get the chance to experience, the intensity of driving on the edge of adhesion with nothing to protect you but a reliance on your own skill at the wheel.

Rally games have been around almost as long as gaming itself, with various highlights over the years, but as technology has developed, so the resource required has expanded exponentially. Given the scale, replicating a full WRC season has been extremely challenging and 2020 represents just the 9th game in the modern series that has attempted to simulate that experience effectively. Now we’ll look back a few of those titles besides a more detailed breakdown on the recent progress by NACON and Kylotonn Studio.

We’ll begin by looking at that journey to WRC 9, understanding the challenges in developing a modern rally game, and discovering the passion of development that makes for those little details while exploring the latest game before we move onto our full preview. So, let’s start this journey in the rugged and open lands of Kenya, the location returning to the WRC calendar this year, and see that transition from WRC 9 right down to, WRC: FIA World Rally Championship Arcade on the original PlayStation, and as you can see, we’ve come a very long way.

The more memorable WRC: FIA World Rally Championship arrived in 2001 was developed for PlayStation 2 using cutting edge technology as an exclusive first party title for the PlayStation via Evolution studios. The teams accurately generating stages that could support draw distances far beyond the current standard, however handling was limited and formed as more of a tech demo of things that were to come. With various improvements to WRC II Extreme, WRC 3, 4 and WRC: Rally Evolved. However, despite the series being much loved among rally fans this official series concluded, the WRC brand disappearing from gaming for some 5 years before being picked up by Milestone.

Milestone entered the world of WRC in 2010, resetting the franchise and producing WRC – FIA World Rally Championship. The game was enjoyable to play but lacked the realism and investment to deliver on the vision. It was clear that producing a rally game to a modern standard would be a huge undertaking. WRC 2 released in 2011 built on the original by adding additional stages with improved modelling, while the 2012 release of WRC 3 was a complete relaunch, a re-envisioning and a huge improvement over previous attempts, 2013’s WRC 4 built on this again before yet another change in developer, it was time for Kylotonn to enter the stage.

Kylotonn were given an almighty challenge, develop one of the most colossal automotive championships in just 1 year, an almost impossible task, yet the team rose to that task and built the foundation of the technology that would need to be developed.

WRC 5 was the biggest production Kylotonn studio had ever undertaken, its first time taking on a development of this scale. Having previously come from producing a range of different titles and genres, Kylotonn also provided technical solutions and elements for the automotive industry, working with companies such a Renault. WRC 5 also came at a challenging time during the transition from PS3 and Xbox360 to PS4 and Xbox One. Transitional hardware and utilising an engine not traditionally used with automotive gaming. This meant developing physics from the ground up, a focus on getting the basic simulation elements across all surfaces, all of the global locations and developing a wide range of content in miracle time. Another significant challenge was to create an Esports competition worthy of the brand and fanbase. Esports and racing were still not as popular as they are today, but the goal was there to run a championship in parallel with the real rally events, a vision of the future and the foundation for Esports developments to follow.

WRC 6 introduced another 1-year development, this gave time to further improve physics, these enabled more precise driving and the construction of narrower more realistic stages along with the introduction of super special stages. Again, building on the WRC Esports and considerable growth with an expanded world finals competition.

WRC 7 would see a marked progress in quality and a huge leap for the series despite just the usual 1-year development cycle. This period included extensive changes to the development team, enabling big steps forward on the creative and artistic elements. An overhaul in the development of stage design, all new physics and an altogether more ambitious vision for the series including epic stages up to 15 minutes long. The key to improvement was in understanding the philosophy of rally design, not just building a stage but considering the real environment, what it is actually like to be there and how can that atmosphere be captured. Industry veterans from the world of gameplay development combined with new unique vision. Pushing the production to make everything the best it can be with this new level of detail. WRC 7 put the series back on the map, it made gamers sit up and take notice, WRC was back and anticipation for the future of the series would reach a new high.

WRC 8 was the first title in the modern series to receive two years of development, and the use of that time was obvious to see. This included a complete review of the entire production, and progress to this point. Again, there was extensive work on improving the physics, while graphics were taken to a new level of excellence, including the introduction of technology that aided the production of 1:1 scale environments. This supporting bigger, more ambitious, and more realistic stage design. Introducing Argentina, Turkey and Chile, all supporting incredible views and vistas. These new stages were combined with the introduction of stunning lighting and volumetric weather effects from the new dynamic weather system, enabling transitions in weather within a stage, surface textures and impact on tyre choice with resulting impact on physics. This added a more detailed driving element along with strategy calls dependent on the expected weather.

A significant focus was targeted at an all new and highly comprehensive career mode, this developing the players as a rally-drivers and informing on the process behind all aspects of rally. WRC 8 was also the first WRC game to introduce historic rally cars, while new sliders were added to make the options more approachable for players new to WRC. Again, improvements to controller play and the Esports support, team championship, revised structure of the Esports championship. Everything took a step forward, breaking new ground, a revolution for Kylotonn.

WRC 9 is almost upon us and to the take the next steps, feedback from the community and real rally drivers was key. The aim to develop a full simulation means taking feedback from as many opportunities as possible, but above all Drivers are happy that WRC 9 accurately captures the feel of driving. Without any training, real drivers jumped onto WRC 9 and were virtually on the pace of the Esports Professionals, the driving was intuitive, the tyre physics felt natural and for the first time in the history of the franchise, there was unanimous support amongst real rally drivers at the progress made.

Improving physics is always on-going, the physics designers at Kylotonn even going to the extent of testing the real Hyundai 2019 rally car. This aided in getting the feeling of the car, using information from real rally drivers and combining that with personal experience to quantify that articulation of driving into a realistic model. Understanding the performance of the suspension, brakes and tyres all coming together to provide that feeling of almost floating when drifting through a corner. WRC 9 has seen significant changes to physics, weight transfer and sensation of weight is key, add to this the affects by weather, track conditions, speed over jumps, even air pressure on the car via aerodynamic parts is now calculated. How the cars perform at speed and the impact on the physics model is now factored in taking the driving to a whole new level never before accomplished.

Community feedback would also help with various gameplay elements, or fixing aspects such as interaction with peripherals, wall riding, which now featuring increased friction and various other gameplay elements. Meanwhile enhancements have been made to the career mode, this providing a more balanced improved experience.

WRC 9 introduces new locations such as Kenya, Japan and New Zealand, along with club mode, custom championships and new historic cars. WRC 9 will also support a co-driver mode, this will enable a friend to connect online and read the notes to the driver, the driver and co-driver will also be scored on their proficiency. WRC 9 will add a range of free DLC updates, these will include a photomode, new version of the Finland rally, various news cars and other elements, we’ll look at all of this in more detail in our upcoming preview.

WRC has been an evolutionary process. For Kylotonn every iteration adding something new, technical innovation and moving the boundaries. In just 5 games they have developed their technology to incorporate vast 1:1 scale landscapes, dynamic weather and environments, a comprehensive single player mode and Esport elements, now with the new additions we’ll see that all move a stage further.

So, join us on the journey of WRC 9 as we delve deeper into the game and the series on our in-depth preview to follow.

The post A brief history of WRC games, WRC 9 – The road to WRC appeared first on Team VVV.

When I look at the fan comments over the hybrid era, you would be forgiven for thinking that it has been a largely competitive few years. You might think Ferrari had a better car some years or Redbull traditionally came good at the latter end of a season. But in reality, it is all highly controlled, Max Verstappen has never competed against Lewis Hamilton for a title and won’t with the current rules. In fact, there are only two drivers with a chance of winning an F1 World Championship and they drive for the silver/black arrows.

Every year I watch pre-season testing with a forlorn hope that the next season may be better. I hope that another engine manufacturer may make the breakthrough required. But there is no hope, there is no racing. The branding exercise at Mercedes is to win, indeed the engines were changed to bring Mercedes back into the sport, effectively guaranteeing success. With Michael Schumacher and Ross Brawn laying the foundation for the structure of the team combined with their well-developed PU, 2014 was always going to lead to domination.

The hope was that as engines neared their peak, the gap between the teams would close. It hasn’t, it won’t. The gap may even be bigger than ever. Indeed, the pace of the Mercedes at Austria could have lapped everyone in the entire field had it not been for the safety cars. Hungary gave an even better insight into the domination of the Mercedes team. Don’t be fooled by the comparatively poor performance from Bottas, that car is light years ahead, and if Bottas isn’t lapping with Hamilton it is probably because the team don’t want him to. There is a number 1 and number 2 driver and Bottas is firmly number 2. Will Mercedes let them race? Highly unlikely, their branding exercise probably wouldn’t appreciate the unpredictability, though they may allow a couple of battles to blur that factor. Predictability is always handy for the marketing department, and with Lewis equalling Michael Schumacher being almost a given, they’ll certainly be well prepared. That doesn’t mean Bottas should give up, indeed I would love to be surprised, but Hamilton simply doesn’t see him as a threat and unless you can upset the rhythm of Hamilton in qualifying, he’ll have all the confidence he needs.

Despite all of my moans and groans, I love Formula 1. The vibe feels different and to explain that would require a whole separate article. F1 needs change and the 2022 regs can’t come soon enough. But first we focus on this season and I felt it high time to come back to F1 content after a few years out, kicking off with the Team VVV F1 Podcast. We’ve run two so far and will hopefully develop this over time. Kicking off with our first chat about the Styrian GP.

A weekend dominated by Hamilton, Bottas not pleased about brake issues or tyre warm-up in qualifying made it straightforward run for Hamilton in qualifying. Because as good as the lap may have been, without a barometer to compare against we really have no idea. The media are always gushing with praise, but I’ve always looked at the competition, and if that’s a number 2 driver with mechanical issues, then it’s no competition at all. However, the field spread was more evenly matched, though Racing Point gave a glimpse as to their potential it was Lando Norris who provided the last lap action yet again, all rounding off a rather standard race, roll on Hungary and our podcast below.

Hungary was the race many of us feared, the Mercedes showing it’s true performance and Racing Point showing theirs, at least in qualifying. Both of these occurrences do not bode well for the season, with a Mercedes customer team effectively acting a rear guard. Ferrari in disarray and Redbull with work to do. Bottas with a technical issue at the start, initially appearing to cause a jump start, the result being the red lights mysteriously going out on his dash. Meanwhile a great result from Max following his mistake on the way to the grid, besides shoutouts to Kevin Magnusson and Daniel Ricciardo for great drives. Not a great day for McLaren, back to earth with a bump, but roll on Silverstone. The year may be another walk over for Mercedes and Hamilton but at least I can enjoy the midfield battle.

The post Formula 1 2020, 3 races in and Mercedes domination continues appeared first on Team VVV.

The Logitech G podcasts called on this experience in covering a wide range of subjects, in which we’ve discussed mental health, climate change, making money as a content creator, esports, in-game marketing and concluding with disability and gaming. In all cases the goal has been to make progress with each subject, providing a positive way forward.

Subjects have been at times both challenging and sensitive to handle. It was a privilege meeting everyone involved, and I hope that those who have listened to the series feel they’ve gotten something back and enjoyed the process. I’ve listed all of the episodes below and it would be great to get your feedback.

Episode 1: ‘How gaming is impacting mental health’
Apple Music -> https://apple.co/3ekUOSM
Spotify -> https://spoti.fi/2K10eV2

Episode 2: ‘Changing the Climate: How do we play for the planet?’
Apple Music -> https://apple.co/3ajmMuY
Spotify -> https://spoti.fi/3bCgaJm

Episode 3: ’Who wants to be a gaming millionaire?’
Apple Music -> https://apple.co/3bLrrr4
Spotify -> https://spoti.fi/2W8S1UB

Episode 4: ‘Are Esports gamers our future Olympians?’
Apple Music -> https://apple.co/3c7zAGi
Spotify -> https://spoti.fi/2W7COnX

Episode 5: ‘Changing the Space’, are brands taking over your games?’
Apple Music -> https://apple.co/3cqUCA2
Spotify -> https://spoti.fi/3fIbSmv

Episode 6: Changing Perceptions: how do we make gaming more accessible to disabled gamers?’
Apple Music -> https://apple.co/2Zg1vjN
Spotify -> https://spoti.fi/36a4f3O

The post Presenting the Logitech G Podcast Series appeared first on Team VVV.

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The sport of rally always has an energy of its own. With events being so spread out, the drivers and cars are usually readily available making access surprisingly open. Despite rally not having the prominence in UK TV as in years past, the energy of loyal fans never ceases.

Day one of our trip focused on preparation for the main event, rehearsals, games testing, and setting up the racing rigs to the driver’s satisfaction.

Despite their competitive nature, the Esports drivers exhibited a great respect for each other’s skills behind the wheel. This made for a surprisingly fun and inclusive atmosphere – a testament to their sportsmanship.

Day two kicked off proceedings with the final practice and qualifying. This was a particular highlight of ours as we witnessed all nine drivers competing for just four places in the final showdown.

It was a close-run battle on the timesheets and you could almost cut the tension with a knife. With drivers pushing to the limits, the inevitable mistakes began to materialise. However, it was very clear that two drivers – Lohan Blanc and Jon Armstrong – were strong contenders thanks to a consistently fast pace: the battle lines were drawn. For the rest of the field, it was all mightily close and, in several cases, just one crash made the difference.

Day two continued with the finals in the evening. With tensions running high, the audience took their seats and it wasn’t long before the first event was underway. Jon Armstrong and Lohan Blanc were level pegging when the power cable was accidentally pulled from Armstrong’s racing rig.

This unfortnate event brought forward a penalty time for Armstrong which left him with a mountain to climb to catch Blanc. Groans were heard from audience members signalling their displeasure of a lack of a restart. This initially destabilised the event, however, it wasn’t long before all of the focus was on the second stage.

Blanc showcased a tour de force of Esport gaming with his domination at the rally of Turkey. We know the title’s stages and the techniques employed by Blanc, but we were still left in awe with the speed of the young Frenchman on the limit of control. There were many occasions when Blanc was out of control and came close to disaster, but by millimetre perfection, it all came together.

Meanwhile, Armstrong was showcasing amazing talents of his own with a work rate at the wheel second to none. However, Blanc was very much “in the zone” – a place that you can only achieve at a certain age,  when you don’t think about consequence, you just do it.

The atmosphere was great, but there was still a lot of room for improvement in the overall competition and presentation. We had a great time and meeting the Esport drivers and seeing their passion for rally was a particular highlight. The potential is certainly there, and we look forward to seeing how it all comes together in the near future, especially with the emergence of new technology.

The journey didn’t end there, with the competition behind us, we were off to The Great Orme to see some rally action. Alas, the winds were high, causing rough seas which ultimately forced the organisers to cancel the stage. So, it was off to the Hyundai paddock for some privileged access which enabled us to witness the talented mechanics at work before heading swiftly to Brenig – one of our favourite stages from WRC 8.

You can see the full Wales Epic Stage in the video below which features footage from both the Great Orme and Brenig stages.

The in-game stages are tough, especially with the introduction of dynamic weather conditions. When you’ve experienced the real-world rally stages, you can truly appreciate the effort that has been made in faithfully recreating these stages whose attention to detail helps to provide an authentic experience.

Watching the Wales Rally GB live, the way rally drivers control their cars through high-speed corners is still a thing to behold. In fact, braking distances are even shorter in real life than they are in WRC 8. In general, a lot of sim racers prefer their sims to be less like real life so that cars are more of a challenge to drive. The way the real-world cars glide over the dirt feels more akin to Sega Rally than any comparable sim. It was also time to say farewell to Petter Solberg, who we followed (mildly stalked) between stages. It was remarkable seeing him several times through pure coincidence, we gave him a wave goodbye.

The drive through Wales between stages turned out to be rather epic in itself thanks to the long and bumpy roads: it wasn’t the smoothest journey. We can confess, after three hours driving in the Welsh hills, it was nice to finally stretch our legs and feel a bit more human. Finally reaching the podium at the end of the Brenig stage and with great access, it was all a wonderful privilege.

Overall, it was a great experience for the Esport players, and we were pleasantly surprised to see how well WRC 8 was received. We look forward to future developments in both the official WRC game and its associated Esports competitions. In the coming weeks we’ll be running the WRC Season mode on Twitch, do follow to keep updated.

The post The 2019 Esports WRC Championship experience appeared first on Team VVV.

Farming Simulator 19 is the market leading simulation for all thing’s agriculture and this trip was to bring us closer to the action, visiting a working farm, driving tractors and herding sheep. This sounded like great fun and it turned out even better than expected. Not just tractor driving but tractor racing, followed by sheep herding, pig herding and lots of fun activities.

The weather was perfect, simply unreal for this time of year and it really enhanced our enjoyment of the day, set within this idyllic countryside and such a picture-perfect farm in so many ways. Driving tractors felt like second nature, they were responsive and enjoyable to drive. Surprisingly and yet obviously there is no form of force-feedback, the wheel being light yet responsive. The pedals being sensitive yet designed to be used while wearing heavy boots, so in general you’ll be driving in a comfortable gear with your foot down. Of course, if you don’t want to do that, you can always invest on one of the many impressive John Deere tractors, which also feature a self-driving option and you’ll hear an insightful conversation on that in the video below.

Winning our tractor races (representing Team VVV and big thanks to Stuart and Jim), the sheep herding was generally about remaining calm, slow controlled actions rather than any furious movements to achieve the objective. On the other hand, excitable pigs were a whole different experience, a more physical affair but hugely enjoyable. This was followed by burgers and sausages in buns for lunch (veg option available). These activities represented just a small part of what was available and so I wanted to give a shout out to https://www.farmadventure.co.uk/ if you want to experience that and more, it comes highly recommended. I’ve added a gallery below with various photo’s from the day.

Back to the game and I tested it with both a wheel and controller, the wheel feeling surprisingly authentic, lose yet the turning circle was set perfectly. By far the best way to play the game if you intend to put a lot of time into it. Returning home, I tested the game with a controller and you can see my experience in the stream below, suffice to say that as you drive more vehicles the complexity of button presses also increases and this can form as a bit of a memory test. If you haven’t played a farming sim they can be rather addictive, when you start caring for your farm it grabs you and takes the gameplay to a whole new level. Farming Simulator 19 has been an enjoyable if occasionally frustrating experience and gives a great sense of satisfaction when a job is completed correctly. Farming Simulator 19 is out now for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

The post Tractor Racing and Farming Simulator 2019 appeared first on Team VVV.

The massive scale of the event was reflected with the vibe of tension and excitement within the studio, the passion of the players to be selected combined with the despair of those who were left unselected. The resulting feeling was of a wave of relief for the teams and their selected drivers but empathy and with a deep understanding for those who didn’t quite make it.

Roll on a few months and we reach the first round of the F1 Esports 2018. I’ve been to a range of Esports events over the years, some as a player, others as a manager. I’ve tasted success and defeat, but critical to being involved is having an understanding of how the game is played and a knowledge of the players. It’s not just about the play but forming an attachment towards the players, and getting behind those you want to support that gives a sport it’s emotional connection.

In the run-up I had no idea how this would be received or how the atmosphere would change. Even after meeting the drivers there was a feeling of stepping into the unknown. Upon entering the studio that all changed, with not a seat to spare. The audience was packed and the anticipation was electric, being made up of F1 team representatives, YouTuber’s, media and some of the investors behind the F1 machine. It was wonderful seeing so many members of the audience that had clearly never taken games seriously in the past or who had no experience seeing gamers at this level before.

Cameras rolling, the live show begins.

The live show gets underway, the guests and drivers enter and we’re ready for the highlights of Race 1, which took place at Melbourne. It was immediately apparent that the steps made in visuals and replay cameras for F1 2018 were making all the difference, transporting us to a Grand Prix atmosphere. The professional production values immersed us all into the action. Following a brief analysis from Lando Norris and Joylon Palmer it was time for the first live race of the evening, Race 2 set in China.

The stage was set, a large screen coming down from the ceiling for the audience and the race was underway. From the off it was impressive to see the spacial awareness of the drivers, the aggression in racing combined with the fairness of track positioning. No desperate lungers, but close racing throughout the field. It was immediately apparent that Brendon Leigh was again going to be a force to be reckoned with, consistent precision in his driving and making extensive use of the various options given to the driver. The racing was close and competitive, the spec cars and lack of disruptive air flow making for more opportunities to closely follow the car in front.

Stunning race-craft throughout.

I was loving it, it felt just like watching a normal GP, at this point I looked at the map counter and saw the limited 25% race distance laps flying by and with racing this close I didn’t want it to end. Action continued throughout the field with the crowd cheering and clapping their chosen drivers and despite a strong run, Brendon wasn’t getting it all his own way. Lots of drivers making super late braking moves into the hairpin and yet contact was little to nothing. The drivers all with a deep understanding of braking points given the active tyre degradation. Brendon eventually coming round to win a hard fought victory with his team mate Daniel Bereznay and Torro Rosso driver Frederic Rasmussen pushing to the finish, supported with a level of appreciation from the audience that we were all watching something very special and quite unlike many had seen before.

Following race analysis it was onto Race 3 at Baku. A tricky street circuit but with lots of opportunity for overtaking and drama. Missing the start due to the late deployment of the audience screen, the action was intense throughout the field with no contact and good clean racing. The Mercedes AMG-Pertonas team have become a standard sight at the top of the F1 standings, the Mercedes pair running strongly at the front here there was a sense of normality from an audience perspective.

Each race was giving different drivers an opportunity to shine and with no practice before the session it was a significant challenge to move swiftly from track to track. Again, Daniel was leading with Frederic close behind and Brendon working his way up from 5th, all 3 were the class of the field with Bono Huis gradually working his way up the points for McLaren. The battle at the front was getting closer, Brendon attempting to overtake Frederic but with little success, it was going to take a combination of DRS, battery operation and maxing use of the engine in making up a position, all while protecting the tyres.

A thrilling climax!

The anticipation was building, both Frederic and Brendon had passed Daniel and with just a handful if laps to go it was clear Brendon was going for at least one more opportunity for the lead and then as we crossed over into the final lap he struck. Taking first place cleanly, can anything stop him? Frederic appeared to lose ground, perhaps Daniel could make it a Mercedes 1-2. The pressure written all over the faces of the drivers, you could see how much concentration it was taking for this level of perfection. Brendon making a mistake on one of the last few corners it gave a glimmer of hope to Frederic but it looked like Brendon had done enough, a third race in succession would be his. But then just in the last section we see the nose of the Torro Rosso in view, deploying all of his battery, he had just enough power to cross the line in first and with an enormous roar from the crowd in appreciation. A feeling of excitement and relief that we had a contender in the championship and as ever, anything can happen in F1.

There was laughter and appreciation, motorsports enthusiasts were converted. For the first time that bridge between reality and simulation had been realised. Be it the perfect driving or TV commentary, it was the live atmosphere that made this different, it actually felt like being at a race. A recent real-life example being the finish for Ben Tuck at this year’s British GT at Brands Hatch, or in F1 terms Jenson Button passing Sebastien Vettel on that final lap in Canada 2011.

Thrilling competitive and fun, this isn’t to replace F1 but it complements it well and in practice generates a very similar feeling when at the event. Of course, in years to come these events are likely to grow and Esport players are the celebrities of tomorrow but I left excited for the future potential of the series and look forward to attending the future rounds and exploring more of this new generation of F1 Esports in progress. You can discuss F1 Esports in more detail in our dedicated forum thread.

The post Experiencing F1 Esports Live appeared first on Team VVV.

It’s perhaps surprising, then, that the infamous Isle of Man circuit hasn’t featured in a video game for a decade – not since Jester Interactive’s TT Superbikes Legends game on the PS2 released in 2008, in fact, despite it being frequently requested. Seemingly, no developer has been willing to take on the mighty challenge of reproducing the 37.7-mile long course in a modern racing game – until now. Enter TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge developed by Kylotonn Games, a game that finally answers the prayers of many bike racing game fans.

The last bike racer developed by the French studio was the critically panned MotorCycle Club, so expectations admittedly weren’t very high when TT Isle of Man was first announced. Thankfully, those fears were completely unfounded. Thanks to accurate laser-scanning technology and thousands of reference photographs, Kylotonn has done an outstanding job authentically recreating the iconic mountain course in exacting detail. From the placement of the street signs and road markings to the local pubs and corner shops, every landmark is present and correct. No two houses are the same – this isn’t a simple cut and paste job like in other games. Put simply, this is the most realistic representation of the TT course we’re likely to experience in a racing game for a very long time.

Despite lacking the PC version’s polish, TT Isle of Man looks visually spectacular on PS4, with richly detailed track textures, jaw-dropping draw distances, and some of the most realistic foliage in any racing game. The frame rate, which is capped at 30fps on consoles even on Xbox One, disappointingly, but runs at 60fps on PC, sometimes struggles during certain track sections, but performance is generally smooth.

Hurtling down mountain roads at triple-digit speeds while narrowly avoiding obstacles like walls, fences and road signs within inches leaves little margin for error – you won’t get away with any lapses in concentration. Knowing that one misjudged move will result in disaster is utterly exhilarating, as clipping the curb will almost certainly catapult your rider off the bike and into the nearest wall. It’s a risk that riders face in the real championship, and TT Isle of Man captures this sense of danger very well. Certainly, it makes you respect the fearless riders who risk their lives every year doing it for real.

The sense of speed is tremendous, too – particularly if you use the first-person handlebars view, though it’s a shame the helmet camera used in replays isn’t available in-game. Surprisingly few racing games capture the sense of speed very convincingly, but TT Isle of Man absolutely nails it. There’s no in-game music surprisingly, but this only intensifies the experience by emphasising the sound of your screaming bike and the wind whooshing past, which gets increasingly louder as you gain speed. It’s a small detail, but one that’s used to great effect, adding to the feeling of speed. Racing game developers, take note. There are lots of other neat little touches like this that add to the immersion, like the race marshal that taps you on the shoulder wishing you luck at the start of the race.

Controlling the game’s supersports and superbikes around the complex course requires a lot of skill. Fortunately, the handling of the bikes is sharp, direct and very responsive, drawing comparisons to Evolution Studios’ excellent DriveClub Bikes – and that’s no bad thing. Purists may crave a more realistic handling model, but adding delay to the turning on such a demanding course would have made the game inaccessible to most players.

That’s not to say there isn’t any challenge or depth to the physics, however. Even on the easiest physics setting with all assists enabled including traction control, progressive accelerating, braking, and steering is essential. You also need to brake for corners far earlier than you might expect on the easiest settings. Accelerate too hard out of a corner and the rear wheel loses traction, causing the back of the bike to step out and send you into the nearest wall or tree.

Frustratingly, recovering from this is very difficult and doesn’t feel intuitive due to the limited bike and rider animations. Rider movement is extremely stiff, and the bikes look far too rigid since there’s no visible suspension travel. Kylotonn’s lack of experience developing bike racing games may be to blame here. For those who want even more challenge, activating the simulation setting brings the bikes to life. With no anti-wheelie enabled, feathering the throttle to keep the bike planted takes considerable skill.

There are even bumps in the road surface that can catch you out and cause the bike to instantly veer out of control if you don’t approach them at the right speed or angle. Constantly crashing is frustrating at first: learning the nuances of the bike and memorising the track is key, but requires a lot of patience from the player. This isn’t a game for the faint of heart, but mastering the daunting 37.7 mile-long mountain course is one of the most rewarding experiences in any recent racing game.

Also, if you rely on rewinds in Milestone’s bike racing games to recover from your mistakes, then prepare for a shock. If there’s one game that needs a rewind feature, it’s TT Isle of Man, but Kylotonn has omitted this feature. Maintaining the lead in a gruelling 20-minute race, only to slam into a road sign close to the finish line and fall to the back of the pack is extremely frustrating – being able to rewind and continue before your last crash would help relieve the frustration for less experienced players. That said, taking rewinds for granted means you won’t learn from your mistakes, and having no safety net to lean on raises the stakes considerably. Essentially, TT Isle of Man is the DiRT Rally of bike games.

It takes around 20 minutes to complete a full clean lap of the mountain course – times that by three in a full Tourist Trophy event. Even for experienced players, memorising the track’s 264 corners isn’t easy, and takes many hours of practising to perfect. If taking on the full mountain course is too daunting, however, TT Isle of Man also includes nine fantasy tracks based on real locations around the UK to help you hone your skills. As well as adding replay value, these tracks are terrifically well-designed and very worthy additions that add some needed variety to the game.

A challenging course set on English coastal roads is a clear highlight, featuring high-speed straights, tight technical sections, and sudden elevation changes, while another Welsh circuit has you weaving around crates in a shipping yard. Other licensed road circuits like the Northwest 200, which features in Ride 2, would have completed the package, but it’s difficult to complain when the game features a lovingly recreated version of the long-requested Isle of Man TT course.

It’s clear, however, that most of Kylotonn’s resources were poured into meticulously replicating the Mountain Course. While the developer’s effort is commendable, other aspects of the game are underdeveloped. The career mode, for example, feels like an afterthought and is one of the game’s weakest aspects.

In career mode, you play as a rookie rider working their way up to conquer the Tourist Trophy. Here, you create a custom avatar, and while there are options to change the colour of your racing overalls and helmet, the customisation is nowhere as comprehensive as Monster Energy Supercross. You can’t choose a colour for your helmet that doesn’t match your overalls, for example, nor can you customise bikes with aftermarket parts. Once you’ve decided on the colours for your avatar, you can’t change them without restarting the career either, which seems like an oversight. 23 official riders such as the legendary John MCguinness are included but are only accessible in single event modes.

The problem with the career mode is that it ultimately feels aimless. While you have the freedom to enter or decline races suggested by your team manager via email, objectives aren’t clearly defined. Cash rewards are also far too paltry. Consequently, it takes a long time to accumulate enough money to buy a new bike, which makes progressing through the career feel like a grind – Kylotonn’s FlatOut 4: Total Insanity suffered from the same problem. 38 bikes are available with supersports and superbikes from manufacturers such as BMW, Kawasaki, Honda, and Triumph, but it’s a shame there aren’t any slower entry-level bikes for beginners to get to grips with.

Replays also shuffle between a variety of viewpoints from TV-style camera angles and onboard footage behind the rider, to a harrowing helmet camera, but there are no controls that let you stick to a preferred view. Likewise, there’s no photo mode for you to save memorable moments or marvel at the scenery and pristine bike models.

Fans of the Isle of Man TT may also be disappointed with the lack of live action footage or photos from the real championship – featuring exclusive rider interviews would have provided additional fan service. Omissions like these detract from the presentation, unfortunately. The laid-back menu music also sounds like it’s preparing you for a casual Sunday ride, rather than an adrenaline-filled 200 mph road race.

The AI could also do with some finetuning. On the medium and hard difficulty settings, they were often too easy to keep up with. Conversely, there is often one rider in pole position who is consistently several seconds faster than everyone else. They also rarely stray from the racing line and have an annoying habit of blindly slamming into the back of you. Luckily, collisions with other riders don’t usually cause you to fall off the bike unless you lose control, but their lack of awareness of your track position can cause some unnecessary accidents.

None of these issues detract from the intoxicating thrill of tackling one of the toughest road circuits on the planet, however. TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge is a relentlessly tense thrill ride that will challenge even the most experienced players. It’s been a long and arduous wait for the iconic Mountain Course to feature in a modern racing game, but the wait has certainly been worth it. Finally, we have a video game that does the Isle of Man TT the justice it deserves.

That’s it for our TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge review in progress. Check back soon for our full TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge review where we will also be testing the online multiplayer. 

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Sitting right next to the race track, the Porsche Experience Centre is a stunning set-up, featuring a range of cars from the history of the Porsche legacy through motorsports and consumer models. This is surrounded by 2 purpose-built circuits, besides low grip drift and water sections, plus two long straights for testing the launch control and braking. 

In the video below you’ll see footage of Loop 1, this is a smaller more technical circuit where you get a feel for how the car handles, acceleration, grip and most importantly, braking. The braking downhill into slow corners was initially tricky and given the value of the car, I was keen not to glide too close to the bollards on the apex’s of some corners. Initially taking things slow, it took a few laps to orientate myself, gradually building speed, improving my line and getting those braking points right. The strategy of slow-in, fast-out was key to getting a good understanding of car control. By the time we reach my final lap on this section I was feeling much more comfortable before moving to Loop 2.

Loop 2 wasn’t filmed, but this featured a larger race track where you were able to put your foot down, go through the gears and feel far greater pressure under braking. This was overall a more comfortable course for me after getting my confidence on Loop 1, but unfortunately, we weren’t able to film this section. Next was onto launch control, now I’ve never used this feature and given the ferocity of acceleration I don’t think I ever would. But if you were determined to beat your rival away from the lights, there is simply no better way to achieve success. To activate you hold down the brake, then put the accelerator to the floor. Hold it there till launch control is enabled on the dash, then let go of the brake. 0-60mph in 3 seconds, acceleration as incredible, 3 more seconds and we were probably around 150mph, before hitting the brakes when crossing the white marker line. Initially broke too hard, this turning on the hazard light, then on repeat attempts I calmed my braking and was able to bring the car to a halt in a more controlled fashion.

This was undoubtedly a life experience and another thing to tick off that bucket list of automotive adventures. If you’d like to try something like this, it certainly won’t be cheap but if you enjoy track days, driving and feeling that energy that only a performance car can provide, there really is no substitute. A big thanks to everyone at the Porsche Experience Centre, especially my driving instructor who was a big help, and it doesn’t matter if you’ve not had any experience on a track, these guys will guide you through. I’ll be looking at Forza Motorsport 7 on Xbox One X in more detail on a future video. 

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