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http://www.webquad.com/forza
Es una entrevista al Jefe de diseño del juego.
Exclusive Interview with Dan Greenawalt, Lead Designer
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Dan Greenawalt, Lead Game Designer of Forza Motorsport, was kind enough to answer the many questions that I had regarding the racing simulation masterpiece that Microsoft has been passionately working on for so many years. My gratitude goes out to him for answering my questions in detail and giving all of us insight into Forza Motorsport!
Interview with Dan Greenawalt - Lead Game Designer
Conducted by Ryan Thomas (ComposerRyan)
Question 1: I realize that you have tremendous respect for the Gran Turismo series. But do you feel that you have improved upon certain areas that Gran Turismo lacks? Also, do you feel you have learned anything or gained certain knowledge from the Gran Turismo series that you have applied to Forza Motorsport?
Dan Greenawalt: While we respect the GT series, there are some things we think we’ve improved upon. There are three key differences between Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo: vehicle modding, vehicle damage and physics.
Our modding engine uses real aftermarket parts, which means you’ll be buying parts that you can actually find in car shops. There won’t be generic “Wing – Composite – Type 1” in Forza. You’re going to get a brand and model for each part. Each mod will change your car’s handling and speed characteristics as appropriate. Also, if you damage a part, you’re going to have to earn enough cash to buy a new one, or drive around with it mangled.
Speaking of damage, that’s another key difference between Forza and GT – we’ve got a full damage model. Slam into another car or a wall, and you’re not just going to wreck your paintjob, but you’ll trash parts. And those damaged parts equal reduced performance, plus you’ll look pretty un-cool online driving around with a dangling bumper.
Forza’s physics engine is designed to offer the ultimate sim experience. Just as an example you may have heard of, we’ve spent countless hours developing our tire physics. We’ve worked to simulate various compounds, tire pressures and tread patterns to ensure that when a wheel should slip or grip – it’s going to do just that.
Question 2: How about day and night settings? Will Forza Motorsport include different times of day and will players be able to decide on the time of day before racing?
Dan Greenawalt: Some tracks are featured at night and some are featured in the day. We optimized the time of day to heighten the drama of the race and select lighting conditions that really speak to the location of the track.
Question 3: What single player modes will Forza offer? Will players be able to race any car on any track against 8 AI opponents in the single player mode?
Dan Greenawalt: There are four primary Single player modes. In arcade mode, the player will be able to race any car on any track against 8 AI opponents. Career mode has several hundred races that have set opponent fields and entry conditions – win these races for money. Free Run and Time Trials are timed modes with Xbox Live scoreboards, but no AI opponents.
Question 4: Will there be penalties? Like red, black, and even yellow flags?
Dan Greenawalt: There are time based penalties to maintain the integrity of the Xbox Live scoreboards. However, there are no Red, Black, Blue or Yellow flag conditions.
Question 5: Have you considered using special effects, like motion blur, and realistic camera angles during actual gameplay and replays as seen in games like Need for Speed Underground, Burnout 3, and even Gran Turismo?
Dan Greenawalt: Forza is a simulator. Rather than hitting the player with several unrealistic and over-the-top effects, we are using tons of very effects tuned to be subtle to increase the sense of speed and danger on the track. Of course we are using special effects during normal gameplay and replays. The goal is that the player never even know the effects are being used so that the scene looks as realistic as possible.
Question 6: From the previews, we've heard that Forza will feature over 60 tracks! That is an incredible number and proves how much hard work you are putting into this masterpiece. Will each track be completely different or will certain tracks be different configurations and variations of main environments?
Dan Greenawalt: There are 17 environments which are then configured into 45 tracks. Alternative configurations include the Full Gran Prix Silverstone as well as the shorter International Layout of Silverstone.
Question 7: The Drivatar AI technology is very exciting and we are really looking forward to racing against the competitive AI. Many developers seem to be lacking in this department, whereas you are truly focusing on this area and we are thrilled to see such dedication! Will there be AI difficulty settings and will every race feature the Drivatar AI or is it a type of game mode or feature?
Dan Greenawalt: Drivatar AI will always be present in the game,[ as it’s the core of the game’s AI. With Drivatar technology, the AI will learn from its mistakes, while watching other racers to learn from them. It’ll learn the best line through a course, but it won’t become so good as to make racing against the AI a frustrating experience. The AI will take what it learns on one track, and try to apply it to another. It’s an adaptive AI, it learns as it goes and applies what it learns to future races. Basically, the Drivatar Technology is seamlessly integrated into the difficulty settings.
Question 8: How about the pits? Will this game offer tire changing and refueling during pits?
Dan Greenawalt: Yes, the game features full pit stops with limited repairs, tire changes and refueling.
Question 9: How will the wear on tires affect gameplay? And, to what degree can tires get damaged?
Dan Greenawalt: Tires wear very realistically. We based all of our tires on real world tire data we received from Toyo and other tire manufacturers. Tire heat, pressure and wear are very realistically modeled. Tires can be extensively damaged.
Question 10: If someone decides to go off track to cut a corner through the gravel, will there be penalties or will the actual physics force the car to simply slow down?
Dan Greenawalt: Gravel will slow a car down and reduce its maneuverability just like it does in the real world. We also have a time penalty system which will not effect the results of the race, but will keep drivers who cut from posting hotlaps to the Xbox Live Scoreboards.
Question 11: I love all styles of music, as I am also a composer, and I know many other gamers appreciate good music in a game. What kind of music are we to expect in Forza?
Dan Greenawalt: Great question – I’m not asked about the music very frequently. We took a chance on the music. We had the option to just license a bunch of random songs off today’s charts, but we wanted to do something more innovative that would really fit with the power and precisions themes of the game. As a result we decided to go with 100% original music with some very recognizable themes. All of the music in Forza was composed and mixed by Junkie XL. Junkie XL took very famous classic riffs like Ironman and La Grange and remixed them to fit the pace of Forza Motorsport.
Question 12: One of the most exciting features to me is the ability to completely customize the outside appearance of the cars. If I create a design for my car, can I later apply the design to any other car? And will players online be able to exchange their designs?
Dan Greenawalt: Forza will feature car clubs and custom liveries, which means you’ll be able to keep a history of designs that you can use again later. Also, members of a car club will be able to share these custom liveries, so members of a club can all share the same look for their vehicles should they want to.
Question 13: How many cars will one player be able to own?
Dan Greenawalt: Currently we’re looking at around 300 cars per profile.
On behalf of all of the Forza Motorsport fans, I would like to now take the time to thank you for answering all of our questions, as we truly appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule to do so. Our appreciation and gratitude goes out to you for developing the game that we have all been waiting for since the Xbox's release! We are looking forward to playing Forza Motorsport and enjoying the incredible quality entertainment that you have been passionately working on for so many years.
-Interview by Ryan Thomas (ComposerRyan)
A destacar:
- El tio sigue confirmando los 8 coches en modo offline.
- Dice que habra paradas en pits
- Y el sistema de penalizaciones (tiempo) a los que atajan, aparte de que el coche como todos sabemos por el campo se descontrola, y que estas penalizaciones no afectaran a la carrera pero que si para los records del LIVE.
Por lo demas creo que comenta lo de siempre, daños, personalizacion bla bla bla....
Por otro lado hay gente que comenta que se rumorea por IGN que el juego puede sufrir un nuevo retraso
Por una parte me joderia, pero tambien me joderia mucho que me vendiesen otro HALO2 inacabado, despues de tanto HYPE con el jueguecito, creo que M$ no la quiere cagar esta vez.
bye