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Popular TagsC3 Exclusive Interview | Firebrand talks Race Driver (Nintendo DS), Wii Version, Trackmania & More
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Cubed3's Adam Riley recently got the chance to catch up with Mark Greenshields and Pete Shea of Scottish development house Firebrand Games, the team known as racing game experts by many within the Industry now following the superb Race Driver: Create and Race for DS. With the group hard at work on finishing up Race Driver: GRID for DS, plus the first Nintendo portable version of Trackmania, as well as working on its Wii technology, the duo certainly had a lot to talk about with regards to current and future plans...
AR: First of all, were sales / personal expectations met for Race Driver: Create and Race?
Firebrand Games: In terms of personal expectations, yes we were very happy with the way Race Driver Create and Race came out. As a team we strived to create the best realistic racing experience possible on the DS and we were very happy that those who played and reviewed the game agreed we had done it. Naturally, you always want to do better commercially and we think Race Driver: GRID, with its evolution of our core strengths like the Track Designer is well placed to do so. We have perhaps learnt that the DS market looks for something that's more accessible, and that's partly due to the broad range of people playing DS and also the nature of portable play generally, in the sense that you wouldn't always sit down for long gaming sessions.
But for some developers, making something more accessible means you end up with a dumbed down game, which can be kind of patronising. We think there are smarter ways to open up a game to a wider audience yet remaining committed to making a great realistic race experience. So there are some physics and handling re-tuning but it's also things like including more visual aids to help navigation of tracks to make it a fairer race and exciting new content. We've also included a wide range of events suited for those five minutes here or there when players don't have time to take on a championship series. There's still serious racing in there, we keep the best things that made Race Driver: Create and Race such a great game and it's still a challenge as you progress, but Race Driver: GRID better equips players to enjoy the game and the style of the career mode will suit the strengths of the DS even better.
AR: Is GRID on DS set to launch alongside all the other versions simultaneously? And if so, do you feel that sharing the same name this time will be of benefit to sales, possibly thanks to stronger brand recognition?
Firebrand Games: Yes it's planned to be a simultaneous release with the other SKUs. And yes it will certainly benefit from the large marketing spend and promotion which will help with brand recognition on the DS and even more importantly with presence on the retailer shelves. But most importantly, it's neither a lazy port nor a rebadged game – our focus is on making the best, most fun racer we can, a great game in its own right. Of course, we share the spirit, and many of the locations and car line up of the console and PC versions of Race Driver: GRID but it's developed specifically for the DS with the DS gamer in mind. It's a case of taking Race Driver: GRID's focus on aggressive wheel to wheel races, in a range of disciplines on cool locations and using our experience to create something that is a unique, exciting proposition for fans of racing on Nintendo DS.
AR: Will the extensive track creation feature return in GRID, and have there been any additions included to make it an even fuller experience?
Firebrand Games: Absolutely and we have added more features to make it much better. You can now raise and lower pieces with the stylus, and the game will automatically create ramps to keep your track joined together. You can also set the lighting and time of day of your track, and design and draw your own images or logos for all of the signs that surround it.
We've also added three more styles of track- bringing the total to five! And there's a new game mode named Blueprint which tests your Track Design skills. Best of all you can now share your homemade tracks with your friends either wirelessly or by uploading and downloading them online.
AR: The same goes for the online element. Create and Race was a joy to play online, so are we to presume GRID will include a similar mode and again, will there be any additions this time round?
Firebrand Games: Yes and we have expanded it to offer an even better experience. You can now setup up your own Championships, if you don't fancy leaving the race setup and options to voting. There's also a fun new Chase multiplayer game that can be played wirelessly and online.
And as mentioned earlier, you can now upload your own custom circuits to a server to store them there, or so your friends can download them!
AR: Other than online head-to-head play, has any consideration gone into the possibility of extra downloadable content via Wi-Fi? (If not, please explain why)
Firebrand Games: We did look into the possibilities of extra downloadable content for the game, but in the end decided it wasn't quite right for the DS, and it would be better to focus on including as much content as possible on the game card. Of course, with the ability to upload and download custom created tracks, there will be tons of new content to extend the game.
AR: The only negative element of RD: CaR was probably the soundtrack, which many believed was quite forgettable. Will more effort be put into this side for GRID this time round or is that not a priority?
Firebrand Games: I'm not sure it was that bad! But we do take on feedback and we have improved the soundtrack in this game – as a hard core racing sim, music was never a priority and for us the game still has to have the main focus, which I am sure all will agree is the right way. We employed the services of a well known Games Industry composition team (Allister Brimble and Anthony Putson responsible for the music in countless games including Superfrog, Project X, Alien Breed, Driver etc) to write all new music just for the DS game. Music is now played in-game as well (which you can turn off of course).
AR: Considering you have such a powerful custom-built race engine for the DS, would you ever consider licensing the technology out to other developers to help them also create better titles?
Firebrand Games: At the moment no we would not consider licensing it out. We are not a middleware company and do not have the support services you would need for this. We have been asked for it before but so far this engine is something we value highly and wish it to remain exclusively for Firebrand's use in the games we create with out publishers.
AR: Ralph Fulton of Codemasters said that Race Driver could come to Wii if there was a dedicated external team available to take on the project. With your current Wii tools, would you be willing and have the resources to undertake such a project?
Firebrand Games: Yes we would and have the resources to do that (as long as it's not released in 2008!) Our Wii engine will soon be demoed and its showing all the promise of our DS engine. We decided to delay finalising our Wii tech because (1) we were so busy, which is nice and (2) because when we release our first Wii title, we want it to have the same impact as Race Driver.
AR: Moving on, Firebrand is also bringing Trackmania to DS. What makes this project different from that of GRID?
Firebrand Games: It's a totally different experience, much more arcade focused and features all the extreme physics and gameplay from the PC original. They are two completely different games and race styles but will be good to show the world that Firebrand's teams create great driving games, irrespective of style.
AR: Can you confirm any preliminary details regarding modes on offer and the numbers of players the game will support yet?
Firebrand Games: You really need to talk to Focus Home Interactive for that, but the game will have a full 3D track editor just like on PC with immediate access to the racing, high speed 60hz action which is true to the original look and feel. The game will offer 4 player support.
AR: Is this a one-off deal for TrackMania, or will Firebrand become the 'driving' force behind future TrackMania games on consoles?
Firebrand Games: I am afraid I cannot comment on that other than to say we are huge fans of TrackMania and also console specialists so we would obviously wish to support the future of the game.
AR: What sort of hurdles have you faced when attempting to translate the PC game over to DS?
Firebrand Games: The physics required as well as the real 3D world editor demanded expertise and effort from our R&D team. It was a challenge to shrink what the PC could do onto a much less powerful platform. We are very confident in our team's abilities and I am proud to say that we have exceeded what we thought possible and I am sure players will love the game on DS as much as on PC.
AR: WiiWare has already started with a bang in Japan and it seems many Western developers are lining up to support the service as well. Will we be seeing something from Firebrand in the near future as well?
Firebrand Games: It is certainly under discussion but there is nothing I can reveal at present.
AR: Or is it more likely a full-scale Wii game is on the cards for the team?
Firebrand Games: A full scale Wii game is certainly on the cards but nothing is ready to announce.
AR: Finally, what are your thoughts on the Wii Wheel? Do you think this new peripheral will encourage more developers to bring racing games to Wii, like the Zapper has spurred on more shooters?
Firebrand Games: Potentially yes, but what will bring racing games to the Wii is buyers buying them and showing publishers and developers that there is a ready market, just like the DS and other platforms. If people don't buy the current games (like GRID and TrackMania!!) then obviously future games are less likely to happen from all developers.
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jesusraz Reply Quote #1
News Editor
10731 
434 
22.01.2003 
noneThe folk at Firebrand are so talented and the work produced so far is so impressive that I just can't wait to see what they come up with for Wii! That system REALLY is in desperate need of a proper racer...
Cubed³ Senior Editor :: Lead Writer :: News & Interviews Editor
Cubed³ Senior Editor :: Lead Writer :: News & Interviews Editor
dojo Reply Quote #2
L96 Secondary Guard
4682 319 06.05.2006 benjAce interview, they clearly see the DS as a pretty empty space for proper racing games (bar, maybe...NFS). Nice to hear that they're "working on something" for Wii too. Maybe it'll be the Wii's Forza/GT.
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