14 DAY TRIAL // Cyanide, the developer, and publisher Focus Home Interactive have announced the release of the first screenshots from Pro Cycling Manager 2010 (alternative title, Tour de France 2010). The two companies are saying that the fresh installment in the long running series should get a brand new graphical and game engine that will allow for more realism in the simulation and for more options for the gamers who are passionate about cycling.
Pro Cycling Manager 2010 will have higher resolution textures, approaching photo realism, more luxuriant flora on the side of the road, better ambient lightning and bigger simulated environments. The idea is to immerse the player more in the racing space while also offering them more subtle cues, through the things that surround them, as to what the winning strategy will be on that particular day for that event.
For those who are less interested in the way the game looks and more in the way Pro Cycling Manager 2010 simulates the working of a cycling team, there will be a whole new Season mode, with a new draft period, customized competitions and better handling of fitness and motivation. Cyanide is talking about showing players the record times for certain stages and climbs and offering bonuses for those who beat them.
Cyanide is also saying that the editor shipping with Pro Cycling Manager 2010 will be improved. Races will be easily built from a variety of predetermined elements and players will have control over the smallest of aspects, from the way the road curves to how the weather actually influences the cycling surface. The editor will even include a topographical tool that can evaluate real world locations and translate them into Pro Cycling Manager.
Focus Home Interactive and Cyanide will probably prepare Pro Cycling Manager 2010 for a June date, just before the real world Tour de France gets going.