14 DAY TRIAL // The development team at Evolution Studios currently working on DriveClub says that his team has used the extra development time it had after the delay announcement from Sony to polish the core game experiences and to introduce some new elements.
At the moment, the biggest of them all is a dynamic weather system that is designed to make the world of racing game more believable and create more immersion for the player.
The studio also wants to introduce a new photo mode, which can be used by players to show off the incredible graphics quality of the title, although none of the two features will be available when the game launches.
Paul Rustchynsky, a game director working on DriveClub, tells Eurogamer that, “It was never something we were going to achieve for launch last year, but with the extra time we've been given to make sure the dynamic menu and connectivity were spot-on, we had more time to spend on making the cars look better, making the world look better and integrating new features like this.”
At the moment, Evolution Studios believes that the core game mechanics are ready to be delivered to the public, but the company wants to add new elements that improve the overall experience.
Since the concept for DriveClub was first announced, the company and publisher Sony have talked about it being a service rather than a traditional release, which means that new content will continue to be added for a long period after launch.
The game director adds, “We're at the point now obviously in the last stage of development where we're fixing bugs and waiting for launch - so now we're at the phase where we're thinking about what we can bring next to the game. We talked about DriveClub not just being a game that we put out and then it's done.”
DriveClub will not focus on the simulation aspect of racing, but the game will create an experience that is somewhat realistic and focuses on the social aspect of the sport, accessed via a new dynamic menu.
Sony has said that a special version of the title will be offered for those who subscribe to the PlayStation Plus service, which will contain a more limited selection of both tracks and cars but will have all the core mechanics.
DriveClub will be offered exclusively on the PlayStation 4 from Sony on October 7 in North America and one day later in Europe.