As we know, the franchise has always mainly focused on Hollywood car chases and Driver really shows how far it can be taken. The driver games after the first one focused less on the hollywood car chases concept, making it feel less the kind of game that it was originally aiming to be. On the Neoseeker’s DPL forums, action gamer made some very good points about how Driver only needs the Hollywood car chase theme in order for it to be as best it can ever turn out to be. If the next driver can deliver the most realistic physics and damage for the vehicles and try to be exactly like those Hollywood car chase films, it could be the most achieved driver game that we’ll ever see. Even though seeing on-foot, more vehicle types, and other stuff that the series wasn’t originally about is what we want to see, it doesn’t need to be included to push the next game to its ultimate level. As long as the main focus, Hollywood styled car chases goes as far as the films have gone, it will make the next driver game better than dpl and maybe even more than the other driver games.

In order for the Hollywood styled car chase theme to go beyond that of every driver game, we need the best AI, physics, damage, story, and vehicles that goes beyond any previous driving game, I’m confident that driver will be pushed to its limits and go beyond any driving game that has ever been seen thus far. Also, Reflections should look heavily at the films that make use of Hollywood styled car chases and have a much better focus on it than D1 or any other driver game and even look back at those that they’ve looked at before, being able to improve over what they’ve gotten done. I’m hoping that the Hollywood styled car chases in the next game will amaze us and that Reflections, instead of working on any other driving that isn’t very needed, could focus on this instead and give us exactly the kind of great driving experience that we’ve been expecting to see from them ever since D1.

Please do all you can to discuss anything that is directly related to the Hollywood styled car chases in the films and in the driver games.

They should have all kinds of chases. Not just car chases, but we also need thrilling boat chases, aircraft chases, and locomotive chases too. I mean, lots of Hollywood movies have chases with many other vehicle types (like aircraft, trains, and boats). What do you think of this idea?

Well it wouldn't hurt to see chases for other vehicles as it would even allow Reflections to surpass the past driver games, with their intent on adding new ideas that would make the missions look great for any type of vehicle chases, but if none of Reflections' team is devoted to doing that and believe that they won't be able to get that much done, driver can always go back to being about cars only. It wouldn't hurt doing that both ways.

And like I said, hollywood styled chases is the only thing that Driver needs to do well, so it doesn't really need to offer anything free-roam gameplay, but I'm not forcing Reflections to get rid of it. Infact, I'm not forcing Reflections to do anything, but I do expect them to find the best possible solutions for their games.

Actually, it would suck big time if it was cars only, no matter how hard they try to make it fun. I mean, we need trucks, buses, aircraft, trains, boats, and many other cool things! It's Manditory. We need to make sure EVERYBODY gets a piece of cake (if you know what I mean). If we could have everything operable, then more people will buy the game. I'm not saying that I want additional things like trains as the only operable vehicles in the game, I just want them in the roster (so everybody will be happy). Why settle for less?


But yes, I want the big part of the game to be like the chases you see in action movies. Reflections always kept that in the Driver series. D:PL is fun to play over and over again for its fun chases, driving, and music, but it lacks the freedom that you find in other games in the crime genre such as GTA.

Can you imagine how cool it would be if there were not only aircraft in the next Driver, but you could actually have chase scenes in the air. Imagine two airplanes in a chase scene with machine gun fire, smoke trails, and horrific plane crashes in the end. Now imagine having a properly working film director to capture all the action.
I'm getting a woody just thinking about it!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: KORTECK,

See, as Korteck says, it doesn't need to be limited to cars to be fun, you can have fun in any other vehicle, or out of one, only if they program it right (the biggest challenge), and I think they should step up to the challenge, because why limit yourself because of stupid standards someone else thought of? Just like an "artist".

I agree, but taking the focus on other things besides driving shouldn't accur unless the driving features are complete. Aircraft would be the second last thing on my mind for Driver. Flying would be the last.

Yeah actiondreamer, the cars definitely need to be the main focus. I wouldn't even want to see motorcycles in the game at the expense of the cars, but I'm assuming that 95% of the game is car based and running smooth as silk before any extra vehicles are added.
However, anytime I have a huge environment to explore, flying above it to see it from a high perspective is usually one of the very first things on my mind. There's no better way to learn every detail of a map than to see it from above.

Yes. I agree, but if there are going to be more vehicles than just cars, leaving the game 95% of cars would feel like a developer did nothing to push the experience of the other vehicles.

And about the other things that doesn't follow driving, it could be left out to give Reflections all the room they need to be able to make the best driving game.

Well, I do want other vehicles... but it is a driving game after all.
I think the major focus should always remain on cars.

I didn't say that there shouldn't be any vehicles other than cars in the next game. I just said that having 95% of cars in the game would be too much and too little for the other vehicles. I'm thinking that around 70% of the vehicles should be cars because that holds up enough and gives the 30% to be not a very bad percentage on the other types of vehicles being available in the game.

Why should Reflections tell its people to focus very little on the other vehicles when they could have the freedom to work on however many kind of vehicles they want? I say that we leave the amount of vehicles up to them because if they have some very good ideas in mind for newer vehicles, I would love to see a big variety of more than 10 vehicles for when it comes to motorbikes, aircraft, and boats while there could be 50 or more cars.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Assaultmachine1,

An old concept, like car chases really needs to be amped up in terms of the interaction and intensity.

When I play Driver 2, the game feels like it's in slow motion, then I plug in DriverPL, and the game is a bit more fun, responsive and intense despite the cartoon appearance.

But what I'm really referring to is for Reflections/Ubisoft to AMP up the action so when I flip a car, it's exagerated in flight and on impact with the ground. To keep the Driver series too conservative is playing it safe. Keep it based on real physics, but intensify things so a ramp sends the car 1000 feet with a racing start, not 100.

I recall one moment when I was playing Driv3r and doing that one mission on getting away from Dodge Island.So while the bridge was going up,I drove up and jumped off from the bridge.So in the air for a moment and as soon as I hit the ground,I do so many turns.Way too many turns.

Yeah, it practically happens on that mission all the time if you try to jump that bridge. The timing for that is real bad. But in my opinion, the draw bridges suck big time in Driv3r anyway. It’s almost impossible to do a perfect jump on the draw bridges, including the draw bridge in Istanbul… Boy, I loved the draw bridges in Driver 2, oh-o-o-ooo…..

Anyway (back to topic), it's not just cars that Driver needs. It is buses, trucks, etc. Almost anything on four wheels and that is no smaller than a Mini Cooper or Fiat, no bigger than a 18 wheeler. It doesn't take a whole lot of vehicles to make a great driving game. (Need for Speed proved that for me, and so did Driver 1&2) It takes a decent or great amount of excellent vehicles! From American muscle to foreign sports cars, to big trucks and vans, sedans, etc. Two of the main game-play aspects in my opinion of Driver that pulls everything together is a flawless story that is interesting and fun, interesting and fun-to-do driving missions from car chases, getaways, police pursuits, tailing a vehicle or maybe even being tailed and leading a car into a trap or something, and the list goes on as far as I can think. And of course, the driving physics and handling are very important. They need to be as realistic as Driver 1 PC as I find Driver 1 PC the best driving game in my opinion, and they need to go far with gaming technology than driving has ever gone before in a driving game, all on just a few particular aspects.
That's the most it takes to bring the “Hollywood car chase formula” back. Wouldn't anyone agree?

(Here I go, but may be worth reading.)

For it to be a "Hollywood - car - chase" game, which is all inspired by Hollywood car chase >movies< and the best way to have a good movie feel is to have a good story with interesting characters; the best way for it to be a car chase, it'll have to involve cars/vehicles and a story involving a cat & mouse chase kind of thing, but not senseless; and for it to have great chases like before or much better, the handling and everything that revolve around the driving has to be perfect!

Driver 2 was a near masterpiece for a PS1 game, in it‘s time, I can honestly say. It's such a bummer for Reflections to screw up so badly on Driv3r like they did, I mean they were walking into unknown territory with the PS2, or were they? How hard would it be to make a PS2 version of Driver 2? Couldn't they use the same formula and create a Driver 3 more like it‘s predecessors instead of trying to go so far with what they did where such things like swimming, boats and bikes, and shooting…come on! Am I right? Cause I think I am. If anybody agrees at least slightly, please speak up.

Now it wouldn't take so much to just do the things that I've listed, does it? I mean from what I've seen in such games now days, it is possible to do all that and then some. And surprisingly enough for me, Driver still has a chance and they need to take it before it‘s too late, unless they already have and they are working on it as we speak. I sure hope so. But look at the facts… It's probably the “Hollywood style car chases” in the first original Drivers that gave Reflections a chance, going from GT Interactive and Infogrames to Atari. Cause if it wasn't for the originals, no company like Ubisoft may have had the interest to buy the Driver series. And with that formula I was talking about, Ubisoft shall be putting allot of focus and effort into supporting the Reflections team into making a excellent game! I sure hope so. It’s also the formula we talk about that sets away from GTA and many of you people want to add such things that GTA has, like trains, aircraft. I’m sorry to be harsh or unsatisfying to you but it is utterly ridiculous to add that stuff. I mean look forward to GTA IV. A trailer will be available the 19th of this month (March). That game is without a doubt / at least bound to blow some stuff out the water. This is >Driver< we are all talking about.

Nothing smaller than a Mini Cooper? No way. I want bikes too! I know they're a pain in the ass to control, but they're fun to ride when going through massive traffic. Nothing bigger than an 18-wheeler? No way. I want more than that. I want trains too because they're kick ass when something gets on the tracks. See, I don't settle for less. I like your ideas about vehicles Actiondreamer, but more is always better. So I'm not flaming you man. I still support you, we do need A LOT of cars in the next big Driver game.

Then obviously you don't see my point.

And I never said bikes are hard to control. I in fact loved the bikes in Driv3r. But not in DPL mind you. Look, I'm not trying to burn anyone. I'm just trying to set things out straight of the main priority and concept of a great game that people don't seam to realize.

I mean you're talking about so many features that belong into a game such as GTA. GTA: SA already has such things, and if you can't play that game and enjoy it, than maybe you should come to realize that such things do not fit into a game like Driver. Have you not played the original Driver games? The ones that started it all were practically the best ones. DPL almost hit the nail right on the head. But it didn't, in my opinion. Though it had some good aspects, but it also had some poor ones.

But if you can understand that Driver is a Hollywood style car chase game, than that's a small step for you. Reflections already took a major step into that aspect, but they just stepped out for a while and looked down into a deep hole that had this treasure chest full of gold (the GTA formula) and they grabbed a small handful of that gold and took it with them as they slowly started walking toward the main aspect road (that was Driv3r). Then when it came up to it, that took a piece of tire and rolled it back to the other end of the road where the slow walk started and that just stayed there with their GTA gold and the piece of the "Driver formula" and continued on. Now hopefully by now, they have dropped that gold and are walking toward the light where the Driver formula remains.

If anybody else can't agree. Than you're obviously blind... Sorry if I'm being preachy.

I'm not blind. I just really wanted to respond to that paragraph of yours where you were talking about what vehicles you wanted. Now look, I think we can still have fun with other vehicles that don't run on the road. And it will not screw the series. I have ideas that can stear Driver away from GTA, but still make it a good game with some originality.


Here's an example, we should have drivable trains (obviously). I know GTA:SA has them. But here's something that GTA:SA didn't have with their trains. They had no steam or electric locomotives, you couldn't sound the horn/whistle or bell, you couldn't do drivebies on a train, the controls on the train were not independent buttons, the trains had no radios on them, you couldn't switch the tracks, and there was no train traffic. If Driver could take all of these things and put them into their trains, plus the good stuff from SA, then it will be all good (well, at least the train aspect of the game). And these things are pretty original in the first place. I understand that Driver hasn't had any drivable trains yet. But it would be great if they could. And there are a lot of Hollywood movies with train chases in them. So that would be very thrilling to me!

If Driver 5 has tons of vehicles to ride including bikes, cars, trains, aircraft and anything else with wheels, it won't hurt the replay value, but the fun will hinge on how fast the game moves and how much action and close call escapes the game throws at us when we're looking for it.

Reflections needs to bring us into the game with plenty of camera choices for one thing (interior dash view, hood view, 3rd person car view, farther view, kind of like the great views from Atari's Test Drive Unlimited (360 version), but with the trademark Driver controls.

Yeah, an interior view would be sweet. Imagine this, how cool would it be driving in a car going 90+ mph and doing a driveby out the window? That would be awesome! I wish D:PL had that, it would be realistic, challenging, and fun!

quote:

Originally posted by Driverman2006:
I'm not blind. I just really wanted to respond to that paragraph of yours where you were talking about what vehicles you wanted. Now look, I think we can still have fun with other vehicles that don't run on the road. And it will not screw the series. I have ideas that can stear Driver away from GTA, but still make it a good game with some originality.

Originality? I was talking about originality, Driverman2006, in fact I was talking more than that. Besides, I would rather chase a train than drive one. I have fun chasing the train in DPL, because it gives me a chance to show off my driving skills by beating the train to the next stop. Since the train only had like one large turn which is around over the East River to Manhattan or the other way around to Long Island, I have fun cutting through on the Queensboro bridge which is fun just barely meeting it on the other side or something. It's just one of those play-around kind of thing, but I gotta say it's the most fun I've had in DPL. If only the track went all around the city with more turns. I would absolutely love it! See, chasing a train to me is the most fun kind of chase there can be.

Adding such things like other kinds of transportation vehicles like trains, and maybe even a bit of aircraft, along with some on-foot shooting with all the on-foot features people want also with a open world structure like DPL, the game without a doubt is going to be looked at as a GTA-clone or something. Whether you or I see it or not (anyone for that matter), other gamers will, but yeah, who cares what other people think? Well I think it's always good to keep a game away from another game's "originality" so it can be it's own delightful, unique, if not astonishingly amazing game! I see many games like God of War, etc. It's nothing like GTA and I think it is a near total masterpiece, same as other games.

And when I talk about cars/vehicles only, I'm not talking it because I want it, cause if it was what I wanted, I would have added things like bikes, I really would. But I'm not talking it because I want it, it is because that's what it needs to be it's own "original" game. That kind of aspect can be taken so far and it'll be the ultimate driving game that will be remembered and played for years to come, just like the original. It's never about what the gamers want, it's what the game needs to draw the gamers into the main aspect that make them say "what a awesome game!". Cause if a game lived up to everyone's expectations, than it wouldn't be such a unique game now would it? And this thread however, is about the big issue: "Hollywood car chase" theme. Which is however the Hollywood car chase movie-inspired theme if you have not yet realized. Trains, and other transportation vehicles like that don't seam to go too well on that topic, does it?

Look, I'm not against you, Driverman2006, in fact, if I was 5 years younger, I would want the same features as you do (maybe more). But now I think of those features and some of your ideas sometimes a bit over the top, or a leep in the wrong direction. I mean not much have I seen you improve with ideas on driving and the main aspect, I on the other hand could think some up, but I'm not into that idea thinking kind of thing, I just look into the latest info and I take the game for what it's going to deliver. Cause when the time comes and the game releases, it is released and none of my negative expectations are going to get in the way. There are plenty of ideas to be put in such a genre, it just takes a smart and imaginative mind to do that. And you seam to have one of those minds, Driverman2006, I suggest you put it to some good use, if just by chance the developers are reading our posts and using some of our ideas, when they see your ideas, they'll probably pass it because they are looking for great driving elements (hopefully)... I'm just not in the motivation to think up ideas these days...

Sorry for such a long post...