Good idea, InsaneDriver06. It sounds like how you play a game such as Half-Life (is without cutscenes and has no subtitles), The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay (has no cutscenes that would take long to get past and in a conversation with a character, it does move the camera back and forth between the discussion, but you can easily skip it and resume the gameplay, which is also seen in The Darkness). If we see a much quicker way of getting to play the game and not have to wait much at all, I'm really sure that it will work well for the game. Of course, the Driver games since D2 had supported nice cutscenes to make the graphics stand out better (the cutscenes in D3 are highly regarded as the best part about Driv3r itself), but this has caused for longer times of waiting to play the game and because technology is becoming better, we should see cutscenes that look as that of the gameplay and which are really fast in terms of skipping or finishing, so that you won't be bored after having watched a cutscene.

Now that you've brought up the thought of cutscenes in video games, I must say that cutscenes are many times the best ways to tell the story of a game, but it would be great to see gameplay give the story a flow that is fast, yet very understandable. Half-Life is a very good game because it never really has had any cutscenes at all (none that I've noticed before) and this, in turn, allows the player to finish the game much sooner. The different levels and characters in the game are what help make the story proceed. It is what I'd expect future game developers to start doing for their games in helping make sure that the player will not be spending very much time or no absolute time at all on having to wait for playing the game.

Another good example about cutscenes is that the Metal Gear Solid franchise is very good at having the story be brought to life and answers many of the questions that we have about the games. I love every aspect, from the action, to the voice-overs, to even the bosses and main characters in the game. And the gameplay and cutscene's graphics are matched very well while both looking very impressive. This is certainly what I wish to never see leave the MG series even before it is the end for it. However, the cutscenes are usually long. The good thing is that it only takes a few seconds for it to get back to the gameplay.

Reflections can have a choice of creating cutscenes that fit in to the ways of games like The Darkness and The Chronicles of Riddick (having conversations that go on with no cutscenes that are ever long), the way that Half-Life is done (with no cutscenes but having the characters and missions help the game's story proceed), or even the ways of the Metal Gear series. One last thing that I would like to say is that it is certainly interesting to see that even though the levels of games like The Chronicles of Riddick and Half-Life 2 are tied together, meaning that you move to a certain point in the game to reach the next level, it takes quite a while for it to load (more than 5 seconds to be sure), but I think that the blame for this is the fact that the developers didn't take the time to do something about the length of loading times. It is quite troublesome and I wish that developers will be able to overcome this problem with levels be a part of their games. Luckily, games like Resident Evil 4 and Gears of War as well as others have not very much time to load in any parts of the game, so it seems that with more technology and as developers learn how to do more with their games, they will be able to fix the problems that were displayed in the past.

Yeah, cutscenes are more like watching movies, taking you out of the gameplay. Interactive storyscenes that we actually move through as the character are more entertaining in my opinion.

In Driver's case, all the cutscenes feature high-end visuals that makes gamers think, "Why can't the game's graphics look that good?" Hopefully, the next Driver won't feature CGI cutscenes that look good, but don't offer any interaction or gameplay.

Take Lord of the Rings Two Towers for the PS2, where you can't even skip the cutscenes from what I remember. Not fun when you want to play the game, not watch it.

I want a very little amount of cutscenes. I want like 90+% of the game to be gameplay. This way the cutscenes don't hide any extra gameplay. The graphics in the next Driver game NEED to be the same graphics as D:PL's 2006 cutscene graphics (those look way better than GTA IV's graphics, and it would look just like real life). Many people say that Reflections spends too much money and time on cutscenes instead of gameplay. This time, it needs to be the opposite.

I certainly agree with you, InsaneDriver06. The Towers the game, which I used to own for the PS2, was awful at how you couldn't skip the cutscenes. However, the cutscenes didn't look far better than the graphics present in the gameplay for the most part, so I don't think that this did as much trouble as Reflections has done when trying to reach the cutscenes at being better than that of the gameplay.

As a response to your post, Driverman2006, I do believe that we need little or no cutscenes at all. There could always be ways of interacting with people in the game through dialogue, but being able to skip their talking and be in the foot of your character (as opposed to watching something being done with your character or another character in a cutscene). Cutscenes are many times the feel of a movie and video games need to be very much less than movies, which are just something that you watch. No longer should games need manuals or walkthroughs as well as possibly even cutscenes to help you out with the game in anyway, but I don't mind if we see little cutscenes. However, it would be a greater approach to change the approach with cutscenes and leave it all up to the gameplay. I don't honestly believe that we'll see a game with the graphics as in that of DPL's cutscenes, which the Unreal 3 Engine and even Crytek's CryEngine 2, still haven't reached, but maybe with the soon closing of the 7th generation or even the start of the 8th generation, we can expect the graphics to look that awesome. Other than that, I do expect Reflections to put more effort in the way that the graphics look look great artisticly and realistic for their next Driver game. Hopefully, we'll see something better than that of GOW's graphics.

Above it all, the next Driver must take the on-foot better than ever with many of its abilities and realism. The driving experience should, however, be a lot bigger in realism and in gameplay than the on-foot. Interiors could be explored through the use of on-foot, but many buildings in the game should be available for us to drive through with a car or other big vehicle, which would take the destruction to new heights. It would be an awesome level of freedom with destruction being this big.

Yes, less time and money spent on CGI cutscenes, and more time put into actual gameplay and in-game graphics being the best.

Driving vehicles indoors, like the mall from Driv3r, would be really nice to see again.

[bump thread]

I'd like a Driver game that drops the guns and makes the vehicle the weapon, so instead of shooting your enemy, you ram them off the cliff. Thrilling driving action is what Driver needs to get back to, not all this gun shooting stuff. And instead of car jacking GTA style, you should have to earn your ride by completing missions or buying them.

Constantly stealing cars anytime you want defeats the purpose of a thrilling chase where your vehicle is your only escape. It takes away the thrill of the chase, "Oh, my car broke down, I'll just grab that other car right over there." And the car you spent so much time customizing becomes disposable. Bleh.

Excellent point, InsaneDriver06 about the hijacking of vehicles and I like the idea of using your vehicle as a weapon. Heck, I'd like a cheat about turning your vehicle into one such that is equipped with weapons, making it a vehicular combat styled game and really pushing the use of vehicles even further. This could either be a cheat or there could be a minigame of such that you can equip weapons to any ride of yours and use it in either racing, cruises, or special missions against vehicles, pedestrians, etc. It would be such an awesome feature for the Driver series considering the fact that it's been all about driving and the driving experience can be expanded even further, so a way for you to have vehicular combat somehow would be a great option. Also, it could possibly borrow elements of other driving genres such as the kart racing ones. Driv3r had a kart and the next Driver can offer some different kinds, which could make kart racing a really fun experience, especially if it's put online and for racing against AI opponents, which need to be really intelligent.

I am playing PL at the moment (although stuck due to some technical problem with the rooftop mission, which is mainly why I am here)... but I would like to see the following "improvments"

* Cut out most of the cut scenes, they probably take an enormous amount of space which could be used for some of the following...

* Vehicles have have their own "mission". - Like entering a Taxi means you can drive around looking for people to transport around. A truck means you can start making deliveries for truck companies (this helps you get to know the city, also).
If you approach a certain area on a motorcycle you may be recruited by a biker gang, riding in formation, hanging out, gang related vendettas... etc. How about a COP scenario, where you start playing a cop and BUST some of the scum you have been helping, then they then put a contract out on you, so you need to eliminate the hitmen, involve the FBI... Then you really COULD change characters. etc. The attack / change characters in PL is pretty cool, but after he turned into a woman, no one was hitting on her! Could have made a quick buck!

* More "Commerce" into the game. Buying & Selling... You can transport stuff around, be it diamonds or food... or drugs. These things should have "consequences" later in the game... For exampe after someone is arrested with drugs, they reveal you as the seller... or, after filling the truck up with food, and leaving it in a poor area, you are appreciated and "helped" back, in that area. Street Cred, Popularity, etc. Others would willfully crash into those who are after you, in that area.

* Is the main character impotent? Where's his girlfriend or even boyfriend? (hehe) You'd think all this Macho stuff would attract SOMEONE! What's the use of having an apartment with a bed if you never use it!

* "Cruise Control" set the top speed you want to go and stay at (includes slower Taxi driving, to be "legal"). So every vehicle doesn't start with a skid.

* User sets the music folder. This way you can listen to the MP3s on your computer and not just the preset game music. (This is also a way you can get to know the music on your computer!)

* I liked the older Driver where you opened other areas, but it took time to load them. That was good. Frisco, Cuba, etc. A Paradise Island might not be out of place. The character can lounge on the beach and be harrassed by beach vendors! (gives a new meaning to "keeping it real")

There may be others, but this is it for now.

One reason Driver gets compared to GTA and pales in comparison? Including on foot and not even getting close to what GTA offers. But Reflections is known for their Driving games. If they continue going for on foot, they'll always be trailing behind GTA.

But yeah, get rid of the cutscenes for in-game footage instead, and put the time into more creative driving missions and free roam driving adventure throughout the map.

I honestly can't see Driver including full on foot features to full effect, while keeping the point on Driving action, and at the same time, stepping outside the shadow of GTA. As long as Driver includes full on foot freedom, it will be compared to GTA.

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Do what you do best Reflections, but at most, include First person on foot at your garage, home base, stores, auto dealerships. This will keep the focus on Driving, not walking around. GTA does that best.

Now that I've been thinking more about the limiting of on-foot to nothing more than the interiors and really having Reflections push the driving to new heights and greater heights than any other racing and driving games that we've heard of so far, I'm think that I should make a topic about what the many driving/racing games out and not out yet are offering, helping let Reflections know what the focus on driving needs to be and on how the next Driver really needs to be the real deal for driving. It is a very important topic to have, so I'm going to make it soon. Other than that, lets still keep this topic alive, even after I've said something like this, which can lead to more thinking of what to expand on having to say for this topic.

Edit: I've now created the topic that I said I would create, which is titled "The Elements of Driving/Racing Games of the 7th Gen For the Next Driver Game", so check it out and start posting there too as we can really help Reflections know what features of released and not yet released driving/racing games needs to be included in the next Driver game.

I'll be honest, getting out of your car, and exploring the sidewalks as cars drive by on the freeway during the daytime is a nice experience, but mainly for a game like GTA. With Driver, it serves little real purpose, though I'd like to be able to climb any surface including skyscrapers, but that's more tuned for a game like Crackdown on the 360.

For Driver to regain the success it first had with Driver 1, it needs to go back to what made that game a success, and take it to the next level. If that means excluding the distracting on foot, so be it if it's a better game in the end.

Oooff!! Sorry, I have to disagree with you here! When I first got Driver1 (PlaySatiton) I tried EVERYTHING I could to get OUT of the car! In the end I had to break out the manual and was astonished that you couldn't! That was CRAZY! In my opinion. If the car was smoking and about to blow up, you'd jump out! That just made sense.

On the other hand, I'd like to suggest an alternative that may be as unpopular... Car Specific Skeleton Keys that the Driver can BUY when he gets enough funds! AHA! So you CAN'T just get into ANY car... but you CAN get into all of a certain TYPE.

Also, I'd love to see more random and storyline interactivity with the people on the street. There could be SUB missions. These are easy to program with simple "FLAGS". So if you have met Bob (Bob flag is 1) then you may be told the next plot twist by another character (since Mary flag is 0). This way you can roam around and will eventually learn of a mission that you could undertake.

(Me and a friend were making such a game with stickmen and Hypercard WAY back on a Mac (in me Apple daze!). The adjascent area (black originally) was always randomly generated. When you talked to someone you got a choice: Trade or Chat. You could sell them some of the items you had, (some areas things were more expensive than in other areas, and as you travelled you made a profit (or loss) buying & selling. Profit was your objective tho) then you could opt to hear what they had to say, etc. We had put in 100s of one liner jokes too... So we were randomly entertained, too! hehe. Hypercard never made it to the PC, I undertand. Cool tool!)

Example of random one liner: "Did you hear about Mary? She went out with a guy cos she heard his parents were into iron & steel, but stopped going out with him when she found out it was true! Yeah, his mother irons and his father steals!"

*sigh* here I go GIVING away my great game ideas!

ps. I need to find out more about this "Crackdown on the 360" sounds interesting.

Look, icelandknight, it would certainly not be a good approach for the Driver franchise to continue on-foot and push the driving to ways like the GTA franchise because it'd be so much of a rip-off and people will always prefer GTA over Driver for that matter. However, if Driver is able to keep on-foot limited to only a first-person view within interiors of garages, stores, and your home, it'd be enough as the rest of the focus needs to be the driving and car chases. Once again, on-foot and freedom is not a huge strength for Reflections as much as it is for Rockstar North, so it is pointless to continue the ways of the Driver games the way i currently is.

Having Driver push the driving and car chases further than any seen of the 7th generations' driving/racing games is the right way to have Reflections gain momentum and to have the best Driver game thus far, maybe even better than the original game.

On-foot and other types of GTA elements really hurt the experience of Driver and make it feel boring quite fast, leaving the replay value not as high as the GTA games and that simply is a problem. What truly is the point of having a feature that will not help the replay value stay up high and if it is not original?

Therefore, as a conclusion, but perhaps still not a way to end this topic's discussion (I still would like people to give off their different comments, perspectives, and opinions on the Driver franchise), I'll say that the on-foot must be like the feature of Project Gotham Racing, keeping it only in the interiors that are important to the game and nothing more while the driving and car chases can certainly have a great chance of becoming the strength and most realized aspect of the game rather than having on-foot realized, which everyone would be able to call a rip-off and perhaps just to derivative.

If you want the on foot action removed, that means you want to turn Driver into a crappy arcady game. There needs to be all of the fun features from ALL previous Driver games back (sure, on foot action doesn't have to be in missions, but it should be allowed in the rest of the game). On foot action and weapons MUST live on.


Dammit people, f**king listen to me! You need to know that Driver is a FREE ROAMING game. Just like Grand Theft Auto, Scarface, Saints Row, True Crime, The Godfather, and others. So having the ability to go on foot, operate anything you wish, open world structure (no front-end menu), vehicle customization, character customization, and using weapons are all required for the next Driver game. 5 star Driver game, here it is! Take it from me people (employees at Ubisoft-Reflections and members). I apoligize for my rant, it's just that I feel ignored because some people don't get my f**king point, and it frusterates me. I come up with the best solutions and some people push my buttons about it. I'm not retarded, guys, I know my limits (as in what games need).

First of all, calm yourself down, Driverman2006. These are just opinions. It's not as if these are facts, which we present. Second of all, you can't expect us to go directly to the thought of thinking that on-foot will be any more of a help at all than the disaster that it will cause for the Driver franchise.

I've already mentioned a category of the free-roam or open-world genre, in a different topic, making the point that there are different types of it. Therefore, games shouldn't only be restricted to open-world action when there could be other categories including open-world survival horror, open-world stealth, open-world RPG (Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion used this), open-world Driving (I considered that this would be the best category for the Driver franchise to fit in), and the list can go on. Open-world is simply a sub genre of other genres that allows for non-linearity, offering more freedom for the players than was possible in any linear game.

Driver would fit very well into the category of Open-World driving as GTA will always dominate the freedom of driving and on-foot together, which would likely fit in the Open-World Action genre. If Driver is to continue with the guns and other forms of gameplay, everyone will always doubt that they should buy any Driver games (much like the GTA fans, those who are Driver haters) and will always call it among the many Open-World action games, claiming them all rip-offs or GTA clones. Do you like the thought of clones, even when a game developer can offer something new and original? Think about it. If game developers were to always offer the same experience, how would that turn out? If Resident Evil 4 never became the new approach for the Resident Evil franchise, would there still be as many new comers for the franchise as there was when it turned from the direction of Survival Horror to Survival Action? I think not.

I can see why you don't understand much outside of the free-roaming and racing genre itself because of the fact that you've never been entitled to exploring the other genres, which I'd still recommend for you to do, which could help you see everything more clearly of the whole Video Game Industry. I've had experiences with many different video game genres (First-person shooters, Third-person shooters, Light-gun games, Action-Adventure games, Platformers, Action games, Hack n' Slash games, Beat 'em up games, Fighting games, racing games, vehicular combat games, RPGs, MMOGs, stealth games, survival horror games, etc. etc. As a result, I've learned the many differences found in video games. Having a larger variety will help contribute to having you see things better.

Today, the open-world genre is expanding with games like Assassin's Creed, Mercenaries 2, GTA IV, Prototype, Saint's Row 2, and some others that I wasn't able to remember. Driver has still yet to be a game considered as one of the most impacting franchises of the open-world genre, but it can't do this if the on-foot and driving experience are too leveled. This means that the driving can't beat Driver 1's or any of the 7th generations' driving/racing games unless the on-foot becomes very limited, such being that of a first-person view within interiors including your home, garages, and the stores for vehicles within the game. We will never have Reflections find the perfect Driver game for us if the new approach that I've suggested to begin with, won't be taken into consideration.

Here's what I feel will happen if Reflections continue on-foot of getting out of your car and using weapons as well as other features. You'll find the prediction below.

On-foot: 50%
Driving: 50%

On-foot: Offers weapons, getting of vehicles, parachuting, eating, drinking, weightlifting, sitting down, jumping, crouching, swimming, and many other abilities.

Driving: good handling, a little more improvement in speed of vehicles, AI still not as good as D1, Film Director (either smaller than D1 or not available at all), 100 vehicles of different types (as opposed to other racing/driving games with even bigger lists), not so interesting missions (D1's still being the best example), graphics that are okay (follow the same concept of a cartoon and as in GTA IV, but with more details), and damage that is good, but still not enough as in Burnout: Paradise.

Do you see what it is if Reflections were to make on-foot a big portion of the game? It'd be nothing but a rip-off of GTA IV (as always a rip-off of other GTA games), which would do little to help the franchise.

I don't want to have the feeling of game developers working too much of a similar concept that it's so similar, I'm right away dissapointed. GTA IV is the primary reason to experience the best on-foot action and freedom for it, not Driver. Infact, I don't want to be harsh, but the only game developers that we need in the Video Game Industry are those that can make an impact and offer an original and unique experience, not those who only redo the work of others. The Movie Industry has become so much less original because of the many ideas that have run out and been used already, so it is pointless to have a career of such, even if you want it, without showing that you can make some kind of a different product. Going back to the topic, the main point is: Get GTA IV if you want the best on-foot freedom because Reflections' strengths are the driving and chases, not the on-foot, which Rockstar North always seems to crush the competition with. Driver must be the approach towards Open-World Driving and have it push the driving to new heights.

Hey there...

I don't know where you lost me... The driving IS the key game element, and will always be (I hope)... BUT... To expand the on-foot experience through COMMERCE is the way to go. NO GAME offers this, at present. (I am talking to CCP at the moment (makers of Eve) and they are considering such a thing. They will also be coming to our college soon to do a presentation on their flagship: Eve and it's future. One of these will be on-foot adventuring on the planets you land on! This is where "Elite" SHOULD have gone but (AtariST) "Sundog" did. If you reember those OLD games.))

In "The Adventure" (me and Ragnar's hypercard game) when characters met on the street you were given a choice (IF they wanted to talk to you in the first place (randomly) most passed you by, or ran or avoid you) - Chat or Trade. Chat gave you either a funny line, or info that set a FLAG so you were closer to a mission (or meant you were ready for a mission). Trade meant you could trade items to try and earn cash. This part is such a SMALL addition in terms of programming, but INCREDIBLE re-play value. I am amazed game companies don't realize this. It was sorely missed in Postal2, for example.

This is NOT on offer in GTA, you can't talk to people on the street, or any game I know of... ok, except in our game "The Adventure" (the hypercard stack I mentioned before)... Which had INCREDIBLE re-playability! Each game was different because of all the random elements. When you saved the game you really just saved the randomly discovered tiles that made up the world.

We'll have to see if the new first-preson Eve can offer what I (and countless others) are looking for.

ps. I hope I am allowed to discuss this here, and it is not leaking "industrial concepts". - I've been there before, though. When I suggested a recording device to Yamaha, they stated they would have to delete all correspondence from me because I was discussing stuff that hadn't been invented yet! - eh - which is why I was suggesting they makeit! It was catch 22 all over again. - I did get a free sampling CD from Future Music as letter of the month when I wrote to them asking if this was common practice! You'd think companies would be happy to get suggestions! I just want to use the product once it gets made! (Same as with the computer game)

...just wanted to add...
I have all of the GTA line, ending in "San Andreas" AND most of the Driver programs ending with "Parallel Lines" (recently purchased). "SanAndreas" and "ParallelLines" is installed on the same computer... and I must confess I am playing Driver more than GTA these days. I hate neither, or I wouldn't have forked my hard earnt $ for them!

There is simply nothing that you can do, icelandknight, to convince me that the on-foot action must stay. On-foot jeopardizes the rest of the concept of Driver by trying to allow as much to do as in the GTA franchise. And besides, offering things of simulation (as those found in GTA:SA) such as eating, drinking, weightlifting, playing sports, etc. are pointless as they go a long way from the original concept and were only an element taken from the Sims games, which Rockstar North did, but didn't push to heights greater than the Sims. I disliked the straying from being a gangster. It made the game feel more like a joke rather than a serious game. Of course, there are jokes scattered around in the game, but offering things such as simulation gameplay is not the right idea. Most people, especially those at the Atari forums, would have to agree with me that it grew very old at having to use simulation in the game. This is one of the many things that would make Driver look horrible and thank god that the 7th generations' open-world titles like Crackdown, Saint's Row, and any others, so far, haven't used the simulation feature. Now that was perhaps the most rubbish idea that Rockstar North has ever been able to use. Even when you consider that there could be shooting in the game, it would just make your tires pop and would make car chases look worse, so it is a negative side of the Driver franchise.

Certainly, on-foot is not a strength of Reflections, but to Rockstar North it is. On the other hand, the driving and chases are what Reflections does best, so they should offer as much as 95% or more driving, up until on-foot is nothing but viewing interiors of garages, homes, and stores, having to do with vehicles (buying, selling, or viewing them) and vehicle parts in a first-person view, which Project Gotham Racing 3 used as a feature and it seems very fine to me if Driver is to implement such a feature.

A game can fit into any category it wishes. Open-world/free-roam games aren't only about on-foot and driving. Infact, certain ones like Mercenaries 1 & 2 and Assassin's Creed make the experience differentiate from that of what most open-world games have done, which was ripping-off customers to buy a product that is much like Rockstar North's GTA franchise in every possible way, except only a few differences. Do you see the future as a worthy one if it turns to new unique, original, innovate ways or do you always want the same kind of game? If Resident Evil 4 was to be the same kind of a Resident Evil game as the early ones, it wouldn't be as unique and nor would as many newcomers buy it (those who haven't played the earlier Resident Evil games).

Therefore, innovation is a much more important thing as it gives a good impact on refreshing the gameplay of later titles, so it needs to be this way. Driver must make itself have innovation and follow the Open-World Driving genre rather than the Open-World action genre of GTA, which it (Rockstar North's GTA franchise) will always dominate, no matter what.

Agreed, the things you mention about GTA: SA being like the Sims are more of a FARCE than a joke... but the good thing is, when players get over their initial "wow, this game can do that?" attitude, they can ignore the feature, or any other that gets on their nerves, and it does not impede their progress in the game. They can then just go back and enjoy the section of the game they like.

There will always be those that get out of the car and take it further than just to the next car... Maybe stroll in a park, and take screen shots of the wonderful world these programmers have made for us. Like a tourist in an electric dream, just because the game LETS you!

There are so many tastes, and one has to find a middle way to satisfy the majority, that will be the bottom line, to sell the game to the most people.

ps. but the introduction of Trading, in the game, is the innovation needed. It gives players a reason to continue, and people will keep coming back to increase their character's wealth, and purchase more options for their cars. - I haven't cound it yet in D:PL, but I would like to be able to buy armour plating for my car. + perhaps weapons on the outside of the car. The James Bond car has it.