Hands-on: WRC 6 Pre-Launch Event
Big Ben Interactive and Kylotonn Racing Games invited us to the WRC6 pre-launch event in the fashionable Auto Passion cafè in Paris. It's clearly a place meant for motorheads - the chairs are racing seats, there's a Formula 1 car stuck on the roof and almost everything else is based on some mechanical part found in cars.
The event started with a rep from Kylotonn (the dev who took the WRC series from Milestone's hands since WRC5) who began explaining the massive improvements the new game has gone through compared to the previous instalment in the series.
One of the sticking points of the previous game, physics, was improved considerably thanks to the fact that the new game comes out only on PS4, Xbox One and PC; by no longer having to dev for older platforms Kylotonn could finally develop a new, more realistic physics engine thanks to the raw horsepower that current gen systems house when compared to their predecessors. A new damage system has also been implemented and the car is now able to flip and roll.
Not only physics were improved; Kylotonn listened to the wants of hardcore fans of the series and modified tracks to make them thinner compared to WRC5, as they were often found to be too easy for the most skilled racers out there. It doesn't stop there. Roads got bumpier, hairpins tighter, the entire game got a difficulty overhaul which makes it more challenging to play while still being fun for players of all skill levels.
To nail down the most realistic experience possible, the devs opted to work with Sébastien Chardonnet, a French rally driver who won the WRC-3 championship in 2013. He acts as a technical advisor for the team and they've been working together for the last one and a half years. He followed the game's development from the very start and, thanks to his real-world experience in the world of the WRC, he stressed the importance of paying particular attention to things like the placement system. He also tested every single track to be sure that they felt right to play while being as similar as the real ones as possible. To achieve this Kylotonn developed new tools from scratch and improved the old ones to enhance the feedback of the roads (for example, the vibrations a driver feels when racing on different terrain). That allows all possible track terrains to feel quite different, as gravel, snow and asphalt will make your car react differently.
If such a degree of realisticness could appear daunting for a newbie, newcomers to the series have nothing to fear; WRC6 gradually guides you on your way to master it with various aid, so novice players won't have any problems learning how to drive in the rough world of virtual rally.
The full game will sport more than fifty stages, three different type of cars (WRC-1 cars are four-wheel drives and more powerful than the rest, WRC-2s are still four-wheels cars but with less horsepower while WRC-3s are two-wheel drives usually reserved for younger drivers). Each type will drive differently and the career mode will let you go through each stage until you reach WRC-1.
As each track resembles as closely its real-world counterpart, you can truly feel Sardinia to be different from Sweden when it comes to how your car responds - that added depth allows pro players to fine tune their choice drive for every track. Novice players will still be able to race just fine though as the game caters to both gamer types.
On top of the more than 50 standard tracks you can also find eleven "superspecial" tracks (these too based on real tracks). The difference from the others lays in the fact that these superspecial tracks are especially made for spectators as they're closer to cities than your avarage track.
The game includes all the most famous rally championships along a small bonus which we are confident will make the most enthustic rally fans happy: the Rally China, which was cancelled for real-world events, was kept in the game so players will still be able to race on courses that are precluded to pilots!
While the game will launch without VR support, the devs told us that they chose to focus on getting the core gameplay right at first and that VR support will come in at a later time. Actually, an internal build is already compatible with Oculus Rift and PSVR so a patch adding VR should come out relatively soon. When asked about the VR version, Mr. Chardonnet told us that the VR mode will greatly enhance the gaming experience as gamers will be able to look around and even step out of the car - but, more importantly, you will feel a real sense of danger when taking the steep hairpins typical of the Rally courses.
The game also tries to spice up the usual career formula with a contract system. You'll have to carefully choose your team depending on your driving style and the team's spirit and vision. For example, if you like to drive recklessly but end up choosing a conservative-minded team, they might not like you totaling the car which will reflect in game terms as more time needed to repair your car.
When it comes to multiplayer, the game has got an ace in the hole: split screen multiplayer. WRC6 will be the only game in the rally genre to sport this feature.
Kylotonn is also striving to make WRC6 an household name in the eSports scene. The game will have an events system where eSports events will happen on the same day as real-world events will. The events' season will run from January to October: 18 people will then qualify for the finals and they'll get invited to a final competition where they'll be able to win a real cup!
But enough banter, let's get to the meaty parts: The dev version we tested was running on PC. Graphics were stunning and the gameplay felt very smooth – we weren't told the specs of the machine on which the game ran, though, so keep in mind that attaining such framerates at the highest settings might require a powerful machine.
The game supports both pads and driving wheels. We tested the PC version with an XBOX 360 controller, which is the de-facto standard for PC pads nowadays, so our experience should reflect the one most gamers will have. The driving felt very tight and you could really feel the different types of surfaces you were driving on and how each one requires you to answer to it in a different way. While some players might feel frustrated in the beginning, the game never feels unfair. You can clearly feel your improvements and that, in turn, feels extremely rewarding.
The highlight of the event was a replica car cockpit, fitted with a Thrustmaster TX Racing Wheel Leather Edition, with a T3PA-PRO pedal set and a TH8A shifter. The cockpit also featured a custom-made handbrake which made the experience even more realistic. The steering wheel felt right with plenty of force feedback to let you experience the terrain you were running on. It also fought you back when you oversteered or understeered. While such a setup isn't cheap and, as such, won't be experienced by most gamers, we're certain that the most dedicated gamers will make sure to run the game on a similar config in their homes - and those gamers should feel happy knowing that their hard-spent money will be used wisely by the game.
As a final note, we also got to test the PS4 version. It managed to always stay at 60fps while keeping graphical fidelity to good levels. We also tested the Thrustmaster wheel on the PS4 version and we can confirm that it really makes a difference – it's definitely a worthwhile investment for rally enthusiasts. The splitscreen mode works pretty well with no noticeable frame-drops. You won't really be racing with another player on the same track, though - the other player is rendered on your field as a "ghost", which lets you play undisturbed in your race for the best time.
Face The Danger Trailer
Thanks very much to Big Ben and Kylotonn for inviting GBAtemp and giving us a chance to try this game before its release!
WRC6 will be out on October 7th 2016 for PlayStation 4, XBOX One and PC.
Press Release
