One of the biggest problems for any online game, of course, is the issue of ragequitting. People ragequit all the time, even in single player modes, but there it only affects them, not anyone else. In online modes, ragequitting can actively impede other people’s enjoyment as well. For a game that places online interactions on the center stage like the upcoming PS4 exclusive racer developed by Evolution Studios DriveClub does, that can be an issue.
On the PlayStation Blog, DriveClub game director Paul Rustchynsky of Evolution Studios addressed this issue head on.
“I like the idea that you don’t have to be in first place,” Rustchynsky said. “I want everybody to enjoy the thrill of racing. I play a lot of racing games and I’m a pretty good driver, but I’m not always the guy who’s in first place. I like to have fun and take risks, rather than obsess about perfecting every single corner. The problem for drivers like me, and I think we’re in the majority, is that racing becomes too intense and intimidating when it’s all about winning.”
“We challenged ourselves to design a better game that deals with this aspect of racing. What we’ve come up with is a racer that constantly gives you new goals to aim for, whether you’re way out in front of the pack or find yourself spinning out of control because you pushed your car a little too far.
“In so many racing games there’s that ‘all or nothing’ mentality. One moment you’re in first place, and then suddenly you crash and you’ve lost everything. The preceding few minutes of superb driving count for nothing. With Driveclub, if you’re racing online and you make a mistake, it’s not game over. You don’t lose everything and you’ve still got dynamic Face-offs to keep playing for,” he finished.
That all sounds well and good, guys, but the issue is nothing that the inclusion of a blue shell wouldn’t have fixed anyway.
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