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Colin McRae 4...yum


rustyjaw

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Looks like Codemasters decided to fix the main drawback of CMR3 and allow you to race rally championships with any car, and any driver.

 

You can create a custom rally using any stage from any country.

 

There are 2 and 4-wheel drive vehicles.

 

Improved physics...heh, CMR3 was already the best in this category.

 

No online play, but there is a Live scoreboard...that's a start.

 

More detailed environments, and better audio.

 

Supposedly will be released in Sept. 03, but I suspect that's a European date.

 

http://www.codemasters.com/colinmcraerally...craerally04.php

 

Here's hoping CMR5 will feature online play...

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How would online play for a Rally game work exactly?

 

Well, they'd have to add a rallycross mode, like Rallisport has. I actually like the solo aspect of rally racing, but if it meant adding an online component, I'm all for multi-player.

 

Or you could race your opponent as a ghost, so as not to interfere with each other's race.

 

Either way, it would be fun.

 

Isn't RalliSport 2 supposed to be online? I hope they improve the physics.

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While I'd like to see a RS sequel, it's not as exciting to me as CMR4, given that I think CMR3 is arguably the best driving game ever, at least in terms of gameplay and physics.

 

I do question Codemasters' motives though, keeping the game options in CMR3 to such a bare minimum, and less than a year later introduce CMR4 with all the options you'd expect. It just seems fishy; other than withholding features upon which to base the next version, why couldn't CMR3 have the open Championship mode?

 

Oh well, I'll buy CMR4 in any case...and I'll love it.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I got a newsletter from CodeMasters, which gives a concise rundown of features in CMR4:

 

COLIN MCRAE RALLY 04

Along with the release of the PC version of Colin McRae Rally 3, we also announced our plans for the Xbox and PS2 versions of Colin McRae Rally 04 and its new release date. Due out in early 2004 the new title will host a number of new features including:

 

- Any car can be played in championship mode

- Custom Rally - create your own rally events

- New, faster game engine with enhanced graphics

- New and improved driving mechanics

- Bumper camera (New camera)

- Enhanced driving surfaces - racing line

- Enhanced damage model for cars

- Co-operative play in championship mode

- Highly detailed set-up & repair - Players' handle car repair

- Mini games between stages allowing player to improve car upgrades

- Different levels of damage linked to difficulty settings. Players will have to adapt their playing style as they progress through the difficulty levels

- Unique Expert Championship - in car only with hyper-realistic damage

- Living, breathing environment - trees sway (Xbox only), grass blows in the wind

 

The multiplayer side of the game has been dramatically improved and now incorporates ghost cars representing other players, a frame rate that matches that of single player, and also a damage engine which means that you can blow your engine after one too many crashes. Alongside these multiplayer features we have also included Xbox Live! support so that you can compare times and stats online over the Live! network.

 

The Colin McRae Rally 04 site has also been recently updated and contains the latest PS2 and Xbox screenshots. You can find them here: http://www.codemasters.com/colinmcraerally04

You can also join in the latest discussions and news via our forums: http://community.codemasters.com/forum/for...?s=&forumid=173

 

 

COLIN'S PACE NOTES

A couple of weeks ago I was given the opportunity to meet up with Derek Ringer, Colin McRae's co-driver this season and the new voice in the new game. So armed with my notepad I challenged Derek to a Q&A session with myself, in a very small, yet cozy, sound booth. We talked about rallying, co-driving, and gaming. The full interview can be heard here http://www.codemasters.com/downloads/displ...howdetails=8386

Thanks to "Mr Chicken McNuggets" from the forums for his questions.

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I was re-reading the list and one of them stood out as intriguing:

 

"Enhanced driving surfaces - racing line"

 

I wonder what this is? Will the game superimpose a line on the tracks showing you the optimal route? This would be kind of like the telemetry in V-Rally 3 where it shows the line you took on top of the optimal line.

 

If this is the case, I wonder if the "line" is sensitive to your current speed, since obviously your optimal line depends on how fast you are going.

 

Then again, maybe I'm reading too much into it...

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This is the bit that leaps out at me:

 

What's that doing in a hardcore sim like Colin Macrae's?

 

I had read about that previously, but you're right it doesn't fit with the traditional nature of CMR.

 

IIRC, you can get upgrades for your car by agreeing to test out the new/experimental parts for a company. If you pass the test, you get to keep the part.

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You can bet I'll be on this one, Ed. I read that they've done away with the central pivot in the previous game & are using a proper 4-point system for '04. Glad to hear that, as that was one of my biggest complaints. Also, the ability to use any car in the championship mode...that was a huge mistake they made with last year's game.

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  • 1 month later...

For what its worth, the handling on the demo on this month's official PS2 mag in the UK is just scrummy. Graphics are really impressive, but the stage they've demoed is in the absolutely miserable rain, and its darned difficult to see where you're going. Clever, correct and highly annoying.

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