Ever since the first Project CARS 2 video trailer and first gameplay footage has hit the net yesterday, bits and pieces of information on the new title have been floating around the internet.
If you’ve lost track of all the new info, here’s a rundown of new features & improvements that Project CARS 2 will deliver, based on what we know so far.
Content
Project CARS 2 will come with 60 tracks, all of which are powered by the title’s new Live Track 3.0 technology that allows proper simulation of all seasons (including heavy winter & snow!).
Unlike other titles, these weather effects will be available on tracks accross the board as players are not limited to enjoying these challenges on only a few particular venues.
New additions to the Project CARS franchise are build on scan data that has been accquired using high-end drone technology. Several of the venues available in Project CARS have been rescanned as well for improved precision.
In terms of cars, Project CARS 2 car roster is expanding to 170 vehicles with a focus on motorsports and the most iconic cars that have competed in each decade & form of racing covered by the title. While a bunch of new additions have already been revealed in the first trailer, the studio still has most of its major lincensing aces up their sleeves, to be revealed in the coming months.
The vehicle choice will not only expand in numbers but in variety as well as brand-new disciplines such as rallycross and the much-requested oval racing are joining the franchise for its second installment.
Graphics
Despite Project CARS already having set a new standard in terms of graphics quality in the sim genre, Project CARS 2 is beefed up in this area as well with comprehensive VR & 12K support as well as proper triple-screen functionality for those who have not yet joined the VR hype.
Other graphic improvements include much more detailed track environments as well as much-improved performance on AMD cards, a common complaint with the title’s first installment.
With the eyes having been taken care off, the players’ ears will be enjoying an all new fmod-based sound engine equipped with custom plugins to bring enigne sounds in Project CARS 2 to a new level.
Online
Project CARS 1 has been at the forefront of popularizing eSports in racing games thanks to a strong partnership with ESL as well as manufacturer-backed competitions & several official leagues that offer high-quality racing.
These aspects will be strengthened in Project CARS 2 as league creators will be given all-new tools to organize their leagues and create professional-grade broadcasts to entertain their audience.Users can take over dedicated Director & Broadcaster roles that will allow anyone to create professionally-looking online race coverage complete with data overlays, commentary & more.
Online play is further strenghened by a new Online Championship Mode that allows easy creation of leagues and results tracking while a sophisticated driver rating & licensing system will make sure to pair up players of similar skill to ensure clean online competition.
Physics & AI
Offline racers can look forward to a more lifelike AI as well as all-new pad controls for the console crowd that have been built from the ground up to make Project CARS 2 a satisfying experience on all platforms and control methods. Wheel users will be happy learn that comprehensive improvements are coming on that front as well.
And last, but definetely not least, Project CARS 2 will of course also improve on the physics end with a further evolution of the title’s bleeding edge tire model that is fine-tuned by an ever-growing army of professional race drivers that are providing feedback to the SMS development team.
So……When?
The studio is aiming for a Septemberish release, with the official release window being „Late 2017“.
A more precise release date will be revealed at a later date, alongside plenty of other features & additions that are yet to be revealed by SMS.
