Q&A session with Ian Bell

About a month ago, the Italian resource DrivingItalia.net invited the community of virtual racers to send interesting questions to the head of the development team, Ian Bell. Responsive users rushed to bombard poor team leader Ian with all sorts of questions of a legal and semi-legal nature. After recovering from the sheer number of questions, Ian nevertheless provided fairly comprehensive answers to them. And the resource DrivingItalia.net combined all the questions into a sort of mini-interview, which we invite you to read.

Given the fact that the interview took place in English, and most of our readers are fluent only in Russian, we had to perform a titanic effort to convey Ian's thoughts to the broad domestic masses. So, enjoy old and new, hitherto unknown, facts!

How difficult will it be to create and import tracks into the game? Skins? How many of the ideas discussed on Drivers Republic have been carried over into Shift, if at all?
Ian Bell: We are not focusing on the game as a modding platform, but I am sure that smart guys will sooner or later find a way to make it happen. The incentive will be quite high, since this game represents a big leap in racing games. We did not use anything from Drivers Republic.

Will the difficulty settings be as precise as in other simulators?
IB: SHIFT is built on the most advanced physics engine we have made, and it is certainly the most realistic among other games on the market. We are talking about an engine capable of running an infinite number of threads; detailed physics parameters run at almost 400 Hz on consoles. Things such as tire deformation, tire pressure, and rubber thickness are taken into account here, which are noticeable only to avid simracing fans.
The full simulation mode, called "PRO", which you can select from the very beginning of the gameplay, provides a natural and comfortable feel, raising the bar for handling compared to other simulators released to date (or planned for the near future), for all hardcore simracing fans. You can also combine it with one of three AI difficulty levels; at the "Hard" level, the AI will resist very fiercely, giving no quarter - even the most talented racers will find big problems here. The AI will block any overtaking attempts, take position behind, make mistakes and cut you off in corners, and will also hold a "grudge" against you if you behave too aggressively toward it.
You will really feel these drivers and rivals throughout the game, and they will also learn you and your unique Driver Profile.

Why do all the trailers and videos show bad driving/crashes/sliding and no quality driving or racing? Where are the videos demonstrating realistic physics and handling, if the game is positioned as having a full-fledged simulation mode?
IB: The main goal of our promo videos is to show the intensity of the driving experience and get people talking about the game. They do their job perfectly. All these videos used a gamepad and arcade settings. As release approaches, expect more serious racing action in our trailers.

How many cars will be available simultaneously on the race track in the PC version of the game? Nurburgring Nordschleiffe feels empty if there are fewer than 50 cars on it.
IB: In SHIFT, up to 16 cars can be on the track at the same time, and we have to work quite hard to make the experience the same on all platforms. In addition, strict limitations like this really push the boundaries for visual effects on different systems, which allows the game to look as good as it drives.

I am interested in the ability to set my own race duration; I am not satisfied with races of 3-6 laps. I would like to race for 30 minutes or more, if possible.
IB: How about 20 laps of the Green Hell against a full grid of your best mates? I think you will sweat and get tired before the race is over.

Will there be templates for painting stock cars?
IB: SHIFT has its own paint shop, whose capabilities will be more than enough to create almost any visual style that comes to mind. The advantage of this system is that your creations can easily be seen by everyone you compete with online.

Will the game feature changing weather and time of day?
IB: We preferred to use a system of preset weather conditions and time-of-day states tied to specific track layouts. With dynamic weather and time there are always visual compromises that we do not want; instead, we focus on implementing our chosen parameters as qualitatively as possible. Although the engine supports racing in the rain, feedback shows a very small percentage of players actually want such races.

How well will steering wheel support be implemented and what will it feel like with them? Will it be comparable to GTR2 and GTL?
IB: For PC we have implemented the widest possible controller support with full configuration of their functions to your taste. It may sound biased, but I think that even a group of scientists would determine the fact that SHIFT uses the capabilities of a force-feedback steering wheel incredibly well.

Is there an option to disable the motion blur effect during fast movement without disabling the effects during crashes?
IB: The anti-aliasing settings on PC will affect this effect to a certain degree, however in collisions this effect is part of the race. I advise avoiding collisions if you do not want to see these effects. You may not notice the blur during movement in the same way that you do not notice it when watching a replay of a real race.

Will grip on the track depend on position relative to the "racing line" (more on the line, less outside it)?
IB: Yes.

Will there be pit stops?
YB: The game will not support pit stops.

Regarding the three promised difficulty modes. How do you plan to implement them: like in GTR2 and similar simulators (a single hardcore physics core and a set of assists enabled at one difficulty level or another), or will these be separate physics engines for each difficulty level?
YB: Everything is based on a single physics core. The initial levels will not only have driving assists enabled; they will feature a less demanding driving model, slightly increased grip, and other changes made to ensure accessibility while preserving the essence of both the individual cars and the skills in SHIFT.

Will the physics model in the game be similar to those of GRID, Forza/GT or GTR2?
YB: You cannot directly compare the physics model implemented in SHIFT with those of these games. The physics are tuned for maximum realism and use the most advanced simulation engine of this generation. We would prefer that you play SHIFT yourselves and tell us about the feel. We are confident that with the release of the demo we will see the most complete racing game of the current generation.

How will car damage affect handling in "Pro" mode?
YB: The game has 4 driver model levels, and each model will allow you to choose between purely visual damage and full (mechanical) damage. Again, the engine supports any level of realistic damage, both visual and mechanical, but all levels are tuned to provide maximum fun. Bumpers will fly off, hoods will open, doors will crumple, and if you take full damage, your suspension will bend, steering will stop responding, the engine will be destroyed, and you will only be able to limp to the end of the race. We made the decision to focus on action, excluding critical and harsh penalties, because this is a racing game, not a crash game. The consequences of completely destroying your car can ruin your race, but you can always limp to the finish to get your profile points.

Will tire wear affect driving characteristics?
YB: We did not include tire wear in Need for Speed SHIFT.

Will cars be unlocked in career mode?
YB: Most cars will be available immediately after installation in "Quick Race" mode, but if you want to tune and personalize your car, you need to unlock it in "Career" mode and earn money to purchase it and buy upgrades. There are also several reward cars unlocked throughout the career, but you will have at least one car available from the start in each group for competitive online play.

Will there be an option to create a dedicated server for the game, or will it be a dedicated EA server/cluster (if so, will there be a European server), or will it be a third-party service such as MS Live, or will it be a system based on P2P networks with a centralized server? (this question is important for those planning to organize championships)
YB: We have a working client-server system included in EA's infrastructure. According to the latest information I have, there will be a European server.

Will the game have advanced features, such as weight penalties issued by the server, or driver swaps online?
YB: This is not included in Need for Speed SHIFT.

In recent NFS titles, the developers devoted little time to the multiplayer system. Will the network code in the current game be implemented at a proper level?
YB: A completely new network code has been created for SHIFT; it is not a rework of old systems. The new code is robust, fast and reliable, as befits an advanced online game.

How will the replay and camera selection system work? Will Shift have a replay theater similar to GTR2, where you can save replays and view them from various angles of the car and track?
YB: SHIFT features a short quick replay available during pause, as well as a full replay after the race ends.

What are you doing to convince people that Shift is not a clone of GRID?
YB: We have great respect for Codemasters; GRID is indeed well made and delivers a lot of fun. At first glance the games may seem similar, but there are several unique key points that set SHIFT apart. The first thing to note is the physics engine. The foundation of our physics is a much more serious simulation compared to what you see in standard racing games.
In GRID, the players' task is managing sponsors throughout the career. SHIFT, on the other hand, focuses on the true driver experience, the intensity of the race, the unique driving style of each racer, and their driver profile. Our rivals will react to your actions throughout the entire career. You can be extremely aggressive, in which case some opponents will try to avoid you, while others will try to get revenge on you. If you drive with precision, some rivals will try to block you, as they will know that regaining the position will be hard. The emphasis on the driver experience in SHIFT will require the player to instantly assess what is happening at any given moment, while refraining from reckless racing. Serious consequences are an essential part of racing and the key to a true driver experience.

Can gears be assigned to specific buttons (support for "personal" gearboxes)?
YB: Yes.

Will drifting in the game be a separate mode with its own set of physics, like in GRID and NFS Pro Street? Or will drifting depend entirely on car settings, similar to Live For Speed and Richard Burns Rally?
YB: Drift in SHIFT is a separate racing mode, but it uses the same physics engine. Every car has special settings for drift mode, so every professional drifter can set up their car to suit the required style.

What are the main differences between how the ideas are implemented in Shift and in previous parts of the series?
YB: It's a big budget and a mass market. In addition, we as a team do everyday things. We carefully try to raise the bar for authentic racing games in all areas, on all platforms.

The new graphics engine looks amazing: do you think we'll see details like flat tires in future games (for example, in Ferrari Project, which we hope will be an even more hardcore simulator)?
YB: Thank you, we are very proud of how the game looks; the team has done a huge amount of work on the visual effects in SHIFT. To answer your question, you will see flat tires in SHIFT, and with a degradation in the car's performance. You will see the tires deform under load. This is something we have wanted for so long, and now we are glad to present it to you.

We see that iRacing and Codemasters are using laser scanning technology to create virtual copies of tracks. Does your team use the same mechanism?
YB: Our track models are very realistic. This is an area where we are confident we have surpassed our competitors. We use data obtained in several ways. In addition to satellite images and GPS data, our track modelers have studied thousands of hours of video material to make sure that racing on the track copies in SHIFT matches every detail seen on the real track. In addition, we were very lucky to obtain detailed racing telemetry data from some racing teams. Using reverse engineering technology, we learned the nuances of the track by studying suspension movements, braking points and the forces acting on real racing cars. It is not enough to simply take measurements and take photographs; if you want to recreate the experience, you have to study the subtleties of the track surface that are contained in such treasure troves of data. Even laser scanning will not provide this kind of data. There is nothing good about knowing about a 5-millimeter bump on the track if you don't have data on the car's behavior. Response, experience - that's what really matters.

Will car tuning be available in NFS Shift? If so, will it just be a "parameter/option" or will there be some restriction of access to settings and performance tuning?
YB: All cars come with excellent settings, everyone will be satisfied right after installing the game. But you can also tailor car settings to your driving style using the extensive settings in the garage.

Will the engine physics take into account things like tire wear, tire material, transmission settings and other settings?
YB: There will be a window for beginners with simple settings like understeer/oversteer balance sliders, but an experienced user will be able to open the advanced settings window and get access to all the adjustments available in professional racing simulators. Serious tuners will be able to adjust camber, spring compression, front/rear toe, anti-roll bar stiffness, suspension bump stop length, differential lock on acceleration/braking and load, fast/slow compression/rebound, and many, many other parameters, even the sizes of the openings for radiators and brake coolers.

Opponent artificial intelligence: will it be high enough, as, for example, in Grand Prix Legends and Grand Prix 4? Will opponents in Shift defend their positions, attempt overtakes, etc.?
YB: The AI system in SHIFT is advanced enough that playing on Pro/Hard levels will be challenging even for aliens. Rivals drive hard, defending their lanes, fighting for position, they can push you off the track in a corner while they drive on themselves. At lower levels, opponents will also behave appropriately for beginners, missing braking points, going off track, spinning out in slides, but at the same time they always know where to accelerate.

Will there be an option in the future to download new tracks (DLC tracks)?
YB: At the moment we are not discussing any plans regarding downloadable content (DLC).

Will users be able to change the field of view: vertically, horizontally, within what limits?
YB: The field of view (FOV) will not be adjustable on consoles. We also do not officially support it on PC, however curious users will be able to find the necessary file without much difficulty and change its parameters.

Car physics: will each car have its own physics model file? How many such files are there in total in NFS Shift?
YB: Yes, each car has its own physics model file, in addition to this there are unique physics model files for different types of suspensions, tires, gearboxes, turbochargers/superchargers, engines, etc. Already now the game has more than 500 different files responsible for car physics, many with dynamically changeable parameters. This huge collection of files allowed our physics programmers to create a detailed and realistic simulation of all the key determining factors in the car's behavior, while taking into account the mass of little things that was missed in almost all racing games. This is the difference that makes players say "Yes, this works correctly!" while playing SHIFT. For example, when the side surfaces of the tire deform under load during a turn, this leads to a change in the shape and position of the tire's contact patch, which in turn changes the tire's grip on the asphalt surface. Without such details, the game may still be enjoyable, but the feel will be sterile and dead. In SHIFT we are pushing the boundaries of physics processing on consoles, delivering a living, exciting, instinctive and believable racing experience.

Do you need to change and adapt your driving style when changing cars (as in the Power&Glory mod for GTR2)?
ЯБ: Absolutely. I repeat, this game is initially a very realistic simulator, so weight distribution, transmission, power curves, tire pressure, etc. will have a big impact on car handling. The handling of a stock front-wheel-drive Honda Civic will, of course, differ from that of a stock rear-wheel-drive Camaro or, for example, a racing all-wheel-drive Audi R8 LMS.
The game will feature a detailed advanced settings screen for those who wish to change the handling physics "to their liking," and it will include all the characteristics inherent in the cars' physical model.

Will we see different tire models in NFS and the physics corresponding to them: different tires from different manufacturers (for example, Goodyear, Firestone, Pirelli...) with differences in performance? different tire types (soft, medium, hard, wet, ...) with differences in performance?
ЯБ: The game will have 33 different tire types. There will be a big difference between different tire types (stock and upgraded): improved rubber compound, track tires, completely smooth slicks, etc.

Will the arcade and simulator modes of the game use a common physics engine/file?
ЯБ: They use a common core engine, but the beginner mode adds a combination of driving assists and physics settings (road grip, etc.) to produce a more accessible but no less realistic car handling model.

What about force feedback?
ЯБ: There will be full force feedback support for all standard wheels, both on consoles and PC, as well as a large number of options for configuring the wheel "to your liking."

Source: www.drivingitalia.net
Translation: www.nfsworld.ru (AsBest)