Welcome back to another Revved Up - with the PSP versions of both the ToCA Race Driver and Colin McRae Rally franchises now on the shelves and flying into the hands of waiting PSP owners, it’s time to turn our attention back to ToCA Race Driver 3, and this time we’re looking at the damage engine. Racing without damage just isn’t proper racing. There’s a lot less incentive to drive well and it can all become very boring very quickly. Of course, a damage system shouldn’t be so sensitive or punishing that the slightest mistake sees your car collapse around you like a badly-built self-assembly sofa either.
So what we always aim to do with our games is create a damage engine that shows realistic damage, and in recent games to the extent that it’s possible to totally destroy the car, but scaled so that a little bumping isn’t going to ruin your race totally.
So what’s new for this version of the game? Basically, we’re ramping up the detail of the damage system in a way that means it’s an integral part of the physics. The various components and systems of the car have their proper effects on the behaviour of the car, and the effects of damage on those systems isn’t handled in a canned manner, it changes the variables going through the code. A damaged radiator will lead to overheating, but restrained driving can alleviate the problem a little. Of course, slowing down may mean your tyres lose their heat, which can bring you other problems. As you burn fuel, the centre of gravity of the car will change as the tank empties. Bodywork damage on cars reliant on downforce will rob you of speed, and cause your tyres to wear more rapidly. It’s all about immersion really - giving the player as much to think about over the course of a race as a real driver.
So the damage system is based around parts of a car and how well they’re performing at a given time - which also forms a good basis for an upgrade system, when you think about it. Upgrades act a bit like reverse damage, and certain parts of your car will perform at a higher level - but this has a trade-off, such as if your cooling system isn’t up to coping with the power put out by your up-rated engine.
Anyway - enough talk for now. To see some high-res images of the game’s damage system in action,
click HERE to download them from the Codemasters website.