C.A.R.S. – You Can Help Develop The Game

The first project from the brand new World of Mass Development platform aims to develop the ultimate racing simulation with the help of crowdsourcing (i.e. you lot). This new approach to game development is the brain child of Slighty Mad Studios, the developers behind Need For Speed: Shift 2 Unleashed. Their creative director, Andy Tudor officially launched the C.A.R.S. project on the 11th October 2011. Within 24 hours, thousands of car sim fans had already registered on the C.A.R.S. forum and begun posting videos of the tracks and cars available in the pre-alpha build of the game.

What’s amazing about the immediate response is that to be involved in the C.A.R.S. project costs money. People are paying up front not to buy a completed product but to be part of the development of a game which isn’t due to be completed until Autumn 2012. For thousands, upon thousands of sim racing fans C.A.R.S. represents a unique opportunity to be involved in and help fund a multi-million pound racing game for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

There are 5 levels of C.A.R.S. project membership available from the cheapest Junior level, costing just €10 to the top-tier senior manager level boasting an eye-watering €25,000 price tag.

All of the membership levels grant you access to the C.A.R.S. forum which is the main place for all the development updates and feedback/suggestions. Already it’s a thriving hub of activity. Members also get a share of the any profits from the game, depending on their level and how much cash the game makes.

Personally, I’ve signed up to be a team member costing €25. This means I can:

• Create new project-specific forum threads
• Read meeting minutes
• Play weekly builds

There are additional project specific perks associated with each level of membership which are outlined here. As a team member I get exclusive cars and an in-game opponent named after me. I’m also considering upgrading my membership to Senior so that I can get exclusive tracks and attend development team track days.

The latest weekly build which became available late on Friday afternoon included a raft of updates to the initial launch build. The 2 screenshots above were captured from this build running on my PC. Heading the list was the ability to race against up to 15 other AI opponents and a test track. Now, this isn’t your boring run of the mill test track either. No parked aircraft or runway in sight, instead you get a beautiful mesh of interconnected roads to test every aspect of a car’s handling and performance.

If you fancy testing your driving skills around this fantastic test track and being involved in the development of what could be the definitive driving simulator with tons of other racing fans, including Ben Collins (ex-Top Gear Stig) then sign up now.

Be part of the C.A.R.S. development now on the World of Mass Development website.

One Comment