Test Drive Unlimited due for PC in 3 days

Apparantly, this is already out on X-Box 360.

Is it any good? I'm sort of interested in getting this for the PC. However, I don't want to play it online - I will just play single player.

Any opinons on this - I've seen screenshots and footage of it - it looks interesting.

I played one of the older test-drives... wasn't very good.

Test Drive 3 was cutting edge and a great game in it's day, but Test Drive 4 and 5 were utter feces.

Andy

I love the aesthetics of this game. I hate that it's an arcade
game. The physics are tragically simple and I hear the car upgrades
are very badly implemented. That's too bad, cause it otherwise
looks like loads of fun driving in that game.

Man those engines sound good though.

If Gran Turismo made their cars sound as good as they do here
and added a very nice driver's seat view like this game has,
I would never leave my playstation's side.

Does it still have the spectacular lighting, or was that removed due to a shoddy port job?

Test Drive 1 was where it was at.






Ok it was rubbish.

My game has spectacular lighting.



It makes everything look spectacular.

TDU is already out with digital distro from the atari web site. At least in the US it has. I got it about a week ago, then the servers went down, and now they are up again.

I'll be getting this. I find it great fun to play for half hour here and there-

though I seemed to play it forever on the X360 and never got to upgrade anything. Plus, bikes seem like a last minute rush job.

However, I hear they fixed the broken environment mapping in the PC version so the cars may look good finally!

@Genexi2, funny you remember that!

You get a sense of the vast scale of this game just watching this guy driving down a coastal road: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_eUaakZBcU

Here is the in-game demo video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXMRf0rIIAM

Oh my god - only 2 days to go now.

Looking at the videos, there seems to be a very good sensation of speed - this is sometimes lacking from driving games.

Yeh, my excitement level is high and I shall buy this.

The good speed sensation comes from half decent camera positioning :)

Puki, one thing about the game is the scenery doesn't change much. That's what ended up getting a bit boring.

Yeh, I noticed that with all of the YouTube videos - they all look the same. This is most worrying - is there any city/town areas (sort of GTAIII looking)?

TOCA series, best driving sims >.<

There are a couple of town areas, yes.

its an accurate map of the big island in hawai made as accurate as possible, so the terrain stays close to real life. There are cities and towns to be found and it is quite fun. I played it quite a bit for about 3 days which is a lot for me, most driving games get boring within 20-60 minutes.

If your in the US you can download the game via digital download for $39.95 from:

http://www.atari.com/us/games/test_drive_unlimited/dvd_rom

My 2 year old system with a64 3000+ 6600GT 128mb runs the game ok at 800x600 with max details and HDR at 800x600

I can play at 1024x768 with 4xAA at 1024x768 with maximum details on and HDR turned off over 30-60FPS

Ah, so THAT's where you've been!!!

Be warned. When this is released in a day and a bit, I'll go AWOL for a day or so. :P

Actually, now i've said that, it won't be WOL anymore.

hehe, I havent played it since last week. It's a cool game though. The handling isn't all that realistic but it certaily looks pretty realistic, Many of the cars drive like they have the wrong struts or soft springs on them which is a bit weird for a sports car. So its more of an arcade racer than a sim, but the freedom and visuals camera placement etc make it seem more realistic.

No rumble with the 360 controller no matter which drivers you use, so some of the feeling of the car might be missing, not sure how well rumble was implemented on the 360.

What sort of PC spec do you need for it? I have a p4 2.4 and a Geforce 6600gt, so not a high-spec machine - would it cope?

Vorderman:

Well, apparently it runs well on Evaks machine- he has a 6600 on an AMD64 (I don't remember the spec, maybe he'll pop back later and update you..) TBH I was quite surprised it ran OK as I was expecting a poor port!

Your machine should be fine.

Evak: Rumble on the 360 wasn't very good. I rarely noticed it, and when I did, it was when I was sliding @ 90 degrees past the point of no return. I'm surprised of your thoughts on the handling- though you're right.

It seemed ultra realistic when I first played it (However no matter what I say in this matter I dont actually drive, so I wouldn't know :P) but everything was incredibly bouncy.

http://www.atari.com/us/games/test_drive_unlimited/dvd_rom#systemspecs

System Specs:
Operating System: Windows® 2000/XP and above
Processor: Intel P4 @ 2.4Ghz or AMD Athlon 2800+
Memory: 512 MB RAM (1 GB RAM recommended)
Hard Disk Space: 8 GB free
DVD-ROM Drive: 8x Speed
Video: ATI Radeon 9800 256MB VRAM or Nvidia 6600 GT with 256
MB of VRAM (Video Cards with vertex/pixel shaders 2.x and
above are recommended)
Sound: DirectX® 9.0 compatible sound card
DirectX®: DirectX® 9.0c included

Well, tommorow is the day this is released.

I'm still very unsure about this game - it's amazing how similar the scenery is in every video I've seen of it.

Tough one to call - some think it is repetetive and gets boring - others love it.

It does look nice though - graphically, it does look exciting - I think I may just buy it anyway. Probably good for half an hour here and there.

Already on sale at PC World (Hedge End, Hampshire) - saw it today when I popped in on the way home from work.

The cases are on the shelf, the game can't be purchased though Rick :P

I have a strategic plan:

Buy this and play this - it will make the week pass quickly.

Why make the week pass quickly?

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

You lot thought I was just a piece of ass - Well, I've got brains too.

If it's as good as the xbox 360 version it's worth it :)

btw i changed my nick to my real name i used to be DAGJ
now i'm me )

looks just like the HD 360 version I played in EB only with blurryer textures. Thats probably just that I'm not playing at HD res on my PC though.

So, did anyone buy this?

I didn't - I noted it was £35.00 everywhere and Virgin didn't have it on the shelves - my guess is Virgin are going to put it out tomorrow at a £5.00 reduction over competitors - they kept it off the shelves so that the initial rush buy it elsewhere.

I'm convinced I'm some kind of scientist with all the analysing I do every day.

Do you read you?

Is it a trick question?

My game of choice in this area was Forza Motorsports for Xbox, EXCELLENT Driving/Racing sim!

Mmm, my large brain is pondering if loads of people bought it and are playing it and now have no time for this site.

All I want to know is is it any good - I mean, I don't want to go and buy it tomorrow if it is a turkey.

I'm going to put my foot down here - I want a report on this game - this minute.

Wait a "John" sausaging minute here.

I was browsing YouTube for PC videos - to see if anyone has uploaded any vids. All I can see is videos from the PC Beta version.

Half the bloody world has the Beta version.

This is most unfair. I never knew there was a Beta version available - bloody thing is 3.5GB. By the time I download it, it will be morning and I can buy the bloody thing.

I bet some of you knew about this - I bet you have been sniggering away for weeks.

Well, I'm just not having it.

I've bought it - I got it in Virgin for exactly £30.00 - I knew they were going to do it cheaper.

Installing now.

EDIT:
System requirements - 8 GB of HD space!!!

EDIT:
I love the install music - it is really great and bouncy - it's called 'Another Excuse' by Soulwax.

EDIT:
It took 15 minutes to install - sniff.

EDIT:
Actually, it is 7.02 GB - but it obviously uses a disk buffer in addition

HOLD ON A MINUTE!

ATARI HAVE BORKED IT.

For the first time ever running a computer game, my monitor just gave me a Sync Out of Range warning message - no computer game has ever done that. This is when starting up the game - It borks the monitor.

Bloody hell!!!#

EDIT:
In fact it is a 'Signal out of Range' error - still - I have no way of running this game - this kicks in before you get to a screen to change settings.

ATARI are totally BENT!

I can't fix this - it is bent, bent, bent.

Puki,

TDU tried to tun at 1440X900 on my system haha, but once its running it runs increddibly well.

When you get the menu, press enter a few times. after a while it changes display mode.

Anyway, um, i think it just choses the highest resolution your system can handle, so turn on "hide settings this monitor cant handle" or whatever it is before running.

oh, and Puki, I got mine for £25.99 from Game :D

What are they - a bunch of retards?

Everyone knows - even a retarded slug - that you let the user set the display - or else you get problems like this.

Oh and you'll be pleased to know you need a GameSpy account in order to finish the game. That's not something you're warned about before you buy either.

The handling is rubbish - something seems wrong with the steering.

Also, it is nowhere near as good as I was expecting in the graphics department - I turned the setting to max.

Not sure I am going to like this.

Well, one thing is the handling isn't so good either as on the X360, and the deadzones on the control pads are not configurable resulting in hugely over-responsive controls.

Thats a major gripe with the PC version from me.


HOWEVER, if you use a steering wheel, it is *damn awesome* compared to on the x360.

with the wheel turned off the steering is just awful.

Puki- make sure you have the wheel turned on in the options.

Well, I am not exactly blown away with this thing - I'm pondering taking it back.

The whole point of a car simulation/driving game is based on the handling. GTAIII is better than this, the NFS games are better - this thing doesn't compete with games that were made years prior to it.

Personally, I think it is a bit of a turkey.

NFS is *not* better!!! Cmon :))

The handling is.

I was so tempted to purchase the digital download the other night.

It seems to be getting decent reviews - most do mention that the handling is a bit wonky - but it didn't seem to be a deal-breaker for them.

I'm still tempted. Wish I could just afford a 360 and I'd hold out for Forza 2. Bah.

I found a lot of people complaining about the game on the official forums.

This thing is in dire need of patching.

It sucks badly - this is Driver 3 all over again.

Get this - you can only select from 3 graphics settings - HELLO? - this is a PC we are talking about - you can't turn off some of the crap they have put in - like bent little leaves blowing all over the place, etc.

I'd be happy if I could at least fine tune the graphic options instead of just having Low, Medium, High settings.

The game is bent - Atari=bent.

I repeat - this is the first game I have ever bought that could not even run without making the developer look like the World's biggest idiot.

'Signal Out of Range' = Atari is bent - period. No game has ever done that to me - not one - and this is just trying to start the game - nobody except Atari could be that stupid as to force a resolution at the point you execute the game - period - nobody in history will overtake Atari - Atari will remain undefeated and undisputed at that one - in history - forever.

Puki; There is NO way NFS has better handling than TDU :) NFS left the realism league long ago, after Porsche Unleashed/2000. TDU has quite a sense of realism if you set it up correctly :)

SculptureOfSoul:

Yes, I'll agree the handling is broken but its down to how the controls have been implemented on PC.

I can't get the same handling on the PC with an X360 controller than I could when I had an X360. It's a shame, but I've gotten used to it. It just makes it a little harder.

and IMO, it was always on the easy side :)

Well, I am talking about NFS Underground 2 - that is the one I have been playing recently.

Atari should go back to being drag queens - they excel at that.

Is TDU an MMO puki? I just read TDU for the PC connects to a persistent server?

Here is a quote from a beta tester who was posting in a thread created by an annoyed purchaser:


Better be a patch soon.

TDU is classed as some kind of M M O R or something bent like that.

Personally, I won't let it near the internet in case it formats my hard-drive or something else Atari related.

Wait a minute - you can do unpredictable stuff to this game.

I copied the 'Details' folder - then deleted the original - this thing contains the files 'Birds.bnk', 'Papers.bnk' and 'RoadPatch.bnk'.

Well, I'm not sure what 'RoadPatch.bnk' is - but deleting the other two does what it ways on the tin. The game seems to run fine without any birds or bits of paper flying about.

I note there is an 'FX' directory too. I wonder just what can be removed without the game noticing? That directory is also full of .ini files that look very, very tweakable.

Hello sailor!

In the 'Vehicules' directory - spelt incorrectly by Atari - there is a folder called 'Traffic' - I bet removing that will remove all of the traffic in the game.

EDIT:
Indeed it does - you still meet other AI racers in the game (the ones with names), but it kills general traffic.

Well, that and the removing the 'Details' folders does wonders for the game.

I think its the best looking PC racer for realism, but the driving itself isn't very realistic but still quite fun.

GTR 2 seems to be the most realistic racer I have played to date, even if the graphics are not quite as impressive.

The game runs fine with full detail even with my humble system, I think the only real option I needed was HDR on or off. I chose HDR on and lower res over high res no HDR.

I really enjoyed the game for the first 3 days of owning it but havent played it this past week at all.

I think PGR 2 and Forza are the two racers I have spent the most time playing. Both on the original Xbox.

Havent played PGR3, not sure I would like it since supercars are kind of boring and I prefer mormal sports cars, not boring FWD Hatchbacks though.

Puki,



That game sucked. :) I own them all.

Technically fun for multiplayer but it is certainly far from real.

Interesting finds regarding the detail etc. I spent last night hacking my laptops graphics drivers since its a Geforce GO- the latest "Go" drivers suck.

After hacking the latest Guru3D drivers to install drivers for my card, the game finally ran at widescreen resolution, yay! Also, I can finally set the global driver settings and get decent visuals. They should have included the options in the in-game menu but they didn't....

Now, after a few minutes the game starts doing a 2FPS thing.. Perhaps my card's overheating! :(

Oh Evak, they didn't fix the reflections properly, They seem better, but they still go the wrong way at some places.

All in all, I'm happy, but they've missed stuff out.

The videos for TDU look great (HDR and all) but the game kind of looks really easy(?)
Traffic volume seems to be low and therefore does not represent much of a challenge. Can this be changed in the settings?

Mind you the engine noises sound awesome and the sensation of speed makes for a thrilling experience. Especially on the motor bike (through the helmet view).

Jim- You can't change the traffic settings, no- but you wouldn't want to! The game is plenty challenging at times- It's not all about just driving from A-B, you have races, deliveries, time trials etc. And you find the traffic gets in the way enough as it is.

One thing to remember is that if you nudge a car you get the cops on you- they are normally pretty easy to get off your back but the fines build up and eventually you get cought, and lose a crapload of money.

What do I do? Spend all the money I have, then go smash up a few things, get a fine, which you can't pay since you have no money- then you just wait 30 secs (because you're in prison!) and off you go.

You can remove the traffic or lower it just by removing stuff from the 'Traffic' folder - not sure if you can increase traffic by copying items in there - depends on how the engine loads the data - it doesn't complain about missing data. However, the game does faff about when quitting the game to Desktop as it is trying to release data it hasn't got.

YG has posted a detailed TDU review: http://www.yougamers.com/reviews/1626_test_drive_unlimited/

Puki, can't you just rename the folders instead of deleting them?

Bleh, the "min specs" they talk about are rubbish.

I play TDU on my *LAPTOP* without graphical issues (Well, the issues I have are driver related...)

It runs fine on my Intel Core Duo system, 1.83ghz, 1gb ram, 256mb 7600Go GFX. OK well, minus HDR.

The minimum specs are rubbish in the review.Here's what I get on my AGP 128mb 6600GT

1024x768 high detail, HDR OFF, 4xAA 24 - 33 FPS

800x600 high detail, HDR ON 17 - 25 FPS

Not bad for a 2+ year old budget video card :)

Purchased the dd last night and it runs smooth as silk (default settings) on my...

AMD Athlon XP 2800+
1GB RAM
nVidia 7600GS

Haven't messed with any fancy settings yet.

I don't like it. I think it is a load of rubbish.

I have a AMD 64bit 3200+ with 1.5GB RAM and Radeon X800 XL.

I don't think it runs smoothly at all - it runs smoothly in places then turns into a pile of bent in other places.

I think the game is just a cheap port - no care and attention to the PC version - it is purely a cheap cash-in.

I wouldn't recommend it at all.

hmm, it looks and plays good here, maybe your PC isn't set up well for streaming terrain of the HD.

My specs are equivalent to yours A64 3000+ 1gb ram AGP 6600GT 128mb Vram. During the actual driving its perfectly smooth with no noticeable stuttering.

I do get some stuttering when the camera pans indoors or when your car first comes out of the garage. Other than that its great, was surprised since I expected it to bog down with the 6 cars in races but it doesn't.

Maybe my Nforce Mobo is doing a better job at streaming data through the system than some of the other chipsets. I didn't think 128mb vram would be enough but it doesn't seem to be a problem at all.

Wait a minute!

How do you turn off the HDR? I keep reading that it can be turned off - I don't see an option to turn it off.

in Options/video you can change res, choose your detail setting and there's HDR options. Click on the square button next to HDR to enable disable.

The first time I try and drive the game after changing video settings I get graphics corruption like I ran out of Vram. Alt+Tab and going back into TDR seems to flush the probs out and all goes well from then on.

What's wrong puki, can't rip any media? :)

Atari's TDU forums seem to have disappeared:

http://forums.eu.atari.com/forumdisplay.php?f=280

Probably collapsed under the weight of complaints.

Well, I've not had my turn yet.

Are companies even making any profit off cheap-console ports?

Because it's all I ever see from game companies these days....buggy as hell ports that only work properly on 10% of the consumer base w/o tweaks/patches required, as to which my PC doesn't appear to fall under said 10%.
(not to mention not updating the game's interface to comply better with the keyboard/mouse setup)

I think console and PC games are becoming more and more similar nowadays...which means they should be spending less and less time porting?

What makes a game a cheap port anyway?

Cheap port as in taking the exact same code, and tweaking it slightly so it uses a mouse/keyboard/peripheral, and making it work with standard hardware (or overbloated, depending on which company we're talking about) with little QA testing w/ regards to system compatibilities.
(or removing features since the company was too lazy to ensure everything worked, notably in online-related departments)

Hey Jade empire should be out for PC soon, and thats one of my favourite box games :)

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is out in a few days.

I'm buying that too.

Already in stores up here in Canada, so I'd assume it'd be plenty in stock down in the US. And according to reviews, a good port to boot with some enhancements.

YouGamers have reviewed Jade Empire, and it got overall score of 89, "Solid action-RPG adventure properly ported to the PC without any major shortcuts. Polished and stable, no crashes or bugs anywhere in sight."

http://www.yougamers.com/reviews/1488_jade_empire_special_edition/

Hey that looks alright. I might give it a go :)

Just ordered TDU. Hope it's fairly decent - it doesn't sound too bad.