The Juice on Juiced

Studio Director for PC and Console Games (we have a Mobile and Handheld Group too).

Simple really: the publisher ran out of money just before Juiced was due to be published. However, Acclaim wasn't funding it... we got Fund 4 Games involved, so the publisher's demise did not affect us seriously. Of course, THQ picked it up, which was great!

THQ see this as an important brand for it and its first driving title. It wanted to make its mark on the product and ensure that it could be re-reviewed. They wanted to raise the bar in all areas of the game, so we were given an extra five months time to polish the product.

We have touched every area of the game and improved it, including all the key areas of concern for reviewers.

More cars, more tracks, new sound FX, new music, new interface, advice system and new online features.

Juiced has its physics firmly in the simulation camp, and it's more of a pure racing game than either of the other two. It also features an innovative career mode that lets the player decide the tactics and strategy for playing the game, crew racing, full damage on licensed cars, pink slip racing on and offline, betting and more advanced driver AI. I could go on but at the end of the day the acid test is in the playing and the best word I have used to describe it is 'addictive'. Juiced is not a product you can get through on a weekend rental!

People who played NFSU but find it wanting, folk who play Gran Turismo but want a bit more going on in the game; generally, people who want something a little different in the driving genre.

Respect is one of two 'currencies' in the game, the other of course being 'cash'. The respect system is a perfect balance for the cash: if you have lots of money but no respect, you cannot progress; conversely if you have respect but no cash, you can't buy the cars, parts and race entries you need. Respect is also a scoring mechanism for the many facets of the game; e.g. car collection; degree of modification; skills at racing, sprinting and show-off events, betting and pink-slip racing. Each opposing crew leader has a preference on which you earn respect: TK, for example, will be impressed by skilful circuit racing. This enables us to control progress through the game in a much more natural and meaningful way... it encourages you to get immersed in the game's breadth and challenges. Of course, you can lose respect too, as well as cash, so it can be a bit like snakes and ladders... you might be doing well, take a huge bet, lose and wreck all your opponents' cars, so you'll find yourself temporarily excluded from some meetings and in need of cash.

Juiced is a racing game where driving skill needs to count in the right way... cause mayhem and you'll lose respect and end-up paying to repair your car every time. Drive skilfully and you'll gain respect and keep your hard-earned cash.

In a word, 'believable'. Our heritage is simulation physics, but when we went driving in tuned Evo VIII's it was clear that the simulation on the market didn't model the sheer exhilaration of moving at high speed. We have layered in that sensation on top of simulation physics, to give an experience that is much more intense.

We looked for popular modding cars, plus a mix of US, European and Japanese, so that people could include their favourites in the collection. We also needed a blend from compacts right up to the maniac vehicles like Vipers and Skyline GTRs.

I don't just 'think' that! Firstly, it's a cross platform game, and it delivers an even experience wherever it goes. We have allowed each platform to play to its strengths, so the PC version makes use of DX9 shaders for example. Even online, Juiced offers a pretty even set of features, more so than any other game of its kind. Then when you get down to the physics and the tuning, the sheer level of interactivity we give the player is pretty unique. Add to this the crew racing, the DIStress AI system that manages the other drivers stress and skill levels, and the emergent gameplay mechanics...

We have made a couple of additions recently. The sprint mode is now available online, which we believe will be very popular if you want to find out which car is the fastest in a straight line.

We have also made additions to the already extensive match making criteria, allowing the player to create or find very specific races. For example if you want to find a game featuring only Toyota Supras, between 500 and 600 horsepower, racing only the Downtown circuit, you can in Juiced.

Last but by no means least we have added voice support for PC and PS2. Now you can spend hours in the lobby discussing the mods you have applied to your car, or better still you can mock your opponents as you pass them in a race.

We have worked hard to ensure that the player gets a proper 'feel' for each car, so it's easier to anticipate when you are pushing the performance envelope. Our objective with the modding was not to make it too fiddly and to avoid the need to micromanage everything. As a result, it's easy to mod the car and it's clear what's going on. If you have increased power on an MX5, for example, it will start to get tail happy if you don't pay attention to the suspension, brakes and downforce... it's not just for show, all the tuning does have a real impact, yet it's fun to play around with.

You had best speak to THQ about that one!

We are already busy with next-gen projects. The new technologies will allow us to improve on what we do now, but the really exciting stuff is going to be what we are able to do that we couldn't do before. In general, what impresses about the next-gen demos is the level of detail, both static and dynamic. What will really stand out is the way these games are going to play. In automotive terms, it will be like moving from a stock family compact to a four-wheel drive sports car.

That's a question for the publisher. I believe THQ knows what it is doing.

I started off with Geoff Crammond's FI and didn't really get into the driving genre on console until PS2 came along with Gran Turismo. I also like the GT conversion that was done over the EA Formula 1 game. And of course TOCA!