Motor Storm Preview

By Kristan Reed Published 12 May, 2006

E3: Evolutionary.

After that tech demo video at Sony's now legendary E3 press conference of 2005, it was hardly surprising that people harboured serious reservations over whether Motor Storm (and more specifically the PS3) could live up to Sony's lofty claims. Lest we forget, the pre-rendered video footage ("shot to spec") showed a literally unbelievable degree of detail that had attendees shaking their heads over whether a ) it was gameplay footage, and b) could the PS3 really be this powerful a system.

Now that the dust has settled somewhat, it shouldn't come as a major surprise that work only actually started on the game 12 months ago (meaning that what we were treated to was little more than concept fantasy), but Evolution Studios came out fighting at this week's E3 to face the scrutiny of the press with its first playable demo.

The team's amiable Scouse senior producer Pete Smith quipped his way through an impressive half-hour presentation on the game, before we trooped off to play a slightly less impressive demo on a sectioned-off part on the roof of the Sony stand in the West hall. Early conclusion? The Liverpool team has its work cut out over the next few months to get the game up to the level of its own massive expectations, never mind everyone else's.

Where's Mel Gibson when you need him?

'Motor Storm' Screenshot offroad

"Let's off-road!"

But before we get onto the nitty gritty of our (slightly limited) hands-on thoughts, the presentation session kicked off with a throaty scene-setting speech, delivered by Voiceover Man in true Marlboro fashion. Talking of a "new breed of warrior" being born to "rage against the silence" of an ageless valley and suchlike, it conjured visions of a lost Mad Max design doc. We half expected Tina Turner to burst out on stage and declare her contempt for heroes. Sadly, this half hour session was to be purely focussed on the type of 'Brutal Off-Road racing' "never seen before", albeit pitched to us with a warm Merseyside twang entirely lost on most of the assembled who probably struggled to keep up. It's ok guys, that's what we're here for.

Essentially, Smith's barely disguised glee of being "released from the shackles of [WRC] licensed games" was plain to see. "With PS3 we've really gone to town with a unique racing experience. It's more than just finishing first and taking the right line - it’s about beating your opponent. If you take your eye off the action you'll be taken out, it's as simple as that."

"We're trying to bring the racing to life. It's basically about the attitude of the drivers in Motor Storm - they'll constantly try to hit you. We're trying to get the brutality of the race into the game. We've invested [a lot of time] in the damage system [to allow this to come across]."

"It's a game where you're always in the thick of the action," Smith reckons, "where the action is staged to unfold in front of the player". Apparently we can expect to see an enormous amount of debris at all times flying towards you, be it broken bits of other cars, wheels, rocks, dust, smashed up scenery, you name it "The player will never be alone," he says.

Early doors

'Motor Storm' Screenshot blur

Blur is the new lens flare.

With the game only 50 per cent complete, it's still perhaps too early to judge it just yet. In fact, the playable demo (running at 720p we were told by Evolution's design lead) features just seven vehicles on one of the shortest tracks in the game, whereas the finished article will boast 20. But more on vehicles in a moment: we need to talk surfaces.

That might sound like the most boring segueway into another paragraph in the history of words, but it's something you'll be finding out a lot about over the coming months as we learn all there is to know about Persistent Terrain Deformation. It might sound like this year's HDR, but unlike so many buzzwords of the part, this particular innovation has real gameplay potential that begins to demonstrate that not all next gen chit chat has to be about high def, physics and prettier visuals.

In simple terms it means this: when the race starts, each track's surface is undisturbed: pressed in, and largely flat, but as you drive on it, your wheels will quickly churn up the surface. Any impact you (or your opponents) have on the mud/gravel/whatever stays there so that when you come back for subsequent laps, the deformation is still there ("You'll never race the same lap twice").

If this was simply a visual thing, that would be quite cool on its own, but, in fact, the ridges and grooves that everyone creates have a direct impact on everyone's handling from then on. Which brings us neatly back to the vehicles and how they cope with that. Phew.

Surface to air

'Motor Storm' Screenshot dust

Eat my dust, dust eaters.

"The surface type is incredibly important," asserts Smith, "because different vehicles have different strengths. Driving on mud or rock is a very different experience, and your opponents know what [type of surface] they want to be driving on, and what you don't want to be on." So, for example, if you're driving a buggy, you'll go slower in mud and churn it up even more, and your opponents will do all they can to take advantage of this weakness. "They will try to knock you onto it," Smith nods. After 20 cars have driven over one lap, it will be "a completely different experience" the next time. Maybe the Emotion Engine is finally ready, eh?

And it's not just a cunning surface trick, either. The deformation extends to the rest of the track too. "Sometimes you might take a ramp out or a shack to reveal a new route," he says, which in itself might force - for example - the bike riders to completely change their route, possibly diverting them onto a surface that doesn't suit them. And it's not just car tyres that deform terrain. "It might be a driver's leg, head, or debris falling from a bridge which is kinda cool," notes Smith.

"The race constantly evolves. Because of the changing surface types there's a real strategy involved...and you always have to look at what's ahead. Because of this real-time track deformation, we've had to invest heavily in the particle side and want it to get really messy." It certainly is one of the filthier games around, and not only is there plenty of crap being kicked up behind vehicles, the vehicles themselves quickly become covered in dirt, making them look practically unrecognisable within a lap or so. Factor in the general damage modelling and it's a game that gives instant visual cues as to the state of your ride.

Weaponisation

In terms of the vehicles, Evolution has termed the selection process as "Choose Your Weapon" given that the racing is just as much about blatting things around as being first past the post. In all, there are seven types to choose from (Bikes, ATVs, Buggies, Rally, Racing Trucks, Mud Pluggers, Big Rig), and five versions within each, giving room for retro choices among those.

As you might expect Bikes are nimble and fast, but very vulnerable ("You'll need nerves of steel to choose the bike against big trucks"), ATVs "love the mud", Buggies are "light but very affected by the surface and really bounce around", Rally vehicles offer "great slide, but low chassis, so you have to be careful about the surface", while Racing Trucks are "pretty good at everything, fairly sturdy and stable", Mud Pluggers presumably do mud well too, and Big Rigs are "big and bullish". But Smith was quick to point out that "none are slow - this isn't about driving a milk float".

The whole premise of all this racing is that you're part of "the greatest show on Earth," which is to say some kind of three day festival set loosely in Monument Valley ("Mother Nature's Playground"), but Smith insisted "we're not worried about reality - we're worried about gameplay. We want to deliver a really intense experience. It gives us a huge amount of variety for the racing - though it looks like a desert, there is lots of variety: rocks, gravel, dust, mud, and sand."

"You all pile down at a day's notice and wreck the place, and we're using that as a theme for the game. The track surroundings, music, etc, will reflect that festival vibe," he says, with the ultimate aim of the game to become the Motor Sport champion in the game's career mode.

Chaos theory

'Motor Storm' Screenshot roar

Makes me want to ROAR!

But single player is expected to be only half the story, with 16 player online being touted as a key feature. "It'll be total chaos, all those vehicles on that sort of track will be top fun," Smith grins. Downloadable content is also set to feature, with vehicles, tracks, liveries, race types all said to be available at some stage.

Users will also be able to customise their soundtrack, but in a cunning new way that Evolution is calling 'Live-Fi', whereby some nifty DSP post processing techniques apply an ambiance to your songs that make it "really sound like you're there [in a desert race]". And while we're talking tech, the HDR techniques used make the game "look more like a movie than a game" while. "tone mapping gives us depth between light and dark"

Other stuff? There's almost too much to cram into one article. Scanning through our notes there's stuff about proper AI that battle against each other and not just you, hingable parts on every vehicle, fully animated characters with advanced ragdolling, the slo-mo 'Smash Cam' that shows wheels and parts squirreling off in exquisite detail, driver taunts to let you give your opponents the middle finger and more stuff that wasn't possible to note down in time.

Asked if he was disappointed that the game wasn't part of Sony's press conference, he explained away the absence by claiming that "we're making huge progress every single day. We went in just two days from a point where we weren't happy to being where we are now. We think we'll surpass the footage, it was an incredible visualisation, but we're delivering an incredible interactive experience and we really think we'll go beyond it."

Doubts remain

At this point we could say "take that doubters", but having played the demo for a few laps around the track, there's still far too little on show to give anyone even a vague idea of how it will turn out. If you just sidled up to the stand and didn't know anything about the game, you could just as easily dismiss it as another desert racer in the vein of ATV and wander off unenthused. Visually it's getting there but there's nothing to suggest just yet that it'll be incredible, and with just a short three lap race to enjoy, there's precious little evidence of the persistent track deformation having the kind of effect on gameplay that Smith went to great lengths to discuss. In fact, stripped of rumble from the new PS3 pad, it feels...like it's missing that quantifiable feedback we've come to take for granted. One possible idea yet to be implemented is to utilise the tilt controls to "barge drivers off the track", which sounds fab, but it's totally unconfirmed.

With the title confirmed for PS3 launch, we won't have that long to wait to find out how good Motor Storm is, but if Smith's claims are even halfway true it stands a good chance of being one of the more interesting titles out on day one on November 17th.

Picture of Kristan.

About Kristan Reed

Kristan is a former editor of Eurogamer, dad, Stone Roses bore and Norwich City supporter who sometimes mutters optimistically about Team Silent getting back together.

Read more articles from Kristan by visiting the Kristan Reed archive page.

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Comments (64) Latest comment 6 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Tejstar #1 6 years ago

    Sounds like they have a lot of work to do...

  • RedPanda #2 6 years ago

    Post deleted at 14:31:59 28-01-2012

  • Darren #3 6 years ago

    I loved Evolution's WRC games on the PS2 and I'm looking forward to seeing how MotorStorm turns out. As EG pointed out in the review, if ever there was a game that demanded rumble feedback, it's this game, and sadly the new PS3 pad lacks this feature so we won't be able to feel every bump... a shame really considering the lengths they're going to have actual real-time landscape deformation...

  • Teeth #4 6 years ago

    Meaningless hype... I'll believe that crap about making ramps out of the track itself when I see it. The AI aspect sounds a bit easier to do though. In that it sounds doable.

  • Tonka #5 6 years ago

    They should at least use the tilt functionality for steering. Why not make use of what they've been given instead of rumble. I guess it's still early days and things might change.

  • Teeth #6 6 years ago

    I'd just had that thought myself, disc. Weird huh?

  • Roccus #7 6 years ago

    E3 vid footage here

    http://www. playsyde.com/news_2987_en.html

    lower quality stream here

    http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=1pnYxaKs3GI

    Looks ok, but not mindblowing as the trailer was last year.
    Edited by 2 at 12/05/06 @ 13:06

  • myiagros #8 6 years ago

    i hope they don't rush it to get it there for launch. i would far prefer it to be as good and interesting as it should be.

  • jellyhead #9 6 years ago

    Lack of rumble will definately take the edge off the experience. gutted.
    Isn't there a Wii game with track deformation too?

  • space_ace #10 6 years ago

    uh oh

  • Eighthours #11 6 years ago

    Saw a vid of this, looks like it'll be a fun game. Shame that the PS3 pad's lack of vibration will really affect the immersion here.

  • marilena #12 6 years ago

    Ironic, just after everyone had written off the rumble, we realize that there are games where it matters.

    And please, Evolution, do not put that motion blur in the game! It's going to make me throw up!

  • TripSkyway #13 6 years ago

    Sounds great, on paper. I hope it turns out like they plan, their CG was really nice last year.

  • _wii #14 6 years ago

    Liverpool team, is that the same team behind the offcial Formula 1 game. If so, then count me out, Motor Storm will be no good.

  • Darren #15 6 years ago

    From what I understand, despite Phil Harrison's claim that they've been considering motion-detection technology since 1994, I've heard that many PS3 developers didn't know about its inclusion in the PS3 controller until they watched Sony's press conference and only one game made use of it! It's clear to me that it was a last minute decision to include it, likely because Sony would have had to pay to use rumble technology after losing the court case last year. I honestly think that games like MotorStorm and, god, even Gran Turismo 5 will suffer because of the lack of it.

    Incidentally, does anyone know whether the PS3 can still use force-feedback steering wheels, not that it's much good to me anyway as I hate playing racing games with a wheel!

  • renzo #16 6 years ago

    This is Evolution Studios, the team behind the WRC games (which are rather good), not the F1 games (which are not so good).

  • renzo #17 6 years ago

    "I hate playing racing games with a wheel!"

    I wouldn't mind playing racing games with <a href=http:/ /gear.ign.com/articles/708/708220p1.html>this</a&g t;.

  • alpha-0ne #18 6 years ago

    ive seen the private demo aswell and it needs a lot of work there is currently little to no detail in the trackside, mountains etc and the is no sense of spped feels very slow

  • glaeken #19 6 years ago

    I love how Eurogamer are making out they were skeptical about the PS3 launch stuff now as opposed to them actually beleiving it all and pronoucing the real next gen starts with the PS3. LOL. Nothing like selective memory.

  • lambtron #20 6 years ago

    Hehe indeed. I guess we can rule out an admission of guilt - I'm sure they said somewhere in that massively defensive article that they wrote just after the fallout that they would hold their hands up if it all turned out not to be real.

    Well there are two possibilities:

    a) it was all lies
    b) the games have gotten worse since last year's E3 - not unheard of but I mean COME ON

  • stoopidgreg #21 6 years ago

    deformable terrain? that's so 5 years ago - just look at treadmarks! after a couple laps of that track you'll be flying off craters everywhere =)

  • asphaltcowboy #22 6 years ago

    So the screenshots in the article are... in-game or not?

  • T4RG4 #23 6 years ago

    Boring. I love the way they come out fighting trying to make out this is something special. It's a very basic game with what sounds like very basic graphics, nowhere near what they are 'aiming' for.

    Another one bites the dust.

  • asphaltcowboy #24 6 years ago

    Watched the video. Looks like it could be interesting, but it's such a long way off the concept video it's ridiculous. Why bother showing something off that you can realise?

  • #25 6 years ago

    I bet Motor Storm will require a high speed bandwidth connection and all the gameplay will be pre-rendered video. Man, Sony are just full of it.

  • I_Have_The_Power #26 6 years ago

    "Can't say the whole track deformation thing sounds like that big a deal. Sure it's technically impressive, but who cares other than coders? "

    some people are just never happy are they? if you just want gameplay, buy a second-hand snes...

  • muck_savage #27 6 years ago

    Those screenshots are not from that E3 track...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9-oLUibV8c&search=mo torstorm
    http://www. playsyde.com/news_2987_en.html


  • Garulon #28 6 years ago

    It sounds like a boring muddy Burnout Revenge, only played with a dead controller. Yippee :(

  • Feanor #29 6 years ago

    "Odd that they didnt just include a rumble and then the developers could choose what to use in their game."

    Don't forget Sony's long running legal battle with the company that owns the patent for the rumble in the Dual Shock and Dual Shock 2.

  • #30 6 years ago

    I agree so much with you guys, deformable terrain is so lame.

    I only ask for skid marks that dissapear after half a lap, and what does Sony go and do?!

    They fuck up everything by leaving the skid marks, and not only that the ground is broken up so it gets harder to driver around the track! Fuck you Sony!

  • lambtron #31 6 years ago

    The sense of speed in those videos is dire.

  • #32 6 years ago

    Yeah, and the cars get dirty with all that mud.

  • Triggerhappytel #33 6 years ago

    This game has potential. I hope they don't rush it out just to meet the launch. Going by Evolution's WRC games on PS2, they should be able to pull some amazing graphics out of the Cell. I like the fact they are focusing on fun over realism.

    One to watch, but with only 6 months to go there's a lot to do.

  • l_p_4_7 #34 6 years ago

    Does anyone have a link to last year's E3 (rendered) footage? ho ho.

  • #35 6 years ago

    http://media.ps3.ign.com/media/748/748488/vids_1.html

  • Rushy #36 6 years ago

    Better video from the show floor:

    ftp://www.jeux-france.com/PlayStation_3/MotorStorm_1.wmv
    Edited by 2 at 12/05/06 @ 14:26

  • bloodflowers #37 6 years ago

    So, did it move smoothly, 60fps, 30fps, or judder all over the place? Is anyone at EG allowed to tell us?

  • Rushy #38 6 years ago

    The video I linked to just a few posts up will allow you to make your own mind up if you watch it ;)

  • krudster #39 6 years ago

    /seemed smooth, 60fps, bit of terrain pop-up.

  • Triggerhappytel #40 6 years ago

    "a road accident has potential
    falling out of the window from the 50th floor has potential
    the PS3 has potential

    hell, even my hamster has potential, but do you see me fucking betting $400 on it in a 4-mile horse race?"

    Well, so don't buy a fucking PS3 - it makes no difference to me.

    Why don't you go try out a car crash then, instead of making such vital contributions to this thread?!

  • optimusprym8 #41 6 years ago

    sounds like another Buggy Heat. i.e. pile of crap

  • deepmenace #42 6 years ago

    is all that track deformation stuff really gonna work in 16 player online?

    every spec of moved dust and debris being copied from everyone and to everyone?

    /is dubious/

  • reality_cheque #43 6 years ago

    I hope this turns out good, so I can buy it on the cheap when I get my PS3 in 2010.

  • asphaltcowboy #44 6 years ago

    lol @ last year's video. just lol.

  • Dizzy #45 6 years ago

    I don't know about you guys... but I have never seen a race in real life where you can deform the terrain so much that it will have any serious effect on the other vehicles. Maybe these vehicles are super heavy or this takes place on a high gravity planet.... or maybe the terrain is some super soft molten chocolate....

  • spindizzy #46 6 years ago

    @Dizzy : watch motocross dude, or snowcross. The track starts out in pristine condition, and eventually you end up with metre deep ruts on the corners, which are a bugger for bikes

    Random google search turned up this:
    http://ww w.mcnews.com.au/MotorcycleRacing2003/MX/Aus_Rnd1/Open_Galler y_2/images/DarryllKing_RHF_Rut.jpg

  • Triggerhappytel #47 6 years ago

    "Why don't you go try out a car crash then, instead of making such vital contribution to this thread?!"

    - let me borrow Phil Harrison's response technique:
    jams thumbs in ears, "la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la I can't hear you la-la-la-la-la-la"

    Thankyou for proving my point for me.

  • gerald #48 6 years ago

    > I don't know about you guys... but I have never seen a race in real life
    > where you can deform the terrain so much that it will have any
    > serious effect on the other vehicles.

    Right. And things that don't happen in real life should'nt be allowed in videogames... never!

    This could be fun, if they get the physics right.
    Too bad they raised expectations so high with that trailer, that they can only disappoint with the real thing.
    Edited by 1 at 12/05/06 @ 16:04

  • UncleLou #49 6 years ago

    The video just looks dull, and I am a racing game fan.

    Like I said on the forum, I didn't expect the real thing to look as good as the trailer, but at least they should have aimed for a similar sense of speed and rough action. The video shows nothing at all like that. It just looks incredibly tame and forgettable

  • MrGrumpy.au #50 6 years ago

    This looks almost like a clone of Ratbags 1998 game Powerslide" now if Motor Storm can capture the immense fun in which Powerslide had this will be a classic game [ the number of LAN nights Powerslide caused me was bordering on being tragic ;-) ].

    The graphics aren't bad, but I think after seeing the CGI movie last year I expected better, still with time on their hands it should improve even more.

  • JammyB #51 6 years ago

    My god that looks shit. Anyone ever played 4 Wheel Thunder on the Dreamcast? It looks exactly the same but with updated graphics. Generic pap.

    Now if we're talking terrain deformation and physics, how about Rollcage 3? Rollcage, more than any other racer, deserves a next gen update. Making fucking skidmarks in the track is boring as hell - firing guided missiles into buildings and spread debris all over the track - yes please! I demand more Rollcage!

  • projectmayhem #52 6 years ago

    looks great. not quite CGI great, but still better then PGR (oooh that could be a sore spot!). the physics, if they get it right, could be absolutely stunning. right now i'm very impressed by the depth of field smoke-and-mirrors style created by motion blur. clever lads, these evolutionaries.

  • muck_savage #53 6 years ago

    aaah, bless the internet :)

    "My god that looks shit. "

    followed by

    " looks great. "

    Personally, I think it MotorStorm has bags of potential...it'll be ace with more than 7 cars in it. It appears Sony dont learn - they have done the same pre-render movie sh*te again this year...the developers cant possibly live up to the slickly edited, non practical videos.

    hohum....what do I care....tis wii wii for me

  • JammyB #54 6 years ago

    I wasn't referring solely to the graphics. By shit I mean it's got no style, no substance and the gameplay looks dreadfully generic and boring. If people above the age of 10 are seriously anticipating this game for its shiny specular maps and polygon counts then I suggest they step outside their front doors instead.

  • The-Bodybuilder #55 6 years ago

    >"every spec of moved dust and debris being copied from everyone and to everyone?

    /is dubious/"

    Dubious of teh "aw3s0me p0wer" of t3h cEll?

  • The-Bodybuilder #56 6 years ago

    >"I don't know about you guys... but I have never seen a race in real life where you can deform the terrain so much that it will have any serious effect on the other vehicles"

    Neither has the previewer, as it seems the technology hasn't been utilized yet. Which means in its current state, it's all hype.

    No offence to the evolution devs, tis a shame sony made you fail before you even started.

  • Creedy #57 6 years ago

    Hey guys
    You should check out this thread.

    h ttp://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=100020

    Theres a whole shit load of info, video links and gif's of Motorstorm. I personally think it looks a-fucking-mazing and is way beyond anything that the 360 has offered.

  • jazon! #58 6 years ago

    Rubbish.

  • Creedy #59 6 years ago

    Rubbish?

    Wheres Xbox 360's deformation surfaces?
    Wheres Xbox 360's amazing physics?
    Wheres Xbox 360's ragdoll physics that actually have weight?
    Wheres Xbox 360's amazing AI?

    Don't get me wrong, I'll own a 360 in September and am looking foreward to it's games. But your kidding yourself if you think it's on the same level as PS3 so far. It will reach the same level but it's devs aren't exactly pushing the 360 yet.

  • manic_mouse #60 6 years ago

    "But your kidding yourself if you think [the 360 is] on the same level as PS3 so far."

    Really? To me GoW looks far better than anything Sony have shown on the PS3 thus far bar MGS4. And even that can be done on the 360. For a console that's supposedly able to blow the Xbox 360 out of the water (wasn't it "twice" as powerful as the 360 at the last E3?) that isn't very impressive.

    Where are all the games that look like MotorStorm and Killzone did last year? Where are the dual HDMI outputs? Didn't Phil Harrison say having two SKU's was a terrible idea because the 360 did it? Is the "tard" PS3 "true HD"? Where are all the 1080p games (and no, a PS2 game at 1080p does not count)?

    If you think this years E3 was anything but an unmitigated disaster for Sony then you're the one kidding yourself. MGS4 was the PS3's only saving grace. Everything else was a disappointment compared to the pie in the sky Sony promised last year.

    Heck, even the BBC and Radio 1 were saying how badly the PS3 did. That is NOT good publicity.
    Edited by 1 at 14/05/06 @ 12:26

  • muck_savage #61 6 years ago

    Good discuss of the game here...
    http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=100020&pa ge=1

  • tom_macey #62 6 years ago

    looks alot better then Excite Truck on the wii

  • kasabian72 #63 6 years ago

    looks alot better then Excite Truck on the wii

    ---------------------------------------------------

    for a machine that costs about $300/an Xbox360 more (at appr. $200 vs $500+), and touted by Sony to be God's gift to next-gen video games......it better look alot better!!

  • miiiguel #64 6 years ago

    Creedy: What's the level of PS3 so far, have you tried it's:
    deformation surfaces?
    amazing physics?
    ragdoll physics that actually have weight?
    amazing AI?

    Please tell us abou it!, I want to know more from someone who actually can, as of today, compare the 2 machines.
    Thanks!