Decline The Crew -- Ubisoft's now released MMOCARPG

[King Crispy]

As described:

The Crew is an open and persistent world for racing across the United States. It takes 90 minutes to drive from coast to coast in-game. The single-player campaign is 20 hours long, and entails infiltrating criminal groups. Missions can be played alone, with friends, or with online co-op matchmaking. The multiplayer mode lets players create teams to compete online in races and other gametypes. There are no in-game loading screens or pauses. Players can also build cars with a tie-in app for iOS and Android. The Crew is being described as a role-playing game with large-scale multiplayer elements. The multiplayer is not separate from the single-player. Players can form "crews" to race together or against ghost records.

http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/1049/The-Crew.html

Check MMORPG's coverage of it, especially this clip of several minutes worth of gameplay, transitioning from mission to mission.

This game looks interesting to me, simply because it's seamless, features a true in-car view (which I absolutely must have for any racing game or sim), and because it's a consolation prize for those of us such as me and Humanity has risen! who got completely fucked over when buying our PS4's for the sole purpose of playing Driveclub which has been delayed for an entire year. The Crew should be out this November on PC, PS4, and on XBOLOGNE.

It's certainly got a bit of a derp factor to it, I think -- little to no damage model, probably ridiculous handling physics -- but it sounds like it has a great soundtrack, its graphics look great, and this a one-time purchase MMO like TSW and others which is a very welcome thing.

I'm actually looking forward to it. The map is of the entire U.S.! How can this not be good?

What? Why are you looking at me like that?

 

[Ranselknulf]

Grand Theft Auto: US edition.

It could be incline if you can rob, murder, and enrich other players. Maybe give it a theme like walking dead zombies or some shit.

 

[Jaesun]

Is this going to KILL WOW?

 

[Zarniwoop]

Sounds exactly like Test Drive Unlimited 2, except with a microscopic map of the US instead of a full-size one of Hawaii.

 

[King Crispy]

Is this going to KILL WOW?

Jaesun, I'm never going to live that down, am I?

 

[Jaesun]

Nope.

 

[mettalhed]

As described:

The Crew is an open and persistent world for racing across the United States. It takes 90 minutes to drive from coast to coast in-game. The single-player campaign is 20 hours long, and entails infiltrating criminal groups. Missions can be played alone, with friends, or with online co-op matchmaking. The multiplayer mode lets players create teams to compete online in races and other gametypes. There are no in-game loading screens or pauses. Players can also build cars with a tie-in app for iOS and Android. The Crew is being described as a role-playing game with large-scale multiplayer elements. The multiplayer is not separate from the single-player. Players can form "crews" to race together or against ghost records.

http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/1049/The-Crew.html

Check MMORPG's coverage of it, especially this clip of several minutes worth of gameplay, transitioning from mission to mission.

This game looks interesting to me, simply because it's seamless, features a true in-car view (which I absolutely must have for any racing game or sim), and because it's a consolation prize for those of us such as me and Humanity has risen! who got completely fucked over when buying our PS4's for the sole purpose of playing Driveclub which has been delayed for an entire year. The Crew should be out this November on PC, PS4, and on XBOLOGNE.

It's certainly got a bit of a derp factor to it, I think -- little to no damage model, probably ridiculous handling physics -- but it sounds like it has a great soundtrack, its graphics look great, and this a one-time purchase MMO like TSW and others which is a very welcome thing.

I'm actually looking forward to it. The map is of the entire U.S.! How can this not be good?

What? Why are you looking at me like that?

Not big on MMOs, but i checked this one out and it looks like it could be pretty good. This screams Test Drive Unlimited 3, and i wonder if some of the TDU devs are working on this. I'll add this one to the list along with Assetto Corsa and Project Cars. Time to break my G27 back out.

Also, i agree fully on an in-car view being a necessity. GRiD 2 was such a disappointment and that's the main reason why.

 

[Norfleet]

Meh. I wanted to see Desert Bus Online.

 

[Gerrard]

Will it be less shit than TDU2 though?
I signed up for the next beta test.

 

[King Crispy]

I had a chance to play the beta last night for a few hours, here are my impressions:

It's fun. A lot of fun.

Don't expect a sim of any kind, though. Driving around in the cars feels like you're sitting in a wheel barrow with a flat tire while on sleeping aids during an earthquake. There really isn't a crisp feeling to the handling at all. But, it does improve with better cars and better parts, and, more importantly, after getting the hang of the game.

Before I get into that more, just real quick about the look of the game: it's just as gorgeous as the screenshots appear to be. Very smooth gameplay, if you've got the hardware for it, and it stays consistently at 60fps once you do. That's very important for this kind of a game where in most cases your success or failure in any particular race comes down to a matter of inches between you and all the parked/stopped cars in your way and all the other obstacles, which are many and greatly varied. Get the framerate up, get your control scheme ironed out (hardcore handling mode, no driving assists, proper wheel setup) then tweak the settings a little and you can actually move around with some semblance of what driving a real car feels like. Nevermind all the dumb newbs complaining elsewhere about every little aspect of the game; kids these days. It's fine.

Sounds are great, music track is great, story line is, so far, ehhhhh. Personally I only really just need a framework to work around to justify my driving like a maniac through the streets of Detroit so a BSB story really doesn't concern me. But you do get lots of tips and guidance from your "boss", a woman whose goal is to help you gain revenge on the street gang who raped your sister or whatever went down to make you so mad so it works.

Customizing your car is quite a simple affair; it's just a matter of either picking 'automatically upgrade to that part you just awarded me' (which is obv. convenient) to the ability to do a quick-tune on the street or a complete revamping of your ride in the nearest garage. There's not much detail to go into for each upgrade -- Brakes +1 is the basic jist of it -- but these are essentially MMO rewards and need to be considered as such. It's typical loot. And again, it's just fun.

Back to the handling. I'm actually kind of glad it's as bad initially as it is. The first car you buy, a stock Dodge, Chevy, or Ford, predictably handles like shit. It's sloppy, it's kind of slow off the line, and it doesn't stop well. Why are people complaining so much? At one point during the MQ (yes, any and all MMO terms are applicable here) you're tasked with temporarily switching cars to a hopped-up Aston which handles MUCH better than your starter POS. Surprise! I'm not even sure if those newbs even progressed that far, them all using their stupid 360 controllers. Looking forward to stomping all of them into the dirt come release. But again, it's not as bad as they're all saying it is. A good responsive gaming PC along with a decent wheel and some skill behind it means you'll do just fine and soon enough will be power-sliding through all the turns like a boss.

Speaking of which, there's an upgrade classification for your cars called "RAID". There are going to be raids in this game? Against a boss of some kind I presume? I have no idea how that's going to work. But, taking into account the already surprisingly complete and polished nature of this beta (it really does look amazing), I think I'll be in for a treat.

TL;DR: Off the cuff this looks like it could be a great game for the non-too-picky.

 

[Irenaeus]

little to no damage model

Also

Rip in peaces, Paul Walker

 

[King Crispy]

There actually is one. It's extremely simple, but you do have to have your car repaired in the garage. So there's that.

 

[Severian Silk]

I hope my PS1 controller will work for this game. Downloading now.

 

[King Crispy]

my PS1 controller

 

[Severian Silk]

Hmmmm... Uplay is using a whole CPU core just to display a menu and download stuff?

[edit]

I'm talking about one of these:

Also, when can I start free roaming across the map? Do I have to wait for a certain mission before I unlock that feature?

 

[Gerrard]

If you're not using an analog controller might as well play with keyboard.

E: got a key, downloading now.

 

[King Crispy]

You can drive anywhere you want as soon as you want to.

 

[Gerrard]

Haha what the fuck is this handling supposed to be? This isn't a car that has poor handling, this is "driving a brick of jello on an ice track" level of awful. This is worse than TDU2 after the patch that fucked up handling there.

 

[Severian Silk]

Okay things are kind of squirrelly. I might have to switch to an analog controller.

 

[bonescraper]

Haha what the fuck is this handling supposed to be? This isn't a car that has poor handling, this is "driving a brick of jello on an ice track" level of awful. This is worse than TDU2 after the patch that fucked up handling there.

One of the main goals in this game is getting your car up to fucking shape. Everything can, and should be upgraded as you progress. Did you expect stock cars to handle well? Where would you go from there? Also, remember that it's a competitive game, there always has to be some room for actual skill.

I played the beta, and it's very fun. Take the best from NFSU, NFSMW, NFSHP and Burnout, add a giant map like the one seen in Fuel, and you get The Crew.

Also, when can I start free roaming across the map? Do I have to wait for a certain mission before I unlock that feature?

No, after a brief prologue/tutorial you're free to do whatever you want.

 

[Severian Silk]

Is the CDS on Uplay as well as Steam?

 

[Castanova]

I don't get it. They've modeled the entire United States but it only takes 20 minutes to drive across it? How does that work?

 

[Severian Silk]

I heard it took 90 minutes. How big is TDU2?

[edit]

And 6 hours circling the map.

 

[bonescraper]

Speaking of which, there's an upgrade classification for your cars called "RAID". There are going to be raids in this game? Against a boss of some kind I presume? I have no idea how that's going to work. But, taking into account the already surprisingly complete and polished nature of this beta (it really does look amazing), I think I'll be in for a treat.

I'm pretty sure they meant http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rallying

 

[Gerrard]

Haha what the fuck is this handling supposed to be? This isn't a car that has poor handling, this is "driving a brick of jello on an ice track" level of awful. This is worse than TDU2 after the patch that fucked up handling there.

One of the main goals in this game is getting your car up to fucking shape. Everything can, and should be upgraded as you progress. Did you expect stock cars to handle well? Where would you go from there? Also, remember that it's a competitive game, there always has to be some room for actual skill.

I played the beta, and it's very fun. Take the best from NFSU, NFSMW, NFSHP and Burnout, add a giant map like the one seen in Fuel, and you get The Crew..

Do you expect stock cars to handle LITERALLY LIKE YOU'RE DRIVING ON ICE? Because I sure as fuck don't. This is actually worse handling/physics than Need For Speed World, and that is saying a lot.

I think there can be plenty of room for skill in a driving game that doesn't involve getting used to awful physics model.

Also the game kicked me out after completing the second story mission because "lol login queue".