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Test Drive Unlimited official thread

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VALIS

Member
http://www.testdriveunlimited.com/

I got my copy this morning but haven't had a chance to play yet. I've been looking forward to this game for a while. It's definitely going to be a love it or hate it sort of affair, I imagine. Personally I like the heavy, unwieldly handling (feels like a real car to me) and the MMORPG-lite elements. Some people will probably hate those things. Wow. Internet.

The 360 version has been getting very good reviews so far, mostly from the UK press:

http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/928101.asp

Games Master UK: 8.8/10
Official Xbox Mag UK: 9/10
X360 Mag UK: 9/10
Edge UK: 8/10

And one US review so far, Yahoo Games gave it a 4 of 5.

It's a cheaper Xbox 360 game, but still triple-A in quality. The latest Test Drive offers an open-ended cruise around the island of Oahu.
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http://videogames.yahoo.com/gamereview?cid=1951038563&tab=reviews&page=0&eid=480438

Sounds very nice. Going to play now.
 
Just getting into it. Very much like the last demo. I love the concept. Looks nice in 720P though the framerate is definitely not 60.
 
Thanks Blim!

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I am interested in seeing how many people pick this up. Seems like it would be pretty dull if there is no one on the roads to race with.
 
I'm in Detroit tomorrow for a press event for Test Drive Unlimited presented by Atari and Ford. Can't wait.. here's the schedule

7:00 - 8:30 AM Breakfast (DeSoto Foyer at Hyatt Regency)

8:45 - 9:00 AM Board Shuttle Bus, Transportation to Dearborn Proving Grounds

9:00 - 9:45 AM Welcome / Opening Remarks / Housekeeping / Safety Talk / Overview of TDU

9:45 - 10:00 AM Break Out to Driving Locations

10:00 - 11:00 AM First Driving Rotation

Group 1: Hot Laps / Test Track Tour
Group 2: Autocross
11:00 - Noon Second Driving Rotation (Group 2 Hot Laps/Test Track Tour, Group 1 Autocross)

Group 1: Autocross
Group 2: Hot Laps / Test Track Tour
Noon - 1:00 PM Detroit vs. NY TDU Competition / Lunch

1:00 - 2:00 PM Detroit vs. SF TDU Competition / Open Time for Interviews

2:00 - 3:00 PM Interviews, Final Game Play and Event Wrap-Up

3:00 Return to Hyatt Regency


going to be driving the...Ford GT, Shelby Cobra concept car, Shelby GT500 and Mustang GT.
 
That's the only thing holding back my review right now. Single player, the game is really solid. There is literally a ton of road to run, and you can easily spend 15-20 minutes driving the length of the island. Having online races mixed in as part of the overall game is cool, but we're trying to see how that works with the overall career.

Still, definitely a good purchase, especially at $39.99.
 
my review won't be until after the event, want to see hear from them about how they intended the game to be and what not. Been playing it somewhat today while i had time.
 
I turned down the driving aids a bit and am having no issues. The control of my Audi Quattro sems pretty tight so far. The more I see of the island the more I like. I haven't been there personally but I really dig games like this that represent a literal location and that you can drive virtually.
 
Okay, I just took a break from playing to say I'm totally head over heels in love with this game so far. Heh. Kinda shocked. It takes elements from different types of games to combine into something that really is different than any game I've played before.

As much as it's a driving simulator, it's a young & rich & beautiful simulator, like a yuppie RPG! :lol You start out at the airport and pick which character you want to be out of the line of young & good looking men & women waiting at the check-in counter. You fly to Hawaii and rent a car. Then you drive to the realtor and look at some swank Hawaii houses. Of course, you can only afford ones on the lower end so far. Then you drive to one of the dealerships and buy a car. Then you can race. Or do other shit which I still have to investigate.

The island is freaking enormous. Huuuge. And gorgeous. There are cities, rural areas, mountains... really well done. An eyegasm in HD.

And the car handling is incredible, IMO. THIS is how I like cars to handle in games - heavy and powerful, like you're actually controlling a 2,000lb. machine. Using the in cockpit view (which is a must!) I'll be damned if driving a car in a game felt more realistic. It's brilliant, the right stick controls your line of sight while in cockpit, so when you're waiting at a stop sign, look left, then right, then pull out. It's simple but brilliant.

I don't know how well this will go over with the GT/Forza racing set since this is more recreational than hard core tuning, but it definitely is a car enthusiast's wet dream. The cars are beautifully modeled, including the interiors. You get more of a sense of owning that car and what it's all about on inside and outside than any other game I've played.

And for $40?? A slam dunk. If you like cars, go buy this. Although, I've only scratched the surface. My opinion may go up or down from here.
 
COLOR INSTRUCTION MANUAL!

A 3rd party game, that is $39.99, with a FULL COLOR INSTRUCTION MANUAL.

There is NO EXCUSE publishers for giving us black and white newsprint shit.
 
Wow, where's the love, interest for this game? I've played alot of driving games and so far though I've barely scratched the surface it's a very unique experience. Open world mission based driving mmo. I see real people in my gameworld in addition to the ai to give the game a nice sense of realism. The game is sort of Oblivion pretty with rich colors and buildings that tower majestically around you. One mission I pulled up to assist some broad and she told me my car wasn't good enough. :(
 
Sysgen said:
Wow, where's the love, interest for this game? I've played alot of driving games and so far though I've barely scratched the surface it's a very unique experience. Open world mission based driving mmo. I see real people in my gameworld in addition to the ai to give the game a nice sense of realism. The game is sort of Oblivion pretty with rich colors and buildings that tower majestically around you. One mission I pulled up to assist some broad and she told me my car wasn't good enough. :(
Click to expand...



How are the controls? The newest demo they put out had crappy controls, I couldn't keep the car on the road half the time.
 
VALIS said:
And the car handling is incredible, IMO. THIS is how I like cars to handle in games - heavy and powerful, like you're actually controlling a 2,000lb. machine. Using the in cockpit view (which is a must!) I'll be damned if driving a car in a game felt more realistic. It's brilliant, the right stick controls your line of sight while in cockpit, so when you're waiting at a stop sign, look left, then right, then pull out. It's simple but brilliant.
Click to expand...


From the demo version, I found the opposite to be true about the car handling. I may have to give the retail version a shot, especially with the delay of Forza 2. I'm still going to wait for the ign/gamespot reviews for some more input before I think about buying it.
 
I am seriously condsidering this game. More impressions about this damn steering problem plzz...
 
I never played the second demo. I played the first one months ago, so I can't really say how it compares.

All I know is I'm having an absolute blast so far. It's really quite a unique experience - a driving MMO! Earlier I was just puttering around, driving to different dealerships to test drive swank cars I can't afford yet, while every now and then some MMO player would blast by my ass at 150mph. :D I raced one guy in a multiplayer race - he had a Mustang, I had my two tone convertible Chevy which is more for cruisin' than racing, and he kicked my ass completely even though I drove well. There is a huge difference between the power and handling in each car.

It's very original. You're driving around, and there's "Xfan2198" driving in front of you, mixed in with the computer cars. Or "VelocityGirl" just passed you going the other way. It's pretty neat, like a virtual car world.

This game would be fantastic with a steering wheel. It's perfect for that. The analog gas and brake are very well implemented. Earlier I was wondering why everytime I hit the brakes, they were squealing and my car was fishtailing slightly. I found out it was because I was pressing the left trigger all the way in to brake, which is the equivilant of slamming on your brakes. You want to cruise to a stop, you have to apply pressure gradually like in a real car. When is MS's wheel coming out again? First day purchase for me, simply for this game.

Gek, you're a car nut, just go buy it. It's 40 bucks and very interesting and kind of tailor made for people who buy Car & Driver every month and drool.
 
Gek54 said:
Wait, did they fix the horrible handling/physics from the two demos or not?!?!?!?
Click to expand...

A little, but not enough to change your mind about it I don't think. Although you can turn the blur off.:)



I can live with the handling myself after some tweaking with the steering slider and turning off the driving aids, and would echo alot of Valis's feelings about the game. As a reboot of the series, atari did a good job rescuing test drive from the pit of mediorcity the series has been in recently. However, until they can bring thier driving model up to the level the the big guns in the genre, test drive will stay a class below them.
 
"Test Drive Unlimited for 39.99$?" nice I think, BUT look here in Europe-Land -> 69.85€ (Ebgames.de) or 54.99€ (amazon.de) and even 70€ in some other store. argh

:(

*sry for my bad english*
 
I'm losing every multiplayer race because I still have my shitty Chevy SSR. Gotsta make da monies and buy me a nicer car. What's everyone driving and what's in your garage? I need a good $70K-$100K car to step up to.

Kindbud: You're CragDweller, right? Just accepted your friend invite.

Hemberger: Buy it! :)
 
I think I will :D

Man, I have 3 360 games to get tomorrow.

Enchanted Arms, Saints Row and now Test Drive Unlimited.

I've been reading more and more online about it and it seems that they've improved it quite a bit. I love the concept of it as well. I'll probably see you online with it this weekend!
 
OK I've been playing this for a few hours now. TOTALLY AWESOME! I was not expecting how good the graphics would be. The demo area looks like poop compared to the area they start you out in.

The intro is stylish, I love the way you actually go to the car dealerships, and go to the Ecko store etc. It is so damn polished.

Oh, and the DJMIX radio station (or whatever its called.. DJ something) is a ton of fun just to listen to.

Well done.
 
mosqito said:
"Test Drive Unlimited for 39.99$?" nice I think, BUT look here in Europe-Land -> 69.85€ (Ebgames.de) or 54.99€ (amazon.de) and even 70€ in some other store. argh

:(
Click to expand...
yeah...it sucks...badly. I'm not going to buy it at full price. Why Atari, why?
 
Wow. This game is incredibly good. Amazingly good given my impression of what it would be like from the E3 demo. It's so damn polished, and there's so much stuff to do. I love that they make you explore the entire island...

I gotta say though, my character looks like a complete goon. I picked the first guy in line. It's actually kind of funny how bad he looks.

Are there windshield wipers in the game? Or a carwash? I swear that my windshield is getting dirtier the more I play...
 
FlyinJ said:
Are there windshield wipers in the game? Or a carwash? I swear that my windshield is getting dirtier the more I play...
Click to expand...

Heh! I meant to ask the same thing in my last post but forgot. My windshield is getting very dirty. It's even getting a little difficult to see out of now. I haven't noticed anything on the map yet besides car dealerships, real estate agents and houses for sale, but it's such a massive island, there could be car washes all over and I just haven't noticed yet.

On another note, for those who don't know, there's a seat adjustment menu in the options. I moved it all the way back and all the way up (height), seems to give me both a better view of the road and my dash.
 
VALIS said:
Heh! I meant to ask the same thing in my last post but forgot. My windshield is getting very dirty. It's even getting a little difficult to see out of now. I haven't noticed anything on the map yet besides car dealerships, real estate agents and houses for sale, but it's such a massive island, there could be car washes all over and I just haven't noticed yet.

On another note, for those who don't know, there's a seat adjustment menu in the options. I moved it all the way back and all the way up (height), seems to give me both a better view of the road and my dash.
Click to expand...
Okay, the whole windshield getting dirty and seat adjustment shit is ****ing awesome
 
Project Midway said:
yeah...it sucks...badly. I'm not going to buy it at full price. Why Atari, why?
Click to expand...
I could be wrong, but I think Europe is getting all 120 cars in the game, while in the US 40 cars were cut for microtransactions to even up the cost.
 
VALIS said:
Heh! I meant to ask the same thing in my last post but forgot. My windshield is getting very dirty. It's even getting a little difficult to see out of now. I haven't noticed anything on the map yet besides car dealerships, real estate agents and houses for sale, but it's such a massive island, there could be car washes all over and I just haven't noticed yet.

On another note, for those who don't know, there's a seat adjustment menu in the options. I moved it all the way back and all the way up (height), seems to give me both a better view of the road and my dash.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've been looking for one... no dice. I'm going to have to buy a new car it's getting so filthy if I don't find one soon.

Also, when I did the first race, I was all pissed that they had the lap time readout RIGHT OVER my rear view mirror. "How could they be so stupid to not realize that?" I thought. Then I saw the seat adjustment and I was like "Holy crap they've thought of everything!".

And, as I was typing this, I heard all this honking coming from my xbox. I looked into my rearview and I was totally blocking an intersection and some player was behind my car honking at me! That's just too cool.
 
VALIS said:
I haven't noticed anything on the map yet besides car dealerships, real estate agents and houses for sale, but it's such a massive island, there could be car washes all over and I just haven't noticed yet.
Click to expand...

Alright, I just looked through the manual ("which is in color!!!!1" - SHOTEH FOCK OP). Indeed, there are a lot more stores than what I've noticed so far in about three hours of play. That's how big this goddamn island is. I haven't seen most of this stuff yet.

From the Map Legends section of the manual:

Activities:
Race Activity
Speed Activity
Time Activity
Top Model (drive a model to her photo shoot)
Hitchhiker
Vehicle Transport
Courier

Stores and Services:
Clothing and Accessories Store
House
Club (create your own car club, invite others to join)
Drive In ("the drive in is the place where you can create your own custom challenges and participate in the challenges of other players.")
Car Showroom
Bike Showroom (if anyone didn't know, there are also bikes in this game!)
Vintage Car Showroom
Car Rental Agency
Vehicle Paint Shop
Real Estate Agency
Tuning Store
House For Sale

Maybe one of the tuning stores has some wiper fluid. :D
 
VALIS said:
Alright, I just looked through the manual ("which is in color!!!!1" - SHOTEH FOCK OP). Indeed, there are a lot more stores than what I've noticed so far in about three hours of play. That's how big this goddamn island is. I haven't seen most of this stuff yet.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's in color. But, if you noticed, the entire last half of the manual is credits. I've never seen so many credits in a game manual before...

12 full pages of credits! Ridic!

EDIT: I decided to take a look at this huge crater I saw on the map. It's really cool looking once you drive up onto the rim. There was some kind of a storm front that had moved in, and the lighting looked amazing. I pulled over to look at the view, and some guy pulled his car in front of mine onto the shoulder... I imagine he was doing the same thing. I flashed my lights at him, and he accepted a race.

It opened the map, and I could actually plot the waypoints of the race. I made a race around the rim of the crater, and we were off. I was almost to the finish line, but had to make a hard right. I overshot the corner, which sent my car flying off the lip of the crater... it seemed like an 800 foot drop. I lost the race.
 
Aaron said:
I could be wrong, but I think Europe is getting all 120 cars in the game, while in the US 40 cars were cut for microtransactions to even up the cost.
Click to expand...

If this is true, I'm all for it. This is what I'm talking about- the consumer gets a cheaper product, and the company gets it's microtransactions. That is, unless the cost for the entire 120 car library ends up costing more than the European edition of the game.
 
Achievements:

AMATEUR COLLECTOR (20) Own at least 4 different cars.
ASTON MARTIN COLLECTOR (15) Own at least 3 different ASTON MARTIN.
BEN SHERMAN COLLECTOR (10) Own at least 10 BEN SHERMAN items.
BIKE COLLECTOR (10) Own at least 3 different bikes.
CHEVROLET COLLECTOR (10) Own at least 3 different CHEVROLET.
CLUB MEMBER (10) Create a Club or become a member of an existing Club.
CLUB RACE VICTORIES (10) Take 3 victories in Inter-Club races.
CONFIRMED COLLECTOR (25) Own at least 10 different cars.
CUSTOM CHALLENGE VICTORIES (10) Take 2 victories in the custom challenges of the Drive-Ins.
EAGLE-EYED DRIVER (40) Cover 5,000 miles (8,000 km).
EASYGOING TOURIST (10) Cover 30 miles (48 km).
Ecko unltd. COLLECTOR (10) Own at least 10 Ecko unltd. items.
EXPLORER (40) Discover all the roads on the island.
EXTREME COLLECTOR (30) Own at least 50 different models of cars.
FERRARI COLLECTOR (20) Own at least 3 different FERRARI.
FORD COLLECTOR (10) Own at least 3 different FORD.
INSTANT CHALLENGE VICTORIES (10) Take 5 victories in Instant Challenges.
ISLAND TOUR (30) Win the Gold cup in the "Island Tour" challenge.
LAMBORGHINI COLLECTOR (20) Own at least 3 different LAMBORGHINI.
MERCEDES-BENZ COLLECTOR (15) Own at least 3 different MERCEDES-BENZes.
MOST VARIED COLLECTOR (30) Own at least 20 different cars.
MULTIPLAYER VIC. - LEVEL 1 (10) Take 3 victories in multiplayer races. Only RANKED MATCHES are counted.
MULTIPLAYER VIC. - LEVEL 2 (20) Take 15 victories in multiplayer races. Only RANKED MATCHES are counted.
MULTIPLAYER VIC. - LEVEL 3 (30) Take 30 victories in multiplayer races. Only RANKED MATCHES are counted.
OWNER (20) Own at least 2 houses.
REAL-ESTATE TYCOON (30) Own at least 15 houses.
SEASONED TRAVELLER (35) Cover 1,000 miles (1,600 km).
SHARING CUSTOM CHALLENGES (10) Share 3 custom challenges in the Drive-Ins.
SINGLE PLAYER RACE CHALLENGES (20) Win the Gold cup in ALL the Single Player RACES challenges.
SINGLE PLAYER SPEED CHALLENGES (10) Win the Gold cup in ALL the Single Player SPEED challenges.
SINGLE PLAYER TIME CHALLENGES (15) Win the Gold cup in ALL the Single Player TIME challenges.
SINGLE PLAYER VIC. - LEVEL 1 (20) Win the Gold cup in 5 Single Player challenges.
SINGLE PLAYER VIC. - LEVEL 2 (20) Win the Gold cup in 10 Single Player challenges.
SINGLE PLAYER VIC. - LEVEL 3 (20) Win the Gold cup in 20 Single Player challenges.
SINGLE PLAYER VIC. - LEVEL 4 (30) Win the Gold cup in 40 Single Player challenges.
SINGLE PLAYER VIC. - LEVEL 5 (40) Win the Gold cup in 60 Single Player challenges.
SINGLE PLAYER VIC. - LEVEL 6 (60) Win the Gold cup in all Single Player challenges.
SMALL COLLECTOR (15) Own at least 2 different cars.
STEADFAST TOURIST (25) Cover 200 miles (320 km).
SUCCESSFUL MISSIONS - LEVEL 1 (15) Successfully complete 3 missions (Top-Model, Hitchhiker, Vehicle Transport or Courier).
SUCCESSFUL MISSIONS - LEVEL 2 (25) Successfully complete 15 missions (Top-Model, Hitchhiker, Vehicle Transport or Courier).
SUCCESSFUL MISSIONS - LEVEL 3 (35) Successfully complete 40 missions (Top-Model, Hitchhiker, Vehicle Transport or Courier).
SUCCESSFUL MISSIONS - LEVEL 4 (60) Successfully complete ALL the missions (Top-Model, Hitchhiker, Vehicle Transport or Courier).
TRADE (10) Buy or sell a vehicle from/to another member on TRADE.
TRAVELLER (30) Cover 400 miles (640 km).
TUNER (10) Buy a performance pack for one of your vehicles in a Tuning Shop.
 
FlyinJ said:
I decided to take a look at this huge crater I saw on the map. It's really cool looking once you drive up onto the rim. There was some kind of a storm front that had moved in, and the lighting looked amazing. I pulled over to look at the view, and some guy pulled his car in front of mine onto the shoulder... I imagine he was doing the same thing. I flashed my lights at him, and he accepted a race.

It opened the map, and I could actually plot the waypoints of the race. I made a race around the rim of the crater, and we were off. I was almost to the finish line, but had to make a hard right. I overshot the corner, which sent my car flying off the lip of the crater... it seemed like an 800 foot drop. I lost the race.
Click to expand...
Damn, that sounds cool.

I didn't think the handling in the demos was that bad; seemed like a respectable take on the "pseudo-sim arcade" genre a la PGR to me. Maybe a little more toned down, but it felt vaguely like driving a car, but more forgiving.

Got this at the top of my Gamefly queue, but I'm tempted to head to the store and buy it later since it's not $60.
 
I'm still surprised at the price tag. I mean, it's apparently a very well polished game with a few things that I would actually call innovative and the graphics are fantastic.
 
how long before those online virtual players just start pissing about, driving all over the place like idiots, ruining any semblance of reality that the environment gives you? Thats my main concern.
 
I can't figure out this windshield thing. I'm starting to think it only looks really dirty when hit by light in just the right way...

But I could swear sometimes it seems like there's a lot less dirt on it. Maybe it just gets dirty when dirty things happen (driving through dust clouds, hitting bushes, driving on dirt, etc) and eventually dissipates?

By the way, pressing "up" on the dpad opens and closes your car windows.
 
Ok but what about the single player? IS there a goal? A story? Or do you just race just to get more money to buy more cars and more houses?
 
VALIS said:
I'm losing every multiplayer race because I still have my shitty Chevy SSR. Gotsta make da monies and buy me a nicer car. What's everyone driving and what's in your garage? I need a good $70K-$100K car to step up to.

Kindbud: You're CragDweller, right? Just accepted your friend invite.

Hemberger: Buy it! :)
Click to expand...

Yup thats me. So far I've been doing mostly the single player stuff. Upgraded my house to the one on the northern tip of the island by the golf course so I could have more than 4 cars(I now have room for 6). So far I have a F class Saturn, an upgraded E class nizmo, a D class lotus, A G class jaguar, and a ninja. I think I'm going to save up for a ferrari next and then work on getting at least one car for every class along with a house to hold them all.


Edit: As far as I can tell Darien, I don't think there is any kind of story or anything like that.
 
DarienA said:
Ok but what about the single player? IS there a goal? A story? Or do you just race just to get more money to buy more cars and more houses?
Click to expand...

Pretty much the latter from what I've seen so far. Race and do the other missions to get money, buy more cars, houses and clothes.
 
Thanks Kind and Valis... that's kinda disappointing but not surprising having played the beta.

Tell me how do the police behave in chases? That was horribly broken in the beta.
 
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