What Makes a Great Driving Game?

When confronted with the task of creating a PC racing game that will become one of the all-time best, today’s video game producer has his / her work cut out for them. Sim racers today are certainly more particular about what they’re going to buy than at any time in the past. Produce the game correctly, and they’ll talk about you. Get it wrong, and word will spread on the net so fast you’re not likely to sell even 300 units!

To start with, in my opinion, the most important feature that goes into the production of a great sim is the physics model. There’s not much that pisses me off more than a car that doesn’t handle on the circuit the way my brain is expecting. In years gone by, this used to be a bigger problem than it is currently, but there are still a couple of computer game publishers that put a lot more effort into eye candy than they do into the physics model. Shame on them!

Driving onto and off of pit road also needs to be accurate – especially under racing conditions. In the real-world, pit strategy and pit stops play an important role in the outcome of a race. Mess up the strategy or have a low pit stop and your chances of winning the race are pretty much done. The sim racing game should model these components as closely as is practical if it aspires to to provide the most realistic driving experience achievable.

Speaking of driving onto pit lane, today’s PC racing game must also offer an exceptional online racing experience – and this includes driving on and off pit lane. Prior to 2004, many drivers would just race against the computer’s computer cars. Those days are long gone. The name of the game today is racing in online races. As with other aspects of the game, the online experience has also made considerable improvements, thanks largely to technology and more broadband to the home.

Get these items done correctly, and you’re well on your way to making a fantastic car driving game!

Angelo Dyrzra has been a NASCAR games enthusiast for over 9 years. To learn more about car driving games and to enter to win a free game, visit his his car driving games website today.