Eutechnyx, the UK’s oldest and most prolific racing game developer, are bringing their wares to the PC for the very first time, but they aren’t just working on another run-of-the-mill four-wheeled racing sim. Instead they’re crafting an online playground tailored specifically for motor enthusiasts the world over, and even though Auto Club Revolution is still a long way from completion, it’s as much of a game changer as its name would suggest it to be.
Summed up simply, ACR’s mandate is to provide a quality racing experience with regular and exotic tin-tops, ranging from the Mini Cooper to the exquisite Bugatti Veyron, exclusively online against other racers for absolutely free. Players simply register an account, download the client and from there they’re free to race. It’s a radical notion that hasn’t been attempted with this much expertise and resources before, and it’s ambitious to say the least.
From the comfort of a browser players are able to engage with other racers, buy vehicles, and paint them before entering eight-man races or single-player time trials care of the beefier game client. It reminded us of Battlefield 3′s multiplayer infrastructure, and even though races are only peer-to-peer based, it still works very well with minimal waiting times before hitting the track.
This sleek system is currently being tested by the games’ growing community, and Eutechnyx want everything to be as polished as possible before launch. So much so that another test phase is being prepped, adding Daytona and Infineon Raceway to the real-world offerings of Silverstone and Spa Francorchamps. Fidelity-wise, tracks do lack the detail achieved in competing online-only racer iRacing, running more in line with the likes of SHIFT 2.
When it comes to the actual on-track action, ACR is a lot of fun. The handling model could definitely be described as accessible, with the addition of a handbrake to kick rear ends out around corners and a number of driving aids to ease newbies into races, but there’s still a lot of nuance to judging corners correctly while maximising exit speed.
As you take part in races and carry out daily challenges (such as looking at the showroom) you’ll earn credits which can be used to purchase new cars and unlock new levels, enabling more automotive treats to become available. Currently there’s only a dozen or so cars to mess around with, but Eutechnyx confirmed to us that ACR is supported by over 40 manufacturers and that number is only set to grow.
Despite the solid state ACR is currently in, really what excited us about the project was what’s being planned in the future. No extension of the racing genre is being declared too crazy for inclusion and the team has talked about real-life motor-sport series being incorporated into the game, be it via sport-only cars like the Radical or official support with rosters to back it up. Eutechnyx has already proven themselves to be proficient with the Nascar license and we wouldn’t bet against them snapping up another similarly popular entity for this game.
Even custom tracks are being talked about with a future update set to introduce an indoor racing arena where players will be able to craft the layout in any way they wish via an easy-to-use grid system. Even accomplished iRacer Richard Towler is on-board to help make Auto Club Revolution the online car lover hangout the studio wants it to be.
The really exciting thing about ACR is that Eutechnyx aren’t ruling anything out, and they’ve already got the basic infrastructure in place that proves this free-to-play endeavour is feasible. The trick will be how well micro transactions are threaded into the game, but we should find out more about that soon.
Needless to say, we’ll be keeping a very close eye on lovely little runner, as it definitely has the potential to be a real pace setter in what is a very competitive and innovative genre.
If you would like try Auto Club Revolution for yourself send an email to pcgzine@gamerzines.com and we’ll send you a beta key.
Tags: Auto Club Revolution
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