PMR: Project Motor Racing - Racing or Waiting?

It’s been obvious over the last few days since the game’s launch that Project Motor Racing has caused some race fans to get “hot under the collar”, with mixed responses coming from two very staunch clans: those who love it, and those who treat it like a check-engine light just before Christmas. Who’s right? Are we racing, or waiting? 

There are plenty of stoic, unwavering stances to be found; unfortunately, online discourse now demands total commitment to a side, so maybe this is internet suicide - but let’s try to look at PMR objectively.

Performance: Playable, Not Polished.

Even after the day-one patch, performance was lacking, with powerful systems being slowed far beneath their usual lofty heights. For a frame of reference: the system I used to get around 20 hours of post-launch playtime was equipped with only an i7 8700k and a GTX 1080. 

With a system only just above minimum specs, I wasn't expecting a great deal from the title. In general the game ran reasonably well, was stable and on all-low settings managed a very consistent 70-80 FPS. It’s more than playable, and if you’re comfortable with lower frame rates, there’s room to improve the visuals. 

The graphics are playable even on the low end - especially in a game focused on driving finesse, rather than graphical fidelity. I think we have just been spoiled recently, given the surprise release of the gorgeous AC: Rally. Could it be optimised better? Possibly. Can we play it now? Definitely. At the end of the day, “real life” has great graphics - but the content is far from impressive.

Career Mode: Potential, Currently Hollow..

A big selling point for the game was the career mode - currently this is a tricky prospect. The AI is not one to fight fairly. A lack of awareness from the AI, coupled with the lack of any kind of “track radar”, makes it a tricky prospect to do well when you’re being charged for every dent in your virtual car. 

At present the current career is sparse; other than buying your initial vehicle and gaining (or losing money) by completing races, with the vague nudge up to different championships. There’s no real drama, no team management, no sponsor selection (beyond how you’re paid), and no fun sidetracks like a blast up Goodwood’s hill - it’s a little… disappointing.

It’s a ‘nice to have’, and I’m sure there will be some enjoyment there when the AI is up to standard, but Straight4 Studios could do with taking a look at other titles (the recent Formula 1 games for instance) and getting some inspiration on how to make the career mode more compelling. 

This has potential, and it has beaten AMS2 to the punch (5 years, and no career!). If I was Straight4, I would be concerned that AMS2 could potentially spend a few afternoons and have basically the same career mode up and running. Maybe even before Christmas. It’s crying out for the developers to do something new, fun, interesting and not relinquish a customer base to another sim. 

Multiplayer: Broken for Some.

Straight4 Studios has made it very obvious that there are currently issues with their servers, including a complete inability to join races. Others may have had better luck — I haven’t. I simply cannot play it. Both the Ranked and Social sections have refused all attempts for me to join. The custom lobbies unfortunately lead to constant rubber banding between all vehicles on my end, so racing cleanly is impossible. I appreciate servers are never how you expect them to be; so I suspect this will be solved - but I can’t praise a part I haven’t played. 

Force Feedback & Physics: Where It Shines.

Surely you’re thinking at this point that everything is doom and gloom. It’s not. There are some good points, ones that I find very promising - chief among them: force feedback. I like it. It's good, easy to feel straight out of the box and almost infinitely adjustable. It may need a tiny bit more polish - but it's certainly going in the right direction. It’s good now, but could be great with further refinement - and that’s encouraging.

I feel it needs a little work to pick up some of the front end feel (understeer vibrations specifically, and greater feeling for regaining grip in the rear end). With the high fidelity of the game’s FFB settings, the sheer amount of customisation really makes the feedback glow. I wouldn’t say it's currently the best on the market, but it is fighting toe to toe with some of the giants - no pun intended. 

I would have to suggest a re-organisation of the settings. The ‘global’ FFB settings are nowhere near as detailed as they could be - the real gems can be found in each car’s setup menu. Can we have the current options all under one, easy to understand menu (with tool tips!) in the settings. I do enjoy the option to tweak each car individually, or per track, so I’d like to keep those too, just not as the primary setup method for FFB. Currently it seems a little archaic, but very welcome and functional - delivering some great sensation. 

The cars themselves do seem to perform ok - there are some definite tweaks that need to be done to the physics, but as a baseline, right out of the gate, it’s only good news. The older cars definitely have a better feel to them, compared to the modern beasts. This makes sense when you consider the less-than-stable driving style afforded by radial-ply tyres a good moustache, and how much the physics enjoys sliding.

Personally, I find it a little too easy to lose control due to weight transfer - it feels a little too pendulous and precarious, especially under braking. I’m constantly tiptoeing around the car and not able to truly settle. By no means am I saying a GT3 car should be planted to the ground, they do move around - I just feel that the modern vehicles move around maybe a little too much.

There is a clear issue with the slip angles of the tyres (and how much you can slide and push). I do feel that the physics may be some of the best if you can get rid of the slip issues - this may also help with the weight transfer too. A little bit of tightening, making the cars feel reliable and a good impression of the limit of grip, will only make this a winning combination. 

Overall it is very reminiscent of the Project Cars 2, which is not necessarily a bad thing, and to be expected with a lot of the same talent behind it. Maybe this is just how the world feels through “The Stig’s” hands? 

Mod Support: A Genuine Win!

One of the reasons PMR caught my attention was Mod support. I am a very lazy gamer. I cannot be bothered with the rigmarole of the “content managers” and placing files in the right place; delivering sacrifices to the sim-racing gods and hoping that it all works together. 

One button. Click. Installed. Drive. Nice. Thanks, Straight4. Now I can drive a cat around the Nürburgring. 

There is only one thing missing: your content. All of it. Let’s get it up there, and enjoy having a laugh. That said, there is already a Praga Mod available to download, a load of setups for different cars and some liveries. Way to go community! 

What’s the Direction?

Straight4 Studios have already come out and said it themselves: “We’re still shaping it, still refining it, and we’ll keep doing that with you. [...] Your feedback is our guide. We hear you, and we’re committed to delivering the sim you expect.” 

How it got to the state it was delivered in, is inconsequential. It’s here. It is what it is. What the team needs to do now is hear what everyone has to say. Take it onboard, and fix the issues, put their soul into it and regain the trust they’ve lost. It's a long road, but the steps they are taking seem to be going in the correct direction. 

There has been wide acknowledgement from the developers about the main issues: performance, AI and online stability. Smaller issues, such as tyre physics and the lack of radar, have also been noted. They have pledged to provide a timetable on these fixes in the coming days. Once we have that, we can assess from there. 

Let’s remember, we’ve allowed other titles to get better; we should also allow this one to improve. It seems like a big task at the moment, but we’re only a matter of days past the launch of the game. Other titles are far more developed and still have issues. 

The simming community is a tricky one to please. It's tribal. It's fickle. If you have the game already - why not be constructive? Let's help them help us. 

Verdict: Racing or Waiting?

To those who are wondering if they should pick this up now, I have two simple questions: Can you live comfortably without £52.99? Do you want to help fund the development and see it succeed? If both answers are yes, why not get it and help the development process and enjoy it along the way! If you are on the fence, it is fine to wait it out and see what changes appear.

I can only hope the trust we place in them is worthwhile and a real gem can be sought out of the ashes of an otherwise tumultuous launch. It’s one I’ll be keeping a cautiously optimistic eye on, for sure. 

The problems are acknowledged. The fixes are promised. Now execution matters.