Project Cars has no progression

Ok so first let me set the record straight here, I think the game looks very sleek and very sexy. I love what they've done with the attention to detail. It looks gorgeous. That being said, I think this game has a fundamental flaw in it which won't go over well with many gamers.

What grinds my gear about this game is that there's no real level progression or challenge aside from competing. Every single car is unlocked for you at the very start of the game. You don't earn money or credits, you don't have to struggle to afford a car. To me it doesn't seem like there's any reason to play the game other than to just race.

Where's the fun in that? I feel like it takes away the purpose of trying to get first place in a race or completing just one more race before you turn the game off. It gives you a reason to keep playing so you can buy the cars you like and upgrade them the way you like.

The idea of progression is the sole reason achievements/trophies do so well on Xbox and Playstation. People want something to work towards. They need a goal. I feel like this game took itself way too seriously and ignored the part about it being a GAME. What do you guys think? I think it's a big mistake on their part.

Although Im getting this game day 1 and it's very beautiful, this is bad news for me. I love the progression that GT and Forza has.

But I hope the racing makes up for it I guess.

So what does the single player portion entail? I.e. are there championships or is it purely single races? Will championships focus on selected cars (such as touring cars, formula cars, etc) or will it be similar to what Gran Turismo 5 online was like originally where you could see a VW Golf racing a Le Mans car?

@Garfield360UK: I don't know everything about the game but I was watching a developer interview during Gamescom where they showed it off and the dev was talking about how every single car is available to you from the very beginning and every single track was available to drive on. They said you don't earn money or XP or anything and you can just get in any car and drive it.

They did mention that there is a career mode of some sort. Whether that entails championships (I would hope so) or just races I'm not sure, but there will be some aspect of a campaign if that's what you're asking for. I just don't think it was smart to open it up so there's no level progression or anything. That's half the fun of these racing type games, getting to acquire a car you want and to make it "yours."

I do think Forza 5 did it wrong as well though. I'm playing the game right now during that free weekend thing they're doing and I find it harsh that they offer you so little in rewards for winning races and the cars cost SO much. I just bought my first Ferrari in the game after playing all day. I think there should be a good balance by including an exhibition mode where you can just drive whatever you want just to try stuff you wouldn't buy in career mode and then a separate career mode where there's actual progression.

Yeah this. If the game focuses on certain cars for certain races than I guess it could be entertaining. This is still a mistake though. There aren't that many car enthusiasts that will but this just to be able to pretend to drive cars. There needs to be SOME incentive. If there is nothing to work for the game would get boring oh so quickly.

Hey OP---when did you start playing videogames? Serious question. When I started, there was no such thing as progression.

Only place it existed was table-top games. Games like Dungeons & Dragons.

What you ought to do is go back and watch/listen to some of the developer Q/A, media outlet videos that have been put together in the lead up to this games shelf date. It doesn't have progression in leveling up because it doesn't need it nor does that developer want that. It's BS, and a waste of time.

The small smidge of 'progression' that actually doesexist in this game is the driver's journey. Driver class, car class, circuit mastery, ect.

Well that sounds very disappointing, I love having some kind of progression in my racing games like Forza does it.

Not everybody needs to be coddled by some dumb progression system.

@magicalclick

Theres actually no such thing as "no progression" by simply playing the game you experience natural progression. At your own pace, by your own terms. Progression Systems are a form of Handholding anyway, they also never accurately match the learning curve with the player's skill, atleast in my case thats what they are.

Great news,the systems on games like GT or Forza are so artificial and detract from what you should be focusing,the racing. All that fluff isn´t needed.

@MrYaotubo

Can you imagine "Dynamic Progression", I think maybe that would be interesting.

@wwervin: yeah i was hoping for the same. I want to show of that i have earned the cars in my garage

That´s a really good thing.

Race car drivers dont level up in real life so why should they ingame?

And why is it that every game has to have levels or progression to satisfy the collect em all crowd?

Because a video game isn't real life?

And leveling up has nothing to do with racing.....but thanks for that in depth helpful point.

@speedfreak48t5p

Leveling isn't even actually fun....

Now don't get me wrong... Is it rewarding ? YEP !

Is it Addictive ? OH YEAH !

But fun ? Not by a long shot !

It's not just about "leveling up" as a player. Progression in racing games means having to work your way up the ladder by starting out in small time races with D and C class cars. It means earning money that you can spend on upgrades and eventually buying bigger and better cars and racing with those. It's about a sense of ownership. It's about getting to feel like you're accomplishing something.

The "leveling" stuff doesn't mean the driver becomes better all of a sudden. They can do it the way Forza did it where leveling up gives you extra cash. Leveling up a certain car brand gives you percentage boosts to your winnings.

As for your comment, you do realize this isn't "real life" right? We're talking about a video game. Hence why I said in my original post that I feel as if these guys took Project Cars way too seriously and forgot about the fact that it's technically still a game. They are ignoring a very large gaming community that will not like this aspect of it.

Well I guess you could play it for fun...

@blangenakker

Well Yeah.... Isn't that the whole point ?

@Lulu_Lulu: Says you. I love leveling, and no you didn't read that wrong in any way.

@mastermetal777

OFCOURSE I LOVE LEVELING ! Thats why I hate it ! :(

@Lulu_Lulu: Uhm...explain? Cuz no part of that made any sense.

@mastermetal777

a closed minded person like You wouldn't understand... :( just keep saying I hate RPGs and be satisfied with that... Thats what you've always thought.... So keep thinking it.

@Lulu_Lulu: It's not a thought. You've gone on multiple threads stating how much you dislike RPGs, so that's on you, not me. But this thread doesn't need another one of your silly rants.

@mastermetal777

Noted !

I actually like the idea of levelling and earning stuff in game. I'm not sure how I feel about this.

-Byshop

@Byshop

Don't knock it till you try it... :D

The term "coddle" is defined as being treated in a pampered/overprotective way. Think of trust fund children with rich parents who are given whatever they want without earning it. Do you see now that what you've just stated is in fact the opposite of a progression system? A progression system means you have to earn something and work your way up. Project Cars and its system is the definition of coddling the player. Giving them everything they have to offer right off the bat. No work needed.

Want to drive the fastest and highest class car in the game? Go right ahead! To me it feels hollow and pointless. Why would I drive a D class car for example when I have access to all the Ferraris and Lambos I desire right away? If you like that sort of thing go right ahead. Plenty of people have noted in this thread you hate RPGs so I wouldn't expect you to like a leveling system. Regardless of how you feel though, the Xbox and Playstation gaming community would disagree with you. That's why it seems a little absurd to me that they're pushing this thing on gaming systems when it won't appease to a lot of the gaming community.

I'm not a huge fan of the idea. Progressive unlocks have been a key part of racing games since the early/mid 90s (if not earlier).

Without an unlock system, Project Cars will be like...playing Star Wars Episode 1 Racer with the cheat codes enabled. The core racing gameplay may still be fun, but the game's staying power would be weakened.

Hopefully there's a good career mode to make up for it?

@wwervin

Sorry mate but unlike RPGs, racing experienced as carried over from game to game, being good in Forza and GT pretty much means you're good in 100 other racing games so it becames particularly annoying when you are forced to start at the kiddies table every single time.... Infact this doesn't just apply to racing games, it applies to anygame requiring actuall player skill, after all, thats what real experience is, everything you learn from Counter Strike, some of will carry over to other FPS, everything you learn from Mario, some of it will carry over to Other Platformers, most progression systems claim right of that that you know didly squat and force you to start at the bottom.

Your trust fund analogy doesn't apply hear, you bought the game, and you have experience with other games just like it so its not the same as somebody handing over a trust fund.

You're also wrong about the game not requiring work but I'm assuming thats just because you've got the wrong games in mind..... Most games, like RPGs, have you getting new equipment and upgrades that make your job easier, some racing games do that aswell, as you progressive you get better cars that are easier to drive, thats where that "No hard work Needed" attitude comes from. In a good racing game the cars that are better are much more difficult to drive, the Perfomarnce of The Car is Proportional to the Skill it requires, very few racing games grasp this concept. In some racing games its perfectly okay to go back to previous car classes. It happens all the time in DiRT3, you'l jump back and forth in between classes in a non sequential fashion, hell the game starts you off on a 2000 Class Car then goes back to 70s then fowards to Group B then back to 60s and 80s.

Progression Systems aren't coddly by nature, but 90% of the time thats what they are.

@Lulu_Lulu: "Sorry mate but unlike RPGs, racing experienced as carried over from game to game, being good in Forza and GT pretty much means you're good in 100 other racing games so it becames particularly annoying when you are forced to start at the kiddies table every single time"

So let me get this straight, essentially according to you, every single iteration of Call of Duty, Battlefield, Halo, etc etc should just do away with unlocks in multiplayer and give you whatever guns/perks/etc you desire because hey, all these FPS games just play exactly the same, right? Or how about in every version of GTA they just start you off with a billion dollars instead of earning your keep.

Is that basically it? Is that the core of your argument here? Because it's a lousy one. If all these racing games are exactly the same to you then why would you even go out and buy a new one? Your arguments are becoming laughable now. Seriously, if you feel this adamantly against progression in gaming, go ahead and stop playing games altogether because that's one of the core ingredients in a video game.

@wwervin

Depends on the Weapons.... Call Of Duty doesn't have balanced weapons, as you unlock new weapons the previous weapons become inferior by comparison. But lost Planet on the other hand has imcomparable weapons so its not an issue.....

Also FYI, I don't buy a fuckton of Racing Games... I buy one or two... Same with sports games and Shooters, since I'm only in it just for the gameplay I don't need multiple iterations of simular games, I only need the best one available.

Progression is not the core ingredients to any game... Atleast not the type of progression you're talking about.