Actually, if we're talking about moving towards realism...
The modeling foundation laid during the Need for Speed era is more than sufficient.
The real bottleneck lies in data and maps.
The focus of Need for Speed is on presenting a sense of speed.
To this end, Lin Lixin and his team actually pulled many tricks on the map.
Almost every element of the map is designed to exaggerate the sense of speed in the game.
However, this also makes it lose some of its authenticity.
" The Gran Turismo " will need to put more effort into this aspect.
Even the original PS1, released in 1997, has achieved a complete replication of the real-world track.
In an era when laser scanning was not yet widely available for civilian use, producer Kazunori Yamauchi led the team and manually rebuilt all the tracks entirely by hand.
Players can actually see what those real-world racetracks look like in the game.
For a game that emphasizes immersive driving, this plays an unexpectedly important role. However, Amenva is not a SCE (System Creation Center), so it doesn't require entirely manual execution like Kazunori Yamauchi's work.
"This is the vehicle-mounted mapping platform we developed for this project."
Lin Lixin and Russell arrived at a large SV parked by the roadside.
As Chevrolet's iconic multi-purpose vehicle model, this 1993 Chevrolet Suburban 2500, while lacking a streamlined body design, boasts an extremely spacious cabin.
This is precisely the most important characteristic of a data acquisition vehicle.
"Click"
Lin Lixin pulled open the car door.
The entire rear seat has been removed, creating a large space that can be combined with the trunk.
At this moment, a huge workstation is mounted on it.
Upon closer inspection, one can see that the deliberately designed shock-absorbing platform also houses a storage array and various complex data acquisition devices.
"We installed a LiAR laser radar on the roof of the vehicle. It transmits the collected road data to the workstation below, where it is combined with PS, inertial navigation, and digital photography to store and process the data into the track information we need."
Processing such massive amounts of data in real time is impossible for any processor in the world today. However, by scaling up the scale, abandoning general-purpose computing, and customizing an array workstation specifically for it, Lin Lixin can raise the ceiling to an astonishing level.
"That's amazing..."
Russell looked at the extravagant carriage in front of him.
It's more complicated than a news broadcast van.
If it weren't for the [ Amenva Digital Acquisition Department ] sticker on the vehicle, he would have thought it was some kind of mobile research institute.
"Our first mapping teams have already set off for Atlanta, Indianapolis, Wisconsin, and other locations. They will turn some of United States's most prized racetracks into digital versions and incorporate them into our game."
Lin Lixin patted the car door.
"Of course, this is also a basic test of the surveying equipment. We expect to depart overseas within the next two days."
"Is it not just a museum of cars... but also a museum of racetracks?"
"That's about it. If you don't mind, I'll have my assistant show you the rest of the procedures. I'll have to excuse myself for a moment."
Germany, Rhineland, Palatinate. Three years have passed since the reunification of Germany.
Three years may not be enough time for the people of West Germany to completely eliminate their differences.
But the Rhineland region is located in the westernmost part of Germany, so there is no sense of separation.
Even in seemingly remote mountain villages and towns, one can feel a strong sense of modernization.
A typical European-style village, nestled among forested hills.
Lin Lixin drove a large seven-seater MPV on the highway in the valley.
Vivian sat in the passenger seat, while Sam and Carmack were seated in the back two rows.
It's been made to look like some kind of family vacation.
"Hang in there, kids, we'll be there soon."
Lin Lixin glanced in the rearview mirror; Sam and Carmack were locked in a fierce fight.
The seemingly reserved elder Sid, showed no intention of interfering; instead, he would occasionally chime in and stir things up.
Before long, Will joined the fray, followed by Kojima. These guys might seem quiet and reserved in public, but in private, they're all incredibly wild.
Is that a castle?
Vivian looked out the window and could occasionally see a castle with a ring of spires standing on the small hill.
"Probably so. Castles like these are everywhere in Europe. In fact, Ubisoft's headquarters are located inside one of these castles."
Lin Lixin glanced at it and nodded slightly.
"So, this seems to be our first time doing a team-building trip to Europe as a group."
Rather, it's more accurate to say that Lin Lixin rarely travels to Europe in the first place.
Aside from Ubisoft's Europe office, there's really nothing else to visit.
Europe is the heartland of PC gaming.
In comparison, Lin Lixin traveled to Japan much more often on business trips.
"But now that we can see Nürburg Castle, we should be there soon."
As the surrounding scenery began to transform from forest to town, and the logos of brands like BMW started appearing frequently along the roadside, Lin Lixin confirmed their location. They had arrived.
This is the Nürburgring Circuit in Germany.
It has been in use since 1927 and remains one of the world's most classic racetracks to this day.
Including the North Loop and the South Loop, the total length of the racecourse is 25.98 kilometers.
Even those outside the racing world who don't know much about motorsports have likely heard of the " Green Hell " and the " Nürburgring Nordschleife ".
Since it's a simulation racing game, how could we leave out the Nürburgring Nordschleife?
Before Lin Lixin and his group could get close...
Even from a great distance, you could see the entire racetrack team on high alert.
In fact, this group of people had already gone to wait for their flight when Lin Lixin and his group had just arrived in Germany.
If Lin Lixin and his group hadn't insisted on enjoying a road trip, they probably would have been carried here in a sedan chair long ago.
Amenva has partnered with General Motors to conduct digital data collection and vehicle testing at the Nürburgring.
With just this one piece of news, the Nürburgring Nordschleife started preparing a month in advance. The world's most influential gaming company and the largest automaker in the US.
The presence of these two companies here suggests only one possibility.
New work!
Imagine if players could experience a 1:1 replica of the Nürburgring Nordschleife in a game?
Before long, this place will become a must-visit spot for racing game enthusiasts from all over the world.
Not to mention that Amenva generously booked the entire place.
This is not as simple as "a rich guy planning to play with cars".
Amenva had already dispatched multiple teams several days in advance to move equipment, set up workstations, and inspect the site...
This clearly indicates an intention to stay here for an extended period.
And that is indeed the case.
Once the group was ushered into his private office, Lin Lixin revealed the true purpose of their visit.
"I think it's better to be closer to the racetrack than to work behind closed doors in the office." For this project, the development team will be working on the Nürburgring Nordschleife from start to finish.
The other groups of departments responsible for data collection, modeling, and collaborative development were also scattered across various race tracks.
After all, this project isn't Need for Speed; they want players to be able to clearly feel the differences in road conditions.
These mysterious and elusive things, which come entirely from the "feeling of driving," are impossible to control without seeing them with your own eyes.
What's even more interesting is that this area of Nürburgring Nordschleife is already prone to continuous heavy rain.
For those who intended to test the car's performance or break records, this was definitely a major misfortune.
But for Amenva, that would be killing two birds with one stone.
This means they have plenty of opportunities to record the road conditions in various environments, such as before, during, and after rain.
A wet road surface, a dry road surface, and a waterlogged road surface all offer completely different driving experiences.
"Of course, Mr. Lin, of course!"
The racetrack organizers naturally give their full support to this.
Taking over the Nürburgring Nordschleife is no small sum. According to their current rates, just renting it for ten days would cost around 1 million Germany Mark!
This is a huge sum of money!
Including medical rescue, fire fighting, maintenance, and other routine services, the price will rise to a full 1.2 million Germany Mark!
That's a whopping $600,000!!
Car culture is actually a very broad concept.
It doesn't necessarily revolve around the main subject of "cars".
It's more like a... subculture.
Formula 1, rally racing, go-karting, NASCAR – these are examples of racing cultures.
A culture of custom modifications, including to the engine, transmission, suspension, and aerodynamic kits.
Collecting rare car models, classic vintage cars, historically significant racing cars, limited-edition supercars... The interior design, seat materials, and unique design concepts used in the center console...
Even photography culture can intersect with car culture.
Taking photos of cars has always been a skill.
Someone who can take great photos of pretty girls isn't necessarily good at taking beautiful photos of cars.
And of course, let's not forget the music culture of car radios.
To outsiders who neither understand nor care about this circle, the things that people in the car industry pursue are simply incomprehensible.
However, car culture itself is a circle that highly overlaps with other popular cultures.
However, it inherently has a threshold.
Because the child doesn't have a driver's license.
Traditional racing games often focus on and amplify a particular characteristic of driving.
" The Gran Turismo," on the other hand, aims at car culture itself.
Rather than focusing on "experiencing driving," " Gran Turismo " emphasizes the concept of "playing with cars" itself. Players can customize their cars according to their own understanding, modify their paint jobs, and drive them on tracks that are virtually identical to those in real life.
Even more impressively, the game perfectly recreates the car's detailed specifications.
You can really feel the difference in thrust-to-weight ratio in this game.
The car's weight, horsepower, suspension, aerodynamics, and even the tires can clearly reflect the most noticeable changes in feel.
To make this kind of game successful, Lin Lixin had already prepared to spend a lot of time in the Nürburgring Nordschleife.