Want for Velocity Underground 2 got here out in 2004, and since then, EA has revealed different titles, however none have nailed the uncooked thrill of designing your automobile from the bottom up whereas the bass thumped within the background. Apfelbaum, a lone developer, had a single purpose: to carry this traditional into the current day utilizing Unreal Engine 5.
Apfelbaum started work final 12 months, transferring the sport’s property over to breathe new life into Bayview’s sprawling metropolis. This remake retains the unique’s driving expertise – these sharp turns and engine growls that prompted quite a few replays – however with sharper edges and darker shadows. Obtain the construct from RPGGameplay’s Discord server and also you’ll be in instantly, with no strings hooked up. Launch it, select a automobile, and also you’ll be met by the standard sound of tires on asphalt, now enhanced with particulars that pop on fashionable screens.
Early builds let customers to roam the town, observing how mild bounced off hoods and buildings took on new significance. The graphics have been upgraded with out slowing down the gameplay; reflections grabbed avenue indicators, and shadows stretched lengthy below passing lamps. Earlier than including frills, Apfelbaum centered on getting the necessities right, akin to having the digital camera observe your actions precisely and the audio increase. That paid off: classes lasted longer than supposed as a result of the controls felt proper and also you’d return for an additional loop across the block.
Over the summer time, day/night time cycles have been launched, splitting Bayview into time chunks and altering how the town breathed. Apfelbaum made the adjustments seamless, so hours cross with out you noticing. When mixed with elevated dealing with – tires gripped stronger on dry roads and looser in moist situations – drivers moved from muscle reminiscence to new difficulties.
Rivals and visitors are the subsequent challenges to beat; they’re presently absent however on their method, and hopefully, we’ll see them quickly. Apfelbaum has given us a preview of what AI tuning will entail, adjusting the mechanism to construct aggressive packs that aren’t as clumsy as they’re now. As soon as that’s accomplished and the extra options are revealed, profession mode will probably be fully useful.
Bayview will even turn into way more intriguing; all the space will open up, making a community of districts to discover between occasions; you’ll undoubtedly need to get misplaced in there. Nothing has been introduced relating to a launch date, but when actions proceed at this charge, it seems like one thing will probably be accomplished by the top of 12 months.
[Source]