Discussion for Driver 2: Back on the Streets [EU] / Driver 2: The Wheelman is Back [US] (2000)
#65618
Image Game was updated 20.02.2023 to 0.9.0!
Click here to download the latest version.
As of this release the project has been re-worked from the ground up with Online Support in mind.
You can easily play with friends today in free-roam, Cops and Robbers and Hide and Seek!

This is a project I have been working on in since the year 2020, a game inspired quite heavily one might say on a classic we all know.
I kept this project a secret until it had enough content to be somewhat playable- and finally I feel ready to share it with you.
I hope the project is welcomed, and you can be sure that future updates will be based of feedback as much as possible.

This project was abandoned quite a few times, but when I was motivated I went at it again.


Download Links: [Download 0.9.0]

This is the original 0.2.0 trailer, this version is old.

Incase video below doesn't work you can click here. [Link to Trailer]


If anything happens which results in me not being able to continue, source code will be published if requested.

Planned features as of right now.
  • Client prediction for a smoother online experience.
  • Re-implement singleplayer elements.
  • Coop missions for online.
  • Re-implement effects for a better immersive experience.
  • Leaderboards
  • Development Kit. Make your own maps and other content.
  • And more!
Last edited by PlayPrey on Wed Feb 22, 2023 6:46 am, edited 10 times in total.
By branney
#65622
Amazing job so far from the video! Thanks for all your work :) I wanted to give feedback on 2 related things which I noticed, which i think are off. What I loved in the original games was the realistic weight transfer. In the video above, especially at 3:10, the car tilts in the direction of turning (ie. To the right). I thought maybe the road had some camber which I could not see in the video, so I went back and rewatched the whole video, and it does seem that cars are always tilting in the same direction that they are turning. In real life, a car which is turning right would tilt to the left, even more so for these classic cars with the soft suspension. I love cars and I love physics, so these details were what immersed me so much in the world of driver.

I also opened a thread on a similar topic, about when the cars change gear. I loved how in the original, as the car accelerated, the weight transferred to the rear of the car. Then, at it changed up from 1st to 2nd gear, there was a moment where the weight went forward for just an instant, then came back to the rear again as the power started to transfer through the drivetrain to the rear wheels again.

If you do have time to work on these aspects (I know you will have a huge list, and also deserve a break already!), i certainly would love to be involved, and can give you more details. I'd be happy to test the original games and compare against yours, to get it right. And I can advise from a simulated point of view, or from a canned effect, depending on your physics engine :)
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By PlayPrey
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#65624
branney wrote: Fri Oct 16, 2020 7:12 pmWhat I loved in the original games was the realistic weight transfer. In the video above, especially at 3:10, the car tilts in the direction of turning (ie. To the right).
That is something I loved as well, so while I can't promise it will ever be perfect, I can promise I will do my best at making the weight transfer feel good. It is indeed inverted on some vehicles in the current release, but that is also being worked on.
branney wrote: Fri Oct 16, 2020 7:12 pm I also opened a thread on a similar topic, about when the cars change gear. I loved how in the original, as the car accelerated, the weight transferred to the rear of the car. Then, at it changed up from 1st to 2nd gear, there was a moment where the weight went forward for just an instant, then came back to the rear again as the power started to transfer through the drivetrain to the rear wheels again.
That is also something I want to get right, right now it's a bit... stiff... (You can however see it with a good eye if you look closely that it currently does exist.)
branney wrote: Fri Oct 16, 2020 7:12 pm If you do have time to work on these aspects (I know you will have a huge list, and also deserve a break already!), i certainly would love to be involved, and can give you more details. I'd be happy to test the original games and compare against yours, to get it right. And I can advise from a simulated point of view, or from a canned effect, depending on your physics engine :)
Thanks! :) There is indeed a lot of stuff to do,- however with user feedback I think I'll know better what needs to be prioritized. While this is in a way it's own game, I do want players to feel at home if that makes sense- so by that I would love advise from in forms of what you think fits best.
#65626
Downloaded it here, about to test, excited to see someone is on the work remaking the game. I have some experience in Unity, so give me a call if you want.

One idea: that shift ability on D:SF as some sort of easter egg or cheat, that would be cool
#65627
Played around a little and, oh man, that's insane! I would point some things I really missed, like the feel of driving in the original game (like in The Driver Syndicate), like when you handbrake you lose total control of the car and all these things, you know (I'm trying to reach that level of car physics in my game but so far no luck) and patch up some gaps in the map (i had the same problem when tried to port Chicago to my project as well) but I'm sure as hell everything will be there and fixed in the future, trust you!

Tried to play in rainy Rio, but the fps was literally at 1, so no way i could mess around, but on the other settings everything ran fine (106 fps when i checked) and about the graphics, you should try to focus on something high-quality and the classic look as an option, just a suggestion tho. Even if you're staying with the actual graphics, I recommend you to put on some SRP to patch up some graphical bugs like in the shadows and all;

Anyway, nice project, looking forward for its future, and man, don't give up on it. Oh and, open up that damm Havana secret area!

Some things i pointed up there was already on your post, sorry for that! :specialdriver:
By branney
#65628
Thanks. After posting I looked at Randomation. It seems they had issues with max revs vs to speed, and gear ratio optimisation. We certainly have lots of stats available for cars these days, but if this issue carries forward in to your game, it will mean we have to compromise. Once we know how long the gear change should take (can this be altered?), the amount of 'pitch' forward and backwards will only depend on the acceleration, which itself will depend somewhat if we have accurate gear ratios. [edit] (for a fixed spring stiffness based on the vehicle, that is) [/edit] The acceleration would also depend on user throttle input, of course, so hopefully this weight transfer can be simulated, otherwise we need to program canned effect based on the input at the time the gear change is initiated, however due to the slowish gear changes I assume these older cars may have had (based on what I remember from the driver games, although I have not checked if in real life this is accurate!) the user throttle input may change during the gear change, which would result in breaking of immersion if we use a canned effect.
I may have some time soon to learn the tools and assist on small things, maybe just some script editing and tweaking for vehicles. Is the stuff I have talked about so far all in Randomation, and is this c#? Or do I need to learn unity?
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By PlayPrey
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#65629
Alexizand3r wrote: Sat Oct 17, 2020 6:25 pmI would point some things I really missed, like the feel of driving in the original game (like in The Driver Syndicate), like when you handbrake you lose total control of the car and all these things
Thanks a lot for testing it, I can assure you I am not happy with the current physics myself- I am tweaking it every single day trying to learn the physics API and how to use it to the best of it's abilities. :)
Alexizand3r wrote: Sat Oct 17, 2020 6:25 pmTried to play in rainy Rio, but the fps was literally at 1, so no way i could mess around
Whoops, sorry about that- Rio was the least tested city in this build. I'll look into it, I want rain to work without any framedrop. (At least to a minimal degree, might be a few frames once I get the city to look wet when raining. :shock: )
Alexizand3r wrote: Sat Oct 17, 2020 6:25 pmYou should try to focus on something high-quality and the classic look as an option, just a suggestion tho.
I do agree, I do want that as an option,- would make it a lot more interesting and unique. It might happen ;)
Alexizand3r wrote: Sat Oct 17, 2020 6:25 pmAnyway, nice project, looking forward for its future, and man, don't give up on it. Oh and, open up that damm Havana secret area!
Thanks a lot! Not giving up just yet ;) The city rip I've got had the entire secret area in Havana missing.. I'm trying to find a way to get it back.

Alexizand3r wrote: Sat Oct 17, 2020 6:25 pmSome things i pointed up there was already on your post, sorry for that! :specialdriver:
Don't you worry! The post was written past midnight and it quite a mess! :lol:
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By PlayPrey
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#65630
branney wrote: Sat Oct 17, 2020 7:33 pmOnce we know how long the gear change should take (can this be altered?)
It can, however it seems the car goes into neutral when shifting- so if the shift delay is too high and the player has the accel input going the engine will rev up during every shift. I think I've found a sweet spot with a "slow" shift and no random revs. Far from perfect.
branney wrote: Sat Oct 17, 2020 7:33 pmso hopefully this weight transfer can be simulated
Randomation actually already has this in, in 0.2.0 I've had incorrect center of mass settings and such which really ruined this effect. I've fixed this so some weight transfer simulation is happening, but still quite a way to go to make it good.

branney wrote: Sat Oct 17, 2020 7:33 pmIs the stuff I have talked about so far all in Randomation, and is this c#? Or do I need to learn unity?
Almost everything is in Randomation, but not perfect. (Randomation was meant to be an arcade styled api). It's open source and fully C# though. :) I do think you need to know the very basics of Unity. 8) Thanks a lot for the offer, I don't mind help. :)
#66023
The game has been updated to 0.7.0, read a summary of changes below

Physics Changes
  • Vehicles now have correct Mass, before all vehicles weighed 1kg.
Map Changes
  • Chicago is being remade into regions, FPS increase and objects are removed temporarily.
  • Havana is being remade into regions, FPS increase and objects are removed temporarily.
  • Vegas has been added, but is incomplete.
  • Rio has been added, but is incomplete.
  • New Castle is being remade into regions, FPS increase and objects are removed temporarily.
  • Chicago and Havana has received a W.I.P ocean system.
  • Chicago and Havana should both have functional echo in the locations where it fits.
  • Havana has been reverted into a earlier version as this has more places to go. This will later be merged with current Havana.
  • Some, but not all highway ramps in Chicago has fixed physics.
Vehicle Changes
  • All Rio cars has been added, these are using a new denting system.
  • Most cars have received a color palette rework for a better look. Credits: Comand52Colton
  • Some cars, including special cars have received new and fresh color variants. Credits: Comand52Colton
  • Vehicle performance has been nerfed for most and buffed for others for a more realistic driving experience.
  • Vehicles now smoke when damaged, this is still W.I.P.
  • Vehicles will now use their lights when the situation calls for it. Note: Reverse lights are still W.I.P.
  • Vehicles that have a siren, will now actually be able to use it.
  • Engine sounds now depends on skin rather than vehicle, meaning one can have different sounds but still use one model.
  • It is now possible to burnout, hold Left Shift! (Has an annoying bug that will freeze the game once, but work perfectly after)
Multiplayer Changes
  • When crashing into another car, that car will receive damage despite them not seeing you crash into them on their screen.
  • Engine sound pitch is now synced.
  • Wheels being turned is now synced.
  • In all game modes, vehicles will now use a random color each round.
  • In Cops and Robbers, the time of day will be random each round.
  • In Cops and Robbers, the name of the robber will be displayed on the robbers health bar.
  • In Cops and Robbers, the nametags for police cars will be visible- so you know who to yell at for breaking too early.
  • Generic stability fixes.
HD Mode
  • Released as a preview, with obvious testing signs.
    The car will be too shiny- and only have denting in the front. This is under testing and haven't been enhanced upon just yet.
    Tip: Press P while driving.
More changes have been made, can you discover them?

If you happen to discover a bug, contact me! The most prefered way is to have them documented as issues on GitHub. https://github.com/PlayPrey/Drive-Faster
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#66088
0.8.0 Released

I've decided to release 0.8.0 now because I need to have a breather. The game should be mostly stable, and bug reports will be worked on- and suggested features may also be added.

Most important changes in 0.8.0:
  • Updated pipeline to URP.
  • Added reflective lights on some surfaces.
  • Added Quick Getaway and Survival in Singleplayer, which are still W.I.P.
  • Updated the UI.
  • Fixed some Online bugs and made it more stable. Still far from flawless though.
This isn't the longest list in the world, but a lot has been changed under the hood as well- which will later be very important. Hint: They will affect Mod Support and Online mostly.

If you have a Github account and you find bugs or have suggestions, please report them at:
https://github.com/PlayPrey/Drive-Faster/issues
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By PlayPrey
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#66092
A hotfix has been released [ 0.8.1 ].

New features
  • Additional failsaves incase of errors.
  • A fullscreen map which can be opened from the pause screen.
  • Improved freecam
Bugfixes
  • Fixed clients not being able to retrieve server data.
  • Fixed Chicago car not being playable online.
  • Fixed softlock when host leaves game.
Download 0.8.1 here
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#66093
A hotfix has been released [ 0.8.2 ].

Bugfixes
  • Fixed missing nighttime skybox for Havana
  • Fixed Player Names not being displayed when in free roam online
  • Fixed Sirens not synchronizing properly
  • Fixed the car honking when you're activating the sirens
  • Fixed the sirens not being toggle
  • Fixed the game being unable to display text during faded screens
  • Fixed a bug where seekers could see everyone on the minimap
  • Disabled on foot when online for now
#66104
Major update has just been relased. This one introduces big new features.

I've been working nearly non-stop on this one, I just kept on wanting to implement more and more. I have realized I need to clear my head a bit before continuing however.

- New features in 0.9.0 -
  • Career Mode, do missions, races, challenges and more.
  • Map Editor, create your own maps! [Documentation available here]
  • New user interface, designed for better visuals and greatly improved controller support.
- City Fixes -
  • Re-imported Chicago and fixed hopefully all ramps from glitching out.
  • Re-imported Havana to fix all texture bugs and holes. Beta content temporarily removed.
- Online Fixes -
  • Added 5 more cars that were missing out on the action.
  • Small bugfixes for increased stability.
  • Added San Francisco
  • Added Miami
  • Added "Last Played Custom". (*1)
- A more extensive list on new singleplayer features -
  • New races (Speed Challenge, No Damage, Object Dodge, Sprint)
  • Vehicle Vendors (Purchase vehicles)
  • Racing Line
- Generic Upgrades -
  • Updated the suspension sound system.
*1: The possibility to play custom maps online was a unplanned but happy discovery- without extra coding needed.
This is done by having all clients have the same mods installed, and have all clients play the desired custom map once in Singleplayer Free Roam.
Now it is possible to have 1 host the custom level, and have the rest join.

I hope people are willing to test it out and provide all the feedback you may have, I do want to make this game fun.
If you have a GitHub account- I would love it if you posted all bugs [HERE]
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