We play: online speed

"Hungarian race online". It sounds intimidating, but a game known in Europe and Asia as Level-R , And in America – how Project Torque , I have gained immense popularity among virtual Schumachers around the world. Among Russian -speaking players who have settled mainly on American servers, fans at the game Invictus Games There are also a lot. However, now they have a great occasion to return to their homeland: two years after the world release, the Russian version is released, "" Online speed ", With a new business model, converted career regime and many other changes. We were one of the first to arrange a “speed” of a crash test and now we are in a hurry to share my impressions.

And it's all about her

Project Torque – a rare, but far from the first attempt to make an online flight game (mmorg): just remember Motor City Online , Auto Assault , Test Drive Unlimited M.O.O.R. , Trackmania nations. But it seems that it was the Hungarians who managed to find the perfect balance between the simplicity of the game and the depth of study of the race, the authenticity of the gameplay.

The mechanics of the "speed" itself are no different from the gameplay of the rest of the virtual races. At the start, you get a weak Kolymag and an invitation to take part in numerous competitions. Then everything is according to the old scheme: win in races and earn funds for tuning, upgrading the current car or for the purchase of a new wheelbarrow. There is even a single mode where a quarry with a certain plot and a bunch of individual missions are available, offering to escape from the police, jump from the springboard as far as possible and the like. This is, in fact, training, an ideal way to train before online trains, as well as earn useful bonuses, such as special keys that unlock new content. Some even go through their careers three to four times to get several of these keys.

The possibilities to prove to a neighbor Vasya, an unknown schoolboy from Novosibirsk or an adult uncle from St. Petersburg, that you are the king of the highway, there is a lot. In the game, a dozen modes: from traditional drift, drag and ordinary racing to such exotic ones as capture of the flag (the car seized the flag should drive through key points, dodging the attacks of rivals) or “sumo”, where you need to push the opponent with the platform height. There are even ring races on specially designed for this car, as well as a unique, full adrenaline regime of battle, where you can scatter mines and undermine an opponent’s car, but you risk getting into some trap, for example, put the wheel in a spilled oil on the highway. Railries take place in the game “rooms” (participants are gathering and preparing for the race), which are equipped precisely according to the modes.

There are 15 models in the fleet (from jeeps to sportsmen), but gradually it will be replenished. Most of them are fictional, but there are also licensed prototypes of such well -known brands as Subaru, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Toyota. All machines differ from each other not only with power and speed, but also in other characteristics: handling, inhibitory way, acceleration speed. Each wheelbarrow can be applied with a mass of new glands. No one interferes with replacing the front and rear bumpers, body, transmission, tires, suspension, engine. The setting of the car is very flexible: improving aerodynamics, you decide for yourself, the clutch of which wheels with the road to increase, and changing the brake system, choose where to shift the brake balance ..

The developers found a middle ground between realism and arcadeity of the game. All cars on the highway behave quite realistic: they enter the skid, unfold with an unsuccessful maneuver, and t.D. But at the same time, even newcomers do not have any serious problems with management-literally two or three races go out to get used to it, which is extremely important for mass, rather than a niche multiplayer game. If you wish, you can correct the level of realism in the settings, increasing or reducing the clutch with the road, setting the level of opening of the throttle, the angle of the dead zone and a number of other parameters.

In the collision of the car, spare parts are lost, bumers are crumbling to each other. And most importantly, each accident directly affects the control of the machine: thanks to the point calculation of damage, the wounded wheelbarrow can significantly lose in speed, and if it has lost one or several wheels at once, it will be stubbornly entered.

In career mode, you just ride a pleasure: the game has an exceptionally successful combination of reliable physics and arcade control. But then, when living players go to the track, adrenaline whips over the edge, and you are overwhelmed by a real bestial excitement.

In the “speed” asset, we will write down and the opportunity to chase the sounds of your beloved Eternal Tears of Sorrow or The Doors (you can feed your favorite MP3-comments). Various tracks are also impressive, which make them chase, for example, at the airport and right in the factory warehouse, among boxes and boxes. The graphics are also matching: not alapled and not too pretentious, but for the online game, also very detailed.

Russian path

Whether the authors of the Russian version will drink champagne depends on how Nival Network will develop and maintain the game. There are many plans: their contests and tournaments for clans are promised; Perhaps in “speed” there will even appear their unique licensed cars, their own music and, possibly, unique “Russian” highways.

The most important thing – the system of payments – is reformed before our eyes (though the initiative does not come from Nival, but from the developers). There are single -user missions in the game, where you can drive for a while in career mode, https://sister-site.org/players-club-vip/ compete with computer rivals, etc.D. We managed to play a single campaign during a closed beta test, but now these missions are inactive: career regime is processed specifically for “speed” and level-r. Processed from mercantile considerations. Single -user campaign is very long, many arrivals for speed go through, and on the same highway players get stuck for weeks. In Invictus Games, they looked at this and decided that it was necessary to make a rebellion to the riders: why not sell them a bonus key or accelerator for real money? The reform of the single -user regime will end by the fall and will surely pull other changes in the balance. It is very likely that playing will become easier … and more expensive.

Girls came, stand aside ..

However, all of the above is characteristic of any offline race. And what is the online specificity of "online speeds"?

Firstly, here, as in any MMORPG, you are gaining levels: they do not increase the characteristics of the car, but increase your rating. Secondly, you have a rating. It is calculated according to a tricky scheme that takes into account not only your victories and defeats, but also, for example, the level of opponents with which you were traveling in the same race. Thirdly, here you can and should join the commands and create clans: in “speed” virtual tournaments for money are regularly organized (real money was played out in a closed beta test, but it is not planned to distribute them in the final version; the very opportunity to join in clans will appear in August). Finally, even though the “speed” and a free client, the game works on the principle of microtransactions (and this, alas, is the main and most bitter difference from offline races). Formally, “speed” is free, but many unique objects and cars are not bought for the in -game currency, which is given for participation and victories in races, but exclusively for special “gold” coins in which you will have to convert their blood.

And you often need to spend money here and a lot: if you get the 1st class starting machine for free, then the 2nd class models are already 7-9 thousand virtual densibrons. Plus you have an inventory/trunk, where you need to place various objects before starting, giving certain bonuses during the race. Additive to fuel, shield from clashes, additional spark plugs, doubling of experience or earned money, drift meter, bombs and traps for the battle regime, quick repair, and so on – all this must be bought at the store.

Since "speed" is a network game Zzima.Com , The calculated money in it is ZZGold (ZZ) coins, one ZZ-gold is equal to one ruble. How much is a tuned car today today? Well, for 200 zz you can buy the same special keys for single races, and spare parts – transmission, engine, new body – are from 4 ZZ (or from 1435 pp – this is if in the in -game currency). However, these are the prices of a closed beta test, and it is possible that over time they will rise.

Moreover, you can rent girls (only 25 ZZ!), which also give bonuses and effectively flaunt near your car at the start – in fact, an analogue of magical jewelry and called creatures from the world of Mmorpg. It would seem that this is wildness for racing, but everything works fine here, giving your charm to the game.

Let's catch up and overtake America

European-Asian and American versions of the game differ not only by names. They have a different fleet, a large scatter of cars for cars and objects, and most importantly, in the European LEVEL-R, much earlier than in the American Project Torque, official patches appear. And the European one was taken as the basis of the Russian version. In mid -June, our servers installed a huge addition, and today our version of the game is newer than the American (there is almost six months there).

The main change is the abolition of the dreary procedure for obtaining a driver’s license. Previously, it was necessary to go through a rather complicated arrival for the time that confirmed your "professional suitability". And for this, in turn, you were sent to a store where you had to buy a special form. Without it, they didn’t let it on the test, and one set of form gave the right to only one attempt. In addition, many level restrictions have now been canceled (routes and cars are now available to everyone).

All this together, as Nival Network hopes, will help to lure those players who drive in American servers today. True, the “online speed” adopted from Level-R one feature that not everyone will like it: new cars can not be purchased here for lifelong ownership, but you can only rent from three days to three months (although Alexander Trifonov, Nival PR manager Network, says that over time there will be a sale forever).

* * *

With all its splendor, “online speeds” are missing a lot. I would like more opportunities for the individualization of the player (customsization and editing of the driver actually there is practically no), more tracks (today you will learn them all in a couple of hours), even more cars, even more options for tuning, and the girls could be more sympathetic.

But all these are not claims, but wishes. We have a truly rare example of a successful flight online game, where you feel like a real racer who defeats the rivals equal in skill, and not a strawberry-test of other people's semi-deceased ideas.

And most importantly, it is never bored here. The tedious pumping of the character each time turns not with lethargic fights with clogged monsters, where there can be no surprises, but with crazy, at maximum speeds with living players, where no one is safe from unexpected drifts, clashes and departures ..

Gameplay: 9

Graphics: 7

Sound and music: 8

Interface and management: 8

Waited? You are in a gorgeous, tuned on the very bumper of the car, surrounded by beautiful girls, leave behind a bunning-classmate, childhood friend and unknown uncle from Perm. Not perfect, but the best online race.

Gamery rating: 8

"Great"