Volvo, SimBin Release Volvo - The Game
IT News Online Staff
2009-05-26
Volvo Car Corp. and Swedish game studio, SimBin Development Team, have released Volvo - The Game. The game features all of Volvo's racing legends over the years and also introduces the Volvo S60 Concept. The game can be downloaded free of charge to a PC from www.volvocars.com/intl.
The company said one person who definitely will play Volvo - The Game is Swedish racing star Robert Dahlgren. He has achieved immense success for Volvo in STCC, the Swedish Touring Car Championship, since 2004 and is currently competing in a Volvo C30. Like many other professional race drivers, Robert Dahlgren uses virtual racing games to practice between real life races. "Playing racing games helps me train my ability to concentrate and to maintain my level of concentration over many laps," said Dahlgren.
Volvo - The Game features six different cars and the race is run on two authentically reproduced racing tracks. The lead roles are played by the Volvo S60 Concept, the Volvo C30 that is currently competing in the STCC, the previous Volvo S60 that also competed in the STCC, the Volvo S40 that notched up many notable successes in the BTCC (the British Touring Car Championship), the Volvo 850, the estate car that became a legend in the BTCC, and finally a true racing classic from the past, a Volvo 240 Turbo Group A. The two tracks are the Gothenburg Eco Drive Arena in Göteborg, Sweden and Chayka outside Kiev in the Ukraine. Volvo - The Game is the only virtual racing game in the world to feature the Ukrainian racing track.
In order to recreate the older cars interiors as authentically as possible, SimBins art team visited the Volvo Museum to study the former racing legends.
"In terms of audio quality we're also remarkably close to reality. One example is the S40. For that car we pulled one of the race cars out of hibernation last autumn and gave it a thorough full-speed workout, recording the engine sound straight from the racing track," said Magnus Ling Executive Vice President at SimBin.
The two racing tracks have been reproduced with faithful detail and immense precision. It takes about 1000 hours to create a virtual racing track. Even the kerbs alongside the track have to be of exactly the right height. Many of the people playing the game are experts and they are very particular about the tiniest details, said SimBin.
Dahlgren is convinced that his own Volvo C30 will be the best car in the game. But he will of course be testing them all, and one of the contenders seems to be exerting a particular attraction.
"How cool is it going to be to race the Volvo 240 on the Gothenburg track! When I was growing up, all my friends were driving 240s. But not me. I was out competing. Now I finally get the chance," said Dahlgren.
The goal from SimBin and Volvo is to reach out to a broader public than usual for simulation type games. This approach to the development means anyone can have fun with it and for more serious gamers and racers there is still plenty of challenge to be found in the game's many advanced features.
For the most authentic feel, Volvo - The Game should be played with a steering wheel and pedals connected to the computer. However, it is also possible to operate the car via the PC's keyboard or with a game-pad. The game offers a choice of skill levels: "novice" with all the driver assistance technology activated such as ABS brakes, "semi-pro" and finally "pro" where there is no assistance whatsoever.
It is possible to select the Volvo of your choice, compete against your own best times and have the track all to yourself. Or you can compete against up to eleven computer-controlled competitors. There are several alternative settings for graphics and sound. For instance, the star, the Volvo S60 Concept, will be available in two versions - "natural" and racing.
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