Cyber Gearheads Prevail
February 1, 2007 12:16 PM Subscribe
Motor City Online was a MMOG created by Electronic Arts. It was probably the coolest. racing game. ever. Until EA pulled the plug because they wanted to focus their servers on The Sims, even after making people pay a monthly fee to play. People were not happy. Petitions were started. After a few years, the love for the game is still apparent. So what happens? A bunch of players decide to develop some open source code to create Motor World Online. You have to admit, the gearheads are cool even online.......
To be fair, the "previously" linked by peewinkle doesn't make this a double post. This post is about the next generation of mmo racing game.
Also: Whee! How fun is this? Assuming it ever goes beyond the merchandising and actually ships code.
posted by dejah420 at 12:42 PM on February 1, 2007
Also: Whee! How fun is this? Assuming it ever goes beyond the merchandising and actually ships code.
posted by dejah420 at 12:42 PM on February 1, 2007
No racing game that only features American cars could be called the coolest ever. It's a good idea, I'll give them that, but until I can buy and race a '68 BMW 1600ti, I ain't interested.
posted by saladin at 12:47 PM on February 1, 2007
posted by saladin at 12:47 PM on February 1, 2007
I'll have to check this out. MCO was one of the most simply "fun" and pure experiences I ever had online, however brief.
Unfortunately, I think this project would now make more sense being on Xbox LIVE.
posted by Ynoxas at 12:54 PM on February 1, 2007
Unfortunately, I think this project would now make more sense being on Xbox LIVE.
posted by Ynoxas at 12:54 PM on February 1, 2007
Well, hey, maybe they can have a US version (Mustangs, Vettes, etc.) and a European version (BMWs, Ferraris, etc.).
It's allgood great!
posted by LordSludge at 1:03 PM on February 1, 2007
It's all
posted by LordSludge at 1:03 PM on February 1, 2007
Saladin: It looks by the FAQ that they're open to user-submitted car models, so you might be able to race that lil' Bimmer eventually. However, I'm not sure how they'd govern fairness & accuracy with user-made cars--I wouldn't wanna race an accurately-modeled '65 Mustang against something with HP, torque and grip numbers maxed out and weight set at 300 pounds or something ridiculous like that. Anyway, my impression of the original Motor City Online was that it was very musclecar-oriented, so I'd expect a gazillion GTOs and Chevelles, and possibly course designs that favour straight-line speed over nimble handling. Personally, I'm just glad to see any racing title focus on pre-70's cars and not Supras and Civics with ugly bodykits and nitrous.
and I find it ironic that Firefox's spellcheck doesn't consider "online" to be a word. Apparently it's all right with "gazillion", though.
posted by arto at 1:17 PM on February 1, 2007
and I find it ironic that Firefox's spellcheck doesn't consider "online" to be a word. Apparently it's all right with "gazillion", though.
posted by arto at 1:17 PM on February 1, 2007
peewinkle, have you played EA's Need For Speed? I think the current version has a 'persistent' world feature that allows you to race on one of Hawaii's islands.
I played the demo when it was released for the 360, but found it a bit dull. I'm wondering how the two compare.
posted by NationalKato at 1:24 PM on February 1, 2007
I played the demo when it was released for the 360, but found it a bit dull. I'm wondering how the two compare.
posted by NationalKato at 1:24 PM on February 1, 2007
Yeah, I agree that the older-cars focus is a step in the right direction. The thing is, in the late 60s and early 70s, Mustangs and Corvettes were racing against Alfas and RX-2s and BMW CSLs in various series. I have nothing against the American Iron, I'd just love to see a more inclusive picture of the 60s and 70s racing scene, recreating some of the old IMSA Camel GT-type races.
posted by saladin at 1:34 PM on February 1, 2007
posted by saladin at 1:34 PM on February 1, 2007
Man, I really sound grumpy. Let me try that again.
I applaud the efforts of these renegade young programmers, who are trying to rescue an interesting, if incomplete, racing game from obscurity. I only hope that, in reincarnating and improving it, they will include many of the legendary non-American cars of the past. Basically what I'm saying is, I want the opportunity to race a CSL against a GTO, and win.
posted by saladin at 1:49 PM on February 1, 2007
I applaud the efforts of these renegade young programmers, who are trying to rescue an interesting, if incomplete, racing game from obscurity. I only hope that, in reincarnating and improving it, they will include many of the legendary non-American cars of the past. Basically what I'm saying is, I want the opportunity to race a CSL against a GTO, and win.
posted by saladin at 1:49 PM on February 1, 2007
NationalKato: Yes, I have played Need For Speed.... the actual driving/racing was comparable to MCO, but the game was a bit dull.....
The cool thing about MCO was that you could custom build your own car, including such details as specific Intake manifolds, camshafts, etc..... you sort of had to understand hotrods in order to play, though there was plenty of player support if you didn't understand the intricacies of how to build a supercharged Chevy 383cid stroker motor, for instance....
As mentioned, a lot of the fun was the community.... there were clubs and camaraderie....
Saladin: The whole point of the original game was an American racing motif, and at that, one from yester-year.....
Think American Graffiti and Hot Rod Magazine....While I can't talk bad about a 68 BMW 1600ti, there wouldn't be much to have to build up there..... in other words, the point of the game wasn't just the racing, but the role-playing that was involved as well, in having to assimilate "hopping" up your car to win more money to go faster.....
Arto: I noticed the "online" thing as well
posted by peewinkle at 3:02 PM on February 1, 2007
The cool thing about MCO was that you could custom build your own car, including such details as specific Intake manifolds, camshafts, etc..... you sort of had to understand hotrods in order to play, though there was plenty of player support if you didn't understand the intricacies of how to build a supercharged Chevy 383cid stroker motor, for instance....
As mentioned, a lot of the fun was the community.... there were clubs and camaraderie....
Saladin: The whole point of the original game was an American racing motif, and at that, one from yester-year.....
Think American Graffiti and Hot Rod Magazine....While I can't talk bad about a 68 BMW 1600ti, there wouldn't be much to have to build up there..... in other words, the point of the game wasn't just the racing, but the role-playing that was involved as well, in having to assimilate "hopping" up your car to win more money to go faster.....
Arto: I noticed the "online" thing as well
posted by peewinkle at 3:02 PM on February 1, 2007
Man, I played in the original MCO, and it was fun for those 5 minutes when the client didn't crash, burn, debilitate my system, and cause a matter-antimatter implosion to form about 3 feet above my desk.
Since then, I've been playing Trackmania, the most recent version of which allows for a good deal of simultaneous players, custom tracks, and some wonderful rendering.
Do not get me started on how much of a let-down Auto Assault was.
posted by thanotopsis at 3:32 PM on February 1, 2007
Since then, I've been playing Trackmania, the most recent version of which allows for a good deal of simultaneous players, custom tracks, and some wonderful rendering.
Do not get me started on how much of a let-down Auto Assault was.
posted by thanotopsis at 3:32 PM on February 1, 2007
Glad you kids enjoyed Motor City. It was supposed to have been out a year earlier - but it was sucked in to the realm of EA.com. It eventually closed the doors for us at EA Seattle. We did have plans for expansion packs (invasion of the imports :) - but what you really wanted was MCO2.
posted by johneb at 3:56 PM on February 1, 2007
posted by johneb at 3:56 PM on February 1, 2007
Eh, Test Drive online is in beta.... (free betakeys for file-planet members)
posted by IronWolve at 4:15 PM on February 1, 2007
posted by IronWolve at 4:15 PM on February 1, 2007
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posted by peewinkle at 12:31 PM on February 1, 2007