Classic Sport Driving Demo
Things Don't Always Turn Out How You Expect
For the final day of Steam Racing Fest coverage, I had an initial goal to play as many demos as possible. I wanted to make a mega-post or two discussing the games in small detail. Of the titles I've played, this was the one that took me by surprise and deserved its own coverage. Every single game I played today was a great experience yet Classic Sport Driving was another experience.
Classic Sport Driving is a checkpoint racer in the vein of other indie checkpoint racers I looked at in the past such as Super Night Riders. Rather than racing against the clock, the player strives to set the best time across each course. The cool part about how courses work in this game is that each course is generated by a specific number seed.
From what I was able to find, there's a seed that ranges from 0 to 999999999999999 and each seed takes course length, course type, weather, and time of day into consideration. These integers aren't limited to just numbers. Letters and other characters are also included, effectively giving players a seemingly endless number of track variations. You could, for example, write #HelloWorld and it'd still count as a valid course
Classic Sport Driving Is Both An Arcade And A Sim Racer
There are three difficulties to choose from Easy, Medium, and Hard, yet these difficulties directly affect the handling of the car. Under "Easy" difficulty, the gameplay is reminiscent of classic arcade Checkpoint runners of the past. Players can comfortably drive and make minimal adjustments to throttle control as necessary.
Hard difficulty is where the game kicks into overdrive with a complete handling overhaul. The car feels heavier to steer with the driver needing to pay attention not only to racing lines but braking lines as well. Braking too late will cause your car to fly off-road, severely slowing it down.
The Need For Speed, Reimagined
The difference in difficulty is like night and day, but once I got the handle of it, it felt amazing to drive. The best comparison I could give this mode to is the original Need For Speed. Before it became an open-world racing game based on customization, The Need For Speed was, essentially, a checkpoint racer where you drove from Point A to B.
The handling at the time was one of the most realistic and Classic Sport Driving's hard difficulty reminded me of that. Normal difficulty offers the leniency of Easy mode while keeping the sim-like feel of Hard difficulty. It's a nice balance between the two.
The Small Nuances Make The Gameplay Feel Immersive
Joining alongside the player are several AI that act as the game's "traffic," with an interesting twist. Although they are indeed obstacles for the players to avoid, they are also fellow racers without the "position" marker. They have their unique lines, which may be a strategy to follow in case players find themselves crashing often.
This segues into the graphics, which I gotta say has some of the most impressive depth-of-field tricks. Along the courses are elevation changes as you drive up and down the hills. It is possible to see a convoy of cars far off into the distance at least two hills in advance. Not only does this give you a sneak peek as to where you're headed next, but it's also cool to watch. The immersion continues with certain seeds, as races change over the course of time, beginning at night and ending at sunrise for example.
Classic Sport Driving Is A Fun Experience, Which Is The Theme For This Fest
As I wrap up this week's coverage of Steam Racing Fest, I've gotten to know and speak to several developers all with a passion for racing. At the end of it all, the one thing that all games have in common is that they wish to make the most fun product they can. Some ideas of fun are trailblazing at 300 km/h, others are snowboarding, and some are just a leisure drive. This will be cheesy to say, but it's impossible to decide which game was the best because they all were great at what they were trying to accomplish.
Classic Sport Driving is one such game that is shaping up to be a chilled driving experience where it's you against the open road. This will be one of the titles that I will love to look towards. Honestly, every game I covered, even the ones that I missed out on, are ones that I can't wait to feature. Video games are fun, no matter if it's indie or AAA and everything in between. Now, strap in and drive.
The Classic Sport Driving demo is currently available on Steam.