Driveclub Update from Evolution Studios

Today, Evolution Studios has dropped some more updates on the continued server connectivity issues that are plaguing the Drive Club launch

[-Ghost]

Anyone else think they won't release the PS+ Edition? The servers will get overloaded with the huge amount of Playstation Plus subscribers.

[Nekroo91]

you're right, but they should allows us to play the single player at least

[wsoutlaw87]

why would they not release a plus version? They will release it when ever they are ready. No one knows when that is, but it will be released.

[tinynuggins]

It will be released 30-40 days from the launch date. That is when the majority of game purchases for a title are made. They cannot risk the free version eating into their sales. It's business. Sucks but that's how it goes.

[badz149]

I think I'm just lucky I got the PS+ edition on launch day. played for 2 hours and upgraded to the full version straight away.

it was frustrating in the first week with the online part not working but it's getting a lot better now. I just finished the SP campaign 100% today and now at level 32 if I'm not mistaken. played a lot of online races today too and it was a lot of fun. I hope they will role out the weather soon ans I'm sure it will make the online races that much more chaotic.

I feel bad for those still waiting for their PS+ version. Sony and Evolution is totally at fault for this mess. it's a shame really that the game got blasted A LOT for it especially in reviews but it's truly a great game!

[16bitNutritionist]

This website is so PS4 centric now...its like a hub for PlayStation fanboys.

[OhMyGandhi]

As someone who was genuinely interested in this game from day 1, I find it increasingly worrisome when the developer fears that network instability will result from the release of the PS+ Demo.
If that's the case, then they definitely have bigger problems on their hands.

with each passing day the demo is not released, I believe the game's own image and reputation worsens.
This is now relegated to PR, and the only way they can remedy the distinctly middling review scores and overall impressions from gamers, is to provide the damn demo to those who are on the fence.

Give me an offline demo. Give me something.
Having owned (last gen) a ps3/x360, that was one of the best damned things about my 360. SO MANY GAME DEMOS. 9 times of 10, that sells me. If the game's demo is great, and the game itself is average, I'll often stick to my guns and check the game out because I enjoyed it. If the game is great, and the demo average, then I'll will obviously check the game out anyways.

Demos are wonderful marketing tools, and when they are done right, they sell games.

[kurruptor]

@badz

The free version was never even put onto the store was it? How did you get it?

[pornflakes]

@16bitNutorionst

you are wrong... dont care on which forum you will go... its everywhere the same :)... thats why all world record are broken on xbox instead of PS... xbox gamers are playing while ps owners spend most of their time on the net :)

[GHOSTxx420]

All I keep seeing is the ps plus version this and that. They have said 100 times it'll be out when the game is fixed. People who bought it come first,if you really wanna play it buy it. The ps plus version is coming just chill.

[u got owned]

Not really, they said the game would be playable for those who have PS+ subscriptions from day 1. There is no way to spin this, Sony messed up pretty bad and people should stop defending them and giving them a pass on this.

[GHOSTxx420]

I paid for the game,I'm still waiting to play the online. This makes me a little angry when it released 2 weeks ago. I just want the game fixed.

[16bitNutritionist]

Totally agree @u got owned

[Death]

Something just seems off with these issues. Destiny released with the most players to date and doesn't have server issues like these. Sony knew well in advance how many PS+ subscribers they had, so it's not a surprise. Some honesty with the issues Sony is having with Driveclub would be refreshing.

[ShiranaiJittai]

I don't remember who said it exactly it wasn't something they wanted to shout from the rooftops but the short of it is that the server issues are NOT to do with Playstation Network but the game itself.

Somebody screwed up royally with the code maybe multiple somebodies and long story short any and all internet or network connectivity with the game is fickle.

Does Playstation Network have issues and often? Yes unfortunately and they may be to blame for some of what is going on with Driveclub but it only adds to a problem that already existed. In a heavily networked game they screwed up coding the network capabilities. I am not a "technical person" so I wouldn't pretend to be able to give an explanation of what exactly I just remember someone from evolution saying something about "netcode" and I haven't heard anything since.

[medman]

@death and @shiranaijittai
Consider the problems games like Titanfall, GTAV online, Sim City, Diablo 3, Test Drive Unlimited, Battlefield 4, and Day Z ..The War Z had at launch, and yes indeed realize it is not simply an issue of servers or the number of servers, rather an f up of colossal proportions by the people responsible for the network coding. This game has been properly and royally screwed, because even when they fix it they missed the window to sell the game to a large number of gamers. They blew it, big time. And after all the delays and untold millions spent in development, you know some people over there are in hell...what a disaster. How a studio allows this to happen, and how these studios continue to allow this to happen, is beyond me. With the aforementioned games all having problems of varying degrees with always online functionality, you would think devs would know you need to test to an inordinate degree before the game hits the mass market to avoid a calamity such as what has befallen Drive Club. Incredible.

[BEASELY]

Nice Action Bronson avi!

[ShiranaiJittai]

I have a reliable source in a position not where they would know definitively but where they are in a place where they can make a much more educated guess off of far more information than is available to the public that it won't release at all.

This individual has about a 75% success rate with stuff they have told me in the past so I consider them reliable but not foolproof.

As their speculation mirrors my own though I too do not think it will release. If it does release it will be without fanfare.

Personally I disagree with them because I thought they were legally obligated to release it I could have sworn it was one of the reasons it was now mandatory to pay for PS PLus for online multiplayer.

They say it won't at all I say it will but with little fanfare. Don't expect some big news post about it expect it just randomly added when other games come out.

[MysticStrummer]

"I could have sworn it was one of the reasons it was now mandatory to pay for PS PLus for online multiplayer."

I wish you had said this sooner so I could have stopped reading.

It will definitely release, though the fanfare will most likely be subdued for obvious reasons.

[meatysausage]

How in 2014 can servers get this overloaded? Its not like there is 10 million people trying to play at once. Its really beyond me how this happens

[MrChicagoWind]

@infected how did you get so many bubbles? I must be doing this wrong.

[kingvendrick]

Xbox troll being voted up by the family.

[Sweep14]

No it will be released. Otherwise the backlash would be insane. But they'll do it when they're sure the servers can handle it.

[Kidmyst]

By the time the plus version is released the November releases will be here and most will be playing something else.

[OCEANGROWNKUSH]

Fuck this game, give me GT7

[mochachino]

They will....after the holiday season is done...aholes

[DoctorJones]

Yeah, Sony just didn't have the capacity for the game, they were caught with their pants down.

[Spenok]

This doesn't make sense. They will release it once the game becomes properly stable. They have to at this point. They have been promoting the PS+ edition since the beginning, and saying for years it was going to have a free version.

Knowing the American Justice system someone would try to sue them (and likely win) if they didn't release it.

[Gunstar75]

This is a farce

[yezz]

I find it funny that so many are disagreeing with you because you're right. Online features and the PS+ version seemed to be the biggest pros with this game and even after a delay they completely f#ck up those two things.

I wanted to like this game but after all this, I simply can't. It's been 2 weeks since launch and there are still online problems and the PS+ version is not available... It's obvious that they're currently trying the best they can but still.. how is this NOT a farce?

[SKullDugger]

I think getting tthe servers to stay online and have a steady connection should be first because there are gamers out there who paid for this game and they deserve to have a Driveclub that works in single player and multiplayer before the PS+ free editon is out for download.

[Gravity_DoGG]

Damn right :)

[porkChop]

Or they could quite easily just disable to online in the PS+ Edition and re-enable it once the servers are more stable. Judging by the poor reviews though, this seems more like Sony wanting to get as many sales as they can before releasing the free version.

[SKullDugger]

That might be the case but if they don't fix the issues the free PS+ version won't even matter.

[Angeljuice]

@porkChop

The problem with that logic is that despite the poor reviews, the majority of people who have bought it love the game.

It would therefore be better for Sony to release the PS+ edition sooner so that people can judge for themselves.

[OCEANGROWNKUSH]

I think this game should have never been released in this broken state... Worst game launch in recent memory BY FAR.

[Cobberwebb]

I gave up waiting on the free version for my driving game fix and purchased Forza Horizon 2 instead. Looks to have been a good decision.

[Iceball2000]

Two completely different games

[BLKxSEPTEMBER]

How in the world is DC and FH2 completely different games? They are both racing games first and foremost are they not? Different styles of racing games would have been a better choice of words but to say they are completely different games as if your comparing tetris to Super Mario is ridiculous.

[MRMagoo123]

@BLK

They are completely different games unless DC and FH2 are both the same game with a different name on consoles, he didn't say genre he said games, if you are gonna be a smart arse do it right.

[Yetter]

yeah, ones really awesome. The other doesn't work

[user5669510]

He said driving fix funny how you got all those agrees. Last time I checked both are driving games.

[Spotie]

So are Mario Kart, Colin McCrae, Burnout, and F Zero. All racing games with no differences, so they can be directly compared, right? Split Second and Driver are the same, right?

So if it takes too long for the next Mario Kart, you'd buy Need for Speed instead?

Yeah, that makes sense...

[SideNote]

Apart from Forza works online beautifully. No waiting about, straight in online racing and freedom to do so at a drop of a hat. This is how you do online racing.

[SKullDugger]

I own both DC and FH2 and for a total sense of speed and rush I perfer DC. Both are good games different styles of racing.

[baodeus]

Na, FH2 actually has better sense of speed and rush...why?
- you have to rush toward that finish line while dodging traffic, trees, bushes, etc...when you drive fast and directly into a stationary or slow moving objects (that actually move in oppossite direction from you) that is when u can truly feel the speed that you are going. When every car drive at similar pace/speed...you don't feel it as much. Plus there r more thing u had to worry about while trying to beat opponent to that finishing line, so the sense rush/urgent amplify quite a bit more in FH2. Is this true or not? I always felt driving in GTA game has more sense of speed then any racing game for similar reason.

You can also create to tight turn to create that sense of speed too, but every racing game does that.

[intellegent]

I gave up waiting on the free version and just purchased the game. It was a good decision even with the server issues.

Bring on the disagrees from those that have never played it :)

[Salooh]

Game looks solid. The only issue i see with the reviews is that it have server problems and only specific car collection . The game is at least a 8/10 . Anyone who can't handle the issues should wait until they fix it then play it. That way you will get a better experience. It's obvious that they will fix these problems as soon as possible ...

[TimeSkipLuffy]

One of the reason why Sony just can do everything they want and don't care about good customer relationship until they have trouble with sales.

[JonnyBigBoss]

Great choice. I still play Forza Horizon 2 every day.

[Bennibop]

It's a good game it's a shame this is going on however it's only fair that evolution fix the game for paying customers rather the people waiting for the free version.

[zapata2119]

They'll probably wait and release it around the holidays as some sort of promotion

[Team_Litt]

Honest question here, what did they do with the year delay?
Also, they were going to release this game to millions of ps4 owners with the PS+ edition right? So the issues they are facing cannot be due to servers being overloaded. Unless of course Ego and Sony are both run by monkeys who did not plan for hundreds of thousands players, let alone millions.

[1nsomniac]

Exactly, well said!

[Gwiz]

Those things can be said about other teams as well,with more experience in online gaming.EA,Blizzard etc etc.

[Angeljuice]

"Honest question here, what did they do with the year delay?"

Answer: Produced the most beautiful game available on any console. The graphics engine they produced is incredible, there is so much being created in real time it is one of the only titles to really push the boundaries of the system.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

Answer: Produced the most beautiful game available on any console...that came out broken as all get out.

On topic, I do hope they right the ship completely and at the end of the day consumers overall will feel like their money was well spent but man, this game launched with a giant thud of them tripping over their own feet.

[marlinfan10]

Sony needs to come out with a game where people can sit around and look at all the pretty trees and environments you guys seem to care about so much. No gameplay or anything, just looking at how good everything looks. Itd be the highest selling game on ps4

[MysticStrummer]

"...that came out broken as all get out."

Bethesda got a Developer of the Year award for the same thing, and they've been doing it with every release for about twenty years now.

[Gwiz]

I prefer the Evolutions way,yes the game should've been launch ready.
However the way they're addressing this is correct,paying customers get to play a portion of the game while the PS+ subs have to wait a while(i'm not saying you don't pay anything it's just that some paid for the game and PS+)to sort out the issues,i have sold a game because it's in error fixing stage since 3 months ago and i paid near full price for it after already having paid full price for the PS3 version game/DLC it's still a broken mess.I applaud the EVOLUTION way( quite the paradox since most went backwards as it seems while back in the day it was better while they're(Evolution) going back in time while it's progresive,lol)
In any case,i think ppl know what game i was talking about and i need to mention that i've been banned from their feedback page.I stated certain things with constructive critique but also mentioning a certain movement,and it's safe to assume that latter was enough to get me banned.Evolution was honest to admitt before hand rather than after.I salute you.

That is what the movement is about.

[Death]

With a year delay do you think it is acceptable anyone is waiting? This isn't the first game to come out this gen. Many others made it without these complications.

In my opinion, the Plus version should have released first. This is what was initially promised at the reveal. It makes sense they decided to make a retail version available too, but had they released the Plus version the retail customers would have received a working game when it hit shelves.

[Gwiz]

Admirable yet in contrast to fixing things,i'm pretty sure you don't want a full PS+ force hitting the servers when fixing things,when they're already having problems with the smaller retail portion.Imagine when they opened the flood gates.I never said it was a good thing or acceptable people are waiting after a year,what's worse to me is paying full price and still having game breaking bugs 3 months after the release while they said " it's a steal ",that's not regarding Drive Club but another game.I knew about Drive Club's problems before paying full price thus having the option to make a well balanced decision,there's not that many studios out there doing that.When you talk about a promise i already expressed myself how i feel about a promise(pre-order)it seldom works out.

[Beatmaker]

People still can't get on, I've been able to get on for the pass week now.

[BLKxSEPTEMBER]

I havent really been following this to much. My question is what exactly is wrong with the game? Can people who bought DC play online?

[uth11]

They discovered that their server code wasn't able to handle the huge loads of online traffic after launch.

They have been making improvements everyday. I used to never be able to connect online, but now it connects every time. The other features are working much better.

So yes you can now play online, but you may experience trouble joining races at times. The game has always worked in offlne mode.

[Gwiz]

To fix or not to fix that is the question,and in both cases you get the dogs of war,lol.

[windblowsagain]

Many people are playing it online.

The reason for the PS+_delay is because the new servers that are being arranged and as of now the people that bought the game are getting sorted first.

As for people slagging the game off, Many people are loving the actual game, Some have actually said the driving is better then many racing games and the graphics are second to none.

More events have been unlocked and more is being done, then weather will roll out and then PS+.

I think the first lot of DLC will be free with other freebies for the delay etc.

[uth11]

The PS+ version will likely come before weather

[mogwaii]

How about that weather boys?

[typittt69]

The amount of excuses the fanboys make is borderline ridiculous... Why are you guys accepting this shit?? They should have released the free version first not the other way around, but they knew and still know very well that the game is broken and they're trying to sell it as much as they can. All you guys are saying to Sony is that it is ok for them to screw you, you will follow no matter what. We shouldnt accept that. Smh

[jacksons98]

People who bought the game get first priority? How is that screwing them?
They are doing it right take care of the customers who paid for the game. Then release the free version when everything is working.

[uth11]

I've been able to join more races today. I can see progress is happening. I know they have been giving us updates, but I'd like to hear how much progress they have to go? Like is only 90% fixed, or 50?

[Raider69]

Lets be honest,this game is already burned,it will not achieve any of the sales goals that Sony and EVO where expecting and this is mainly due to Sony lacking,Sony shoud have implemented new server along time ago,hell one of the reason they told gamers that they would need to pay a subscription to play online this new generation was that the money made by those subscriptions will be used to upgrade Sony Entertainment Network and especily the online Infrastructure,well it seems to me that Sony is cashing the money but not investing much because if they had invested this problems would not arise.DC will not sell what was expected and people that still want to buy the game have better offers buying the game second hand for half the price than buying at stores or using PSN,if you go to second hand sale shops or even online many people is already selling their copys of the game.Im a paying customer of PS+ and if Sony dont ramp up the online Infrastructure i might just stop paying,im not going to endure if this happens more often.

[jacksons98]

Let's be honest, hundred of games run perfectly fine on Sony's network. It's a problem with the game code, not the servers.

[rxl209]

these people that are SO interested in driveclub they ask about the free version everyday but wont pay a whopping 50 dollars.....eeeew these people disgust me. rather than beg for it , buy it. if 50 dollars is alot of money to you get off the internet and fix your life

[Angeljuice]

The game is out now and people are enjoying playing it. What IS borderline ridiculous are the masses of people who have not played the game or have any interest in doing so trying to convince those that enjoy the game that they are wrong to do so.
Its a great game, lots of fun, the gameplay is really good and it just so happens to be beautiful also. It launched with serious problems but in time they will be fixed and we will be left with a fantastic driving game. Why do people have such a problem with that?

I work in a creative industry, I understand that the process of producing a creative/artistic piece never runs to plan, ever! its impossible.
The creative process itself means that there is always revision and change to any project. Sometimes that manifests itself as a change in artistic direction, other times (when parameters allow} it manifests itself as late delivery of content.

To expect all games to be delivered on time, complete and in perfect condition is quite frankly ridiculous and shows a severe lack of understanding of the creative process.

DriveClub is a great game and one that will only improve over time, yes it has serious teething problems but to write it off because of them is both ignorant and short-sighted.
Anybody who thinks the game is all graphics and no gameplay simply haven't played it.

[CuddlyREDRUM]

Awesome. They aren't even mentioning the PS Plus Edition that people paid for.

[SKullDugger]

How did people pay for just PS+ free edtion they pay for PS+ but not just Driceclub.

[Ultibreaker]

What overloaded the servers was the Challenge section of the game. The game literally records everything you do in game, and stores it. You can go back as long as you can, all the way to the first game you played. Yes, years from now itll still be there. With that much said, the challenge section got bombarded with input data, which is what cause the server to overload. No excuse, the game is great and all but this should've had been seen.

I laughed at that dude talking about he has a reliable insider and whatever else he said. The PS+ version is coming out you dummies. It'll be use as a RE-Advertisement. Its a free game to PS+ users and it'll give them a taste of what the game is about. Seeing how bad the launch was, the PS+ free game is the only thing that will bring in more people once the game is fix and fully operational.

[Masterh0ppa]

What? No interest anymore in this game. It's been a failure on every point.

[T2X]

Sadly, I think SONY never should of mentioned a "free" PS+ version to begin with. That should have been nixed right when Driveclub wasn't a launch title any longer. They'll think twice next time around.

[Ra3030]

They didn't have enough servers to start with on release that was the big problem.

[D3athc3ll]

Just release the PS+ version without online connectivity at first. I wana show my friend some good graphics 456 (ffs).

Please sony. Im not going to buy this game, i am going to buy Project Cars next year. But you pwomised :(

See now you made me sad Sony.... Still love you guys!!

[g-nome]

Once you play , you will want the full game , promise you that. The racing is that good, you will forget about the graphics.

[HaHa_Ostrich]

How can this happen with a game like this? Also with Battlefield 4? Its focus is online competetive gameplay. So much hype, su much testing, and open/closed betas, yet it still happens.
Are devs that pressured to release unfinished games? QA doesnt mean anything now?

[g-nome]

Trying to take the Scuderia to just a third place finish in the pro trophy race gave me a smile on my face ... such a joy to race in this game , more so than Gran turismo which can get boring . So even with all the issues still worthwhile I think. Hoping for more cars and tracks in future.

[ultralow]

i really am liking this game ...

[Abromb]

The whole launch of this game was an epic fail... I almost impulse bought this game when i saw that the PS+ wasn't coming out, but will wait till gamefly is pretty much giving it away.

The launch is even more of a fail when you consider that they can't get the servers to a race car game right. What happens when a heavy hitter with some must have multiplayer, not a niche racer, comes out?

[iceicelandic]

Something is seriously wrong with the way the backend services are programmed because they are experiencing exponential load. They won't fix that by adding servers, that's for sure.

[Father__Merrin]

I think Il wait till it's fixed, should be cheaper by then I predict the price to be £24.99 by Xmas, Il be skipping horizons 2 tbh

[SuperJay182]

on the PLUS side... least it wasn't one of the 6 PS+ games for the month.. rather an extra (I know its a demo..but I wouldn't of put it past them).

[2cents]

I wish Sony and Evolution had not chosen to launch DC just to directly compete in the launch window of Horizon 2.

I mean no bad wishes to Sony but their power play did not work this time. They, as any rival would, have been systematic with their marketing and release date choice.

Sony obviously pushed Evolution to be ready to launch at the same time as Horizon 2. No way would Sony want 2 Exclusive Excellent driving games on the Xbox while they had none. This was a bad gamble, now DC has suffered the most embarrassing launch for a long time in gaming. Doing that trailer with the 'statement', riding on the wave of success that they have had, it seemed like a sure fire success story.

Well... I'm afraid this one has ended up backfiring, literally. Evolution, please make sure Sony give you the time you deserve to make the game you need and want to as the successor to DC. Your talent in the visuals department has left me speechless, there are elements that are enjoyable, but please put the same effort into the whole package, don't let them rush you just to compete with the Joneses.