Reply from Igor Belago to your questions (latest news we have) 3/20/09

[Ubaku]

Edit:

Important: I have noticed that I translated question 12 wrong. I have now included the correct translation. I apologize for any problems that this may have caused.

-Ubaku


As you all know I have written another email to Igor Belago on March 2nd. The email had 16 questions asked by members of the Russian 1C forums. Here is the reply to that email.

You can find the original in Russian here. http://forums.games.1c.ru/index.php?mid=2215884

Here is the letter itself


Good day!

Hello Ubaku and all the members of the 1c Rig'n'Roll forums.

Again I apologize for the delay in replying to your letter.

I will try to answer all of your questions to the best of my ability.

1. It is already the beginning of 2009. How close is the team of developers to finishing the testing process and to the release of Rig'n'Roll?

Answer: Sadly we are still in the testing process.

2. Is there a chance that the game will be released in a couple of months or in 2009 period? Can you say, at least approximately when the game will be released?

Answer: Yes, the game will actually be released in a couple of months, but I can’t name an actual date yet.


3. Also can you say what the developers are doing right now, what part of the game is being tested exactly?

Answer: Testing is being done on many different parts of the game at the same time. The hardest part right now is the correction of various errors in the script and missions part of the game. At the same time we are balancing the economic and racing parts.

Our mathematical calculations are now being tested by actual gamers. At the same time we are fixing any errors we run into on accident while trying every single part of the game.

4. We saw that at http://games.gamepressure.com the release date is April 2009. Of course we don’t take seriously any release date, except the one at the 1c website or at www.rignroll.com, but still we are interested whether that release date is true or not?

Answer: See my answer to question 2.

5. Did the worldwide financial crisis effect the development of the game, and the release date in any way?

Answer: How could it not affect us? We are in the same situation as the rest of the world right now. We are forced to cut back on pay to our employees, and to lay off employees like many companies are doing right now. This won’t really affect the release of the game, what affects the release the most, is the size of the game world, its truly huge!

6. If you had a chance to go back in time 8 years, to when you were deciding what to put into the game what, if anything, would you want to change?

Answer: We wish we could avoid a couple of dead end ideas, which took up a lot of time. But sadly, as in any attempt at creating something new and innovative, you will make mistakes. Since the beginning of development our concepts of the game have grown dramatically, in my opinion only now is the game showing off its full potential.

7. Are there any problems with the licenses for trucks, which, since the beginning of development have been taken off the market? (If you remember the use of the K100 was prohibited precisely because it was taken off the market)

Answer: Sadly we could not obtain licenses for some of the vehicles. Some of them we have taken out of the game, some have been replaced by other vehicles. The K100 was originally put into the game as a pretty popular truck, even though it was taken off the market a long time before the beginning of development of the game.

8. Do you have plans to expand the game series further in the future? If so what are the plans?

Answer: We have a ton of ideas, but about actual current plans, that is a question for the publisher.

9. At the Igromir expo, in the demo version of the game, if you tried to upgrade a slightly damaged truck, you got a message which said,” Before upgrading, you first need to repair your truck"

Will this be in the final version of the game? Why was this function put into the game?

Answer: Yes, this function will be in the final version. It was put in for simplicity sake. For example, you can’t completely repaint a still damaged cab, you cant put in an engine upgrade while the engine doesn’t work in its default state, etc.

We decided it was unnecessary to make the gamer browse through a million different variations of upgrades for their truck. Besides, that is the way it’s usually done in real life by truck repair companies.

10. Will the game still have a school bus?

Answer: Yes

11. What is the point of hitchhikers that we can give a ride to in the game? Will they be part of a script or will they be merely for decorative purposes and mainly an extra way for the trucker to earn money?

Answer: If you meet someone in real life and give them a ride, you will never know what it may lead to. Its same way in the game, you might just make some extra money, or you might find something you never expected.

12. What will happen if you hit a pedestrian, is this possible?

Answer: Yes, it’s possible. The pedestrian won't die, and there won’t be any blood. You will also very likely be arrested, and taken to jail.

13. Are there any problems with surround sound in windows vista, or will there only be stereo?

Answer: I didn't see any such problems yet.

14. Some gamers have noticed errors in the geometry of the trucks, mostly in the proportions. Will this be fixed?

Answer: I'm not exactly sure what errors you are talking about, please be more specific.

15. Will there be P.R. events or contests before the release of the game? If so, what type?

Answer: That’s a question for the publisher.

16. How much will the game cost in Russia? (approximately)

Answer: Same as in other countries. We are not quite sure yet.

Thank you very much for your time. The fans of Rig’n’Roll are always very grateful for your answers to our questions, we hope to have a chance to hold the Rig’n’Roll disk in our hands soon.

Answer from Igor: Thank you to all the fans of Rig’n’Roll for your interest, I am sorry if there was any question, which I misunderstood, or could not answer correctly.

Respectfully yours

-Igor Belago

[movo.]

Couple of months.. couple of months.. couple of months... As said many times here, lots of work to make that huge ingame world with less than 25 employees. That ain't gonna work. Thanks for the email Ubaku.

[Freak Of Nature]

Give me R'n'R I'll help to test it . Pleaseee

[Freak Of Nature]

Just found a new video of R'n'R:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t6PnxeTwO0

[Ubaku]

lol you saw when the car jumped up when he hit it. Thats the type of bugs they are fixing.

Nice music btw. Russian.

[Freak Of Nature]

Originally Posted by Ubaku

lol you saw when the car jumped up when he hit it. Thats the type of bugs they are fixing.

Nice music btw. Russian.

They should let us download the game and so we could help to test it. I think after couple of months they will say: "The game will be released in couple of months"

[yuhui2009]

I would like to ask? In the game, from south to north how many miles? Some people know? Thanks

[trucknisse]

Originally Posted by yuhui2009

I would like to ask? In the game, from south to north how many miles? Some people know? Thanks

California is about 800 miles from North to South, and Igor has said it is compressed 1:10, so 80 miles in game. Driving 60 mph in game, it would take you 1h 20m.

[yuhui2009]

March 12, 2008

SoftLab-NSK Official Conference
Questions and Answers

Q:
Are you still developing something or only testing the game? Or both? Can you give us development update?
A:
What is left:
1) The development of the unrealized part of the scenario.
2) Checking all the races and balancing of the rivals' competitiveness for different difficulty levels.
3) Finishing of some truck models.
4) Increasing of the graphics quality for powerful video cards.
5) Economic system balancing.



Q:
Will Atari or someone else publish Rig'n'Roll in America? Can we know who it will be?
A:
There is no publisher / distributor for North America now. We are currently negotiating this.

Q:
What will be the time between release in Europe and in America? Example: 1 month?
A:
It's not defined yet. We will inform you ASAP.

Q:
Does Russia count as Europe and is it included in the September date?
A:
The publisher of the game in Western Europe is 505 Games. It's up to them to decide, when to release it in Europe.

Q:
Demo question again, are you 100% sure you won't release a demo for us?
A:
The release of the demo is not planned.

Q:
Can you make at least five minutes (or longer) video with all sounds?
A:
It's not planned.

Q:
Will you give away free Rig'n'Roll steering wheels to the first few buyers when the game is released?
A:
We will think about this option. This might be a good thing for the game community.

Q:
Will the game be released for Xbox 360?
A:
It's not planned.



Q:
What are final system requirements now?
A:
Recommended:
• Windows 2000/XP/Vista
• Intel Core 2 Duo
• RAM 2,0 Gb
• Video card of nVidia GeForce 8800 or Radeon X1950 class 256 MB or more
• HDD 10 Gb free space
• Steering wheel, pedals.

Q:
What are minimal system requirements?
A:
Minimal:
• Windows 2000/XP/Vista
• Processor 2,0 Ghz
• RAM 1,0 Gb
• Video card of nVidia GeForce 5700 or Radeon 9600 class 128 Mb
• HDD 10 Gb free space.

Q:
Will Rig'n'Roll work on Windows Vista?
A:
Yes, it will work on Vista.

Q:
Will wide screen resolution (e.g. 1440x900) be supported without program scaling?
A:
Yes, it will be supported.



Q:
Can we choose options to play in window or full screen?
A:
Full screen only.

Q:
Will it be possible to control truck with mouse?
A:
No.

Q:
How long time we need to across gaming map from one edge to another?
A:
Approximately 2–2.5 hours when you will drive from South to North.

Q:
Would the actual driving time in the game be just like the driving time in real life. For example, if you drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco in real life and it took you about 5 hours? Would it take you about the same amount of time to drive from one city to another city in the game?
A:
The time contraction coefficient in the game equals 20. It means, that if you go from to LA to SF in the real life, it takes you about one day, and in the game it will take you about 1 hour.

Q:
In some extreme accident is it possible to die and restart the game?
A:
Yes, it's possible.



Q:
How much mafia bother inside game?
What bad things can mafia do for truck driver?
Which appliance mafia use for stop truck driver in road?
If player not like mafia then can they turn off mafia in option?
A:
They can even kill him.

Q:
Will the story always end the same or it is possible to complete the story differently?
A:
There are several ends of the story.

Q:
How many shortcut roads will there be in the game?
A:
Yes, there will be shortcut roads, but their amount is a secret.



Q:
Will there be car jams? Approximately how many cars can we see on screen?
A:
Yes, there will be car jams. As for the maximum amount of cars seen on the screen, you will be able to see up to 80 cars and up to 100 pedestrians. The traffic level can be changed.

Q:
Will be barrow or hollow (cavity) on the roads?
A:
Yes, there will be barrow or hollow, but most roads are very good Californian ones.

Q:
Logging camp far away in the forest with dirt and mud roads in bad condition?
A:
Yes, but it's not much.
First of all we thought of roads for long-haul trucks.



Q:
Will there be snowy roads or we will only see snow on mountains? And will we see snowing?
A:
Well, we can say, that there won't be snow-covered roads, but there will be the ice-covered ones.

Q:
Will we be able to control main character or we will only see him moving in script videos?
What freedoms will be presented to us for lieser activities, like bar, hookers, truck stops etc.?
A:
You will be able to point where you want you hero to go. And then the script movie goes.

Q:
We saw screenshot about police arresting truck driver, then how long he must be in jail or in police office and police car?
A:
Well, it can be penalty or jail.
The game ends if you get into jail.

Q:
For about how many things will police try to arrest you for?
A:
For quite many.

Q:
Will the police pull over other drivers besides us?
A:
Yes, they will.

Q:
If somebody (AI driver/competitor) crashes in you, will it always be our fault and we have to pay fine?
A:
If the police decides, that you are unguilty, they will punish the other participant of the accident.

Q:
Will there be Speedmeters by the road, which were in Hard truck 2?
A:
No.

Q:
Will there be upgrades for the semi-trailers (better foundation or disk brakes, air suspension)?
A:
Only for the heavy haulers.

Q:
Exactly how much will you be able to customize your truck? Will you be able to do things such as different interior, different sleeper, different horns, etc
A:
You will be able to change the color, the painting type, the tinting coating, the upholstery, the dashboard, indicators. Also there are several dozens of special upgrades for the truck.

Q:
Does the game implement disk brakes, ABS, ESP, and so on...?
A:
There are a lot variety upgrades for trucks especially, but we would not like to disclose this list now.

Q:
How many different skins will be made for the trucks?
A:
More than 10.

Q:
Will there be daycab variants of trucks available?
A:
No, there won’t be daycab variants for driving. In traffic only.



Q:
Will in each city be only one loading warehouse? As we notice all of them are same. Will there be different warehouses?
A:
Each city will have only one warehouse. They will look different from each other, but not to such extent, that you can't realise it's warehouse. You will be able to load not only at warehouses.

Q:
We still don't know for sure if there will be able to buy and drive cars not only trucks?
A:
No. The game is in the first place about the 18 wheelers.

Q:
I read somewhere that the AI truck drivers will react differently to your actions (e.g.: blowing the horn impatiently at a driver might cause them drive slower). Has this feature been implemented into the game?
A:
Yes, AI truck drivers will react on the actions of your driver, but we’d like to keep them in secret now.

Q:
How interactive AI is, do they react if you drive too slowly or make sudden line change?
A:
We can say that they will react, but the way they will do it in is a secret.

Q:
Will AI cars use blinkers? Because in trailer and latest video we didn't notice AI using them?
A:
Yes, they will.



Q:
Which animals cross the road such like buck etc.?
A:
Californian roads are fenced very well. So there will be no animals on the roads.

Q:
Is there support if truck crashed and damaged badly and then arrive ambulance, truck service such a thing?
A:
No, may be just police.

Q:
Are there ambulances, fire trucks in the game? Does all traffic give right away to them like pull to the right on a road to let them go by?
A:
No, such cars aren’t presented in the game.

Q:
How about helicopters? In Hard Truck 2 there was helicopter and I like that how about them being in Rig'n'Roll?
A:
The helicopters aren't planned.

Q:
Will AI get into real life crashes?
A:
Yes, they will.



Q:
I saw in a video a in-progress animation of a Peterbilt crashing through the side of the wall. Will you be able to crash through buildings in the game?
A:
You won’t be able to crash through a wall, but there will be many other objects, that can be broken.

Q:
What are the features of truck-stops?
A:
Different truck-stops have different features, such as motels, fuel stations, bars, service stations.

Q:
I saw motel room screenshot and what truck driver can do there?
What driver can do inside bar?
Seeing Taco bell, Wendys and Dennys in some screenshots, can you actually go out of your truck, into the restaurant and eat in there or what can you do in there?
A:
It has its own functionality.

Q:
When the game says "Racing game" in the title, does this mean racing other trucks across country, or is there separate options in the game such as simulator without the racing, to free drive around and choose or plan loads and deliver them at our own pace?
A:
There will be three difficulty levels in the game. The easiest one is the most arcade one. A player will be able choose whether to take part in races or not.

Q:
Will the acceleration of cars and trucks be like the acceleration in the real life?
A:
Yes, in the most cases it will be the same as in the real life, but in some cases there are some gameplay exaggerations.

Q:
How fast are the trucks able to drive?
A:
It depends on many factors, such as the engine type, the state of the truck, the road surface, the upgrades of the truck, the weather, etc. The maximum speed in ideal conditions is about 100 mph.

Q:
I would also like to know the physics of the trucks. Will they have slow acceleration, long stops and etc.?
A:
We think that the physics is realistic enough. We hope you will feel it on the spot.



Q:
Will damage be visible not only on truck but also on trailer/cargo?
A:
The trailers will be damaged too.

Q:
Will the trucks get original sound?
A:
Yes, they will.

Q:
Is there real-life truck sounds and are the mitir / wheel etc. brands real life?
A:
The sounds are very realistic.

Q:
Is there a motor brake?
A:
Yes, it is.

Q:
Will the gas mileage be affected by the way you drive, e.g. you drive aggressively and rev a lot, thus you run out of gas really quickly? You drive environmentally friendly and shift at 2000 to 2500 rpm's and thus, run out of gas less quickly.
A:
The gas mileage will depend on many factors, such as the model of the truck, the engine type, the way of driving, the loading level of the trailer, the weather, and the lay of the ground.

Q:
I have only one screen about rain. It is nice, but will be blur (transparent) on window and mirrors?
A:
Yes.

Q:
Will your truck get flat tires and will you be able to fix the tires?
May you get engine problems when\if you do not maintenance it?
A:
Yes.

Q:
Will you need to service your vehicle (for example, change the oil and etc.)?
A:
It’s up to a player. But the consequences of his decision will certainly follow.

Q:
Will there be visual effects on low pressure in the tires, problems with suspension, oil leak?
A:
Some of them will be realized, some of them won't.



Q:
In overweight will there be problems with suspension, tires or elastic?
A:
No, a trailer is loaded according to its cargo capacity.

Q:
Roads of mud; it is possible to lock the wheels and axles to increase the traction (in the 6x4 trucks)?
Is the wet or iced road affecting to truck handling?
A:
It depends on the type of the truck.
Water and ice will affect to truck handling.

Q:
If it snows and is pouring ice/snow, will it be possible for it to form a ice puddle and you can go on it on your truck and do donuts, burnouts, skids, etc.?
A:
Yes, there will be ice on the roads in winter. Actually, if you drive well, you will be able to do donuts, skids etc. even on the dry road.

Q:
In Hard truck 2 there was good CTRL feature, when you press that button (CTRL) your truck goes with all power and it becomes more easier to control truck on sharp turns, so will this CTRL feature be in Rig'n'Roll?
A:
Yes.

Q:
Will there be seasons in the game world (winter and summer, spring and autumn)?
A:
Yes.



Q:
How often will the weather change in the game?
A:
The weather corresponds to the real weather in California (to the particular year we’ve chosen).

Q:
When you start up the truck, do you have to do pre-trip inspection, and wait for all of the gauges to get into their correct positions?
A:
Anyway, its useful, especially if the player can detect the defect according to the indicators (as well as the defect of the indicators themselves).

Q:
Will we be able to use a manual clutch on a steering wheel because I have got the Logitech G25 and this steering wheel got 3 pedals (throttle, brake, clutch)?
A:
Yes, you will be able.

Q:
Can we use the H-Gear changer from the Logitech G25?
A:
Yes.



Q:
How high will the steering impact be? 900 degrees? Because my steering wheel got a 900 degrees steering impact.
A:
For the steering wheels with the impact of 900 degrees, it will be 900 degrees. BTW, you will be able to see hands and sometimes legs of the virtual driver on some cameras. But not on the main one.

Q:
Will there be any add-ons and sequel after Rig'n'Roll is finished?
Is there any plans and chance the developers make a new game for EU with European truck map etc.?
Companies are releasing new truck models every year (e.g.: the newly released International Lone Star). Will there be updates adding these new models to the game to keep it current?
Is it editable for new truck, trailer?
A:
We have many plans. But now we prefer to concentrate on the game itself. We can speak about expansions and sequels only when the game is on shelves.



Q:
Is there possibility that multiplayer will be made after game release as a patch or add-on?
A:
There won't be a multiplayer in the final version of the game. As for including multiplayer in add-ons and sequels, we're thinking about it. Can’t tell it right now. We’re focused on the releasing the game this year now.

Q:
After the game is released will you still support the game and give out patches, fixes and etc.?
A:
Yes, we do plan to do it.

[yuhui2009]

California is about 800 miles from North to South, and Igor has said it is compressed 1:10, so 80 miles in game. Driving 60 mph in game, it would take you 1h 20m.
__________________
Q:
How long time we need to across gaming map from one edge to another?
A:
Approximately 2–2.5 hours when you will drive from South to North.

You said, different?