Test Drive Unlimited 2

[CeeKay]

No BBW's?  Out!

[jztemple2]

I've come across a few things that are annoying me in TDU2 that weren't a problem in the first one. One is that I can't get rid of a car. I won a pink Mustang from the NPC "Miami" Wilson in the game and picked it up from the used car store. I don't really like the handling and it's taking up one of my garage slots. So I checked this menu and that, and apparently I can't sell it or trade it. I went to the Atari forums and turns out this has be a bone of contention there as well. Apparently the only way around this is that if all your garage slots are full, you can go to the used car guy and try to buy a car and he will let you trade in a car. However, it's not apparent from the discussion that you can select which car you want to trade away. I'm not about to buy some other car to test this theory, but if I do come across an answer I'll post it here.

Over on the Atari forum there are now threads for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC Open Issues and Service Status. Check these for the latest info on problems.

Someone posted over there yesterday about how they haven't seen rain on Ibiza so they think it's broken. Well, it's not. Not only was I driving in the rain yesterday in free drive, but there was even thunder and lightning at times. And sheesh are the roads slick in the rain!

I'm not happy with how TDU2 has done away with all the single player standalone races and replaced them with a series of championships. Not only is the only decent prize money awarded for winning the whole championship, not the individual races, but I don't know if you can win that same big prize money if you replay the championship. In TDU1 you could always re-run any SP race and get the prize money.

Also, while adding unpaved roads is a nice touch, in the GPS map view you can't tell if a road is paved or unpaved, so you might end up running your non-off road car on the unpaved roads on the way to somewhere. And when you do this the game physics limits your max speed if your car is not an off-road car. Again, not a deal breaker, but annoying.

Not that there isn't a lot to like in the game. The day/night cycle adds a lot of appeal, more than I would have expected it to do. They have fixed the cops problem from the first game. Now you can speed past them with impunity. You only attract their attention if you hit them or other cars in sight of them, or smash into things when they can see you. And I do think the car physics are better than in the first.

More info as I get to it.

[metallicorphan]

cool write up Jz

did the public beta even happen for this game?,i did sign up when i did this thread,but heard nothing else,in fact i was surprised with the game even being out,its kinda crept up on me

some of the reviews i have read have been quite average
although Gameinformer gave it 85 which is the highest i have seen for this game at the moment,others like Eurogamer,OXM and TeamXbox gave the game a 7

[jztemple2]

I got an email to join the public beta, but it was on PC and my rig is no longer good enough, so I passed it up.

After getting in some playing yesterday and today, here's the status on the situation on the 360 as I'm seeing it:

There's still a concern about getting a corrupt save game. The thinking is that this is caused by people pressing the guide button to quit to the desktop. When this happens in TDU2 the game starts to auto save and if this doesn't get completed due to the quitting to the desktop the save gets corrupted. To avoid this it is unofficially suggested that to leave the game you should press the start button which pauses the game and triggers an auto save. When the auto save is completed (the logo in the top right corner of the screen stops spinning and disappears) you then turn off the 360 using the button on the box.

It's also suggested that you back up your game progress save game on a USB stick. The best time to do this is when you first power up the 360 before starting a session.

Finally there is the problem of the game hanging at the loading screen after it asks you to select the storage device. The workaround for this is to unplug the ethernet connection. Apparently the game is waiting for the TDU2 server to respond, so if it doesn't the game will just wait, cycling through three different background scenery screens. Unplugging the Ethernet connector triggers the game to quit waiting and start in offline mode.

Also, after working the first couple of days, it now seems impossible to start or join an MP match. They are trying to fix the servers  .

I really like the first game, so I'm willing to put up with the above, but I'm not sure a lot of people are that interested in it.

[Clanwolfer]

Yeah... that sounds like an awful lot of work. I would think MS certification would have caught something so obvious as 'save corrupts when turning off'.

Girlfriend is playing it on the PC, looks fun enough, but I have zero interest in a broken game when my backlog is so full.

[Rumpy]

If it's anything like the first one, online profiles were different than offline ones, meaning that you couldn't use an online profile offline and vice versa as they were both treated as separate profiles. If playing in offline mode, you might be prompted to create a new profile, and that's why. Might be causing people to think their save is corrupted, unless they fixed those game mechanics to be more seamless and share the save file.

[metallicorphan]

I was looking on the marketplace and saw that there are quite a few pieces of DLC already for the game....i hate that,and actually puts me off buying the game knowing that if i do buy the game,its not complete,fair enough after a month or two,but not straight away(Dead Space 2 did the same,the DLC was on the marketplace before the game was even out,because of US/UK game release dates)


here is what i can currently see anyway:
Inuit Edition Audi Q7 V12 TDI quattro-80msp
Nissan 370Z Optional Parts-80msp
Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sports Sang Bleu-80msp
Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano China Edition-80msp
Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Centenaire-80msp
Casino Online-800msp

[Zekester]

ya, that makes it a 'buy-when-discounted' for me now.

[Hetz]

The Casino Online DLC is free if you buy the game from Gamestop.

[jztemple2]

I was looking on the marketplace and saw that there are quite a few pieces of DLC already for the game....

These are the various free bonuses depending on where you bought the game. Rather than making them unavailable to others, everyone else can buy them as DLC. Certainly makes sense. None of the cars are unique, they are just versions of cars already in the game.

Regarding offline versus online profiles in TDU2, it hasn't been a problem switching back and forth. In fact, except for the TDU2 servers being offline a lot, it's been a lot of fun. After completing all the championships on Ibiza, I unlocked and did the Ibiza Cup, which has eight different challenges. The first seven are like the challenges in the other championships (and you need to use four different classes of cars), but the last one is pretty cool, a 74 mile race around around the whole island

[jztemple2]

Things are going better with TDU2. The MP servers are working, the Casino is up, and the only thing still not accessible are the Clubs. Eden Games is working on a fix for some exploits but they think they will have the patch out today for the PC, by the end of the week for the consoles.

In the meantime...

This link connects you to a PDF download. The PDF lists the TDU2 cars that can be purchased, broken down by class. It also includes price and the in-game ratings for acceleration, speed and braking, plus an average of the three ratings.

In the section below, enclosed in the spoiler tags, is my analysis of the best cars for each class for the purposes of securing the various championships. I have evaluated the cars not just by the ratings, but also by cost versus benefit. Of the three ratings, I consider Speed to be the least important. You rarely have an opportunity to get the car to top speed in most challenges. More important than Speed is Braking. Getting down from high speed to cornering speed in the shortest amount of time is pretty useful. More important than either Speed or Braking, however, is Acceleration. In timed events it gets you off from the start or out of a corner that much quicker. In races versus opponents it might enable you to get in front of an opponent who has a higher top speed and keep him behind you. Acceleration is more important than Braking because you can scrub off speed by sliding or hitting things (like an opponent!) but you can only acceleration by gravity or your engine.

The influence of cost on the analysis is less on the lower end classes simply because prices are lower. Giving up a little performance to save ten grand is less of a consideration than giving up a little performance and saving a million or more.

The analysis is based on my experience of playing the game up through the A5 Championships, so that's all I'm posting for now.  I'll update the other classes as I get more experience with them.

The section below is in spoiler tags because it does reveal that some cars are received as rewards. If you don't want to spoil the surprise, don't continue. However, you might be saving yourselves some real cash if you do continue!

Spoiler for Hiden:

C4 Class - Lancia Delta integrale evoluzione
No real contest here. The Lancia Delta is highest rated in all three categories.

C3 Class - Ferrari 308 GTS Quattrovalvole
The Ferrari 308 is king of the hill in C3. It's tied with the Dino in the ratings average, but only because the Dino has better brakes. The 308 is also ten grand cheaper.

B4 Class -  Land Rover Range Rover Sport
Lots of folks over on the official TDU2 forum are bitching about the B4 Championships, saying they are unwinnable. They must be driving the Hummer H3. It has appallingly bad acceleration and lousy brakes. The Land Rover is cheaper than the VW Touareg, accelerates almost as well and has much better brakes. It's the best choice.

B3 Class - Mercedes-Benz ML 63 AMG
The lowest overall rating in B3 turns out to be the best car for the money. The Mercedes-Benz ML 63 AMG is as fast as the Audis, has only slightly worse brakes, and accelerates faster. The Spyker D8 is only slightly faster than the ML 63, but costs two hundred grand more.

A7 Class - Alpha Romeo Brera Italia
Although almost twice the price, the Brera has better ratings.

A6 Class - Subaru Impreza WRX STI
The Subaru only has the second best acceleration, but it's much better brakes than the Audi TTS Coupe as well as the cheaper price make it the winner.

A5 Class - Lotus Evora
Here's the first real "trick" in the analysis. The Lotus, while the leader in the average ratings, is down on acceleration to the Audi TT RS Roadster. However, the difference is only slight, and the Lotus has much better brakes. And the deal is sealed when you know that you get the Evora FREE as the reward for winning the Ibiza Cup!
 

[Reemul]

The thing i find in these games is a buy what i really fancy in real life regardless of what's best. Can mean i struggle at times but really I love buying what i would if i could in real life.

[metallicorphan]

First Premium TDU2 DLC goes free

Test Drive Unlimited 2 developer Eden Games is to release the title's first premium DLC free of charge.

The studio's community team lead said the move to drop the planned charge for the DLC was designed as a 'thank you' to fans who have put up with the game's buggy launch.


"We really appreciate your patience in this matter and we would like to announce that we will be making the first premium DLC for the game free for everybody as a way of saying thank you.

"The Exploration Pack contains new wrecks to be discovered that unlock the Lancia Stratos version Rallye and 1969 Dodge Charge

and about the fixes that are on its way

"We now have fixes for all of the following issues that have already gone live on PC and will follow shortly once patches are approved by Microsoft and Sony, respectively."

Issues fixed:

*Logging into the game has been improved
*Once into the game the online network experience is now much more stable in all areas
*Save games no longer corrupt
*Existing corrupted save games will be repaired in many cases
*Friends lists are now populated
*Invites now work correctly
*Clubs have been brought back online
*Exploits to gain money have been fixed
*Casino access has been improved
*Players will no longer lose money because of the Casino bug

[jztemple2]

"The Exploration Pack contains new wrecks to be discovered that unlock the Lancia Stratos version Rallye and 1969 Dodge Charger

It's nice that they are giving this to us free, but I hope they add some easier way of finding all the wrecks. I completed all the roads in Ibiza and was still short four wrecks. I eventually found them using a fan created map. It appears that what happened is that I had "discovered" the adjacent sections of road during the various races and so I didn't get the wreck indicator. When I finally started driving the remainder of the roads I hadn't passed over during the competitions I didn't have any way to know which sections of the unlocked roads I had traveled in races and which just in transit. And there's no way to reset the "unlocked" roads either, at least not of which I am aware. And I'm only part way through Oahu right now.

And now that I think about it, I do wonder how they are going to implement these new wrecks. Will it be "OK, you've installed the DLC, now start driving everywhere to find them"? I shutter at the thought of driving all the roads in Ibiza again just to find ten wreck markers.

[coopasonic]

Finally got this from goozex. I've knocked out the bottom rung of each series plus C4 High(?). Liking it very much though I haven't don much outside the series as it doesn't seem all that necessary.

[metallicorphan]

360 patch has just gone live


from EG

Eurogamer has received reports that the Xbox 360 patch fixes corrupted saves and makes the persistent driving simulation playable again.

The patch out now is one of a two planned. Part two, which deals with problems associated with clubs among other issues, launches on Monday

The free downloadable content already promised to fans will launch soon.

[Purge]

I am loving this game.

[jztemple2]

From a post by the developers on the TDU2 forum for the 360:

Last Update: March 10, 5:00PM PST

Loyal TDU2 Fans,

Thank you for making TDU2 a huge success worldwide. We’ve reached the top of the sales charts in many territories and continue to work diligently on making TDU2 the best persistent-world racing game on console and PC.

The first of our game optimizations for console will be live tonight on Xbox 360 at 1am PT (9am GMT) and PS3 is soon to follow. This update will resolve a corruption issue that some players experienced with their saved game files. In some cases corrupted files will be automatically repaired.

Available on Monday, 3/14 at 1am PT (9am GMT) will be a patch that should address many of the outstanding concerns that some of the community experienced on PS3 and Xbox 360.

List of fixes:

    * Improve login process to allow a higher volume of successful connections
    * Increase online stability across all multiplayer functionality
    * Improve performance and stability of Friends List and Friend Invites
    * Enable Club and MyTDULife functionality
    * Enable Co-Op races
    * Enable weather while offline
    * Address an issue where players can get a Lancia which has no car data (the patch should prevent this from occurring in the future, and restore players who are currently affected by the issue)

We have worked diligently to stabilize the network and address log-in issues. Friends lists will now be populated, invites will work correctly and Clubs will be brought back online. The Casino has been optimized and the bug causing players to lose money has been resolved. We have also addressed many of the exploits in the game and will be monitoring cheating in all its forms.

The TDU2 community has been a great support to the development team and we look forward to rewarding your loyalty soon with free DLC content. We should be able to provide dates once Microsoft and Sony approve the content and will update the community as soon as they are expected to go live.

It all sounds great, but I'll have to actually test it to believe it. Still, what is working in the game is nice. I've finished all the Championships, including the drive around Oahu. Lots of fun. I had quit playing for awhile, but now that the patches are coming today and Monday I'll give it another try.

[metallicorphan]

so how does this game play now?,i have a chance to buy it for cheap next week(£21 instead of £39.99)

i saw there has also been a lot more DLC cars as well...is any DLC worth getting more than the rest?

[metallicorphan]

free DLC (and hefty patch) is out for PCs,Consoles to follow

CVG

Here's the full update content list:

New content

20 new events
2 new events types: Extreme convoy (one mistake and the mission is over), Timed convoy (a convoy mission...but with a timer!)
Each completed event gives access to a new wreck
20 new wrecks give 2 new cars (10 wrecks = 1 car): Lancia Stratos version Rallye, Dodge charger 1969
3 new discovery levels
1 new set of clothes (explorer) Male/Female
2 new MP Races (Specifically for the Lancia Stratos version Rallye)
3D on PC & PS3
TV Media: Help Channel (to explain new features and content)

Gameplay improvements

Players can sell their cars in the used car dealer (including cars won in duels)
Effect of collisions with rocks and trees is now less severe
Instant challenges have been tweaked to exclude very short or very long races
Cruising as a passenger now unlocks roads
Lower car-road impact sounds
New restrictions on MP races (to stop the prevalence of top end cars in all races)
Session lost messages are now more descriptive
Koenigsegg CCXR performance tweaked to be competitive with Bugatti Veyrons
Y axis inversion option added
Additional race restrictions added to avoid Bugattis having complete dominance
Lobby: Club cars are now allowed in multiplayer and solo modes
We scrutinize savegames for specific hacks and take measures when they are detected
Nat info text displayed on the Start screen if a potential network configuration problem is detected
Lobby: With/Without collisions info added
Lobby: Inner club & club vs club info icons added
Players can now cancel on the search games loading screen
[PC] Chat window moved and positioned according to the game mode
[PS3] Mike & Voice IP options added
[X360] It is now impossible to join a ranked match once it has started
[X360] Rich presence is now more descriptive, based upon what players are doing in the game

Bug fixes

Cars can be launched into the air by glitches in the road
Cars can end up in the sky if the player goes to the map while their car is falling
Possible to get through walls/scenery by going in and out of map mode
Unable to enter sessions with a co-driver
Cars sometimes turn invisible
Unable to start a multiplayer race with the Caterham Superlight R500
Unable to play club races with club cars
The Final Cup can be repeated to earn the grand prize an unlimited number of times
Missing car door interior when switching to some low-res models
Stickers not appearing when in a friend's garage
Invisible avatars immediately after a club upgrade
Hawaii - collision problem on the "Hydro House"
Collisions problems in many sectors
Infinite loading in sticker shop when no more storage space is available
Crash when loading a photo in MyTDUHouse
Crash at the end of chase mode online
Crash at end of a duel
Crashes in chase mode & freeride
Crash when exiting a championship challenge
Other random crashes
Sticker shop: Matt paint available twice, replacing metallic as an option
Mylife Info : Incorrect number for clothes (collector box) & road unlocked (cruising box)
Pause menu: MyLife and Player info incorrect for levels higher than 60
Gameplay icons not removed when you press start on the results screen
Wrecks: Instant Challenge invites still active when opening wrecks popup
Map : Players sometimes displayed at the top-west corner of the map, in the sea
News: Not possible to delete news items
Club member list not updated when the president fires someone (members not notified)
Disappearing GPS road sections on Hawaii
Logitech on-wheel LED not accurately representing RPM and engine danger zone
Unable to sell pre order and DLC cars in game
[PS3] Logitech wheel issues
[PS3] Possible to get stuck in an invalid session
[PS3] The Ranked Matches search results not correct
[X360] Problems caused by changing devices
[X360] Players can get kicked out of sessions for no reason
[X360] Crash when selecting a challenge icon very quickly on the map
Casino: Rankings not appearing correctly
Casino: Roulette exploit
Casino: Crash on slot machines when another player wins a jackpot and leaves the room
Casino: Crash at level 10 cut-scene
Casino: Crash when you use back on track at the entrance to the Casino in Hawaii
Casino: Changing profile when you win a car makes it impossible to win or purchase cars