Re: Burnout Paradise - PS3, 360
Burnout Paradise Changes
Due to the overwhelming amount of DownLoadable Content (DLC) talk of recent, I decided to throw some fuel on the fire and create this here news post. Below is a consolidation of posts made over at the official Criterion Games forum by some of the game developers (mainly Alex Ward). Some of the stuff said is pretty vague but does either hint on even confirm some things which we're likely to see in future Burnout Paradise updates.
Horns, Sirens and Online Modes
Missing the car horns? Me too. Not to worry though as they're on the way. As are online game mode(s) to make use of the police cars (Pursuit mode?)
AlexW@Criterion
Horns for all cars, and police lights and sirens are going to come. It was all work that was scheduled to be done, but other tasks took priority during the final phases of the game.
Online game modes are coming, including modes that make use of these police vehicles....
Underground
This post hints at the possibility of the map expansion being something underground. (Tunnels, subways maybe)
AlexW@Criterion
... Remember, you've only seen a small part of Paradise City so far...the above-the-roads-parts..
Freeburn 2.0
Major changes ahead? Looks like it. In this post, Alex again mentions new online game modes, including "Freeburn 2.0". He also mentions additions to offline game play as well.
AlexW@Criterion
... What we released in the box is really Paradise 1.0.
There are a LOT more things to come from us which add to this game throughout 2008.
There will be more online modes, as well as entirely new ways to play coming. This will be downloadable content unlike any other game. ...
...We will be adding significantly to the Paradise experience for both online and offline players throughout the year. ...
...Expect a lot more from what we'll be calling 'Freeburn 2.0.'
Replays
In response to a topic about replays (NOT retries), Alex mentions that it is something Criterion are working on but are still figuring out how to "bring it to life".
AlexW@Criterion
We have made something along these lines and it's still in development.
Obviously it's something we thought of ages ago but didn't build until right until the end of the main development.
We're still working on this and deciding the best way to bring it to life.
Matt Webster also comments on a thread where someone mentions a
"Spectator" mode.
MattW@Criterion
Spectator Mode.... hmmm... Now there's an idea......
Custom Soundtracks
This could relate to a Playstation firmware update, not game update.
AlexW@Criterion
Custom soundtracks for PlayStation3 are DEFINITELY coming....
Also, in response to the idea of streaming the
podcast when you're playing online Alex says...
AlexW@Criterion
This is definitely something we're looking at right now.
Big Surf Expansion
Here's a hint at the map expansion happening at Big Surf.
AlexW@Criterion
... I hear 'Big Surf' is really expanding and going places these days......
Unfinished Bridges Deliberate
I'm sure we've all seen the unfinished bridges on the east coast of Paradise City and wondered if they'll ever be built across to the airport seen on the original concept map. Alex says that that map was an early design and don't count on it being too much of a hint at the DLC.
AlexW@Criterion
... We built the unfinished bridges as a deliberate nod to everyone to hint that we're going to add to Paradise at some point in the future. As to what appears once you drive over thar bridge, well it's still not finalised...
AlexW@Criterion
It's not an airport.
It's just a bridge that leads to nowhere.
We plan to add to city at some point in the future.
The concept art that keeps getting reprinted as *proof* that it will is exactly what is WAS, very old concept art from a first pass design of Paradise City two years ago.
No System Link Coming
In response to someone asking if support for a system link will be included in a future update, Alex makes it clear it isn't.
AlexW@Criterion
I can safely say that system link is not something that will be coming.
Better Steering Wheel Support
The post says it all.
AlexW@Criterion
...We've been playing a lot of driving games on our Logitech steering wheel - the G25 I think it's called - and great steering wheel stuff - along with manual gear shifting - is coming soon.
Even More New Cars By Shutting Them Down
In a topic about the Shut Down feature (Taking a car down to own it) there is a hint that future cars (included in DLC) will be delivered this way.
AlexW@Criterion
...I think we under-used shutdown a little, so expect it to return somehow in the future.
A Date for Future Updates
We're all curious about when we will actually be able to see (and play) these updates. Well there hasn't been an official date yet, however Alex did say this:
AlexW@Criterion
... everyone bear with us, we're trying to do this as fast as we possibly can, and we're working out how we can do this. Our plan is to support the game all year so we hope all of you will support us too this year. The lead times on this stuff are quite long e.g. if we had it all ready to go on Monday the earliest it could hit the Store or Marketplace globally would be early May. So, just to let you all know, it takes time.

:-D
