Beolex

It's annoying that we have open-world driving games (TDU1), excellent driving game graphics (TDU2), and awesome vehicle-handling (Live for Speed, etc.) but we don't have a game that combines it all.

Hopefully some developer(s) will try to make a proper successor to the Test Drive Unlimited series... maybe the island of Sicily or something. Lamborghini, Ferrari, Maserati (both new and old!). Proper storyline such as renting A7-type casual cars, and working your way up. More choice of houses, buildings, etc. Really. :S

What do I miss about TDU?

The storyline. You go to the airport, select a character, and fly to Hawaii. You land at the airport and get assigned to rent a car at a cool-looking rent-a-car place with decent "normal" cars, such as hatchbacks and 4-door saloons (something TDU2 needs more of). Then you got an apartment and money to buy your OWN "normal" car. Not too fast but enough to win a few races.

I miss the types of vehicles. TDU was launched at the beginning of a new era of supercars. Ferrari's old-school 360 and 575 were JUST being replaced by cars like the 430, 612, etc. I mean, the F12, FF, 458, etc. are impressive, but the 612/430/599/Enzo were seriously a new era. An era of advanced traction control, semi-automatic gearboxes, etc... but the game still retained the classics like the 360CS and 575M. It features the then-modern American sports cars like the fifth generation Mustang GT, Corvette C6 + Z06, and all of that good stuff. And not to mention Lamborghini... the Lamborghini dealer was always worth a visit, especially with the Megapack. The Volkswagen Golf R32 was the hottest hatchback of them all. What happened to Maserati? The GranTurismo and Quattroporte would fit perfectly in this game.

I miss the buildings (odd one, eh?). In TDU2 there are less and less "independent" dealers. Volkswagen and Porsche (well, RUF) are combined into "German cars", as well as Alfa Romeo/Pagani, and Corvettes/Saturns don't get their cool GM (General Motors) dealership anymore... lets just pack them into "American cars". In TDU1 pretty much every dealer was unique and interesting. In TDU2 all of the tunershops are retextured, but in TDU1, German, Japanese, etc. each had their own building. I miss those golf club/clubhouse buildings that you'd find on the East Coast. A nice place to park.

Online just seemed so much better as well. I remember the top left of the map... the light house was the daily (or weekly) meet for cars of all kinds... Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Maseratis, you name it. Cars weren't as jumpy/laggy in TDU1 as they are now in TDU2. The network issues in TDU1 were present, but considering TDU2 has them the same, maybe even worse, they don't bother me that much anymore. But yeah, online seemed more cooler/purer back then... it just felt like there were more places to cruise/meet up at, which may sound ironic because TDU2 has more roads.

This next one is a bit of a common complaint, but the physics in TDU2 are sub-par. I thought TDU1 had bad physics, but TDU2 has them even worse. Correcting a car's oversteer is like an on/off button - you either correct it and gain control, or you lose control. There is no element of uncertainty or surprise. It's impossible to do real donuts, J-turns, burnouts, etc. Transmissions on semi-automatic cars shift so slowly... the quickest shifts happen when you have like 20% throttle applied and you are going slow.

Car sounds... in TDU1 they were more bearable. The 599GTO sounds annoying in this game, as well as most 4-cylinder vehicles. At least they were moddable in TDU1 though... I remember getting sounds for my Gallardo SE and Maserati coupe, they sounded kick-ass. Now, as far as I know, TDU2 sounds aren't moddable anymore.

Why are there missing features from TDU1 not in TDU2? The ability to have a custom radio... I remember playing my Pink Floyd in police chases. Those were fun times. Even TDU1 had a decent in-game radio, the classical station had some of the best classical pieces ever. Why did you guys remove the engine starter button? Why did you guys remove seat position adjustment? I can barely see out of cars, I use the hood view as a result. Why did you remove certain houses/areas?

In TDU1 achieving a dream garage was easier as well... In TDU2, I finished all of the races and I still find myself spending hours replaying that $20,000 speed run so I can rack up a decent amount of money in 80 minutes or so. And I still can't afford a yacht. TDU1 had better races in my opinion.

On paper, TDU2 should technically be better, right? But for some reason, it's not... I just had some nostalgia/spiritual connection with the original TDU that cannot be replicated with TDU2. Is it just because it was very unique for the time? Is it because it was the first exciting/challenging/adventurous driving game I played?

I don't know... I remember spending entire Saturdays playing TDU1... cruising Hawaii repeatedly in cars like the Lamborghini Murcielago - avoiding traffic while my palm was sweating on the joystick, trying not to crash. The online, and even offline experience, just felt so much better.

Eden Games bothers me because they have so much potential to create the best driving game ever but they sort of half-assed this game. I know its not easy to create video games, especially ones where you are working with satellite-data to create real-life islands with hundreds of kilometers of roads, but still... there are many easily-doable features that are missing.

I know Eden games underwent some company changes recently... but if you guys are still capable... please, try to research what made TDU1 so special and bring it back. Try to get licensed from Lamborghini, try to improve the physics (or at least make a realistic option), try to bring back some TDU1 features.

/rant

EDIT: This guy nailed it.

But the biggest thing that makes me miss TDU1 wasn't really anything surrounding either game's features or content. It was the sense of community around it' date=' in my circle at least. When TDU1 came out I had loads of friends who were playing it at the same time. We were all really in to it and we would often just spend hours going on pointless road trips together, just for the fun of it. Blasting down the highway watching the sun set in to the ocean with some great tunes on the radio with a bunch of friends was an experience that no other game has even come close to recreating. Even though I was able to try the same thing with some other friends in TDU2, it was never the same. In TDU2 people seem to be a lot more aggressive too. Whenever you drive up to random people there's always a good chance that all they'll want to do is ram you, or just ignore you. In TDU1 I would often just join up with randoms and go driving with them. There was this sense that everyone was friendly and just wanted to join together to soak in the atmosphere of the game. There was just something magical about that moment in my gaming career that was special and unique. I don't think I'll ever be able to experience that again, no matter what the game is or who I'm playing with. [/quote']

 

Forzamotorsport.net Forums - TDU1 vs. TDU2

Oh god, I fail.

Thank you very much. :)

Also, is it possible to have the noises be different lengths than the originals? Because I think it is causing my audio to have no noise at all. :/

Hi, I can't find a "Save" button anywhere to save my new sound mods.:confused:

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/tdu.png?t=1282465239

I've tried searching:

- TDUMT BNK

- TDU Modding tools BNK

- Djey BNK

... but none showed the answer. Thanks in advanced.

Wow, my PC Specs are balanced between Minimum and Recommended. Balance FTW. :)

I play Balanced/Medium on TDU also, I only make them highest when I take epic screenshots.

I think I'll enjoy this game. :)

Audi in the garage is nice and probably might mean dyno testing?D

I do not think that is Dyno testing. A Dyno platform consists of more complex components, like wheels where the car drives on so the car doesn't move when accelerating. To me, it just looks like a normal shoplift/carlift. Either way, it's cool that we get one of those.

I thought this was TDU2

It's what showed up first on the link. I thought it was a cart parts garage. Then I scrolled down and learned there were more games. :)

That's even better. People should stop worrying if Lamborghini will make it into the game or not. :lol:

If you are worried about the vehicles, read this!

Just go let you guys know, there are 49 confirmed cars as of right now. Some of them are even on the verge of being unconfirmed because of no sources. But for the worst case scenario, lets say 49.

The original game had 90 cars without the megapack. It was stated by an Atari executive that Test Drive Unlimited 2 would have approximately the same amount of cars as the predecessor.

You do the math: 49 taken away from 90 is 41. We still have about 41 cars left. Lets assume 5 of them will be Lamborghin's. Another 5 will be Ferrari's (remember, these are assumptions). We have 31 cars left. Lets say they add two Bentley's and one Rolls Royce. That is 29 cars.

Also, lets say they add a Hummer H3, Cadillac Escalade, two Land Rover's, two Range Rover's, a BMW X5 and X6, and a Volkswagen Touareg, and a Jeep of some sort. That leaves us with 19 cars. They may perhaps add 3 Maserati's.

That leaves us with 16 cars. 8 of them ought to be some British racing coupes (Caterham, Lotus, TVR, Noble). So that leaves us with 8 cars. Lets say 4 of them are some Japanese cars, and the 4 other are some of the year's most craved supercars.

We have 0 cars left. However, since they want to make the game better, they might add 8-20 more cars than the original game. So lets assume we have 8-20 cars left. 8 of them are more of the worlds most craved suprcars. 10 of them are middle-class cars that aren't so expensive because you start off with them.

Then, the remaining (possibly) 10 could be some nice Mercedes sedan's, BMW's, Audi's, and so forth. So lets say the game comes default with 110 cars, which is 20 more than the original game.

Since DLC will be a big deal in this game, and the developers (Eden/Atari) are listening to the community's voice, we will most likely give us many more cars post-release.

I hope this cheered you up.

I suggest FileFront for game mod files

http://www.filefront.com/upload.php

I've used it for about a year, no viruses, lasts a decent amount of time, easy to use, no "Premium or Gold Member?". Everyone gets the same download time. My download is stuck at 70% now.

Also, DropBox is another good file hoster.

https://www.dropbox.com

It actually syncs with files on your hard drive (in a specified directory of course) so whatever is added online, is synced to your hard drive, and whatever is added to the drive, is synced online (visa versa). It is good for game modders like you and I.

Nice shooting angles and positions. Great work.

FOR BLINKERS/INDICTATORS

Step I Have your image ready

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/turn1.png

Step II Get the brush tool ready

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/turn2-1.png

Step III Pick an orange-like color from the color palette

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/turn3-1.png

Step IV Feel free to copy my brush settings below

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/turn3-1.png

Step V Fill in the indicator bulb

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/turn5.png

Step VI I like to fill it it one more time to give it an oscillating effect when animated (I also put some white in the center)

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/turn6.png

Step VII Load it into your animator and your ready to go

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/lamborrrrr.gif

If your blank canvas is called "Lambo1.png" and the images with orange are called "Lambo2.png" and "Lambo3.png" then load the images like "Lambo1 Lambo2 Lambo3 Lambo2 Lambo1" so it looks like it's flashing.

Thanks for the comment.

(Sorry mods about the image conflict)

Anyways, here is a tutorial on how to do the bulb effect:

Step I Start out with a blank canvas of your image

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/tut1-2.png

Step II Pick the brush tool

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/tut2-2.png

Step III In the color palette, pick a bright aqua blue color (assuming you want HID lights) but then go to a white/light blue mix

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/tut3-1.png

Step IV Pick your favorite brush settings. Here are mine

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/tut4-1.png

Step V Start filling the light bulbs of the vehicle (some may fill the whole headlamp itself for personal preference)

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/tut5-1.png

Step VI Once you are done, go to "Layer ► Layer Style ► Outer Glow"

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/tut6-1.png

Step VII This time, pick an ultra bright aqua blue color (again, I assume you want HID lights) then feel free to copy my settings below

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/tut7-1.png

Step VIII You now have a simple yet effective Photoshop light effect

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/tut8-1.png

Note: you can use different colors, amounts of glare, etc. to your personal liking. :)

Up until now, I only took pictures using Test Drive Unlimited's default Photomode. However, I recently got into Photoshopping Test Drive Unlimited pictures. I had Photoshop experience prior to this, just never with Test Drive Unlimited. Even though I have been working with Photoshop for quite some while now, I am still an amateur and I am always willing to learn more. With that being said, any tips/tricks are appreciated, as well as constructive criticism. Anyways, here is my first photo.

Before

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/20100715224003.jpg

After

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/astontunnel.png

EDIT: Here is another one. The lights flash too quickly, but in real life that can occur because the bulb is dying.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/ferrari.gif

[mod edit:] Please do not post images larger than 350KB, use a thumbnail or a text link instead. Please do not post GIF's either, thanks!

My apology for posting in the wrong section, can a moderator move this to the general "mod shop" area?

Hello, this is my first sound mod for Test Drive Unlimited. I noticed the Lexus LS600HL in-game says "hybrid" on the rear door's chrome trim. Also, the "hl" in the model name means "hybrid". So, Lexus is owned by Toyota, so it must use Toyota's hybrid technology. The Prius happens to use Toyota's hybrid technology, too. So, I recorded the sounds of a Toyota Prius, and they sound pretty good.

When I replace the default Lexus LS600HL sounds with the Prius sounds in the BNK Editor, it tells me it needs to be resized it because it is too big. So when it is resized, the BNK Editor adds zeros because it's too small. Then, you can't even hear the car's sounds. I do have the modified "Bnk1.map" too. Any suggestions?

Here is a video of an early stage of the project

That's when it was too large. Now I can't hear it at all after resizing. :(

Here are the original sizes

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/eff1.png

Here are the custom ones

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/eff2.png

I've tried both mono and stereo outputs, but none seem to work. Hopefully an experienced sound modder could look at this.

Here you go, I compiled a tutorial.

http://forum.turboduck.net/showthread.php?p=329840#post329840

How to make a sound mod

I am going to start sound modding pretty soon, and I did not find any tutorials about making a sound mod step by step. Fortunately, I have experience with modifying games, so I will compile a tutorial right here, right now, for any beginners to use. Hopefully it is detailed enough and understandable. If I missed any steps, or did something wrong, please say so, as it is my first time on these forums.

Step I: Get the BNK Editor

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/bnk1.png

Step II: Get your BNK file that you want to edit ready.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/bnk2.png

Step III: With the BNK Editor, click "Open BNK..." and select the sound BNK for your vehicle.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/bnk3.png

Step IV: You will now have a directory of all of the .WAV's, which are a sound format commonly used for game sounds.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/bnk4.png

Step V: Now, press "Control A" to select all.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/bnk5.png

Step VI: Proceeding that, click "Extract Selection"

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/bnk6.png

Step VII: You will get a folder full of .WAV files, usually on your desktop, but may also appear in your BNK Editor folder.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/bnk7.png

Step VIII: You have a load of .WAV files, each with a name describing what sound they are.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/BNK8.png

Step IX: Look at each file name, and make a recording for that. For example, if you have 350Z_idle.wav then you need to record the idle noise. This can best be done with a portable sound recorder, and a real 350Z if you're aiming for realism.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/bnk9.png

You can eliminate this step if you are importing from another game, or if you have pre-made files.

Step X: Put the recordings in an easy place to locate, like the desktop. If they are not .WAV files, please do so with an external application. I reccomend Sony Sound Forge, or even Sony Vegas. Audacity can do the trick too.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/bnk10.png

In this case, I only recorded the idle noise.

Step XI: Now, in the BNK Editor, select the .WAV files corresponding to what you recorded. If I made my own 350Z idle noise, I would select the 350z_idle.wav in the BNK Editor.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/bnk11-1.png

Step XII: Now, click "Replace selected file..." to open up the finder.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/bnk12.png

Step XIII: As I have said, you should have put your custom .WAV in an easy place to remember. I put mine on my desktop, so I will select it.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/bnk13.png

Step XIV: Now, your BNK File is replaced, and hit "Save BNK".

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/BNK14.png

Step XV: Now all you have to do is put the BNK file to its respective Test Drive Unlimited directory.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/Buttlamo/bnk15.png

... and your done! If the sound does not come up right, you may need to fine tune it with an external application. But that is how you make a sound mod. Not so hard, right? :lol:

Hi, I am new to this forum, so please excuse me if I do not behave like the rest of the community. Anyways, this sound will not work on my Gallardo. It's as if there are no car noises. Any way to fix this?