After a period of silence, with developers Kylotonn head-down on the project, further details about the upcoming Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown have emerged – in particular how to buy cars.
The third game in the open-world driving game series, which comes 12 years after the second instalment, is slated for a release later this year, although no gameplay has been seen at this stage.
A key component of the prior two games, car dealerships will be returning for Solar Crown.
Interactive showrooms
There will be 14 ‘specialist’ retailers dotted across the Hong Kong environment, selling a mix of vehicles. In addition, Ferrari and Lamborghini are treated to their own dedicated showrooms.
In the first title, entering a dealership allowed you to cycle through the vehicles available, and for the second game, you could walk around and look up close at the cars. In Solar Crown, this continues with free movement around each branch and the ability to interact with the models, by sitting inside, beeping their horns and starting their engines.
Colour and trim options are said to match those of the real-world car, and once a transaction is complete, you are handed the keys.
Connected dealerships
As you browse the selection, avatars of other online players will be present, reminding us of the 00s’ PlayStation Home or perhaps more pertinently, the characters appearing in the menus of F1 22.
There is said to be a way to communicate with other players, although exactly how this is implemented is not yet clear.
From here, you will be able to race online together with people you meet, should you choose.
Customise in a Workshop
Away from the dealerships, workshops will allow for car modifications.
Firstly, the vehicles in Solar Crown are tuneable, and new performance parts from suspension to the engine.
These will be divided into 13 customisable performance parts across six categories for internal combustion-powered cars and 12 customisable performance parts across six categories for electric cars.
There will of course be a Livery Editor too, something the Parisien development team implemented in both WRC 10 and WRC Generations, its two most recent games up to this point.
However, the upgrades available will be tied to your reputation level, with specific options also relating to your status with the two in-game racing clans: Sharps and Streets.
As with the dealerships, you’ll be able to meet other players and see them customise their rides at the same time.
It all sounds rather promising, and we’re looking forward to further details throughout the year via monthly Steam blog posts as we near its launch.
