Insane / PC
Interview with Mark Coombes (Producer)

•	Why a 'no track' racing game?

Insane is an off-road game and the player’s ability to drive wherever they want in the game environments is at the heart of Insane's design. We find it strange when we play some of the other “off road” games on the market, that they’re not really off road; they’re just ordinary racing games with knobbly tyres.

•	Can you describe the seven game modes?

Jamboree: Race the other opponents to the active gate and be the first through to win the point. This game mode provides lots of close racing as all the players are after the same gate. Very competitive, very aggressive, needing a lot of car control.

Catch the Flag: All the while you are in possession of the flag you are scoring points. You can also score bonus points by passing through a bonus gate with the flag. However the other players will want the flag and you'll have to use some fancy defensive driving to keep possession. Very exciting, this one makes you shout at your PC.

Gate Hunt: With a set number of active gates, your opportunity to score points will diminish as the players capture them one by one. Being quick and efficient is important if you don't want to be left behind. Very tense, very fast, very tactical.

Return the Flag: Score points by seizing the flag and returning it to the scoring zone. Tactics come naturally into play in this game as the players without the flag form a shaky alliance, some defending the return zone some attacking the flag bearer. A great multi-player experience, my personal favourite, this will have you out of your seat!

Gate Trail: A desperate sprint to be the first through all the gates in the location. This game mode usually sees you racing around the environment on your own. But you know that you have to be quick because you can see on your screen that the other players are racking up the gates – it’s very tense, and very addictive.

Destruction Zone: One for the carnage fan this. Score points by smashing bashing and generally wreaking your opponents. There are also point zones to occupy to top up your score, however sitting in one of these makes you a prime target. Kick-ass gaming! 

Off Road Race: Did I say there were no tracks? Well there are sort off. This is the closest Insane gets to a 'normal' racing game. Gates make out a circular course for you and your opponents to race around. However as with all Insane games 'as the crow flies' is not always the quickest. Off Road racing at its best!

•	In 100 words (or less) how would you describe Insane?

A truly off-road game that employs great game design with breathtaking physics; an extreme, exciting package!

•	What makes Insane different from other racing games?

I think its mix of excellently designed game modes and a very serious and accurate physics engine make for a very unique racing game. The "no tracks" element is key in all the game modes and really give the player a feeling of freedom. 

•	What would you consider to be the main features of Insane?

The astoundingly accurate physics engine, especially the way the suspension is modelled. This gives a sensation of real weight to the vehicles. There is a whole range of vehicles from Quadbikes to 8 wheeler trucks each one giving a different gaming experience thanks to the physics model.

•	What choice of vehicles do you have in Insane?

There are around 20 different vehicles in Insane. We have split them into 5 classes, 4x4, Sport, Pickups, Trucks and Extreme.

•	Should the terrain effect your choice of vehicle?

Very much so. Some landscapes are relatively flat, so you may want to choose a vehicle for speed, not necessarily one that can handle steep climbs. Others are mountainous and require a really specialised vehicle, perhaps one from the Extreme class? There is even a case for choosing a vehicle with a high ride height because there may be water to traverse.

•	How many different terrains are there?

There are around 20 of these modelling locations all over the world. However you could say there are a great deal more as the game comes with a location generator which will build an environment to your specification.

•	How realistic is the vehicle damage and does this effect performance?

You can really knock these things about. We sometimes just try and get our vehicles down to a cube of metal by continually throwing it off a cliff! The performance degrades with this damage to a physical model. We thought it would be more fun to disable a car for reasons like having a wheel off rather than say an engine failure because you cracked your radiator. This means you can go for some hair-raising smashes and not be penalised too much in the game, but it still looks realistic.

•	How easy is it to play over the Internet with Insane?

We've put a lot of work in on the Internet game for insane. Codemasters is providing a service that will allow players to connect, host and play games of Insane very easily over the Internet.

/ends/