Vehicle simulation game

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Vehicle simulation games are a genre of video games which attempt to provide the player with a realistic interpretation of operating various kinds of vehicles. This includes automobiles, aircraft, watercraft, spacecraft, military vehicles, and a variety of other vehicles. The main challenge is to master driving and steering the vehicle from the perspective of the pilot or driver, with most games adding another challenge such as racing or fighting rival vehicles. Games are often divided based on realism, with some games including more realistic physics and challenges such as fuel management.

Contents

Definition

Vehicle simulation games allow players to drive or fly a vehicle. This vehicle can resemble a real one, or a vehicle from the game designer's imagination. This includes vehicles in the air, on the ground, over water, or even in space. Different vehicle simulations can involve a variety of goals, including racing, combat, or simply the experience of driving a vehicle. These games normally allow the player to experience action from the visual perspective of the pilot or driver. [1] This definition includes a wide range of vehicles, including aircraft, spacecraft, boats, cars, trucks, motorcycles, and so on. [2]

This definition includes many kinds of driving simulators, including both real and imaginary racing systems. It also includes a range of flight simulators, including civilian, military, and fantastical vehicles. [3] Rolling and Adams note that racing games follow the design conventions of a vehicle simulation, despite often being marketed in the sports category. [4]

Game design

Goals and challenges

Microsoft Flight Simulator focuses solely on the experience of flying an aircraft, in contrast to other games with missions and goals. AFA Beech in Flight Simulator.jpg
Microsoft Flight Simulator focuses solely on the experience of flying an aircraft, in contrast to other games with missions and goals.

The core gameplay in a vehicle simulation is the physical and tactical challenge of driving a vehicle. [1] Mastery of vehicle control is the element which encourages players to continue playing, even after the game's goals have been completed. [5] Players learn to use appropriate speed and steering, and must avoid crashing by observing cues about how fast they are going. [1] There are some vehicle simulations where the player is given no specific goal, and is simply able to explore and experience using the vehicle. [1] In the absence of any competition, "some vehicle simulations aren't games at all" [4]

But most vehicle simulations involve some form of competition or race, with a clear winner and loser. [4] Some games add special challenges such as combat and slaloms. [1] Many types of driving games, including both military flight simulators and racing simulators, make use of careers and campaigns. Players must complete different tracks or missions, and collect victories and other achievements based on their performance. [1]

Realism and physics

The market for vehicle simulators is "divided between the purists and the casual players". [4] A variety of vehicle simulators have been created to serve both markets. Purists demand total accuracy, whereas casual players are less concerned with such details. This level of accuracy depends on how damage, physics, environment, weather, and controls are implemented. [4] For example, accurate flight simulators will ensure that the vehicle responds slowly to their controls, while other games will treat the plane more like a car in order to simplify the game. [1]

In both driving games and flight simulators, players have come to expect a high degree of verisimilitude where vehicles are scaled to realistic sizes. [1] These types of games usually utilize a highly accurate time scale, although several flight simulators allow players to fast forward through periods where there is nothing interesting happening. [1] In the case of space or water vehicle simulations, the gameplay physics tend to follow those of flying and driving simulations. [1]

These games will add variety by having a variety of vehicles with different performance characteristics, such as sharper turning or faster speed. [1] Many games make use of real life vehicles, including military vehicles or cars from major automobile manufacturers. [1]

In most games, the player can adjust performance of their vehicle by configuring or replacing parts of it, while some games like SimplePlanes allow players to build entirely custom vehicles from a set of blocks and presets. These may sacrifice realism in favor of broader customization possibilities.

Non-driving roles

Although vehicle simulations focus on driving a vehicle, many games involve non-driving roles. For more detailed racing simulations, the player may sometimes play the role of a mechanic who repairs or augments their vehicle. Some flight simulators involve various air traffic controller roles, especially in multiplayer mode. In games with a combat element, this might involve manning a separate combat station on a larger vehicle. Some games such as Their Finest Hour allow players to alternate between piloting the vehicle or manning the waist or tail guns. Megafortress allowed players to operate five separate stations for combat and managing the vehicle. [1] Games that make use of combat have competition modes similar to first-person shooters, where player must defeat human or artificial intelligence opponents. [1]

As part of other genres

Many games implement a driving system. For example, it has been increasingly popular in first-person shooters to have combat vehicles. These are rarely designed with accuracy in mind, focusing more on their tactical experience. [3]

Sub-genres and vehicle types

Rollings and Adams note that "the vast majority of vehicle simulators are flight simulators and driving (usually car-racing) simulators". [4] However, this genre includes any game that creates the feeling of driving or flying a vehicle, including the magic broomsticks in the Harry Potter games. [1] More common examples include simulations of driving trains, spacecraft, boats, tanks, and other combat vehicles. [4]

Boat and naval simulations

Most watercraft simulations are of "powerboats or jet skis". [4] Gameplay differs from driving a car because of the fluid medium, which affects turning. These games involve racing through a course marked by buoys, with some tracks allowing the player to make jumps. [1] Sailing simulations are rare, as the complexity of controlling a sailboat appeals to only a specialized market. [1] However, there has been a growing market after Nadeo introduced their Virtual Skipper games. Other popular sailing games are Sail Simulator 2010 and Virtual Sailor. These games can both be played online against other sailors around the world.

This category includes submarine simulations, which typically focus on old-fashioned submarine activities such as firing torpedoes at surface ships. [1] Simulations of warships are more rare. Due to their slow speed, games such as Harpoon, Command: Modern Air Naval Operations and Dangerous Waters simulate naval warfare involving entire fleets. [1]

Construction simulators

Construction simulators such as Construction Simulator series put you in control of various vehicles on construction sites or in other scenarios allowing players to simulate the vehicles and the tasks they accomplish. Vehicles used in construction simulator games consist of a wide variety of vehicles such as cranes, dozers, excavators, front loaders and various trucks. Players can use these vehicles to build up construction projects, demolish buildings or deform terrain such as digging pits and trenches. Construction vehicle sims have become increasingly popular on mobile platforms with numerous games focused on individual vehicles such as Heavy Excavator Simulator PRO and Construction & Crane SIM.

Farming simulators

Farm simulators such as Farming Simulator series offer varying levels of farm care from agriculture production to animal husbandry and synthesis of bio-fuels. Vehicles used in farming simulator games consist mainly of tractors, combines, and tractor trailers. Because of the nature of farming there are often many different components to add to the tractor to till, seed, water, and fertilize the land.

Flight simulators

Flight simulators "tend to fall into military or civilian categories". [4]

Racing games

Racing video games "tend to fall into organized racing and imaginary racing categories". [4]

Spacecraft simulators

In general, game developers tend to avoid making realistic space flight simulators because they behave too slowly to interest a wide audience. [4] Thus, spacecraft simulation games are typically science fiction games, such as the Wing Commander series. Two notable counter-examples are Orbiter, and Kerbal Space Program, which have the explicit goal of physically accurate atmospheric- and spaceflight simulation. [6]

Tank and mech simulators

Vehicular combat simulators include tank simulations and mecha simulations. [4] Aside from piloting the vehicle, a key element of gameplay is controlling a rotating turret. [1] These games are seldom fully accurate, [4] as realistic tanks are slow and have limited visibility (as World War II Online simulation game), which would limit their appeal to casual gamers. [1] Many games have made use of mechs in order to appeal to a wider audience, as they can add weapons and capabilities that are not necessarily restricted by weapons platforms and technologies that bear resemblance to such systems that currently exist, which grants a broader artistic license on behalf of the game developers. [1]

Vehicular combat game

Vehicular combat games (also known as just vehicular combat or car combat) are typically video or computer games where the primary objectives of gameplay includes vehicles, armed with weapons fighting with other armed vehicles.

Train simulator

This genre also includes simulations of driving trains. [4] A train simulator is a computer program that simulates rail transport operations. This includes other kinds of railborne vehicles, such as a tram.

Trucking simulator

The first trucking simulator Juggernaut  [ ru ] was released in 1985. It simulates the road train (as an articulated vehicle) and focuses on cargo transportation and economical issues. [7]

The trucking simulator is a relatively new aspect of the vehicle simulation genre, focusing on cargo transportation and the expansion of the player's trucking business, combining elements of a business simulation game. The best known are produced by SCS Software:

Related Research Articles

Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic racing simulations and more fantastical arcade-style racing games. Kart racing games emerged in the 1990s as a popular sub-genre of the latter. Racing games may also fall under the category of sports video games.

Simulation video games are a diverse super-category of video games, generally designed to closely simulate real world activities. A simulation game attempts to copy various activities from real life in the form of a game for various purposes such as training, analysis, prediction, or entertainment. Usually there are no strictly defined goals in the game, and the player is allowed to control a character or environment freely. Well-known examples are war games, business games, and role play simulation. From three basic types of strategic, planning, and learning exercises: games, simulations, and case studies, a number of hybrids may be considered, including simulation games that are used as case studies. Comparisons of the merits of simulation games versus other teaching techniques have been carried out by many researchers and a number of comprehensive reviews have been published.

sim racing Video game genre

Simulated racing or racing simulation, commonly known as simply sim racing, are the collective terms for racing game software that attempts to accurately simulate auto racing, complete with real-world variables such as fuel usage, damage, tire wear and grip, and suspension settings. To be competitive in sim racing, a driver must understand all aspects of car handling that make real-world racing so difficult, such as threshold braking, how to maintain control of a car as the tires lose traction, and how properly to enter and exit a turn without sacrificing speed. It is this level of difficulty that distinguishes sim racing from arcade racing-style driving games where real-world variables are taken out of the equation and the principal objective is to create a sense of speed as opposed to a sense of realism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Driving simulator</span> Professional simulator designed for beginner drivers

Driving simulators are used for entertainment as well as in training of driver's education courses taught in educational institutions and private businesses. They are also used for research purposes in the area of human factors and medical research, to monitor driver behavior, performance, and attention and in the car industry to design and evaluate new vehicles or new advanced driver assistance systems.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to video games:

<i>Microsoft Space Simulator</i> 1994 video game

Microsoft Space Simulator is a space flight simulator program, based on Microsoft Flight Simulator for MS-DOS. It was one of the first general-purpose space flight simulators and it incorporated concepts from astrodynamics, motion, and celestial mechanics. Microsoft Space Simulator is a space flight simulator program that was developed by Microsoft and released in 1994. The program allows users to experience the thrill of space flight, while also providing a realistic simulation of the physics and mechanics of space travel.

Combat flight simulators are vehicle simulation games, amateur flight simulation computer programs used to simulate military aircraft and their operations. These are distinct from dedicated flight simulators used for professional pilot and military flight training which consist of realistic physical recreations of the actual aircraft cockpit, often with a full-motion platform.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motion simulator</span> Type of mechanism

A motion simulator or motion platform is a mechanism that creates the feelings of being in a real motion environment. In a simulator, the movement is synchronised with a visual display of the outside world (OTW) scene. Motion platforms can provide movement in all of the six degrees of freedom (DOF) that can be experienced by an object that is free to move, such as an aircraft or spacecraft:. These are the three rotational degrees of freedom and three translational or linear degrees of freedom.

<i>Grand Prix 2</i> Racing video game by MicroProse

Grand Prix 2, released in North America as "Grand Prix II", is a racing simulator released by MicroProse in 1996. It is a sequel to Formula One Grand Prix. It was made under an official FIA license that featured the Formula One 1994 season, with all of the circuits, teams, drivers and cars. The cars were painted with liveries reflecting the races that did not allow tobacco and alcohol sponsors.

<i>rFactor</i> 2005 video game

rFactor is a computer racing simulator designed with the ability to run any type of four-wheeled vehicle from street cars to open wheel cars of any era. rFactor aimed to be the most accurate race simulator of its time. Released in November 2005, rFactor did not have much competition in this market, but it featured many technical advances in tire modeling, complex aerodynamics and a 15 degrees of freedom physics engine.

Life simulation games form a subgenre of simulation video games in which the player lives or controls one or more virtual characters. Such a game can revolve around "individuals and relationships, or it could be a simulation of an ecosystem". Other terms include artificial life game and simulated life game (SLG).

<i>Rig n Roll</i> 2009 video game

Rig'n'Roll is an open world truck driving simulation and racing video game released on 27 November 2009 in Russia and during 2010 in the rest of the world. It simulates truck driving and management along with associated business strategic activities, and features North American trucks. The game takes place in California and Nevada, in the year 2014.

<i>GTR 2 – FIA GT Racing Game</i> 2006 video game

GTR 2 – FIA GT Racing Game is a sports car racing simulator developed by Blimey! Games and SimBin Studios and published by 10tacle Publishing in 2006 for the x86 PC. it is a sequel to GTR. Not only the game simulates the official 2003 and 2004 FIA GT Championship racing series, but also open practice, race weekend, championships, time trials, endurance race events and Driving school, with more than 140 high detailed cars from the GT and NGT classes as well as 34 different track-layouts. Since its release in September 2006, the game has received widespread acclaim. Extending the physics engine from GTR, it features realistic physics including steering command by sensitivity, dynamic lighting, damage modeling and 3 different game modes.

Construction and management simulation (CMS), sometimes also called management sim or building sim, is a subgenre of simulation game in which players build, expand or manage fictional communities or projects with limited resources. Strategy video games sometimes incorporate CMS aspects into their game economy, as players must manage resources while expanding their project. Pure CMS games differ from strategy games, however, in that "the player's goal is not to defeat an enemy, but to build something within the context of an ongoing process." Games in this category are sometimes also called "management games".

In video games, first person is any graphical perspective rendered from the viewpoint of the player's character, or a viewpoint from the cockpit or front seat of a vehicle driven by the character. The most popular type of first-person video game today is the first-person shooter (FPS), in which the graphical perspective is an integral component of the gameplay. Many other genres incorporate first-person perspectives, including other types of shooter games, adventure games, amateur flight simulations, racing games, role-playing video games, and vehicle simulations.

A space flight simulation is a genre of flight simulator video games that lets players experience space flight to varying degrees of realism. Common mechanics include space exploration, space trade and space combat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flight simulation video game</span> Video game genre

A flight simulation video game refers to the simulation of various aspects of flight or the flight environment for purposes other than flight training or aircraft development. A significant community of simulation enthusiasts is supported by several commercial software packages, as well as commercial and homebuilt hardware. Open-source software that is used by the aerospace industry like FlightGear, whose flight dynamics engine (JSBSim) is used in a 2015 NASA benchmark to judge new simulation code to space industry standards, is also available for private use. A popular type of flight simulators video games are combat flight simulators, which simulate combat air operations from the pilot and crew's point of view. Combat flight simulation titles are more numerous than civilian flight simulators due to variety of subject matter available and market demand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kart racing game</span> Video game genre

A kart racing game, also known as cart racing game or go-kart racing game, is a subgenre of racing games. Kart racing games have simplified driving mechanics while including unusual racetrack designs, obstacles, and vehicular combat. Though the genre has its roots in the 1980s, Super Mario Kart (1992) popularized the genre, with the Mario Kart series still being considered the foremost kart racing franchise.

<i>Automobilista 2</i> Motorsport racing simulator video game

Automobilista 2 is a racing simulator game created by Reiza Studios, under the lead of Renato Simioni. The game was initially released as an Early Access title on March 31, 2020, via Steam, with the official V1.0 release taking place on June 30, 2020. Automobilista 2 features a wide variety of cars and tracks. Its main focus is on Brazilian content, which includes licensed Brazilian racing series such as Stock Car Brazil and Copa Truck. There is also an emphasis on Grand Prix racing cars of many different eras, and includes licensed and generic vehicles. Other racing classes represented in Automobilista 2 include, but are not limited to: Retro touring cars, 1990s American open-wheel cars, GT3 and karts. Automobilista 2 supports VR, triple screen and full motion racing simulator setups.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 Rollings, Andrew; Ernest Adams (2006). Fundamentals of Game Design. Prentice Hall.
  2. Pedersen, Roger E. (2003). Game Design Foundations. Wordware Publishing, Inc. ISBN   978-1-55622-973-2.
  3. 1 2 3 Adams, Ernest (2014-01-31). Fundamentals of Vehicle Simulation Design. New Riders. ISBN   978-0-13-381215-2.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Rollings, Andrew; Ernest Adams (2003). Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on Game Design. New Riders Publishing. pp. 395–415. ISBN   1-59273-001-9. Archived from the original on 2015-12-06. Retrieved 2008-01-16.
  5. Howland, Geoff (1999-07-09). "Game Design: The Addiction Element". GameDev.net. Archived from the original on 2007-11-03. Retrieved 2007-12-11.
  6. "Orbiter Space Flight Simulator".
  7. "Juggernaut". CRASH. Newsfield Publications Ltd (19): 118. August 1985.