Compare DriveClub’s problems to other launch travesties, and the PS4 exclusive racer is right up there with SimCity and Battlefield 4. Meant to be a shining example of the PS4’s horsepower (the game was originally a launch title), its delayed release a year later has made it anything but.
DriveClub’s developers, Evolution Studios, have chalked the problems up to the coding of their servers. Mostly affecting online multiplayer, the issues also temporarily stripped the game of its key features (including challenges and social updates) and, most critically, it means that the PlayStation Plus version of DriveClub has yet to be released for those looking to take it for a test drive before buying.
Updates have been a small salve to problems the developer says were ‘unexpected’ and compensation has been talked about - but things are still rocky at best. More fixes are planned but as the efforts to collect data for these are also causing problems, players should expect to encounter more bumps in the road.
With Evolution previously stating they were “working round the clock,” users can now see another fruit of that labor. DriveClub’s 1.04 patch is now available, with players prompted to download it as soon as they next load the game. Paired with server upgrades, Evolution says the patch “will help to improve server performance, clubs and multiplayer functionality”. But, because luck just isn’t on DriveClub players’ side, even the download of this very patch has been plagued with issues:
They also offered more details via their Facebook page:
The amount of servers were never cited as the source of the problems, with DriveClub’s director Paul Rustchynsky specifically stating as such. However, once the PS+ version of the game finally makes its way to subscribers the increase in numbers will only test the game’s back end even further so the fact that these extra servers are being rolled out now should instil confidence that no more game-breaking occurrences will crop up.
As for when the demo version of the game will show its face, Evolution says that they “are still also working hard to get the PS Plus Edition of DRIVECLUB out as soon as possible”. Currently, the dev team is trying to bring “Face-offs back into play soon” and with Face-offs being one of the key ways to earn FAME (required for the game’s levelling system) there’s hope that the free version of DriveClub will include this feature and all of the others that were previously nixed by those server issues too.
Source: Facebook (1), (2), Twitter
