C.A.R.S a amazing looking new community driven racing sim by Slightly Mad Studios and an ex Stig!

C.A.R.S. Released Today

by John P on October 11, 2011 · 5 comments

Slightly Mad Studios has been working on its Community Assisted Racing Sim (C.A.R.S.) for quite some time after its work on the Need for Speed Shift series. Details of both its World of Mass Development platform and its first project have been revealed today.

Once gamers become paid contributors to C.A.R.S., they will be able to download a work-in-progress build. Available in the current build is a Free Practice mode (no opponents, infinite laps) on the tracks of Bologna and Connecticut Hill. The are eight cars available: the Asano LM11 TDX, the Asano X4 Touring, the Formula B, the Leonus F68 Cromwell, the Leonus F77 Cromwell, the Leonus F86 Pirault Turbo, the Racer L4-RS, and the Racer V8-RS.

C.A.R.S. boasts a franchise mode that spans multiple motorsports, the ability to play co-op with a friend as driver/co-driver, a revolutionary PIT-2-CAR radio, and an exciting new way to experience pit stops.

Be sure to check out the list of all the other features, hear what “The Stig” has to say about C.A.R.S., and visit the list of perks for donating after the jump:

FRANCHISE MODE allows you to carve out a personalized career starting in the Karting world and then progressing on to whichever motorsport specialization you prefer including Rally, Touring Cars, Open-Wheel, GT, Le Mans, and many more!
FULL TEAM MANAGEMENT… Have a large number of friends? Create, manage, and compete together!
DYNAMIC Time Of Day & Localized Weather make every race unique and challenging
10+ GAME MODES covering every form of motorsport
CLOUD-BASED SOCIAL NETWORK allows you to connect with friends, compare times & scores, compete and challenge each other, and share content
USER-GENERATED CONTENT – Create your own liveries, decals, tuning setups, and even events! Then share them with the world – either for free, in-game credits or even real money!
PUSHING TO THE LIMITS – Advanced physics, lighting, and AI

Ben “The Stig” Collins from Top Gear has joined the C.A.R.S. project to provide authentic driver input. Here’s what he has to say:

“I’m delighted to be working on the C.A.R.S. project to create the best racing simulation in the world! Computer ‘games’ and simulations have become integral to success on the race track and I will be applying all my racing knowledge to provide handling input and advice to the builds on a regular basis. I’m also looking forward to meeting some of the project’s contributors at the trackday events and working with SMS’s team of experts, whose passion and pedigree will be key to the development of this incredibly exciting new model.”

The WMD Tool Pack outlined previously not only gives you certain levels of access to the game and its developers, it also gives you tiered access to perks (what looks like DLC in most other games). You have to be at least a “team member” to receive exclusive cars and a “senior” for exclusive tracks later in development. Check out all the C.A.R.S. perks and compare them to the level of involvement you want in C.A.R.S.’ mass development process to decide what is best for you.

http://www.racesimcentral.com/news/2011/10/c-a-r-s-playable-today-game-modes-perks-and-the-stig-revealed/