Evolution Studios has warned Driveclub players the next 24 hours will be rather bumpy as the developer runs diagnostics on the servers.

A further post on the game's Facebook page explains those who have managed to get connected thus far may be booted off during this process, but it's a necessary evil in the quest for more permanent solutions.

"During the next 24hrs we are running essential diagnostics to help us improve the performance of the servers," it reads. "This may disrupt online play for you when you do get connected.

"We are sorry we don't have more news to share right now but we will keep working hard to get you all up and running online as quickly as we can."

It's probably not the news people were hoping for, as we recently heard Driveclub’s troubled servers are back online but won't accept new connections as performance limits are being hit.

Sony confirmed earlier this week that it's delaying the free PS Plus version ofDriveclub due to the ongoing server issues. Developer Evolution Studios explained that the studio needs to provide a solid experience for those who purchased the full game before rolling it out to more players.

Driveclub launched in North America, Europe, and Australia this week. It's fast, accessible, and good-looking but it offers a narrower, more conventional arcade racing experience than its open-world peers do, and we found the AI irritatingly aggressive. Check out the review here.

We also sat down with game director Paul Rustchynsky where the game’s microtransactions, delays, locations and cars were discussed. 

This. Maybe they feared that people would just play the PS+ version and refrain from getting the complete game

No connection again last night. Still haven't seen any online features, half the menu options are still locked out. Come on sort it out already...

Now that we're paying for the online, this is unacceptable. If they're having server load trouble without the free version, that just shows how unprepared they were.

f you’re waiting for the situation of Driveclub to improve, things are gradually getting better according to Game Director Paul Paul Rustchynsky, who took to Twitter to give another update on the state of the game.
According to Rustchynsky, the team is making progress, with more people allowed to play online, even if the good folks at Evolution are going to continue working around the clock until the situation fully normalizes.
We’re making progress & we’ve got more people playing online. And we’re going to continue to work 24/7 until everything is fixed.

In fact I just logged into the game, and I was able to get connected to the online features immediately, which is basically a first since Driveclub‘s launch.
If you’re interested in the “free” PlayStation Plus Edition, the wait for a release date might not be too long:
That most decidedly is making its way to the store. We’ll have a date for you soon.

Interestingly, he also explained that the problem isn’t in the servers’ hardware, but it lays in the software itself.
It’s software issues, the hardware is up to the job.

Rustchynsky also mentioned that the team is looking into options on collision and corner cutting penalties, and will be considering how to minimize the possibility of getting taken out by an unfair player online due to the lack of car damage.
We’re looking at making changes to the penalty system.

In addition to that we learn that the addition of clutch support in the future is unlikely, but H Shifter is a possibility, and more HUD options will be added as well.
Finally, he defended the development time which has been necessary to release the game, responding to an user who mentioned that other developers create more cars in less time.
The DRIVECLUB cars are built to an unprecedented standard, as is the audio. Plus everything is done from scratch.

Looks like things are starting to get better, even if the situation definitely can’t be considered even close to solved. Hopefully we’ll be able to fully enjoy the game and its online features soon, and those waiting for the PlayStation plus version will be able to join us without too much further delay.
Update: apparently patch 1.03 is also rolling out. My own PS4 still did not download it, but the patch notes have been shared by Twitter user Richard Jenkins and retweeted by Rustchynsky himself.
According to the Game Director “Patches are staggered per region. As soon as they exit QA they’ll be made available.”
BzsKNiAIUAEFe9t

I got the new patch yesterday. I can 'connect' just enough to see the progress the club is making I managed to join. Everything else still timed out. I guess it will be better after the weekend.

Good to know they're looking into the penalties. Corner cut penalties are good to keep people from cheating, but they shouldn't be issued when you get pushed off road by another car. Of course that can be abused by having a club member bump you through a chicane, I guess only forfeit the penalty if a rival causes it.
Collision penalties need to forfeit when it's caused by 'brake checking', a common sport in GT, slam on the brakes on the straight to cause the person drafting behind you to get a penalty, then sprint away. I guess that's why you currently get the collision penalty when hit from behind by the AI at great speed. The game must be assuming you're blocking the road. You always get points deducted on contact, for a penalty the collision must happen with a big speed difference.

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By Tom Phillips Published 13/10/2014

Evolution Studios has said it was unable to foresee DriveClub's current server issues which have crippled the racer's online features since its launch last week.

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DriveClub's servers currently cannot cope with the number of users attempting to connect their copy online. The problem started before the game even launched on disc in Europe, and has caused the free DriveClub: PlayStation Plus edition to be delayed until further notice.

Evolution has been forced to implement a one in one out policy - so you won't be able to log in unless another player disconnects.

Director Paul "Rushy" Rustchynsky has now defended DriveClub's troubled launch and said that pre-release tests had not shown up any issues.

"We ran a beta test and none of these issues occurred," Rustchynsky wrote on Twitter. "We had confidence everything was ready. These issues were unexpected.

"We did run large scale synthetic load tests with tens of thousands of concurrent users and the tests were successful."

Some DriveClub owners have questioned why the game was released at all - especially after its previous year delay - if its servers weren't ready.

Others have asked for compensation - something Evolution has said it is not against as a possibility.

"We're considering all of our options right now," Rustchynsky wrote in response to one fan who had been unable to connect.

The last server update, pushed live on Friday evening, increased the total number of players able to connect. But Evolution explained that further tests over the coming days would impact server availability for all.

Even if you can connect to the game's servers, various features remain offline. Challenges and social updates are unavailable, although clubs, leaderboards and online racing are enabled.

"We're still working flat-out to fix the online problems," Rustchynsky concluded last night. "Sorry for the wait."

In 2014, this is ridiculous.

This happens just because Sony gave me a 30 day trial code for PS+

Unfortunate events can happen all the time, as the developer did some beta tests and synthetic benchmarks before launch with confidence. Even some of the players were playing the game online before launch so this is unlucky for them.