Burnout 3 (2004-04-28 demo): Difference between revisions

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= Notable Differences =
Since thethis Demodemo was initially compiled close to 43 months before the retail game, it is marginallyquite different asin several suchareas.
 
=== OldMenu HUDUI ===
The menu UI remains mostly the same, though the demo does see a few changes present. The event locations in the Crash Nav have indicators marking various hazards or features that may have an effect on the player during races. The loading screen is also far different and instead of featuring a picture and a caption, it just has the controller setup and a display for gameplay tips at the bottom.
This HUD dates back very far within the game's development, and was in the demo but pulled shortly after in development once manual transmission was gutted entirely. The color palette also changed from orange and yellow to blue and gold. The crash screen is also less cluttered with a more simplistic and dramatic look to it featuring black bars that are seen during replays in the retail game. The layout is different in some modes, maintaining itself as compact but displaying lots of information at the same time.
<gallery widths=200px heights=180px>
File:B3DemoLoadingScreen.png|thumb|The old loading screen, which can be seen up until E3.
</gallery>
 
=== Intense Damage ModelHUD ===
The HUD seen in the demo is known to be in the game since at least February or January 2004, when the game's first screenshots were shown. The color palette of the text and UI elements here is orange and yellow instead of the final Yellow, Gold, and Blue. The on-screen text that appears comes with a small icon in the shape of a road sign, the demo featuring 3 different signs instead of two like retail, on top of using the early designs for them. The crash screen has a more simplistic and dramatic design, featuring black bars seen during replays in the retail game. The layout is different in some modes, staying compact but displaying lots of information at the same time. The most different is crash mode, with a timer and crash damage amount always being displayed throughout the event, likewise to '''Burnout 2'''. The boost bar shakes during use, which was also likely at the end of its lifespan by the time the demo released, and was promptly removed sometime before E3.
In this era of the game, the damage model was shifting to something more like what retail received, and the demo happens to stand right in the middle. The deformation is very intense, but to a degree realistic with most parts rarely ever breaking free from the vehicle besides wheels and the hood, more akin to a real car crash. This era also is at the end of the lifespan of a damage feature nicknamed "Folding" where the vehicle folds in and pinches upwards to represent a violent compression. This feature is never seen again beyond this point.
<gallery widths=200px heights=180px>
File:B3DemoRace.png|thumb|The HUD seen during a Race event.
File:B3DemoBurningLap.png|thumb|The HUD during a Burning Lap event.
File:B3DemoCrashMode.png|thumb|The HUD in a Crash Mode event.
File:B3DemoRoadRage.png|thumb|The HUD in a Road Rage event.
File:B3DemoCarCrash.png|thumb|The HUD during a car crash has less UI elements to feel more cinematic with black bars and very little text.
</gallery>
 
=== Light DowntownCrashing Changes ===
At the time of the demo being compiled, vehicle damage was being overhauled so it features the stretchiness of later builds, combined with the compressing from earlier builds. Akin to real car crashes, parts rarely ever leave the vehicle besides those that are rather loose such as wheels, hoods, trunks, and bumpers on 70s or 60s model cars. Deformation is rather strong, and this was likely the last the game would ever see the mechanic nicknamed 'Folding', where in hard crashes the vehicle will fold upwards likewise to real high speed crashes. Explosions are not presented this early in the game's development, however the fuel tank will still rupture, leaving a small explosion particle under it and lifting the car off the ground. Particle effects from both player and AI vehicles are much stronger, AI wrecks leaving behind plumes of smoke that make them difficult to dodge in large numbers. AI as well can rupture their fuel tanks in wrecks and be sent airborne, allowing for spectacular launches the player can risk driving under.
<gallery widths=200px heights=180px>
File:B3DemoCarFold.png|thumb|The "folding" that can be initiated at about 90MPH. Its strength is controlled per-vehicle in the Value Database.
</gallery>
 
=== Early Vehicle Designs ===
While theall Aprilother demoreleases itselfof isthis metdemo withcontain only 3three player vehicles from, the timeNTSC-J release contains over thirty, themany Japaneseof demo'sthem featuring designs arethat likely dateddate to aroundcirca May 2004. There areSome vehicles herefeature andearly, there more drasticallycompletely different than othersdesigns, and some of which also include LOD models that arebased fromon even earlier versions of the vehicle's design. Many feature placeholder soundsor, asin wellsome ascases, a few featuringnever-before-heard engine sounds that were not present in any acquired build beforehand.
 
=== Map Changes ===
While Downtown is not much different from retail besides the lack of a few billboards or perhaps different placement of them, the map features a key difference. In the demo, there's a lot of spots on corners shortly after the barriers of which riding the wall will be met with instant death. It's possible this was introduced as a way to keep players off the walls with the removal of the wall speed penalty, but was later removed, only still barely present in the retail game, but not on Downtown.
 
=== VaryingPhysics Car& Combat ===
Vehicles in the demo can feel at times looser and in some cases, heavier. The differences in weight are much more prevalent, and this is especially noticeable in the car combat. Heavier cars are harder to smack around, and the actual combat itself is almost completely different. Rather than being forced the opposite way after being hit at a specific angle from opponent vehicles, instead, your vehicle is still 'hit' but can still use its weight to take them out. Another mechanic also present known as 'tipping', is a physics feature that is based around a vehicle's center of gravity, which means higher vehicles like compacts or burly muscle cars are easy to tip over, another mechanic inspired much by real crashes, a similar case to folding.
<gallery widths=200px heights=180px>
File:B3DemoCarTip.png|thumb|The tipping mechanic in action. There is no unique takedown name for it, so it's usually called a wall takedown.
</gallery>
 
=== Responsive AI ===
The AI presented in the demo are far more aggressive, so much so that sometimes they will put themselves on the line just to take you out. While not as noticeable in single event due to broken mechanics and the usual AI behavior of driving slow on the final lap, split screen puts it nicely into perspective and shows you really how the game is supposed to play. AI will catch up to fight you so as long as you stay off the boost, and compared to retail are much more prone to crashing, in many cases at inconvenient times. The 'Panic Effect', also present in Burnout 2 is seen here, where if the player wrecks, the AI are much more likely to crash into surrounding areas trying to avoid it. After the demo, this game mechanic is never seen again.
 
=== Mode Changes ===
Every mode like Burnout 1 and 2 begins with a grid start, and the player is able to accomplish a '''Boost Start''' which works the same in both Burnout 2, and online or crash modes for Burnout 3, Legends, and Revenge.
<gallery widths=200px heights=180px>
File:B3DemoBoostStart.png|thumb|The prompt received after getting a boost start.
</gallery>
 
Road Rage in the demo is mostly the same on the surface, but it has a few differing mechanics. Instead of battling the same 3 vehicles the entire event, the player is now pitted against 4 other opponents. Upon taking them down, they are considered "Eliminated" and another car in the same class is supposed to spawn to take its place.
=== Light Downtown Changes ===
<gallery widths=200px heights=180px>
Since Downtown was the only featured map, it sports some earlier elements respectively. Some billboards and ads present in retail are missing, and it is lacking both a licensed Axe billboard and billboards promoting other EA titles at the time. Differences are minor but rather noticeable.
File:B3DemoTargetEliminated.png|thumb|An AI opponent is eliminated and should be replaced upon being taken out.
</gallery>
 
LikewiseSimilar to whatBurnout isRevenge seenCrash inMode, Burnoutthe Revenge,demo crashbreakerfeatures ina thecrashbreaker demothat must be charged, although instead of getting a number of cars to crash or explode adding to fill it, the player must instead travel lots of distance and/or collide with vehicles to fill it. Since explosions are not present this early on, initiating it sends all nearby cars into an airborne stasis indicated by the same distinct sound and particle effect used when the player vehicle propels itself off the ground in a crash. Impact time tracks play in the demo Crash Mode but usually are cut off momentarily until crashbreaker is initiated.
=== Varying Car Combat ===
Unlike the retail game which raw [[Value Database]] values indicate that mostly every car is the same mass among the class, the car combat in the Burnout 3 demo varies among vehicles, some being better at combat than others. Different vehicles are thought to share varying masses and values regarding reactions to attacks, indicated very prominently by select few vehicles that will barely budge at the strongest of hits.
 
=== DifferingCamera PhysicsChanges ===
The demo features a set of after-race cameras that aren't presented in the final game. As opposed to the camera sticking in place, it follows the player vehicle around shortly before sending you back to the start menu of the demo, and in split-screen it will initiate a replay.
While the main physics don't vary too much themselves, some cars feel much heavier and a lot tighter compared to their retail counterparts. On top of this, other opponents can be taken out by pressuring certain points in the side, causing them to tip over. A similar likeness to this can be seen in real life crashes.
<gallery widths=200px heights=180px>
File:B3DemoReplayCam.png|thumb|One of the many camera angles seen in replays and after-race menus.
</gallery>
 
The demo's unique crash camera works based on events happening around the player vehicle, but the camera with its removed functionality is still seen in the final game's crash mode. It appears rarely in the final game but generally only for a few seconds before changing or ending the crash. The crash camera stays fixed to the player car, rotating and panning to give a view of each subsequent wreck as well as approaching rivals, allowing the player to avoid or aim for them. Crash cameras present before this point and in the '''Crash + Burn''' trailer are used as post-race and replay cameras here.
=== Early Crashbreaker ===
<gallery widths=200px heights=180px>
Likewise to what is seen in Burnout Revenge, crashbreaker in the demo must be charged, although instead of getting a number of cars to crash or explode adding to it, the player must instead travel lots of distance and/or collide with vehicles to fill it. Since explosions are not present this early on, initiating it sends all nearby cars into an airborne stasis indicated by the distinct sound and particle effect when the player vehicle propels itself off the ground in a crash.
File:B3DemoReplayCrash.png|thumb|One of multiple angles you would see during crashes in replays or post-race menus.
</gallery>
 
=== Darker Undertones ===
The earlierEarlier versionversions of Burnout 3 are thought to be a lot more grim in tone, and this demo is no exception. TheImpact impact timeTime tracks are farclearly more brutalistic and audibly violent compared to retail's, and audible screams or shoutswails of pain can be heard whilewhen the player is crashing, or when nearby AI drivers crash themselves. Earlier textText strings indicate in the executable indicate these undertones being much heavier even before this point, with '''the HUD message for a Psyche Out!''''s text stringtakedown possibly having been '''Caused A Suicide!'''.
 
= Known Issues =
<pre> Issues marked with * are only presented in the modded demo featuring functional menu systems.</pre>
* TheOutside of Championship events and Split-Screen modes, the AI willdo not act as they are meant to, being far less aggressive than they should be. (This is only fixed in Championship Mode and Split-Screen)
* Replays do not work for single-player modes; andthe willplayer typicallyis sendsimply the playersent back to the main menu shortly after finishing an event.
* Running out of time or being totaled in a Road Rage event will soft-lock the game.*
* Road Rage is unable to pool in othernew cars of the same class after a rival is eliminated for reasons unknown, and will repurposereuse the same vehicles similar to retail.*
* In a similar instance to Road Rage, Race events' rivals will copy whichever car the player is driving.*
* Race events will only consist of the player car for a likely similar instance to Road Rage.*
* Crash Mode must first be completed through the dedicated menu before being able to play in Single Event.*
* Reverse tracks in Single Event will respawn you facing the wrong way,; Race and Championship Modeevents are the only exceptions to this.*
* The option to enable vibration for the controller does not do anything.*
* Due to the lack of tracks, a sizeable portion of the game is inaccessible and much is still unseen.*
* Selecting events from theThe dedicated Crash Nav does not work; it attempts to load a Crash event instead of initializing the Nav itself.*
* ChampionshipSeveral modemenus featuringare Race events is not accessibleinaccessible without meansreplacing of replacingan anotherexisting menu.:*
** The '''Championship''' event list featuring Race, Road Rage and Crash events
** The proper '''Crash Nav''' menu
** The full '''Driver Details''' menu (then known as '''My Burnout'''), featuring lap records and completed Takedown Milestones
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