EA WRC Leaves Out Driver Skill Ratings in First Year

EA Sports games are known for their skill ratings that quantify the ability of athletes. However, for the first release of EA WRC, the game will not include driver skill ratings for the licensed teams. This decision was made to avoid the controversy and upset that can arise from reducing a driver’s abilities to a number.

Ross Gowing, the senior creative director at Codemasters, explained that the development team has considered the inclusion of driver ratings and how to do it fairly and meaningfully. However, they decided to focus on building strong relationships with the WRC drivers and teams in the first year of the game.

While the absence of driver skill ratings means that players won’t be able to compare numerical values between drivers, it doesn’t mean that the AI-controlled drivers will perform identically. Codemasters has used data to represent the distinct preferences and proficiencies of each driver. Past performances on different types of stages have influenced the in-game times players will see.

According to Jon Armstrong, a Codemasters game designer and JWRC driver, the game collects data to provide a true representation of the drivers in real life. This means that drivers who excel on certain surfaces or in specific rallies will be reflected in the game. For example, Sebastien Ogier’s expertise in Monte Carlo will likely place him at the front of the field in that rally. On the other hand, Kalle Rovanpera may be the favorite in events like Estonia.

In addition to speed, Codemasters has also incorporated other factors into the AI-controlled drivers’ performance. This includes drivers’ experience with different conditions and the element of luck, such as encountering technical problems. Gowing highlighted that WRC has a variety of locations that require different mindsets and skill sets, allowing drivers to outperform their own expectations in certain scenarios.

The game aims to capture these nuances and make the experience feel organic. It’s not just about outright speed, but also about different behaviors and the chance of encountering damages that can affect a driver’s times in-game. Similar drivers with similar abilities may not always finish in the same position, creating an ebb and flow to the competition.

EA WRC, set to be released on November 3rd, 2023, on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, is now developed using Unreal Engine 5 instead of Codemasters’ proprietary Ego engine. The decision to leave out driver skill ratings in the first year allows the game to focus on building strong relationships with the WRC drivers and teams and aims to provide a more immersive and realistic experience for players.