Quebec City gets the Bizarre Treatment in the highly-anticipated Project Gotham Racing 4

Canada represents in a big way for the upcoming Project Gotham Racing 4, and this time “la Belle Provence” is the star of the show as Quebec City gets its own “track”.  I caught up with Bizarre Creations Lead Environment Artist and honorary Canadian Derek Chapman to find out more about my new favourite level in PGR 4. 

Jade: Tell the Canadian community a bit about yourself, the man that immortalized Quebec City in PGR 4.

Derek Chapman: Well, I’m 36 and from pretty much right here in Liverpool.  I’ve been at Bizarre Creations for over 8 years now, after gaining an MSc in Computer-Aided Graphical Technology Applications (CAGTA for short) from the University of Teesside.

Jade: Besides traveling the world looking for the best cities to feature in PGR 4, what is your role at Bizarre Creations? 

Derek: I’m a Lead Environment Artist, which means in my eight years since joining Bizarre I have focused on creating the sexy environments you love to race in for the game.  I have worked on every PGR from beginning to end.

Jade: Tell us about some of the new features in PGR 4?

Derek: We have new cities and vehicles for you to race with this time around. Our city selection is much more varied than it was in PGR3 (from Old Quebec right through to the bustle of Shanghai). Also our vehicle selection this time is based on “iconic” vehicles… not just the rule that fastest is best.

We haven’t announced all of our new features yet; but one of the better ones we can talk about is our new dynamic weather system. You’ll see fog, rain, and even snow drift in whilst you race. In Quebec, the snow is particularly important, as are the frozen puddles it brings to the race surface!

Jade: What is your favourite new track in PGR 4 and why?

Derek: Well of course it would have to be Quebec.  It’s really fun to play, and the fact that I modeled the roads gives me a much-needed advantage.

Jade: I know a few gamers from Quebec City ready to take you on!  As the designer of the Quebec track, how long did you spend in Quebec City detailing the level?

Derek: We did an initial 5 day trip in February 2006 just to see if it was feasible to use in our game.  It was covered in snow and very cold but so amazing.  Then we went back in May for 15 days.  It was much warmer then, although there were still some patches of thick snow in the park.

Jade: Yes, the snow tends to really stick around – it’s why we go so crazy during the summer weather in CanadaJ   What are some of your favourite details about the Quebec track?  What do Canadians have to look forward to when driving through the streets?

Derek: The area we have focused on pretty much has 4 distinct styles:

• There’s the old town with its narrow, windy streets and sometimes extreme elevations.
• The more modern district with its long straights (great for getting up to top speed).
• The park (Parc des Champs de Bataille) with its long, sweeping bends.
• Then there’s the flat streets of the harbor area with the Naval Reserve Headquarters.

The roads in the old town are my favorite, racing through the wall’s archways and along the Rue des Remparts and Cote de la Montagne.  Then of course there’s the architecture! From the old stone buildings to the incredible Chateau Frontenac, it’s just such a beautiful place.

Jade: You are winning friends in Quebec Derek!  What was the best part of spending time in Quebec, any favourite foods, experiences, entertainment, sites you saw?

Derek: The whole atmosphere of the place was incredible.  The food was fantastic.  Breakfasts in our hotel were amazing.  We got the chance to eat in so many restaurants.  We also enjoyed the jazz bands in the hotel bar!

Then there were the very early starts, just after sunrise, where breakfast was a cup of coffee and a Krispy Kreme donut from the Petro Canada on the corner of Rue Dalhousie and Quai St Andre.  We’d eat them sat on the bench outside in the cold and then start taking photos.

Jade: For all that, you definitely deserve the title of honorary Canadian.  So how will you be spending Canada Day?

Derek: Well it’s more than likely that I’ll be here in the office trying to get things looking as good as possible in virtual Quebec. Yes, even though it’s a Sunday!

Derek!   We can’t bear the thought of the person who immortalized Quebec City in PGR 4 working so hard on Canada Day.  But it is a noble sacrifice for those of us dying to race through the streets of the city.  Tim Horton’s coffee and donuts are on their way to you to make the day a bit more tolerable.  Thanks for the PGR 4 love!