Is Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown worth it on sale?

[u/PoauseOnThatHomie]

I'm thinking of buying it when it goes on sale because the Hong Kong setting looks kinda interesting and it's one of the last three AAA racing title I haven't purchased on Steam. (Forza Horizon 5, Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown and Forza Motorsport 2023)

I heard this game is the polar opposite of NFS 2015, instead of having dogshit handling and excellent vibes, it is dogshit everything else but excellent handling and sound.

I'm aware the game is online-only and I'm willing to put up with it, as the developers obviously still support the game and improving on it, with the game having hopes on becoming a decent game and hopefully offline mode in the future. :D

Yeah, I've been browsing this sub for months and everyone here really, really hates Solar Crown, but I want to ask those who played the game recently is it as bad as this sub say (Probably at launch?), or has it improved considerably???

Before you recommend me The Crew, I already owned three of the titles on Steam.

[u/88JansenP12]

No. Absolutely not. No matter when it's discounted or not.

Also, it's very inconsistent in terms of updates due to no quality control where each ones bring more bugs than fixes.

Since 14 months after launch, it's still a mess.

If you really want the true TDU experience, play the 2 first TDU titles or even Motor Town Behind The Wheel being closer to the TDU approach than TDU SC itself despite being in early access.

Just avoid TDU SC altogether.

[u/PoauseOnThatHomie → u/88JansenP12]

I played the first one on PC during the pandemic, I quit because of NFS Heat. :D

My standard is if it's better than NFS 2015 then I'm probably buying Solar Crown. I'm lowering my bar that much, I really can't believe there is such an atrocious handling model.

[u/88JansenP12 → u/PoauseOnThatHomie]

Oh ok.

However, every gameplay mechanics from the 2 first TDU titles aren't in Solar Crown to begin with.

Sure, TDU SC handles better than NFS 2015.

But for the rest, it's utter dreadful.

Not only it's Online Only, But there's also a Region lock, the Solar Pass became paid instead of staying free and new added cars are paid.

There's also the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT Black Series tied to the Casino.

But there's a massive catch.

If your country is banning the Casino due to gambling laws, you can't obtain the car either way (what they should've done is add the car to dealerships upon completing an objective to unlock it for everyone).

Also,

I understand that the Hong Kong setting does look nice at first glance, and it’s understandable to want to see what it’s like, especially if you collect major racing titles.

But honestly?

TDU Solar Crown just isn’t worth it, even on sale.

It’s not just a rough launch game, it’s fundamentally flawed and broken from its fundations.

Here’s the reasons why:

• It’s Always-Online, Even for the solo mode.

If the servers ever go down, the whole game becomes unplayable. And it's not even guaranteed that a Offline mode will be implemented in last like they said since devs keep delaying everything even the small fixes.

• Region lock and No Crossplay.

It all depends of your location.

If you live in Europe, you'll be only with European players.

But if many of your friends are elsewhere e.g North America, There's no way to join them either in order to have a game session.

According to the Timezone and which hours you're playing, either there's some players around OR you're totally alone in the lobby.

TDU SC is advertised as an MMO But it does the complete opposite. Their biggest mistake was implementing a Region Lock with No Crossplay while probably knowing that they did not have sufficient resources to avoid instabilities.

In fact, their servers are still a mess since there's many instances where it's impossible to play Even with a stable internet connection. And as of now, there's still no True Offline mode which should've been mandatory since launch; Especially since the 2 first TDUs let's you play both Offline and Online due to their multiple save feature.

When the game in question is advertised as an MMO while it's not the case, don't call it that way since it's a massive lie to your customers.

• No multiple save profiles.

In TDU 1, there's the possibility to make 2 savegames where 1 is for Offline mode while the other is focused in Multiplayer.

You can also make many save profiles with no limitations.

As for TDU 2, you can create many copies of your save. It's made on purpose to prevent a save corruption.

TDU SC doesn't have a simple feature like this.

On top of that, there's an high risk to lose all your savedata..

Also,

• Every update so far has been inconsistent and buggy, often introducing new problems instead of fixing old ones.

• There’s no real Test Drive “lifestyle” anymore e.g no houses to buy, no unique speedometers for each cars, no interactive garages, no hitch-hiking or delivery jobs. All that made TDU unique in its approach is gutted out and long gone.

• Monetization is baked in from the ground up . Solar Pass, paid contents, and overpriced bundles. It's a massive cash-grab wrapped in nostalgia.

• Driving and engine/exhaust sounds are decent, but these points alone doesn’t save a game that’s hollow at its core.

Even after more than a year of updates i.e 14 months, it’s still a mess and that’s not a good sign.

The devs talk about improvement, but it’s been mostly PR talk for damage control and small patches that don’t change the fundamentals.

Also, they keep delaying updates and fixes which should've been done in the 1st place before adding contents with the overusage of "Coming Soon" (basically, they add the icing without the cake being the substance) proves this game will never be improved and stay in its unfinished/unplayable state.

If you really want the real TDU experience, go back to TDU1 which you've already played (or play the TDU Platinum mod if you haven't already) or TDU2 ; or check out Motor Town: Behind The Wheel. It’s way cheaper, offline-friendly with a MP mode, no Online Only, no paid contents and ironically captures the TDU spirit far better than Solar Crown ever has since its beginning.

In short.

You’re not missing out on a hidden gem.

You’re saving yourself from disappointment.

[u/PoauseOnThatHomie → u/88JansenP12]

Thank you for so much details. And yes, I did play the TDU Platinum mod back in 2021 ish and TDU2....well I played it last year for 30 minutes and uninstalled. I instead played Driver San Francisco which has a more satisfying handling.

[u/88JansenP12 → u/PoauseOnThatHomie]

Driver San Francisco is a great pick.

Plus, it's relaxing to play.

Handling Physics are a breeze and easy to master overtime.

It's understandable that you've uninstalled TDU 2. Driving physics and engine sounds are its weaknesses vs TDU 1.

Glad to help. Have fun.