IGN AU writes: "Race Driver: Grid is shaping up to offer quite a compelling experience for both hardcore racing fans and the more arcade inclined, and an integral part of this is the cutting edge tech and visual panache the team are bringing to the title. The game very much picks up where DiRT left off, and we were curious to find out how that tech and aesthetic has been modified and altered for Grid. Ralph Fulton, Chief Games Designer for Race Driver: Grid, was kind enough to answer our questions.
IGN AU: Grid is a stunning looking game. Tell us a little about Ego - what modifications did you make to Neon to create it?
Ralph Fulton: The EGO Engine is basically an evolution of the NEON Engine that powered Colin McRae DiRT. The Engine itself is a continuously evolving and growing multi-platform project that has already had over 3 years of development from our Central Technology unit. For GRID, the main changes have been to allow for features which DiRT didn't have - 20 car grids, night racing, a 24 hour day-to-night cycle for Le Mans - and there have been numerous changes to our lighting and shader systems which mean that GRID is visually stunning. We've also completely rewritten our car damage and deformation system, and implemented a crowd system which allows us to populate each track with up to 40,000 fully modelled, animated spectators. So, there are a lot of improvements!"