Branded Cultural

BMW

P.A.C.E Pursuit Across Europe

Berlin, Germany

P.A.C.E - overview

An engaging driving game across Europe’s cityscapes.

P.A.C.E. is a journey spanning fifteen chapters. Starting in Lisbon, players pass through Paris and Berlin before reaching their final destination of Prague. Fallen bridges along the way must be jumped at just the right speed in order to land safely on the other side. Take hidden shortcuts by crashing through billboards or cruise past street-side cafés in style!

The garage

Z4 entering Lissabon.
Pace Titel

Watercolours and advanced flash for building an incredible world.

The artwork for P.A.C.E. is probably one of the best we have done so far. The car chase across Europe (Lisbon - Paris - Berlin - Prague) takes place in a visionary parallel world. The special impression of black and white watercolours, assembled and mapped onto 3D elements, unifies the mixture of film sequences and game animations. The result is an abstract world, strange and familiar at the same time, combining the finest illustrations with the most advanced Flash programming technique. Most distinct in this sense seems the wonderful old garage in which the user can upgrade his vehicle with BMW′s finest innovations. The elements of the game, even the specially composed sound, transport one message: this isn′t a game, it is one of the most beautiful movies you′ve seen and - by the way - you are acting the leading part.

  • Lissabon entrance, Watercolor.
  • Dirk's office space at the time.
  • Caught by the police in chapter 12.

The artwork beyond BMW world and city details.

Faced with the challenge of creating a high-end sportive experience that reflected BMW’s premium identity, we decided to go for an illustration style that was bound to leave its mark. Every plant, every street corner, and every facade was hand-painted by Dirk over more than six months.

Passing the Central Cafe.
Race through Berlin.
Hand painted view over Paris.

Post production refinement with watercolours effects.

Watercolours images were mapped onto 3D geometry for the movie sequences and reused in the 3D game engine, drawing two very different technologies together seamlessly. The game’s strong shadows were applied in post production, creating an effect reminiscent of Edward Hopper.

Dirk's office space at the time.
Studio Hamburg, Artwork.
Race track in flash.
The illustration of a tower detail.

Using cameras and perspective switch to build up the game.

P.A.C.E. pushed the boundaries of gaming technology at the time of its creation. Its artful illustration style and fluent transitions between the game engine and film sequences were complemented by the installation of external cameras. This feature enabled players to watch scenes from different perspectives by switching cameras and included a central perspective, replay mode and car view.

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