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Google Maps Driving Simulator Lets You 'Drive' Anywhere
Posted by Jason Chen at 7:45 AM on June 11, 2008
This top-down Google Maps-based driving simulator is one step closer to our ultimate dream: simulated driving on any street, anywhere, based on data available from Google Maps/Google Earth. Geoquake's 2D Flash version may be really simple—you only have a choice of four vehicles and there's no actual collision detection—but it's got the right idea. When someone can take in street data and feed it into a 3D driving engine so we can simulate a trip to the Grand Canyon without leaving our desks, that's when we'll know the future has arrived. [Geoquake]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
CaptLonestar
Posted 8:19 AM 11/6/08
@draiko: Or just plain old GTA... ;)
CaptLonestar
future-proof
Posted 8:17 AM 11/6/08
That got old real fast...
future-proof
nutbastard
Posted 8:17 AM 11/6/08
"When someone can take in street data and feed it into a 3D driving engine so we can simulate a trip to the Grand Canyon without leaving our desks, that's when we'll know the future has arrived."
I've been dreaming of that for ages! i want the roads around my area in a friggin' racing simulator. I've considered several ways of doing this but it's complicated, you would need gps and an accelerometer to "map" the road, as well as a street-view like mobile camera array to get the scenery right.
nutbastard
future-proof
Posted 8:12 AM 11/6/08
This was awesome but is a bus really that unresponsive while going 76MPH? I must test this...
future-proof
daftrok
Posted 8:11 AM 11/6/08
Wow what a useless application. Seriously what's the point? Here's my simulator (mouses over map). WOW! ITS THE FUTURE!
daftrok
Simpsons-Movie-ruled
Posted 8:05 AM 11/6/08
@erichg14: I needed to find a mall near houston and I founded just by driving around in this simulator. Sooo umm it helped me practice the route i was going to take.
Well I technically dont have a drivers license yet but watever u get my point.
Simpsons-Movie-ruled
draiko
Posted 8:02 AM 11/6/08
oOOoooo... it looks like GTA 2 :)
draiko
drewheyman
Posted 7:58 AM 11/6/08
the car doesn't have power steering. it's like driving a slinky.
drewheyman
erichg14
Posted 7:55 AM 11/6/08
And the point of this would be...?
erichg14
ripfire
Posted 7:55 AM 11/6/08
Why didn't GTA do this before?
ripfire
Simpsons-Movie-ruled
Posted 7:55 AM 11/6/08
AHHH that was awesome.
I was driving everywhere!!!!! Inside buildngs and whatnot.
very coolio yo
Simpsons-Movie-ruled
AllThingsWireless
Posted 7:53 AM 11/6/08
I want this on my phone like YESTERDAY!
AllThingsWireless
golferal
Posted 9:06 AM 11/6/08
This was lame. It might be cool if it used Google Street View, but it blows as is.
golferal
Eric Merrill
Posted 8:47 AM 11/6/08
@Simpsons-Movie-ruled: "Mom! It's quicker if we just drive south, straight, through buildings."
I'm going to drive the semi through Tokyo and take out my Dekotora rage.
Eric Merrill
guoruiwu1994
Posted 8:44 AM 11/6/08
bug discovered: To go as fast as you want, just reverse. Forward is limited to 120MPH, going backwards is not, you will gradually go faster, and faster.
guoruiwu1994
givemeausername
Posted 8:42 AM 11/6/08
Cool!!! They finally improvewd something that Microsoft had since 2005: [preview.local.live.com]
givemeausername
Soulxside
Posted 9:32 AM 11/6/08
wake me when there are consequences for hitting cars or buildings
Soulxside
Simpsons-Movie-ruled
Posted 9:13 AM 11/6/08
@Eric Merrill: That really made me laugh out loud for several minutes.
Kudos* to you.
(*what does Kudos mean anyways?)
Simpsons-Movie-ruled
SLUSHIE
Posted 9:52 AM 11/6/08
Tops out at 120km/h going forwards, but I went over 325km/h in reverse.
SLUSHIE
Vindicare86
Posted 10:14 AM 11/6/08
@SLUSHIE: it topped out at about 200 for me, while I was driving on the Potomac river.
Vindicare86
MagnoliaBoy
Posted 10:06 AM 11/6/08
GTA 5 please.
MagnoliaBoy
trendspotter
Posted 2:54 PM 11/6/08
This is the best news of the week! This is going to be wayyy better than my Google Maps satelite view summer road-tripping (at work). Last week I took the train from DC to NYC from my desk...
trendspotter
Mr.Wilson
Posted 3:22 PM 11/6/08
Well, I liked it for a bit, then I got pissed off how hard it is to drive it. Steering's only good for if you're trying to fake parking the thing! And the non-Google version of this seems a lot more well polished.
Mr.Wilson
mangochutney
Posted 6:22 PM 11/6/08
This is like GTA 2 "for the rest of us".
mangochutney
Narfmaster
Posted 6:34 PM 11/6/08
Does anybody think that it's a bit un-pc, considering recent events regarding someone driving through Tokyo some what recklessly, that the default place is Tokyo?
Narfmaster
quikboy
Posted 8:17 PM 11/6/08
Microsoft has already done this.
[preview.local.live.com]
quikboy
bms
Posted 10:57 PM 11/6/08
That has to be one of the worst driving simulators ever. You can drive through buildings and the controls stink.
bms
Viva La Volvo
Posted 11:49 PM 11/6/08
I can do 99mph, but in reverse i can do over 200, my logic is baffled.
Viva La Volvo
berribrand
Posted 3:50 AM 12/6/08
Can I drive a buggy taxi in Mexico turning 2 physical lanes into a 5-lane super boulevard?
berribrand
Zanderkinn
Posted 4:16 PM 12/6/08
eh, this was in simcity 4. Except that I got to build my own tracks, and drive some ridiculous vehicles
Zanderkinn
codemagic
Posted 10:13 AM 11/6/08
Wow, it's like I never left L.A! If only we could get everyone else to take their cars out of L.A. and just drive on the Google Maps Simulator....
codemagic
jiveabillion
Posted 10:05 AM 11/6/08
All it needs now is multi-player and a white bronco so I can pretend to be O.J. while you guys chase me down the highway.
jiveabillion
justmonkey23
Posted 9:18 AM 11/6/08
top speed going forward 120...going in reverse is 331
justmonkey23
101gfx
Posted 9:11 AM 11/6/08
[www.phatfusion.net]
Been done. And that has collision testing. But no aerial view.
101gfx