that affects both its appearance and physics. Specific weapons can be destroyed to make them unusable, and tires can be popped to alter the vehicle's handling. There is also collision detection with the rendered world, as colliding with any object (such as buildings, signs, ledges, or other vehicles) can cause damage to the vehicle. There are four play modes available in the game: the "T.R.I.P." (an acronym for "Total Recreational Interactive Production"), which follows the game's protagonists in an episodic story; "Multi Melee", an online deathmatch version of the game; "Auto Melee", a deathmatch with computer-driven cars; and "Scenarios", short free-standing adventures featuring the game's protagonists. Before the "Scenarios", "Auto Melee", and "Multi Melee" modes (and in-between missions during the "T.R.I.P." mode), players can choose a wide array of weapons and accessories based on their preference, and can also alter the vehicle's parts such as engines, brakes, and tires. Players can also distribute the weight and chassis of the vehicle, altering its armor and overall stability. All of the modes, except for "T.R.I.P.", also allow players to choose what vehicle to drive. The game's vehicles are faithful reproductions of various cars and trucks from the era, both in appearance and driving characteristics, though the names have been changed for licensing issues. Development The game is based on the engine used for Activision's MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat. Lead designer Zack Norman recounted: "The idea came from a desire to use the Mech [Warrior] II technology to the next level and make a real action-simulation hybrid - a vehicle action simulation - but also infuse it with a style and a soul that hadn't been exploited before". The inspiration to set the game in the 1970s came when Norman was contemplating using his bonus from MechWarrior 2 to buy a 1970s muscle car. The developers eschewed the convention of using more detailed models for cutscenes, preferring that the game remain stylistically consistent across the interactive and non-interactive portions. Considerable modification of the MechWarrior 2 engine was needed, as director Sean Vesce explained: "If you look at the Mech II engine, it had a long and difficult history, developed by a large team of programmers over the course of two or three years under the direction of several producers, with a lot of trials and tribulations before it went out the door. As you can imagine, the technology was held together with