This past Friday the developers of Motorstorm, Evolution Studios, did a Q&A session with members of the official Sony boards about the upcoming PS3 game. A variety of topics were covered from online play to vehicle options and future additions. Here is part one the transcript of that chat:

illini psp: when is the game coming out?
Nature_Boy: To illini psp Hi there. MotorStorm will be released on March 6th.

joshbarker44: Will the U.S version of Motorstorm have a multiplayer offline feature?
bANGERnomics: To joshbarker44 The US version is focusing on the online multiplayer mode. We have 12 concurrent players in any vehicle class competing in a brutal race to the finish line. If you like the offline demo, you'll love the online - real people are so much fun to crash into.

Monsignor: In regard to the Havoc Engine, how has this engine enable you to do things that previous engines were limited to.
RushyUK: To Monsignor The Havok engine in conjunction with the Cell processor has allowed us to integrate advanced physics into MotorStorm on a scale that hasn't been seen before. It's the sheer amount of things that we can do at once which has impressed us most about Havok and the PS3.

wizardentity: Will the game run in 720p or 1080p and at 30 0r 60 fps?
RushyUK: To wizardentity The game will run in 720p at 30 frames per second.

Kalelx2x2: Hey guys, Will the Online partion of the game feature voice chat via bluetooth headset?
Nature_Boy: To Kalelx2x2 Online mode will most certainly feature voice chat via both USB or Blue tooth headsets. It's great fun teasing your friends aftyer you have just wiped them out ;o)

tRySt: Will there be downloadable content after the game is released? Such as vehicles, tracks, etc.
Nature_Boy: To tRySt Downloadable content is a must for MotorStorm. You can expect much more than just vehicles or tracks. Keep your eyes peeled for more info soon!!

ray_xcoolx: What made you decide the name of the game?
OldSpot: To ray_xcoolx Wow, thats a tricky one, it seems like such a long time ago! it was the idea that came first not the name, so we spent ages looking for something that fitted. initially we wanted to call it Stampede, because, well that's just what the game kinda is. Only problem is it just didn't have a ring to it. To cut a long story short, we sweated for ages over the name until MotorStorm came along, which just kinda seemed right.

ks_hunter: What is the max amount of players in an online race?
OldSpot: To ks_hunter You can wipe the floor with up to twelve total players online.

rodband: Will there be offline multiplayer when the game is released in march?
Nature_Boy: To rodband Hi, at launch the offline mode will be single player only.

Da Kid B: How soon can we expect downloadable content?
OldSpot: To Da Kid B There is plenty of DLC on it's way, but you guys have got the whole game to look forward to first.

Wip3ou7: Will MotorStorm ever feature any type of remote-play functionality with the PSP such as a live orbit camera or rearview mirror?
Nature_Boy: To Wip3ou7 Motorstorm does not feature any PSP connectivity.

gnx231: will the game have downloadable online content?
Nature_Boy: To gnx231 Motorstorm will indeed feature downloadable online content. The exact details of which will be released in the very near future

JDplasma11: One thing I feel important to address is the CG trailer shown at E3 05. How do you guys feel about that? Did it give you guys a benchmark to reach, add pressure to make the game great, or was it just unnecessary pressure on you to live up to it?
bANGERnomics: To JDplasma11 The MotorStorm trailer was a great thing for us really. At Evolution, we always aim to model the real world, not just make our game look better than other games. This shows with the World Rally games we made for PS2 also. Targeting a high benchmark is part of our culture - think big or go home.

zspeed: First off, although it may be premature, but congratulations to Sony and the Evolution crew for a truly masterful piece of software. Is Evolution considering a sequel to Motorstorm, perhaps using the latest version of the Havok physics engine? Also, will online updates for enhancements be available for Motorstorm? Thanks!
OldSpot: To zspeed Thanks for the kind words! We're definitely considering development of a sequal, and we'll certainly be working closely with Havok in the future. See the previous answer about online updates.

doozman: How many players will be supported by the game?
Nature_Boy: To doozman MotorStorm is 1 player offline and up to 12 players online

Xrob_edgeX: i saw a video of a view inside the vehicle where mad splatters on the winshield and the wipers clean it off, will this be in the game?
RushyUK: To Xrob_edgeX Yes it will. The game features 2 camera views for each of the vehicles. All the driven vehicles (Buggies, Big Rigs etc...) include a third person camera and a first person camera. The ridden vehicles(ATV & Bike) have two different 1st person cameras.

Dustin_Bowls: I noticed a great Nirvana track on the Demo. Are there any other big names lined up for the soundtrack?
OldSpot: To Dustin_Bowls Loads of ace tunes on the sountrack, we've got Slipknot, Queens of the Stone Age, Wolfmother, Primal Scream, and my personal favorite, the Reverand Horton Heat. Super fast psychobilly at its finest!

0rin: has the game had any *dramatic* graphic changes since the japanese versions release?
Nature_Boy: To 0rin The game has undergone numerous minor tweaks but the biggest improvement you will see is the inclusion of 12 player online play

jaxmkii: Do you have any plans for a open roaming track as a downloader for PS store?
Nature_Boy: To jaxmkii There are no plans at this time for an open roaming track for PS Store

Terminator 101: Will there be AI cars when playing on-line?
RushyUK: To Terminator 101 MotorStorm Online will allow you to compete with up to 11 others players on any track, with any vehicle combination but AI will not be featured whlist playing online.

Pyrros: One Sony Exec says 1080, another Sony Exec say 720p, What is the Official Resolution? No one seems to be on the same page.
Nature_Boy: To Pyrros I can confirm MotorStorm runs at 720p

pitbul13: How much of the PS3's capacity are you using with this game?
bANGERnomics: To pitbul13 We are using all of the SPU processors and all of the memory. We also use most of the Blu-Ray disk (thank god its not a DVD!). We are confident however that we can still sqeeze a great deal more out of the PS3 and as we found by making World Rally Championship for PS2 every yeat for 5 years, doubling the visual through put is not unusual on EVERY ITTERATION!) - yes, it even amazes us!

Continued in part 2