rec.autos.simulators

I received the following query from someone yesterday regarding in-cockpit
views for DTR:

=====

Tell me this isn't true!  I have heard that gamers in Australia (beta
testers maybe?) are saying that DTR does not have an in-car view.  Please
tell me this isn't so, because I just can't bear to drive using the chase
view.

-- Concerned in Connecticut

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Don't worry, "Concerned" (and anybody else who is hearing the same) -- I
queried RatBag about this issue a while back, and here was the response I
received:

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John,

In answer to your email, DTR is definitely a sim. We have spent a lot of
time working on the physics, in consulation with professional dirt track
drivers
here in Australia. Some US professionals are also testing the game for us.
We
think this is the most important part of a sim. DTR will have all the
vehicle
settings that pit crews adjust before and during race meets. Finally, we'll
be
simulating the change in track surface as the race meet progresses - the
hard groove
that appears and the track drying out.

Yes, we do have plans for a***pit view. We've been following the newsgroup
discussion and have decided that this would satisfy the sim fans. However,
we are giving priority to the above simulation factors. We don't want to
sacrifice these elements of dirt track racing to support the presence of a
steering
wheel and driver's arms for example.

Cheers, Greg
______________________________________________________________
Greg Siegele, CEO
Ratbag Pty Ltd

-----

There you have it.  Given this response from RatBag, I'm sure the Australian
"source" is neither a beta-tester nor an informed source.  Remember, don't
believe the *** rumors you hear (unless you hear them from ME first! <G>).

-- John Bodin
    Publisher, The IRL Insider Magazine
    http://www.racesimcentral.net/

  I hope so, i'd think in regards to being a simulation an incar view is
just as important as the car "feeling" real. Viewing the car from the
outside as its pitching/yawing/rolling doesnt give as much feedback as it
does from the drivers seat. Ive always felt like a fireman steering the rear
of a big ladder truck from the "arcade" view <g>. I also dont think that
seeing a steering wheel and drivers arms moving is very important and a
waste of fps. Ofcourse this is all my opinion, feel free to disagree.

       CJB

newsgroup discussion and have decided that this would satisfy the sim fans.
However, we are giving priority to the above simulation factors. We don't
want to sacrifice these elements of dirt track racing to support the
presence of a steering wheel and driver's arms for example.

Cheers, Greg

Greg Siegele, CEO
Ratbag Pty Ltd