decided to get it and try it out for myself. What is to follow is my
evaluation of this game, and how it performed on my computer.
I really, really wanted to like this game. Visually, it is stunning. I
went into this evaluation with a open mind, ready to allow it to take me
over, or flop, on it's own merits.
I did not go into this trying to grade it as a Simulation OR an Arcade
Racer. I tried to look at it as it's own entity.
First, this is the configuration of the computer that I tested the
program on:
Home-Built
ASUS P2B Motherboard
Intel Pentium II 450Mhz - True speed, not overclocked, 4.5 X 100
128MB RAM
11GB UDMA (Maxtor)
36X CD-ROM (Digital)
Diamond Monster II - Latest Drivers
Diamond Viper V550 RivaTNT - Latest Drivers
Windows 98
DirectX 6.1
Installation
------------
Installation, from the time I double-clicked on the Setup Icon, to the
time I was returned to the Desktop, was 4 minutes. 370MB worth of data
is installed on the hard drive.
Comments - There should be other install options. I am not complaining
at all about the install time or size, but not everyone has the hardware
resources available that I do.
Stability
---------
No stability problems were noted. However, I never did get the
rear-view mirror to work, so there are bugs in the game.
Graphics
--------
No one can argue that Nascar Revolution is one of the greatest pieces of
Eye Candy that has come out in a while. The use of 3D, including
shading, reflections, etc... are outstanding.
Comments - It's over-done, and the game suffers because of it. See
below...
Physics
-------
I ran everything in what EA calls "Sim" mode.
I ran everything from 'Cockpit' view. Anything else is unrealistic and
I'm not interested in it.
As for true-to-life Physics, there are none. This is not a sim. The
car settings have nothing to do with reality.
Comments - I tried two tracks, widely different in scope.
Talladega - you can't crash. No matter what you do to the settings.
Just floor it, and turn the wheel when appropriate. I swung settings
wildly from one extreme to the other. While subtle differences could be
felt, true, realistic modifications to the cars behaviour were not
present.
Bristol - Talk about a push! I cranked all the wieght to the left,
including crossweight and wedge, and I could NOT loosen this car up. It
always pushes up in the apex of the turn.
The AI cars do not seem to suffer from these problems...
There is absolutely ZERO realism here. None. Nada.
The steering feels completely detached from the car. It's not linear,
and it's not non-linear. Frankly, I can't tell what the hell it is.
There appears to be no wheel spin. You can't spin this car out from a
stand-still no matter how hard you try. Dale Earnhardt would be greatly
dissapointed.
Performance
-----------
As I mentioned above, the graphics in NasRev are the best you will
currently see. Unfortunately, I think that is the games un-doing.
Performance, even on a high end machine like mine, is deplorable. To
get ANY sensation of speed at all, I had to change to 640X480
resolution, and turn off ALL graphic options. This problem is more
noticeable at large tracks like Taladega.
Even with everything de-tuned as far as possible, you still can't see
more than 1/2 lap ahead. The turns don't draw until you are about 1/4
lap away from them at Dega. It's kinda funny, you can see the AI cars
running off the edge of the track, like it's a bridge that hasn't been
completed yet, before the track is finally rendered underneath of them!
At 1024X768 or higher, the game is UNPLAYABLE. At least in any fashion
that would offer any enjoyment.
There is no difference between Glide or RivaTNT play. Both are equally
bad.
I dare say, even a VooDoo 2 SLI setup would have a hard time presenting
a game that is enjoyable.
Folks, I think it's more than just over-done graphics, though. The fact
that the game provides little speed sensation even with everything
turned off indicates to me that there are underlying design and
technical problems with the graphics engine used in NasRev. For crying
out loud, I'm running a 450Mhz PII and the fastest general purpose 3D
*** video cards in existance!
Sound
-----
Not bad, but the engine sounds seem tame to me.
Comments - Do the announcers ever shut the hell up?
It wouldn't be so bad if they were having coherent conversations, but
geez, they say things in random order! At one point, Ned said the
_same_ thing three times in a 30 second period!
Fun Factor
----------
There is none. This game has so many technical and performance
problems, it is totally beyond me how ANYONE could get any enjoyment out
of playing it.
As I said in the beginning, I really wanted to like this game. It has
the _potential_ of providing some real entertainment, but in it's
current form it goes beyond falling flat. It makes you want to remove
it from your hard drive 30 minutes after you install it.
Value
-----
From a scale of 1 to 10, it's a 1. And that's being forgiving. Folks,
it borders on criminal that EA is charging $40 for this software. It
belongs in the bargain-bin at $9.95.
In Closing
----------
Folks, this game makes me sad. It makes me sad that good people
(programmers) obviously spent a large chunk of their lives creating this
software. I'm sure that these people really poured their hearts into
the project. I simply cannot understand what went wrong here. I can't
believe that, early in development, these issues weren't forseen. Or
that they were forseen, and ignored, by EA.
Was it marketing pressures from EA? I have to believe that the
programmers were shaking their heads to the very last minute saying
"Boss, it AIN'T READY YET", but they were forced to go Golden Master
anyway. I can't think of a single programmer that would be happy
letting a program in the state that NasRev is in go out the door.
To the programmers - I thank you for your efforts, but I think your
journey has just begun. I don't think you were given the time to
optimize NasRev the way you would like to see it, and the way WE would
like to see it. I can only hope that EA will realize what they have
done and give you the time, and resources, to rectify this sad state of
affairs and allow you to finish your work.
Your work is not unappreciated. You just aren't done yet :)
So, save your money. EA hasn't provided a compelling product. They
have provided a defective, er, scratch that. They have provided an
unfinished product.
To the simmers out there (of which I am one), you will not be happy with
this game due to it's poor physics, ineffective car setup, and
non-existant steering feel. The total lack of speed sensation also
kills it.
To the gammers out there (of which I am also one), you will not be happy
with this game because the performance factors prevent any sense of
e***ment or fun.
And, in closing, I feel ripped off. Not by the programmers. By EA for
selling this product before it was finished. Version 2.0 had _better_
be free.
-Larry