Hi Jason,
Papy has gone for the option to allow boss mode. If you're lucky and find a
Papy server with 0 drivers logged on, you've got a good chance of becoming
the boss of that server. And then you can select any track you like.
This is btw true for more than just the Papy servers on Sierra in N2002,
although still for less servers than I'd like to see. Several of those
showing 'Setup' for an extended period of time will make you the boss when
you log on, which gives you the power to select a track and start the event.
In general I also agree with you about the ratio of more challenging ovals
to SS or even Coca Cola (argh ;-) is not what I would like it to be. OTOH,
it's not as bad as you describe it. You can frequently find an RC or a
decent oval race, just sometimes you're waiting in vain between.
Although admittedly, since I'm from Europe, I'm on Sierra at times when the
community should be a little more international. I can imagine that for the
serious or less serious American Nascar fans, the big ovals and SS like
Daytona or Talladega are the peak of Nascar racing, just like for Europeans
the Nurburgring or Imola are the 'classic' tracks, so at times when the
visitors to Sierra come mostly from the Americas, maybe the ratio differs
from what I tend to see.
I'd like to add that whenever I see a Martinsville race with 25 or more
drivers in it on the Papy servers, I don't join that either. Or Darlington
with 20+ drivers - those races usually end in carnage without any bad
intentions on the drivers' part :-)
All in all, Sierra is a good fun place for the average player. A serious
racer (or maybe even a serious road circuit racer) though will not find good
races easily. But Sierra wasn't made for that. It's an online facility for
the buyer cross section of N4 and N2002. If we go there, we have to accept
the right of everyone else to use that service and try to enjoy the sim
there the way he wants to enjoy it - seriously, casually, proficiently, less
proficiently... ;-)
Achim
