I've finished up version 1.0 of the Nascar Arcade setup.
I'll gladly send it to anybody that's interested and I would love for somebody
to add it to one of their web pages.
I found out a few things though that will require a version 2. First I was
running this add-on under muiltiplayer mode in either single player host only
or multiplayer host and clients. Well I found out you can't start the
multiplayer mode unles you have a network card. The reason why I went to
multiplayer even beyond the no-brainer for networking is that it offers
practice and qualifying modes where as quick race does not.
So if you have a network card then this will work for you. If you don't you
can still use this it's just that the settings are tweaked for quick race
mode, they do act differently there, why I don't know. I'll shoot for the end
of next week on the quick race mode.
**Also today I found out the NRO will have arcade mode leagues as well. **
Nascar 2 HQ is also a recommended file to download.
Here's a bit of the incerpt of the Readme file to give you an idea of where
I'm coming from.
Why this program?
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I have been racing Nascar 2 in a network environment regularly since it's
release. I've raced side by side with well over 50 drivers now. Our skill
levels rank from beginner to very good. Now with this add-on there are
benefits for all drivers of all skill levels.
Some of the things I found annoying with stock Nascar 2 in realistic mode:
1. Over aggressive behavior of AI drivers. Either they pull you up high or
cut you down low a bit to often. I've have severely tamed their aggression but
at the same time left a handful of drivers that are a bit temperamental.
Earnhart for example.
2. The pack as a whole varied to much from first to last in terms of racing
speeds. This hurt all racers. I found that a nice balanced race started with
all the cars running near the same speeds. It was very difficult to deal with
back pack traffic when you came up on them so strong, which is most evident in
the corners. To make the back pack competitive you simply didn't have a chance
against the front racers then. So simply adjusting all the skill ratings of
all the drivers closer to one another made a much more controllable and
enjoyable race.
3. In realistic mode I felt the "Line" was to much a make or break situation
in Nascar 2. In many tracks you are severely penalized for not hitting a small
groove. Only the best drivers can hit the groove all the time and no driver
can always hit the groove when another racer takes it from you. At that point
on several tracks the car becomes to unstable for safe driving, braking in
many cases is a possibility but requires one to step heavily into it. By
watching Nascar races myself, those cars always seem stable and smooth for the
most part, you don't see heavy braking on ovals as a standard way of driving.
When racing in Nascar 2 under realistic conditions it is a way of life for the
majority, if not all of us. By jumping to Arcade mode however this makes the
car much more controllable and opens up a wider line to drive. With this wider
line there still is "the best" line to drive, which is now what your fighting
for just like in realistic mode. However if you can't hit it for whatever
reason you can still manage to control the car around a particular turn in
almost all cases. Again this seems more realistic to me as I watch races on
the tube.
4. Braking and there is nothing I can do for it. But it seems there is to much
of a penalty for using the brake even if you use it ever so slightly. Hey
nothing is perfect.
Benefits of driving under this mode.
------------------------------------
1. The races are more competitive than ever either racing in single player
mode or multiplayer mode with AI. The AI is tweaked to typical lap racing
times. Newcomers can jump right in and be able to run much safer laps and
after little time can start giving even a veteran a bit of a push.
2. As a driver you'll be racing in the pack much more and with a great deal
of more confidence. Under the arcade mode the car is more stable when bumping
with other cars, which really helps in a lot of cases. The car can still loose
it so it's not all fluff.
3. Overall the races are much cleaner in regards to wrecking. This alone
greatly enhances the enjoyment especially under multiplayer situations.
4. Your car has more horsepower which allows you to stay in 4th gear at all
of the oval tracks like they do for real. For example Martinsvile and Richmond
were tough tracks to stay in 4th all the way around. Now you can naturally.
With this added horsepower comes to other things one good one maybe not so
good. The good is that you get a further sensation of speed. You'll be
averaging over 200 mph per lap at Charolette as to 180 mph in realistic mode.
The bad is that the speeds aren't realistic with real Nascar racing. This is
the only area where I feel this mode losses a bit of realism, but it's just a
number anyway.
Who is this patch for?
----------------------
Anybody that wants to race a much more controllable car.
Anybody that isn't hell-bent to race realistic for a variety of reasons many a
tad bent.
Anybody that wants more bumper to bumper racing. To get a more real feel of
racing these cars.
Anybody that wants a safer race.
Anybody that has troubles with the road courses.
Anybody who thinks they like arcade racers, but only like them over sims
because the sims are too demanding on an average driver. This add-on gives
those people the best of both worlds. Controllable cars with physics. This is
what Nascar 2 should of been out of the box without going to this length,
plainly stated the gameplay could have been a little tighter.
Rating the tracks
-----------------
1. Richmond at night. It's beautiful and it's very driveable. When in the
clear you don't need to brake. You never need to go to third. Very competitive
bumper to bumper racing. A great ride.
2. Sears Point. With the added traction this track really comes alive. It's
nice to be able to stay right in the middle of the chaos and still look good
on the replays. You should be turning good clean laps between 100-105 mph.
3. Dover. A really smooth small to medium sized super speedway. Just lay on
the gas and take your spots as they come you.
4. Phoenix. This track is really helped by this add-on, second only to
Richmond. Really a fun track to run around with it's little nuances in it.
..