You guys have hit a homerun with MP. However, something needs to be
changed. I hear an aweful lot of bickering during and after races about
one driver hitting another. This leads to making permanant enemies and
on-going hard feelings. I believe 90% of these incidents are not
intentional. I also believe a vast majority of these racing accidents
are door-to-door contact related. The problem is this: It is just too
hard to judge distance objectively with the three way mirror. A
difference of 10 to 15 feet might translate to only a couple of pixels
on the screen in SVGA mode. I'm sure that some drivers have no problem
with this because of 100's of hours of experience. But they don't
represent the core market profile you will need to satisfy for MP to be
profitable. I consider myself a fanatic yet I get so frustrated after
going through qualifying and wrecking someone or someone wrecking me on
the first lap, I jerk the phone line out of the wall. To make matters
worse, I make a permanant enemy or two.
Here is a possible solution:
In NASCAR 2, support hardware such as iglassess virtual reality headsets
which would allow the driver to turn his head and directly look at the
opponent next to him, thereby improving judgement to a level equal to
viewing an opponent through the windshield. Prices are high now but that
would change with increased demand. Most importantly the pleasure
derived from the sim would outweigh the frustrations and loss of
friendship.
Thanks,
RC