Thanks for the plug, Jay! <G> I posted this a while back -- they're
now beyond release 1.0, and they've added in tire scrub effects, so you
can "hear" your grip going away a bit better now. There seem to have
been some other subtle changes to the physics, too, since I first
posted this -- all for the better, thankfully.
FYI, this is definitely NOT a re-hash of the old ABC Indy Racing
title. I have that on my hard drive still (hey, I need an IRL fix
before each race, okay?), and I've done back-to-back comparisons, and
although the tracks and graphics look similar, they are definitely two
different beasts (which is neither good nor bad, actually). Anyway,
here was my basic take on Net Race Live:
----------------
I was in on the closed beta testing, and the 1.0 release that's now
available seems to be somewhat improved. Here's my quick take:
I have to classify Net Race Live as a simulation -- not a "sim" per se,
but a SIMULATION (and there is a difference). GPL, N3, DTR, NFSPU, and
Viper Racing are all good examples of a sim, in that they simulate a
full physics model, plus good audio and visual cues. Net Race Live
simulates some physics, but there is no allowance for you to make ANY
adjustments, either from a "garage"-type tuning standpoint, or from an
in-cockpit "on-the-fly"-type weight jacking method. The visuals are
good (kind of reminds me of ICR2 Rendition version) and the sound is
also okay, too. Add all this up, and Net Race Live doesn't quite
qualify as a "sim" in the way that GPL does, but it does do a GREAT job
of simulating the Indy Racing Northern Lights EXPERIENCE -- the lap
times, the vehicles' rate of acceleration, the handling, and the time
to pass another car all add up to a very convincing experience.
As a sim racer, the driving model itself may feel a bit arcade-like,
but the fact that I know I'm hunting down Robbie Buhl in the last 12
laps of the Walt Disney World race, for example, makes it very
compelling and immersive for me, and it starts to feel pretty darn
realistic after a couple of laps. PLUS, because of the fact that I know
how the various drivers responded in the actual race, I find it very
immersive as I try to hunt down each of the lap leaders to put myself
in a position for a win. It's much cooler than you think when you
first realize that you just pulled off a pass against Buddy Lazier's
ACTUAL "car," rather than some semi-convincing AI representation of his
possible responses. My first thought was, "This is going to seem
canned and completely uncompelling," but after the first lap, that
thought never entered my head again.
This is the part I really like about Net Race Live, in fact -- at the
moment, all you can do for free is either qualify or you can do the
last 12 laps of a race (WDW only, so far -- unless they added some
stuff today). This works like the "Beat the Heat" feature in the
upcoming "NASCAR Heat" title. The downside is that there doesn't seem
to be any AI involved -- you basically get inserted into the race, then
you have to work around the other cars, and sometimes you have to avoid
them.
Keep in mind that with Net Race Live, you're not actually racing
against AI cars at all -- you're actually racing against the recorded
telemetry from the IRL's Walt Disney World race. The speed,
positioning, and actions of Cheever, Goodyear, Salazar, Ray, Calkins,
and Buhl in the "game" are all actually reproductions of their
telemetry recorded from the actual race, which is why they don't react
to you, nor can you affect them. It's as if they plopped you down in a
car and stuck you into the race -- you cannot change the finishing
order, unless you happen to come in ahead of any or all of the "AI"
cars -- you can wreck, but you can't cause others to wreck. It can be
frustrating if you get slow in front of someone, for example, because
they will just ram you, with no ramifications for them (that is, you
can't cause them to spin, wreck, hesitate, wobble, etc., but you CAN do
all these things, and contact with the "AI" car IS possbile). A "no
collisions" mode or "ghost" mode would have been nice, perhaps, to help
eliminate this problem.
I was only able to get my controller (a Thrustmaster Super Sport, at
the moment) to work in single-axis mode, and the control setup is not
all that intuitive -- I had to fiddle with the sensitivity a LOT to
find a setting that felt good. Still, it works very nicely once you
get it set up.
On the whole "arcade" vs. "sim" issue, I found that I actually
preferred the "arcade" setting over the "sim" setting, but this may be
because of the AI issue. Still, even in "arcade" mode, the
acceleration, grip, and handling envelope all feel fairly convincing.
One thing I do miss from other "sims" is the tire sounds -- ICR2 and
ABC Indy Racing both gave good tire noises that helped you gauge where
you were in the grip envelope, and the Net Race Live model doesn't do a
very good job in that area [NOTE: This has been rectified with the
latest release]. Still, the handling feels right, and the difficulty
seems to be both accessible and pleasing at the same time, if that
makes sense.
I'd definitely recommend giving this a try -- it's much more immersive
than you would think, and if it were a NASCAR thing instead of an IRL
thing, I think this board would be clogged and GPL would be all but
forgotten . . . maybe. <G>
So give it a shot and let's hear what the rest of you think.
-- JB
> Yup... No sense opening up the other grandstands if there not going
to use
> them...
> BTW, if J. Bodin reads this he might be able to shed some light on the
> NetRace thing, as I belive he's tried it, and usually does a pretty
fair job
> writing unbiased game/sim reviews!
> JJ
> > Thanks Jay. I didnt realise that they would restrict the crowd to
just one
> part
> > of the track.
> > > Can't speak for Net-Race, but I've heard it's similar to the ABC
Sports
> IRL
> > > game/sim that came out about 3 years ago, which by today's
standards is
> a
> > > real stinkeroo, but at the time was one of the first racing games
to
> support
> > > hardware acceleration.
> > > As for the attendance....
> > > The first year at Atlanta they announced a crowd of 42K, last
year it
> was
> > > down to something like 30K, I would guess this years event was
much
> closer
> > > to the first year, perhaps even better! You must remember Atlanta
Motor
> > > Speedway seats something like 150K ! And... They only opened one
of the
> > > grandstands (the one on the front stretch across from the pits)
and
> don't
> > > allow fans to sit in the first 15-20 rows due to safety
constraints.
> > > From the TV shots WHEN they did show the crowd, it looked quite
full all
> the
> > > way up under the condo's.
> > > Before you start throwing stones at tonight's attendance, I think
> outside of
> > > the Indy 500 and perhaps the Texas Motor Speedway events, you
won't find
> an
> > > IndyCar (IRL or CART) race at an oval that get's more than 50K in
> attendance
> > > anywhere in the country!
> > > If you don't believe me.... Just wait until CART hit's Michigan
(MIS) in
> a
> > > week or two and judge for yourself.
> > > JJ
> > > > A couple of questions. I just watched an enjoyable race at
Atlanta via
> > > > ESPN. But what about all those invisible spectators. The stands
gave t
> he
> > > > appearance of being extremely empty. Here is a track near a
major city
> > > > and no one bothers to turn to see drivers who had the stands
filled to
> > > > capacity at Indianapolis.
> > > > Secondly on the website for Indy Racing there is a
simulation that
> > > > enables you to race against the drivers. I guess the sim cant
be all
> > > > that good or people would be raving over it on this newsgroup.
What is
> > > > it like?
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Before you buy.
