rec.autos.simulators

Hi Nim,

Well, if it wouldnt ruin my bank account we would do it more often. But
the next time we must make sure Darin isnt in our mirror. <g>

Georg

So you're saying you did frequently experiment with other peoples set-ups?

Tom

I guess I did. Sorry about this. Though I don't see any big deal in
others having access to setups, other than maybe an ethical point of not
disclosing the fact that setups could be extracted.

Would you have posted your hot laps had this been disclosed ?
I guess most people would have anyway.
I'm more familiar with GP2 setups, and I've tried many, and usually I
come nowhere near the times achieved by the posting player, and my times
are slower than with my own setup.
I tinker with these setups, and usually wind up with a setup that's
close to what I developped on my own, so other's setups are of limited
use, IMHO, unless you have big problems somewhere.

I find watching a replay of the hotlap in chase view much more
informative. What the ultimate  utility would be, IMO, is to be able to
view a hot lap in***pit view, or chase view, with digital values of
throttle, brake, steering, and gear, in other words, all the drivers
input, displayed in the corner of the screen somewhere.
This would be great.
I'm sure it could be done in GP2 because you can extract performance
analysis data from a hotlap. All that would be needed is to show this
data, while the replay is going on. I'm not sure this could be achieved
in Nascar2.
I wonder how many people would post hotlaps if such a utility existed.

Thanks

Guy Brosseau

Sadly I think I found a bug. (THIS HAPPENS IN ALL VERSIONS SVGA AND
VERITE)

Have you tried this. In a single player game, you get your car all
setup perfectly for the track. Will use Michigan.

Now later you go into a Multiplayer game use the setup you saved on
Michigan of course. Everything in the garage is just right. But now you
go out to practice, qualify or race and you find that your setup is
garbage. The car simply won't handle well at all.

Currently I'm getting a .03 latency on my home network so that
shouldn't be a problem. I did not have this problem with Nascar 1. Now
if I can setup my car from that point, well then I'll just save a
single player setup and a mulitplayer setup. Just isn't quite right and
sounds like a quick bug Papyrus could fix. Help!!!

Other problems I've experienced is one system refuses to accept a
joystick for this game and I'm clueless on this one. Basically every
system is the same. Stick works like a charm on every other product I
have. Does anybody else find it strange that everytime you go to
calibrate your controller it always seems to be way out of it? Also the
menus for setting up a player and mostly in general are slow and
intuitive, but I can manage through them, I think, haven't done
everything yet.

Also you can use 1 copy of Nascar 2 in a home network enviroment. Thans
Papyrus for this. It's most excellent to see most companies take this
approach. Otherwise this nice little network I have going would be all
for naught.

Q.B.M.

Followup to the BUG.

Well it's not a bug. It's Worse than that!

What Papyrus has done was think to much here. They decided that with
all the options they give you, that they'll leave out one and wouldn't
ya know it, it's the most important one for me.

You see in Multiplayer mode you can't drive in Arcade Mode. The only
allow Realisitc, thier version of twisted reality.

So that's why my car is on bannana skids in multiplayer mode, just like
ICR 2, my only gripe with that game. Boy and to think how I praised it
in pc.video folder about how this game is a joy to control close to
Voodoo Whiplash. Well it does in single player arcade but single player
for me is for testing only.

Why? I ask myself. For some reason they feel their realistic is
realistic. Well realisitically me nor you should even be running in an
Nascar event so why even make the game? Point is I want a fun game you
can get right into, bring in newbies so they can have fun right away in
a mulitplayer enviroment. Even with arcade you could still get to
adjust your car (and pit, ect.) so it's still a sim in almost every
other software companies eyes. In arcade mode the replay's looked
realistically sane, in realisitc mode the replays make one look like
they had one to many pints of Jack.

Please Papyrus (understand), put Arcade Mode into multiplayer, it's
your only chance to satisfy this customer and I doubt I'm all alone
either. I really believe your arcade option was the biggest advancement
over the orignal, I don't have any fun being out of control. I want to
have fun out there racing, which by your Arcade Mode definition in the
manual makes for a better video *** experince anyways. Also your
chase views in this game are awesome in traffic.

I know you'll be reading this, please e-mail me to let me know if your
gonna do it and how quick. As it stands the program is gonna be
returned on Monday if I get no word. You spoiled me with arcade mode,
and can't go back, friends are spoiled too. I'll be waiting to hear
from you.

Thanks.

Q.B.M.

I agree with you that the arcade mode should be available in
multiplayer modes for those that want it, but I don't agree with you on
your view of the 'realistic' version.  Of course none of us can ever
hope to hop in a Winston Cup car and turn some 190mph laps inches from
another car.  This game gives us that chance, especially one the fully
sanctioned 13th division of Nascar starts (the 2nd generation of the
current Hawaii multiplayer service).  Nascar2 was designed with the
help of Bobby Labonte to be as realistic as possible, and he feels that
it is a very good simulation of the real racing experience.  You car
being on banana skids is how it is, you can't drive a Nascar/Indycar
like an arcade driving game.  It takes lots of time and practice to
develop both a setup and driving line/style that work together.  Some
don't want to do this, thus the arcade mode was developed.

--

Emory University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
Nascar Setups Page: http://userwww.service.emory.edu/~ebusch/

Just my $0.02,
Ed Benson

That's exactly what he wanted to do, but apparently it is not possible.

--

Emory University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
Nascar Setups Page: http://userwww.service.emory.edu/~ebusch/

Burton

REPLY:

Oh I agree you need an even playing field no question. I never want to take options
away. Give everyone full blown slip n slide Nascar, no problem. Still scratch my
head though, you guys make it sound like this arcade mode is like Daytona or
somethin, it's not.

REPLY:

Your statement is all about time to get good. Fine again I want that mode to. But
please I hope people can understand it's quite fun to have people over for an
evening and give them the controls and they can take part in a Nascar fantasy as
well in a more controllable enviroment. They can't take the time to get efficient in
regular mode. See now Whiplah on the voodoo is purley an arcade game, but it never
gets dull with humans racing one another, there's always good competition, it
doesn't get boring. Nascar though could again bring players into a
little nascar fantasy world, they relate to Nascar and the drivers and
the cars, that's neat in it's way as well.

It seems like I'm stuck in a vortex. Daytona players like Daytona and
feel Nascar is boring and to complex. Nascar people feel Daytona lacks
stradegy and depth. What I think would be nice is to see a real true
mix of both. The so-called arcade mode in Nascar 2 is the closets this
reality has gotten, but only 1 player. Thinking about this I'm not sure
if it would e*** the true simmer but I'm sure the arcader wants more
but they want more without geting frustrating. They want a deep game
that's easy to use, actually that's what I want in every game. Easy to
use but deep, I'll grant yuou a tough combo to pull off, but it has
been done. Vision is important.

If anybody can tell I'm wanting N2 to succeed in my library. I spent 8
hours with it just trying to figure out what I really can and can't do.
Been sorta trying, and ultimately I'm bummed a bit, seems like I keep
finding another thing that should be there but for whatever reason
isn't. A'm I really off the deep end?

Oh the next thing I'm asking for (next version) is split screen
multiplayer, why not? With two systems you can have for and so on and
so on. And with racing games the more the merry'er if it's not one
wreck and out.

Q.B.M.

YEP!!!

Recently I've invested some money in a new home netwrok. I have 4 pc's all
maxxed with 3d capabilites. The time I felt was right. The software is of very
high quality, companies are bigtime into multiplayer now and are supporting 1
cd for the networks. Thanks again to all companies who support these features,
without that my enjoyment would be less.

I also find more and more people with two pc's and some with three and
occansionally more. So this isn't as odd as some may think.

But if you could consider what it takes to support 4 systems.

When I get something new, you have to install 4 times. Make sure everything
works right on the 4 systems. Setup a complex controller for each. Print out
how the controller is mapped for each system. This is the easier stuff.

The hardest part is the people. You have people over, well attention isn't
always that good. They want to play but they like to talk about everything
else as well. You hope that when you press the icon the controller configs
just right, the program starts and the network isn't hung. Any one thing wrong
and you have a real headache. People become impatient for unkown reasons,
people ask where the bathroom is while your fiddling with a network cable, you
get the drift. Then you have to go into the meat of the game that's where
really intuitve menus pays off let me tell ya. And finally you hope you have a
game that's very entertaining but easy to play.

Yep it's sorta amazing anything ever really comes together. The reason why is
because I'm really dedicated to this and talke serious pride in it. Sorta like
a programmer which I partialy am during normal working hours.

I sorta give a game a seal of approval. What I have is a menu of games that
are currently available for network play in a busy enviroment. These games are
tested to be push button ready to go 1.2.3.

Currently they are:
Verite Quake
Voodoo Whiplash
Shattered Steel
Warcraft 2
Duke works to but never gets played anymore.

In the works are:
Verite Nascar 2 (1 system still has a joystick problem, plus I keep
finding things out it can't do in multiplayer)

Red Alert (one system hangs in '95, seems like a common problem for
many)

Neither is really ready for prime time. I know they'll be a headache
atm in a busy enviroment and once a game gives me a fit in prime time
that night is just about wasted for me. So I need to be very confident
a session can be setup at the press of a button.

Just some background on where I'm coming from. It's easy to have
friends when you give them something they want and can't get most any
place else. It's amazing at how out of tune I am with normal folk who
talk news and tv. I'm really lost now and that's sorta weird to.

Q.B.M.

writes:

I'm sure you'll get the diehards around here saying it isn't realistic
and maybe so maybe. What it does help is when friends come over they
can actually play as well and survive.

Another nice thing about Arcade which makes the game funner in a sense
is that the competition will slow down or speed up to match you and
give you a challange througout. What I do find myslef usually in
realistic mode your better or they're better and that's that.

Arcade has some benifits in my book still, even though I'm stuck in
realistic in a network enviroment.

Q.B.M.

Dave (davids) Sparks
Late Night League
http://www.sequoia-dev.com/Hawaii/latenite.html