rec.autos.simulators

From Papyrus, it's Off-Road Racing...
Hey guys,
I'd just like to get a couple of things off of my chest concerning the
SODA game, demo , etc..
I know that a while back a lot was said concerning this demo and 3d
acceleration and all that, but I have been watching real SODA racing
for a bit and I've got to tell you,,,if the game is going to be
anything at all like the real thing it is going to have to go through
some serious changes..
Now, I fully believe in Papyrus's ability to turn out a supercool sim,
I've put a lot of hours (months) into playing/practicing ICR2 and N2,
but the SODA demo just does'nt reflect the quality that something like
Nascar 2 shows us. SODA on tv is brutal, muddy and full of these
extremely heavy vehicles flying into the air and coming down in a
chaotic mess of dirt and adrenalin (man, I should write the PR -ha)..
The SODA demo however, is sterile, impossible to control (for me at
least,, I've really been trying to play it, and even with my sim
skills I can barely make it around in last place..) and just not
really like racing in the mud should be.
The '3d enhanced' track is so impossibly boring, now I know that this
is an early demo and I'm glad that they gave us something to chew on,
but c'mon... I can't imagine the final version coming out with those
little trees and big Wrong Way signs on the back of the regular signs.
I believe that the simplicity of the track is due to the customizing
feature they are working on,. so that people can make their own
tracks, but it would be a drag if that meant that the in-game tracks
looked so simple.
In the past it made sense to have boring track details, because the
physics model and AI were so advanced... but hey, this is 97, and
people are going to want the whole enchilada...
I'm just voicing my rather harsh opinion because I really don't want
this game to end up as a "could've been"... The concept is really
good, and the company is solid.
What if the final SODA game had splashing, messy mud everywhere
hitting the windshield, breaking the windshield (come to think of it,
I don't think there usually is a windshield, but you get the idea),
barreling down those big hills at full speed barely holding onto the
wheel..
Big, solid sounds when you collide, heavy g-force drifting, A
versatile paintkit that would allow you to emulate the colorful
sticker laden trucks of the series,
What if this game gave you at least part of that feeling of awe and
disbelief  you get when you see those insane guys on tv taking these
trucks to the limit? Adrenaline rush, once again...
The trucks on tv have the driver sit really low, panels are always
tearing off and it seems to be an overall white knuckle ride.
The RAC rally game gave a bit of what it must be like to sit in those
Rally cars at top speed. Watching rally's on tv you get this weird
feeling (well I do..) when they show the in-car camera that these
people Inside the cars must be insane, it always looks like they're
going to hit a tree at 100mph, and sometimes they do..
So I'm just hoping that SODA rocks, and is not just a realistic sim
that happens to include a 3d rendered dirt graphic..

It's easy for me to armchair judge it, but hey....

Raevyn

see ya at the track

Couple things: analog throttle is MANDATORY to have any hope of driving
the game quickly. Analog brakes help bunches too. Try the 4WD trucks,
which are much easier to drive than the 2WD vehicles.

Heh, honest criticism is important, however "harsh." (Besides, it's
nowhere near as harsh as other Papy-related posts here have been...)

That's what the game is like when you've gotten a handle on the trucks.
Racing head-to-head near the limits of the truck is GREAT. (I should
probably get the latest demo, so I can be comparing against what you
guys are seeing, as I know Sean occasionally changes the physics model.)

Personally, I've never been much for paintkits and the like (I'm the
least artistic person I know), but I realize that it does add some
measure of coolness to a game...

---Jim

When I first installed SODA I also thought it really difficult to
drive, but I can now run in the top three pretty consistently even at
higher opposition levels. You really have to be careful about lines
into the corners to avoid those bumps that throw you off-line or spin
you, you also need to be extremely careful with use of throttle. It is
more difficult than NASCAR to stay on the track, but that's a part of
the sport as I understand - slim tyres on mud will never give as much
grip as wide slicks on tarmac.

That is one valid criticism, and certainly with the power of Rendition
and 3dFX at their disposal I would have hoped for something a bit more
convincing. Having said that, there is a track editor so you're free
to do whatever you want!

Sound is a bit weedy, and I for one would like to see (hear?!) beefier
engine sounds, nice over-revving if you keep throttle mashed when car
is airborne, good collision sounds etc. Esp. engine noise though,
that's what we hear most of the time.

A lot of points are great though - I already think that it's a lot of
fun to drive, the***pit view is really nice, moving suspension and
the like looks really good. If graphics and sound could be tweaked it
would be a definite improvement, but in terms of driving experience I
can see me buying this one for sure.

Cheers!
John

 I downloaded the SODA demo the other day and was pleasantly surprised.
After spending a little while fooling with setups it became very drivable to
the point where I was leading and winning races. I hope the release version
is better. That would be a blast online.

: From Papyrus, it's Off-Road Racing...
: Hey guys,
: I'd just like to get a couple of things off of my chest concerning the
: SODA game, demo , etc..

--------   SNIP  ---------

:
: It's easy for me to armchair judge it, but hey....
:
: Raevyn

   Hmmmmm.  It's so much less time consuming when someone else says
EXACTLY what I was planning on saying.  heheheh.

  As Raevyn says, we know this is just a demo.  But it doesn't really bode
well in my eyes either.  This does NOT look to be the next in a truly
SUPERB series of racing sims.  In fact, so far it seems to be a step
backwards.  Has Papyrus been defanged by Sierra?  

  Doug

It was my understanding that the game is being coded by Software Allies,
with Papyrus producing the game and Sierra publishing it.

--


http://ebusch.akorn.net

Well, I watched SODA racing again this week on tv,
and all I can say as a follow up to my last rant is:
More Mud!!
I'm only going to play this SODA game if they put in about 200%
more mud everywhere.
so there.

Raevyn

and John, I'd say my sim skills are pretty good, I've done much better
on far more difficult games... so I don't think it's just me..

Make no mistake: the 2WD vehicles are damn hard to control in the game.
I suspect the same is true in SODA, but we're seeing people who have
lots more experience in SODA trucks than we do AND they have a better
feedback loop...

---Jim

Cheers!
John

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