rec.autos.simulators

  Been wondering about this for quite awhile. Does being a programmer for
a sim lessen the enjoyment of playing it? When I was younger I  entertained
the notion of becoming a programmer. But it occurred to me that  if I
programmed "it", then I'd be too close to it to enjoy; kind of like
knowing the punch line of a joke. Similarly, I have no inclination at all
to learn how to do the magic tricks my son shows me. I like being
mystified.
  Is it still fun to play Nascar2 after programming it? Does the intimate
knowledge of the coding inhibit your enjoyment? I've always wondered about
that.
  I appreciate the hard work you all put into N1 and N2 and I must say
that I am pleasantly mystified!!

Regards,
Greg
Gavel on Hawaii & TEN

I code lots of utilities and add ones that I want to help enjoy it.  This
does not lessen it at all.  I would love to have a crack at fixing some of
the problems in the sims - this certainly would not lessen the experience -
but rather make it better.  You do find yourself running a lot of test laps
looking at how the other cars are running etc. rather than actually racing.
/THansen

It would be a lot less fun to play the game you programmed if it was
plot driven (like Lighthouse, Phantas, Myst, etc.) But racing sims are
great. I haven't endowed the computer with a plot to guide me through;
I've endowed it with a set of physical constraints and my job as a
player is to do the best I can within that simulated world...

Hell yeah it's fun. Running multiplayer races in the office is one of
the best parts of the job... This past year, we ran an in-house series
mimicking the Winston Cup Series (except even we omitted Daytona, though
we did run IMS) in NASCAR 1, and that was fantastic. Haven't started the
Papyrus Cup III series yet; probably will start it once everyone is back
from vacations...

---Jim Sokoloff, Papyrus

John

 -- Winners never quit, quiters never win