rec.autos.simulators

Have spent a little while playing with the NFS demo on a cover CD
ROM. The demo is a single car (i.e. Viper), single stage (coastal
1st? stage). I am very impressed so far but have a few questions.
        1) does the full game have a resolution above 640x480 - if so
how much difference does this make?
        2) do the different cars feel all that different?
        3) is the coastal stage a difficult one (I struggled at first
but by using the barriers to keep the Viper on the road (as I would
do in reality of course!) I have managed to win it) or are the stages
that they provide with the game varied? How many stages are there as
a matter of interest?
        4) do you have the facility to replay and/or save crashes?

        Sorry to ask so many questions but I am interested in the
program - nice touches I have noticed so far include the engine revs
going up when you get the car in the air over bumps, brake lights,
skid marks stay as skid marks, gear change with a real clunk!

Al

:       1) does the full game have a resolution above 640x480 - if so
: how much difference does this make?

No. It only supports 640x480 and 320x200.

:       2) do the different cars feel all that different?

Yes. Handling, acceleration, etc. are all different on each car. Even the
SFX for engine, horn, and shifter are different.

:       3) is the coastal stage a difficult one (I struggled at first
: but by using the barriers to keep the Viper on the road (as I would
: do in reality of course!) I have managed to win it) or are the stages
: that they provide with the game varied? How many stages are there as
: a matter of interest?

The Coastal track is a road course. There are three road courses in the
game (Coastal, Alpine, and City), and they are about 15-18 miles long.
Each one is broken down into three segments, and the first one is usually
the easiest, as they have lots of long straights. The Coastal track is
IMO the hardest of the road courses, but none of them are really all that
difficult. There isn't a whole lot of difference between the road
courses, except for the shoulders, and of course, the scenery. The other
three tracks are closed circuits (6-8 laps) and are much more varied and
require completely different approaches. They are generally much harder
to win than the road courses, especially in tournament mode. There is
also a bonus track - Lost Vegas - which becomes available after winning
your first tourney. Winning the tournament a second time produces a bonus
car as well as some other cheats.

:       4) do you have the facility to replay and/or save crashes?

Yes. Both.

:       Sorry to ask so many questions but I am interested in the
: program - nice touches I have noticed so far include the engine revs
: going up when you get the car in the air over bumps, brake lights,
: skid marks stay as skid marks, gear change with a real clunk!

The full game also has traffic and highway patrols on the road courses in
head-to-head mode.

                                                Jon

Martin