interview of Adam Levesque, by the crew of SRN. Yes, that very old
"SimRacingNetwork". Enjoy :
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SRN: So, NASCAR 2, eh? How will it differ from the current version?
Adam: Hehehe!!! Wait 'till you see this thing....it'll blow you away!!! Did
you see the optimised version off ICR2 downstairs at the Rendition booth?
SRN: You mean NASCAR 2 will have those features?...The 16-bit
texture-mapping?...Clouds?...Everything?!!!
Adam: Well, except for the 3D mirrors, yes (grin)...That part of the
optimised version of ICR2 is only part of the Rendition demo, and I'm not
sure if it'll make it into that version, but esentially, NASCAR 2 will have
all the other things. The mirrors, BTW, will be changed from the current
NASCAR, where you simply see a stamp of the car behind you. There wasn't any
detail you could see, and it was only for referencing where the car was in
relation to you. The difference in the new version is that you'll be able to
make out the details of the cars behind you.
SRN: You mean like if Ricky Rudd was on your tail, you could actually tell
it was him?
Adam: Exactly. Full detail.
SRN: Wow!!! What else has been gone over.
Adam: Name it. and it's been gone through. We're currently re-doing some of
the tracks, such as Talladega, Dover, and Phoenix.
SRN: 'Dega?....What's changed?
Adam: Well, now you can race through there 3-wide....of course it depends on
driver skill, but it'll be a gas, just wait!
SRN: Geez....I can't!!! (grin)
Adam: Some of the other things we're working on is doing-away with the
carsets. Instead, you'll be able to choose from what we call an "index" of
cars and of drivers. You choose who you wish to run against and go.
SRN: So what about all the 'starving-artists' out there? Will people have to
download one car at a time, or perhaps a group of zipped cars?
Adam: Well, sorta'. Except those cars can be uploaded with the Index, and
all the person has to do is add the index to his current list...sort of like
a catalog.
SRN: What about the ability to paint the fenders and the rear deck-lid?
Adam: We're adding the ability to paint the front fenders, but not the rear
deck. We felt that the front fenders was an important feature to be added to
paintkit, but not the deck. Not many people will see it.
SRN: Will the existing cars for NASCAR work with NASCAR 2?
Adam: No, and that's mainly because we're re-doing the palette and the fact
that we've added a lot more area to paint in the door-panels, and the fender
areas. It's just different all over, and the current cars just wouldn't fit,
but I think that this will be the best paintkit we've ever come-up with so
far.
SRN: Very cool.
Adam: Another thing we're adding is a Driver Statistic option. You'll be
able to save and review your stats just like in real NASCAR...Laps Led,
Total Miles, DNF's, etc. This will be available for the Championship Season
and the Quick Race.
SRN: Quick race? Like a single race?
Adam: Not really...more like a Dash Series. It will simulate a race weekend
where you start your practice on Friday, qual on Saturday, and race on
Sunday. Certain other things will determine how the weekend goes, weather,
etc. You'll also be able to see these stats on all drivers, and even view
telemetry data during the replays. The replay will be viewed in a sort of
window type thing, with the telemetry data at the top and the replay
controls on the bottom.
SRN: Will you be able to do anything else with the replays? Like
'cut-and-paste'?
Adam: No. Other than the telemetry data the replay features will be pretty
much the same as they are now. We've considered it, but it looks as though
we're going to have to leave the 'cut-and-paste' feature out for now. When
we add a feature like that to the game, there's always the chance that
something else would get left out, and we don't want to do that.
SRN: Is that why you're doing the game initially in DOS instead of Win95?
Adam: No. Doing it in DOS ensures that we keep problems, such as bugs, to a
minimum.
SRN: What about the Championship Season?
Adam: The Championship Season will be really cool. Included with the
features I just outlined, another will be the requirement for you to make
the grid, or else do a provisional. You'll only have so many provisionals
during a single season...once they're used up and you don't make the grid,
you won't race, and that will show in your stats. Thhis also applies to the
AI as well.
SRN: Wow!!!
Adam: (grin)
SRN: There's also the rumor that NASCAR 2 will be Rendition Ready. Is this
true? And what exactly is 'Rendition Ready'?
Adam: Yep. What it means is that you can buy the game and play it just like
any of our other racing games. However, if you happen to have a 3D board
with the Rendition chip on it, NASCAR 2 WILL FLY!!!
SRN: How fast is 'FLY'?
Adam: Everything on, and I mean EVERYTHING....clouds, asphalt, etc...around
37 fps.
SRN: (*gulp*)
Adam: (grin)
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