rec.autos.simulators

by **Mike Beaucham** » Sat, 09 Nov 2002 20:56:54

Man, this game really looks great! Screenshots look amazing, even a few
video clips I got look pretty good!

So I loaded all 3 disks up. The intro video was really awesome, and showed
how detailed the graphics are. There were a few scenes of cars flipping and
stuff that looked a little "iffy" though.

So I get to the options and go straight to the controller setup.
Successfully setup the wheel for split-axis and enable Force Feedback (both
of which I consider to be good signs of things to come).

So I start my career out. The car setup is about as simple as CMR2 and Rally
Trophy. A few options for each thing, such as gear ratio: small, medium,
large. I can't complain in that department I guess. I haven't seen a Rally
game with an F1200x style setup screen yet.

As soon as the guy counted down from 3 and I started racing things started
going totally downhill. It seemed like the car immediately started going
pretty fast and didn't really accellerate after that. What I mean to say is
that the sensation of speed is off, in a way that going slow seems fast, and
going fast seems just a tad faster.

Anyways, the "Force Feedback" is actually just a constant shaking. There is
no feedback about the actual forces happening in the game. No cues about
grip or lack of it.

The sound is missing some cues as well. Braking is near impossible, because
there's nothing telling you when you've lost grip.

The game is getting uninstalled tomorrow, since I have to get to bed now.

But I gotta say, the game looks amazing! Replays are great to watch and they
really show how huge the map area is. It reminds me of Ghost Recon in a
sense, like I'm driving around in a Ghost Recon map. Lighting looks great,
so do the car models, and the bumpmapped textures really add to the
photorealism.

But, in my opinion, it's not driveable. One of the first Rally games I got
into was "Rally Masters", and I have to say that the physics in that seem
even better.

Lastly, so I don't sound negative. I'm sure a lot of people would really
like this game. It seems really fun to drive (although the AI is stupid as
hell) and the scenery is amazing. Replays are entertaining and beautiful. If
I had an XBox, I'd probably buy this game. Seems like it'd be a pretty
decent console racing game for sure.

Did I mention there's no in-car view??

Mike
http://www.racesimcentral.net/

by **JTBur** » Sat, 09 Nov 2002 22:27:22

Thanks Mike. Your mini-review pretty much sums up my experience with this
game. Ain't the scenery great though!!

Todd

by **Daniel L. Batem** » Sun, 10 Nov 2002 03:28:02

Can your car leave the road or are there invisible walls? Judging by
the screenshots it looks like you could drive off-road. I'd imagine
you're still basically limited to the general area of the road though.

-Dan

by **Haqsa** » Sun, 10 Nov 2002 03:58:35

Don't know about the PC version, but in the Xbox version if you get too
far from the road you get "reset" back to the road, several car lengths
back from where you went off.

by **Mike Beaucham** » Sun, 10 Nov 2002 08:06:43

Exact same thign with the PC version. There's no Invisible Walls, and you
COULD go driving really far off. But in some sections, there seems to be an
automatic "reset" line..

MIke
http://mikebeauchamp.com

> Don't know about the PC version, but in the Xbox version if you get too
> far from the road you get "reset" back to the road, several car lengths
> back from where you went off.

> > Can your car leave the road or are there invisible walls? Judging by
> > the screenshots it looks like you could drive off-road. I'd imagine
> > you're still basically limited to the general area of the road though.

> > -Dan

by **Mike Beaucham** » Sun, 10 Nov 2002 08:07:34

Oh yeah.. the game looks top notch, and runs really well!!

If only the guys from Live For Speed or something couldnt' buy-out this game
for a few hundred dollars, and add their own physics engine into it.

Mike
http://mikebeauchamp.com

> Thanks Mike. Your mini-review pretty much sums up my experience with this
> game. Ain't the scenery great though!!

> Todd

> > Man, this game really looks great! Screenshots look amazing, even a few
> > video clips I got look pretty good!

> > So I loaded all 3 disks up. The intro video was really awesome, and
showed
> > how detailed the graphics are. There were a few scenes of cars flipping
> and
> > stuff that looked a little "iffy" though.

> > So I get to the options and go straight to the controller setup.
> > Successfully setup the wheel for split-axis and enable Force Feedback
> (both
> > of which I consider to be good signs of things to come).

> > So I start my career out. The car setup is about as simple as CMR2 and
> Rally
> > Trophy. A few options for each thing, such as gear ratio: small, medium,
> > large. I can't complain in that department I guess. I haven't seen a
Rally
> > game with an F1200x style setup screen yet.

> > As soon as the guy counted down from 3 and I started racing things
started
> > going totally downhill. It seemed like the car immediately started going
> > pretty fast and didn't really accellerate after that. What I mean to say
> is
> > that the sensation of speed is off, in a way that going slow seems fast,
> and
> > going fast seems just a tad faster.

> > Anyways, the "Force Feedback" is actually just a constant shaking. There
> is
> > no feedback about the actual forces happening in the game. No cues about
> > grip or lack of it.

> > The sound is missing some cues as well. Braking is near impossible,
> because
> > there's nothing telling you when you've lost grip.

> > The game is getting uninstalled tomorrow, since I have to get to bed
now.

> > But I gotta say, the game looks amazing! Replays are great to watch and
> they
> > really show how huge the map area is. It reminds me of Ghost Recon in a
> > sense, like I'm driving around in a Ghost Recon map. Lighting looks
great,
> > so do the car models, and the bumpmapped textures really add to the
> > photorealism.

> > But, in my opinion, it's not driveable. One of the first Rally games I
got
> > into was "Rally Masters", and I have to say that the physics in that
seem
> > even better.

> > Lastly, so I don't sound negative. I'm sure a lot of people would really
> > like this game. It seems really fun to drive (although the AI is stupid
as
> > hell) and the scenery is amazing. Replays are entertaining and
beautiful.
> If
> > I had an XBox, I'd probably buy this game. Seems like it'd be a pretty
> > decent console racing game for sure.

> > Did I mention there's no in-car view??

> > Mike
> > http://mikebeauchamp.com

by **JTBur** » Sun, 10 Nov 2002 23:17:06

That would be sweet!

> Oh yeah.. the game looks top notch, and runs really well!!

> If only the guys from Live For Speed or something couldnt' buy-out this
game
> for a few hundred dollars, and add their own physics engine into it.

> Mike
> http://mikebeauchamp.com

> > Thanks Mike. Your mini-review pretty much sums up my experience with
this
> > game. Ain't the scenery great though!!

> > Todd

> > > Man, this game really looks great! Screenshots look amazing, even a
few
> > > video clips I got look pretty good!

> > > So I loaded all 3 disks up. The intro video was really awesome, and
> showed
> > > how detailed the graphics are. There were a few scenes of cars
flipping
> > and
> > > stuff that looked a little "iffy" though.

> > > So I get to the options and go straight to the controller setup.
> > > Successfully setup the wheel for split-axis and enable Force Feedback
> > (both
> > > of which I consider to be good signs of things to come).

> > > So I start my career out. The car setup is about as simple as CMR2 and
> > Rally
> > > Trophy. A few options for each thing, such as gear ratio: small,
medium,
> > > large. I can't complain in that department I guess. I haven't seen a
> Rally
> > > game with an F1200x style setup screen yet.

> > > As soon as the guy counted down from 3 and I started racing things
> started
> > > going totally downhill. It seemed like the car immediately started
going
> > > pretty fast and didn't really accellerate after that. What I mean to
say
> > is
> > > that the sensation of speed is off, in a way that going slow seems
fast,
> > and
> > > going fast seems just a tad faster.

> > > Anyways, the "Force Feedback" is actually just a constant shaking.
There
> > is
> > > no feedback about the actual forces happening in the game. No cues
about
> > > grip or lack of it.

> > > The sound is missing some cues as well. Braking is near impossible,
> > because
> > > there's nothing telling you when you've lost grip.

> > > The game is getting uninstalled tomorrow, since I have to get to bed
> now.

> > > But I gotta say, the game looks amazing! Replays are great to watch
and
> > they
> > > really show how huge the map area is. It reminds me of Ghost Recon in
a
> > > sense, like I'm driving around in a Ghost Recon map. Lighting looks
> great,
> > > so do the car models, and the bumpmapped textures really add to the
> > > photorealism.

> > > But, in my opinion, it's not driveable. One of the first Rally games I
> got
> > > into was "Rally Masters", and I have to say that the physics in that
> seem
> > > even better.

> > > Lastly, so I don't sound negative. I'm sure a lot of people would
really
> > > like this game. It seems really fun to drive (although the AI is
stupid
> as
> > > hell) and the scenery is amazing. Replays are entertaining and
> beautiful.
> > If
> > > I had an XBox, I'd probably buy this game. Seems like it'd be a pretty
> > > decent console racing game for sure.

> > > Did I mention there's no in-car view??

> > > Mike
> > > http://mikebeauchamp.com

by **Larr** » Mon, 11 Nov 2002 04:02:19

No In-Car view ?

You know, something I have feared is starting to materialize. Since the
XBox racers generally don't have in-car, games that are developed for that
first and then ported (though that might not be the best word in this case
since the XBox is basically an under-powered PC) to the PC will inherit
least-common-denominator features and realism.

Damn. The "consoles will take over PC ***" might be a self-fullfilling
prophecy if this ***keeps up :(

-Larry

by e » Tue, 12 Nov 2002 08:05:54

> No In-Car view ?

> You know, something I have feared is starting to materialize. Since the
> XBox racers generally don't have in-car, games that are developed for that
> first and then ported (though that might not be the best word in this case
> since the XBox is basically an under-powered PC) to the PC will inherit
> least-common-denominator features and realism.

> Damn. The "consoles will take over PC ***" might be a self-fullfilling
> prophecy if this ***keeps up :(

I am not a *** sim-player, but I don't think lacking an in-car
view makes or breaks a game/sim for me. In some cases, an in-car view
can just be distracting, too (Sports Car GT, maybe?). And if you have
a dozen or more cars in a game, getting a unique 3D view for every
car's***pit is just that much more work. Actually I think a hood
view would be good enough, or better yet let you position the camera
wherever you want (I think just behind the hood would be ideal).

I'd much rather see things like good physics in the game, and
Rallisport Challenge sounds like from reviews it would be
disappointing. I haven't seen a demo yet to confirm it, though, but
it sounds toned down from Rally Masters. I don't understand why
Microsoft (or any other publisher) thinks a straight port of an arcade
racer is going to sell on a PC- if we were that e***d about the
games, we would have bought the console already. It's not like
there's any shortage of races games on the PC with arcade physics
(V-Rally, 4x4 Evo). They should have added a *** mode for the
PC- just my opinion (hey, they still could by a patch, then I might
buy it...).

by **IronSte** » Tue, 12 Nov 2002 17:02:40

tested the game for 2 hours and im really impressed by the fantastic
graphics, but the worst thing in this game (maybe until the first
patch is released..???) is the really bad ffb in this game, its only
one constant rattle and shaking, no forces anyway...of course its not
such a "pure" sim, more likely arcade, but u could have a lotta fun
with this game, when there would be much stronger ffb-effects...

by e » Wed, 13 Nov 2002 06:39:58

> tested the game for 2 hours and im really impressed by the fantastic
> graphics, but the worst thing in this game (maybe until the first
> patch is released..???) is the really bad ffb in this game, its only
> one constant rattle and shaking, no forces anyway...of course its not
> such a "pure" sim, more likely arcade, but u could have a lotta fun
> with this game, when there would be much stronger ffb-effects...

I read in reviews the cars got more air-time than real cars. Just
sounds too much like 4x4 EVO's lunar physics. That was frustrating
enough because you spent so much time flying around and not gripping
the road.

by **IronSte** » Wed, 13 Nov 2002 19:17:40

> > tested the game for 2 hours and im really impressed by the fantastic
> > graphics, but the worst thing in this game (maybe until the first
> > patch is released..???) is the really bad ffb in this game, its only
> > one constant rattle and shaking, no forces anyway...of course its not
> > such a "pure" sim, more likely arcade, but u could have a lotta fun
> > with this game, when there would be much stronger ffb-effects...

> I read in reviews the cars got more air-time than real cars. Just
> sounds too much like 4x4 EVO's lunar physics. That was frustrating
> enough because you spent so much time flying around and not gripping
> the road.

as i said before its more like a arcade racer, no sim like cmr2...but
youre havin fun with it, except the steering with ffb....come on guys
at dice....give us a patch...only the ffb effects of your great STCC2
game!

by **Larr** » Fri, 15 Nov 2002 03:11:57

I don't drive on hoods, roofs or front bumpers. I want a windshield in front
of me and a dash.

Call we weird :)

-Larry

by **Linus Girdla** » Fri, 15 Nov 2002 06:11:15

> > > tested the game for 2 hours and im really impressed by the fantastic
> > > graphics, but the worst thing in this game (maybe until the first
> > > patch is released..???) is the really bad ffb in this game, its only
> > > one constant rattle and shaking, no forces anyway...of course its not
> > > such a "pure" sim, more likely arcade, but u could have a lotta fun
> > > with this game, when there would be much stronger ffb-effects...

> > I read in reviews the cars got more air-time than real cars. Just
> > sounds too much like 4x4 EVO's lunar physics. That was frustrating
> > enough because you spent so much time flying around and not gripping
> > the road.

> as i said before its more like a arcade racer, no sim like cmr2...but
> youre havin fun with it, except the steering with ffb....come on guys
> at dice....give us a patch...only the ffb effects of your great STCC2
> game!

I must say that my first reaction to this game was that it was
impossible to drive, no speed, odd brakes. But after getting some new
more powerful cars available it seemed a LOT better. I now, that I
have unlocked all cars and tracks and driven them all I must say that
this game ROCKS!!

Awesome driving! Better than Rally Masters and CMR.

I do have a couple of complaints though.

1. Really bad Force Feedback. My act-labs wheel does not even center!
Just shaking. I have to set it to default always on spring effect in
the wheel driver settings to get the wheel to auto center.

2. Nvidia stereo 3D for 3D glasses does not work in this game. I live
for 3D sim racing! :)

3. No way of driving races outside career mode that includes multiple
stages in a row.

So, a patch would be really nice to fix these issues. But it still is
a great fun rally game to play. I would say, the best so far, better
than Rally Masters, Rally Trophy and CMR2 in my opinion.

/Linus

by **rrevve** » Fri, 15 Nov 2002 06:36:10

I respectfully disagree. There is NO comparison
in the nice physics of Rally Masters and the arcade-ness
of Rallisport Challenge. None at all.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy arcade-ish racers and probably
spend more time recently on them than true sims, but Rallisport
isn't in the same league as Rally Masters in the 'driving'
department.

IMHO of course... :)

rec.autos.simulators

My small "MS Rallisport Challenge" review.

My small "MS Rallisport Challenge" review.

My small "MS Rallisport Challenge" review.

My small "MS Rallisport Challenge" review.

My small "MS Rallisport Challenge" review.

My small "MS Rallisport Challenge" review.

My small "MS Rallisport Challenge" review.

My small "MS Rallisport Challenge" review.

My small "MS Rallisport Challenge" review.

My small "MS Rallisport Challenge" review.

My small "MS Rallisport Challenge" review.

My small "MS Rallisport Challenge" review.

My small "MS Rallisport Challenge" review.

My small "MS Rallisport Challenge" review.

My small "MS Rallisport Challenge" review.

My small "MS Rallisport Challenge" review.