rec.autos.simulators

DTR impressions

Joel Willstei

DTR impressions

by Joel Willstei » Mon, 08 Nov 1999 04:00:00

    Well,since my 1st post agreeing with the Philster,I went back and spent
the next hour just racing DTR off line. I was able to run consistantly in
the top 5 in the super modifies with the AIs set at 80%. So now I'm going to
give online racing a try,and see if it doesn't change my mind about DTR.

Joel Willstein

Ken Bear

DTR impressions

by Ken Bear » Mon, 08 Nov 1999 04:00:00

I played a good bit after d/l'ing it yesterday, and I just don't get it
myself.  I think some setup adjustments, mainly steering lock, would help
greatly - it just doesn't seem to like my MSFF.  One, the force effects seem
noticeably inferior to GPL or N3/NL, I just don't get any feel for where the
car is going from the wheel.  It also seems to be much too sensitive, in
trying to get the car to turn in for the slide and then back to opposite
lock to slide through, it all too often spins around on me, or I'm sliding
into the wall.

I'm pretty sure it's at least somewhat controller related - I'm no whiz in
GPL but I can control the car in a slide, AND feel when my back end is
coming around.  I do this better with FF, but could do it pretty well before
the 1.1 patch too.  DTR isn't giving me anywhere near the same feel, with or
without FF, and from reading many of the raves about it it seems I'm in the
minority here.  I'd check the newsgroups, see nobody else was saying much
negative, figured I was missing something, fire it up again and still was
missing it.  I got like a 17.35 or something in a Late Model at 34 Speedway,
but just never felt the car under me.  Weird.  Maybe with the default
steering lock, and with wheels like the MS that have over 180 degrees
travel, it is too touchy.  I might play around with the MS controls and
adjust the deadzone and all and see if I can get it to feel better.  I am
running 3.02, as Don suggests, so am not getting any slowdowns with FF.

Since the full game will be $20, and will offer a lot of adjustments -
hopefully including some FF tweaking - I'll still pick it up.  The career
mode sounds delicious.  At this point though I'm in the "Huh?  I don't get
it" camp - yet I get SBK, GPL, N3, NL, SCGT, etc. - oh well maybe I'll
figure it out eventually :-)

--
Ken's Sig 3.01

"Who is the more foolish?  The fool, or the fool who follows him?" -
Obi-Wan Kenobi

Go #43 and #44!

volksy (at) yahoo (dot) com


>     Well,since my 1st post agreeing with the Philster,I went back and
spent
> the next hour just racing DTR off line. I was able to run consistantly in
> the top 5 in the super modifies with the AIs set at 80%. So now I'm going
to
> give online racing a try,and see if it doesn't change my mind about DTR.

> Joel Willstein


Ross Hashan

DTR impressions

by Ross Hashan » Mon, 08 Nov 1999 04:00:00

I haven't got FF (am using a Sidewinder Gamepad as my T2 is broken) and I
found that it is a lot harder to get a "feel" for your car when compared to
GPL specifically, for the simple fact that unless you drive in an external
view---- you can't see the wheels.
In GPL, the visual feedback you get from seeing where the wheels are
pointed(when they're pointing in a different direction to the one you're
travelling in!!) is crucial. In DTR's in-car view, without FF - there is no
way to tell how far around your wheels are pointing. Driving with the
external view helps considerably.

Thinking about the above statement, I then immediately wondered why it isn't
a problem in games such as Nascar3/Legends, SCGT, etc -- and the reason I
think is because for the most part you aren't intentionally trying to keep
an opposite-lock on for more than a brief second. In DTR, 1/4 way around a
turn, you have no idea whether your wheels are pointed full-left,
full-right, or somewhere in between. I guess this IS realistic though,
right - in real life they can't see their own wheels, but have to drive by
"feel"? You just have to take a totally different driving approach to it
compared to the other games.
Still fun though, even if I have to use external-cam to drive consistently!!

R. Hashana


Joel Willstei

DTR impressions

by Joel Willstei » Mon, 08 Nov 1999 04:00:00


     I've been using a MSFF wheel with GPL,Nas3,and SCGT. The FF is simply
fantastic in GPL and NAS3.  You get quite a lot of feed back as to what the
car is doing.  You can feel when the front end gets light or loads up. In
SCGT I had to adjust both settings inorder to get any real feel,but there is
some,and it does add to the overall sensation of driving a sports car. In
DTR the FF is practically nonexistent. This could be from the fact that the
front end gets really light when you start sliding around,but going down the
striaghts doesn't offer you any sensations at all. Hopefully,there will be
some FF adjustment in the sim when it's released.

     I've spent several hours this afternoon driving DTR both on and off
line.  I found that with the AIs set to 80% I was able to win just about
every race. I tried online racing,but the few races I joined and the few I
watched,were demolition derbies,so I continued racing off line. I increased
the AIs to 90%,and the super Mods started to get real interesting. At 99%
(the highest setting),I never finished better than 5th.

     My concern still is that after just a few days of racing DTR if I'm
able to run the super modifies at 90%+ and be competitive,will the sim stand
the test of time and still hold my interest 3-6 months down the line.

      Joel Willstein

Peter Hoope

DTR impressions

by Peter Hoope » Tue, 09 Nov 1999 04:00:00

Well, for what it's worth I find I am able to control the slides pretty well
and get a really good feel for what is happening to the car despite not
having a Force Feedback wheel. I've not had that much time to play around
with it but so far my feeling is that I am going to lose a lot of spare time
in this sim.

One of the advantages it has over something like GPL (which I also think is
the dogs whatsits by the way...) is the fact that I feel much more content
to start it up just for a quick 15 minutes or so if I haven't got much time
to spare (although i'm sure many of these 15 minutes will more often than
not turn into 30 mins, then 45, an hour, etc, etc.....). Whereas I am always
reluctant to fire up GPL unless I know I am going to have an hour or so
behind the wheel. Just an observation.. what does anyone else think??

Anyway, suffice to say I think it is superb... I only hope it is released
over here in England.. but something tells me that it won't be and an online
order is going to be quickly on it's way.

Just my 2p worth

Peter Hooper

PS:- I'd appreciate any thoughts on whether the purchase of a FF wheel would
make it even better... bear in mind that I am currently running a rather
under powered system (P233mmx, 64mb RAM, 16mb Voodoo Banshee) so would a FF
wheel have reduce performance at all. Cheers


> I played a good bit after d/l'ing it yesterday, and I just don't get it
> myself.  I think some setup adjustments, mainly steering lock, would help
> greatly - it just doesn't seem to like my MSFF.  One, the force effects
seem
> noticeably inferior to GPL or N3/NL, I just don't get any feel for where
the
> car is going from the wheel.  It also seems to be much too sensitive, in
> trying to get the car to turn in for the slide and then back to opposite
> lock to slide through, it all too often spins around on me, or I'm sliding
> into the wall.

> I'm pretty sure it's at least somewhat controller related - I'm no whiz in
> GPL but I can control the car in a slide, AND feel when my back end is
> coming around.  I do this better with FF, but could do it pretty well
before
> the 1.1 patch too.  DTR isn't giving me anywhere near the same feel, with
or
> without FF, and from reading many of the raves about it it seems I'm in
the
> minority here.  I'd check the newsgroups, see nobody else was saying much
> negative, figured I was missing something, fire it up again and still was
> missing it.  I got like a 17.35 or something in a Late Model at 34
Speedway,
> but just never felt the car under me.  Weird.  Maybe with the default
> steering lock, and with wheels like the MS that have over 180 degrees
> travel, it is too touchy.  I might play around with the MS controls and
> adjust the deadzone and all and see if I can get it to feel better.  I am
> running 3.02, as Don suggests, so am not getting any slowdowns with FF.

> Since the full game will be $20, and will offer a lot of adjustments -
> hopefully including some FF tweaking - I'll still pick it up.  The career
> mode sounds delicious.  At this point though I'm in the "Huh?  I don't get
> it" camp - yet I get SBK, GPL, N3, NL, SCGT, etc. - oh well maybe I'll
> figure it out eventually :-)

> --
> Ken's Sig 3.01

> "Who is the more foolish?  The fool, or the fool who follows him?" -
> Obi-Wan Kenobi

> Go #43 and #44!

> volksy (at) yahoo (dot) com



> >     Well,since my 1st post agreeing with the Philster,I went back and
> spent
> > the next hour just racing DTR off line. I was able to run consistantly
in
> > the top 5 in the super modifies with the AIs set at 80%. So now I'm
going
> to
> > give online racing a try,and see if it doesn't change my mind about DTR.

> > Joel Willstein


Bruce Kennewel

DTR impressions

by Bruce Kennewel » Wed, 10 Nov 1999 04:00:00

Peter, it _IS_ due for release elsewhere other than just the USA however, as
of two days ago, Ratbag had still to tie up distribution, including here in
Oz, by-the-way!!

--
Regards,
Bruce Kennewell,
Canberra, Australia.
---------------------------


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Bruce Kennewel

DTR impressions

by Bruce Kennewel » Wed, 10 Nov 1999 04:00:00

In fact, here is the word straight from the horses mouth Ratbags "News"
page).
NOTE!  Ratbag intend including tracks relevant to the zone of release!
EXCELLENT!!
==========================================

November 9, 1999
 11:30am
Of late we've been getting quite a few mails regarding the status of the
Australian and European versions of Dirt Track Racing from anxious fans.
Upon imagining the distraught state of these people, I immediately took the
query straight to the top. Here's word from the bossman himself:

".. the contract negotiations are underway with the view to DTR Europe and
DTR Australia / NZ being available towards the end of the year. These
versions will feature racing around Europe or Australia / NZ
respectively...."

Please don't fill my mailbox with flame mail over the matter, it's just one
of those unavoidable matters I'm afraid. We're doing our very best to get
DTR into everyone's hands asap. Until it's arrival, thrash that demo to
pieces.... 8)

=======================================

--
Regards,
Bruce Kennewell,
Canberra, Australia.
---------------------------


> Peter, it _IS_ due for release elsewhere other than just the USA however,
as
> of two days ago, Ratbag had still to tie up distribution, including here
in
> Oz, by-the-way!!

> --
> Regards,
> Bruce Kennewell,
> Canberra, Australia.
> ---------------------------



> > > Anyway, suffice to say I think it is superb... I only hope it is
> released
> > over here in England.. but something tells me that it won't be and an
> online
> > order is going to be quickly on it's way.

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Ronald Stoeh

DTR impressions

by Ronald Stoeh » Thu, 11 Nov 1999 04:00:00


> In fact, here is the word straight from the horses mouth Ratbags "News"
> page).
> NOTE!  Ratbag intend including tracks relevant to the zone of release!
> EXCELLENT!!

Hmm, at least for the online racers that's pretty bad news, isn't it?
Although, maybe most tracks are the same and a few local tracks are added
as a bonus.

l8er
ronny

--
The box said "Windows 95 or better", so I installed LINUX!

          |\      _,,,---,,_        I want to die like my Grandfather,
   ZZZzz /,`.-'`'    -.  ;-;;,_              in his sleep.
        |,4-  ) )-,_. ,\ (  `'-'     Not like the people in his car,
       '---''(_/--'  `-'\_)            screaming their heads off!

glen

DTR impressions

by glen » Fri, 12 Nov 1999 04:00:00


>Hmm, at least for the online racers that's pretty bad news, isn't it?
>Although, maybe most tracks are the same and a few local tracks are added
>as a bonus.

its very bad news.  I had a lot of fun last night racing against some Aussies.
But if they end up with a different Australia version, with different tracks,
obviously you'll be limited to racing against people from your continent.
Schlom

DTR impressions

by Schlom » Sat, 13 Nov 1999 04:00:00

To be perfectly honest I think the FF in DTR is fairly accurate.  With my real
life dirt track experiance (all be it in midgets and mini sprints as opposed to
"stock" type cars) id have to say, while kinda dulled out, its pretty good.  A
car on dirt where the left front is almost never on the ground doesnt give the
kind of feedback a car on pavement will.  Why?  Because your sliding the car.
Your front wheels are turned the opposite way and therefore guiding the car
more than steering it.  Now theres not nearly enough feedback on
turn-in...thats obvious.  But mid-turn onto the straight is pretty good.  Then
again a larger, heavier car than what I've driven might respond differently.
Just offering my semi-educated opinion.

However the sound IS terrible...that I totally agree with.

Chris


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