rec.autos.simulators

     I am withholding judgement til I've heard for sure, but....it
sounds like Papyrus is playing the money game.   they bought the license
for CART til 2001.  Are they going to exercise that license...if
information is correct, NO!  It seems they are paying hush money to the
CART group merely to keep ANY OTHER COMPANY from producing one..
If so...Papyrus...THAT STINKS.

   Also in light of the parent company's financial problems...perhaps
all the Sierra Family was instructed to tighten the belt and drop any
marginal projects.   Perhaps that Gang of Five group could enter into
negotiations with Papyrus to buy the CART License and then we'd get a
chance at a quality sim again...
dave henrie

To my understanding Microsoft has the rights to CART for the next
year, them Papy will pick it up again.

On Thu, 23 Apr 1998 21:16:20 -0700, Dave Henrie

Oh David, please don't be so naive.
Sierra are in this business to make money. They are a large company, with
a lot to protect....including the jobs of those that the company employs.  
The entertainment software business in the 90s bears no relationship to
that of the 70s or even the 80s.  It is Big Business.

Therefore, if Sierra have bought the rights to the name CART and all
associated with the use of the name, then that shows a bit of initiative
on behalf of somebody at the place, and good luck to them.  Whether they
use that name or not is a commercial decision and is hardly likely to be
determined by a few people moaning here.

If Sierra had to carry out some "belt tightening" then that is also part
of commercialism.......accountants hold sway, not the programmers, not
the artists, not the games testers........it's the accountants.

That's life.
---
Regards,
---
Bruce.

The Grand Prix Legends Historic Motor Racing Club:-
http://www.netspeed.com.au/brucek/legends/

Maybe future licenses should include a clause that requires the game
developer to develope and release at least one version of a sim related
to the license within 2 years of the signing of said license.

Either that, or not worry about licensing and follow these basic design
philosophies:

  1) Design a sim based on CART, NASCAR (Winston Cup AND Trucks),
     IndyCar, IMSA car shapes and physics.  Allow the user to
     pick what kind of racing is going to be done.

  2) Include fake paintjobs (no real-world sponsors)

  3) Include a really nice paintshop utility to make it a simple
     matter to repaint the cars any way the user might desire.

  4) Design tracks that are eerily similar to real-word track
     configurations, but with no track-side billboards, or wall
     graphics.

  5) Provide a file with various sized billboards that the user
     can place ANYWHERE that is not a racing surface (this
     includes walls etc...).

  6) Allow the same paintshop utility used to paint cars to also
     paint the billboards

  7) Provide various other trackside objects to be placed anywhere
     that is not recognized as a racing surface.

These capabilities would make the sim generic enough that ANYONE could
configure a track or car to reflect real-world cars/tracks and the sim
developer will not be constrained by licenses.  It seems pretty simple to
me.

--
=========================================================
John Simmons (Redneck techno-Biker) - Zerex12
http://www.members.home.net/jms1/index.html

If you want to send me email, go to the URL shown above
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Spoken like a true non-programmer...

- Mike.

PS: :-)

============================================
    Mike Holthouse - Indianapolis, IN
 My new philosophy is to never explain my
 philosophies. I wish I could tell you why.
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