Developers / Game developers and publishers

Software Allies

discussed in 27 posts, 1997-2000 · overall tone positive

Posts per month

How the mood changed

Starts at zero. Every post that spoke well of them moves the line up, every critical post moves it down (weighted −2 to +2).

Key threads

Sierra's track editor is for SODA Off-Road, not NASCAR 2 1997-03-22 · 46 posts
A poster thought Ken Williams' column promised a NASCAR 2 track editor, but producer Steven Travers clarified it was the track designer shipping with SODA Off-Road Racing. Travers said SODA would have no paint kit but real sponsors, a cockpit view, a fall release and a demo no earlier than August. David Gary attacked the decision, leading to a bitter exchange with Travers and others.
Second NASCAR 4 screenshot hints at new engine 2000-04-29 · 177 posts
Papyrus posted a second NASCAR Racing 4 screenshot showing Richmond at night. Dave Henrie and others argued that the straight pit lanes proved the old NASCAR 2/3 code had been retired in favour of a GPL-derived engine, while sceptics said only physics mattered. A poster who called GPL junk provoked a long side argument, with Jim Erb claiming most sim racers disliked GPL.
Papyrus producer details SODA Off-Road Racing 1997-03-14 · 20 posts
Answering questions, Papyrus producer Steven Travers said SODA Off-Road Racing would be a new Windows 95-native engine supporting I-Force force-feedback controllers, with three vehicle classes, and that it was being developed by Software Allies. His curt reply to a demand for more than six online players drew criticism, and Jim Sokoloff noted that Papyrus staff read nearly every post. Travers defended his tone, saying developers face endless demands.
Delayed 3Dfx patch for SODA Off-Road Racing 1997-11-18 · 47 posts
Users asked about the 3Dfx patch for SODA Off-Road Racing promised before release. Papyrus said by e-mail it was still in the decision-making stage, and producer Steven Travers had reportedly said early 1998. Some refused to buy until it arrived, while John Wallace argued that SODA was fun and ran acceptably without acceleration, leading to a long frame-rate argument.
Eric Busch's hands-on report of Grand Prix Legends 1997-11-22 · 75 posts
After visiting Papyrus, Eric Busch reported that Grand Prix Legends was amazing and ground-breaking, ran smoothly in Rendition mode on a P200, and had far better graphics than NASCAR 2. He criticised CART Precision Racing in comparison, sparking accusations of bias. The thread also argued over whether 3Dfx or Papyrus was producing the NASCAR 2 Glide patch, and noted that Papyrus would sponsor a Toyota Atlantic car.