Viper Racing

MGI/Sierra · released 1998 · discussed in 2,661 posts, 1998-2010 · overall tone positive

Posts per month

Timeline

1998-09-12 Sierra announced Viper Racing, developed by MGI, a studio founded by former Papyrus staff. post post
1998-09-30 MGI released the first Viper Racing demo. post post
1998-11-18 Viper Racing shipped to US retail. post post

Key threads

Is NASCAR Heat going to be an arcade game? 2000-05-06 · 33 posts
An interview with producer Ed Martin led some to call NASCAR Heat an arcade game. Others pointed out that it offered both arcade and sim modes and was built by Monster Games on Viper Racing's well-regarded physics. Toni Lassila argued that Hasbro had abandoned simulations, and Ed Martin joined to invite people to try NASCAR Heat and GP3 at Hasbro's E3 booth.
First impressions of Voodoo5 5500 full-screen anti-aliasing 2000-05-26 · 61 posts
Tracey Miller, an early buyer of the Voodoo5 5500, initially found its FSAA disappointing in GPL, NASCAR 3 and Viper Racing because of apparent shape shifting, later realising some effects also appeared without FSAA. She reported lockups in GPL's Glide mode and posted benchmark figures. Others discussed level-of-detail effects, Egghead shipping the card early, and CPU upgrade options.
Viper Racing lap times and driving tips at Dundas 1999-09-17 · 27 posts
Adrian asked what counted as a good lap time in Viper Racing and reported steadily improving times at Dundas with a Microsoft force-feedback wheel. John Bodin of the CompuServe Viper Racing Club advised braking before turns, using auto-clutch with manual shifting and choosing between low- and high-wing setups. Bodin also ranked Viper Racing's physics second only to Grand Prix Legends.
Viper Racing impressions and AI behaviour 1999-08-23 · 24 posts
A new Viper Racing owner said the game lacked something and its AI often rammed him. Others defended the AI as human-like and often blameless on replay, praised its physics and career mode, and shared setup values. The thread digressed into poor German translations and an apparent troll claiming Viper's physics beat GPL's.
Opinions on Microsoft, Logitech and other force-feedback wheels 1999-04-03 · 24 posts
A UK buyer asked which force-feedback wheel to choose. Opinions ranged from Eric Busch's view that every FF wheel on the market felt poor mechanically to strong recommendations of the Logitech wheel, with the Microsoft wheel described as accurate but notchy and the Saitek R4 offered cheaply refurbished. Most agreed only Viper Racing currently used FF well, and a side argument arose over whether GPL's steering is oversensitive.
Viper Racing demo v2.2 released with bug fixes 1998-10-11 · 23 posts
The Pits posted MGI's updated Viper Racing demo fixing replay crashes, 2MB card lock-ups and color-key bugs. Players discussed hotlap times around a minute, and MGI's Troy Harder explained his 58.73 lap was done in sim mode with traction and yaw control off, recommending manual shifting. Setups and config-file tweaks such as running the track in reverse were shared.
Choosing a racing game for a force feedback wheel 1999-05-12 · 22 posts
A buyer with a Sidewinder FF wheel asked which racing game to get, excluding NASCAR. Suggestions included Viper Racing for its strong force feedback, F1 Racing Simulation and Grand Prix Legends, and Papyrus's Randy Cassidy replied that GPL would get FF "soon". The thread then drifted into excitement over the patch, ACT Labs wheel latency, and Clinton "is" jokes.
Ranking favourite racing sims 2001-02-14 · 43 posts
Sinjin asked readers to rank NFS Porsche Unleashed, Sports Car GT, Viper Racing, Grand Prix Legends and NASCAR 4. GPL topped most lists, with NASCAR 4 often second. Many posters added older favourites such as Revs, Stunt Car Racer, Night Driver and Indianapolis 500.
Why Viper Racing has no user-made tracks 2000-06-14 · 39 posts
A poster asked why no new tracks had appeared for Viper Racing. One reply called it an arcade game, which others rejected, saying its physics were second only to GPL. ymenard explained that MGI had used a closed file architecture that prevented third-party tools. The thread then dissolved into name-calling and banter.
What is the most realistic racing sim available? 1999-11-13 · 35 posts
A newcomer asked which racing game was most realistic. Most named Grand Prix Legends, with Viper Racing second, while others argued for SCGT, TOCA 2, NASCAR Racing 3 or the upcoming Rally Championship 2000. The thread drifted into nostalgia for Formula One Grand Prix on the Amiga.
Realistic racing sim for a Pentium 166 2000-12-17 · 27 posts
A newcomer with a P166 and a Voodoo card asked for the most realistic racing sim. Most recommended Grand Prix Legends while warning it would struggle in races on that hardware, and others suggested Viper Racing, NASCAR 2, GP2 or IndyCar Racing II. His GPL demo crashed, and a poster pointed him to a Glide driver fix for Voodoo2.
Sports Car GT versus Viper Racing 1999-04-27 · 26 posts
A Viper Racing owner asked how Sports Car GT compared. Many preferred SCGT for its variety of cars and tracks, pit stops and AI, especially using the advanced options editor's 'pure simulation' mode, while others found its AI too timid or preferred Viper's physics and force feedback. A side argument arose over whether GPL's cars are harder to drive than the real ones.
Request for a simple force-feedback patch for GPL 1999-03-18 · 25 posts
A player asked Papyrus for basic force feedback in GPL that simply stiffened the wheel with speed. Others argued realistic force feedback was much harder than it sounded, citing latency, while some held up Viper Racing as proof it could be done well. The thread included a pedantic side argument about spelling.
Viper Racing frame rate benchmarks 1998-12-12 · 24 posts
Players posted Viper Racing benchmark frame rates across various CPUs and 3D cards, with fast systems reaching the mid-50s and suggesting a frame cap. Posters noted the importance of stating resolution and discussed gamma and driver updates.
Progressing through Viper Racing's career classes 1999-01-06 · 23 posts
Players shared their progress through Viper Racing's career mode, complaining about aggressive AI and the lack of speed sensation in the cockpit view. One suggested AI drivers should follow the same promotion rules, and John Wallace recalled a similar feature in Stunt Car Racer.
Viper Racing traction and handling realism 1998-12-02 · 22 posts
A poster felt Viper Racing's rear traction was unrealistically poor at low speed. Others defended it as typical of a high-torque muscle car or suggested controller tuning, leading to a long digression on 1960s muscle car horsepower and comparison of lap times.
Racing games that play like Viper Racing 2000-12-04 · 22 posts
A fan of Viper Racing asked for similar games with good crash physics. Suggestions included Driver, Mercedes-Benz Truck Racing, STCC2, Insane, NFS Porsche Unleashed and NASCAR Heat, which came from the same developers. 4x4 Evolution was widely panned, and Radical Entertainment's Joe McGinn commented on Midtown Madness 2's handling and framerate.
Recommending an easy racing sim for a former racer 2002-12-26 · 21 posts
Jeffrey asked for an approachable sim and force feedback wheel for his stepfather, a former amateur sports car racer. Suggestions included NFS Porsche Unleashed, Sports Car GT with add-ons, Viper Racing, Rally Trophy, NR2002, GTR2002 and Dirt Track Racing. A 56-year-old former racer argued GPL best captured old-time racing.
Games Domain 'driving test' rates NFS Porsche Unleashed highly 2000-05-23 · 21 posts
John Bodin linked a Games Domain article that rated road-car games on stunts like donuts and 360-degree spins, with Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed and Sports Car GT tying for top. Several criticised the methodology as ignoring braking, slip angles and other fundamentals, and Tim O argued that Viper Racing was more realistic.

Busiest threads

Ranking favourite racing sims (20 posts about it)
How many racing sims do you have installed? (15 posts about it)
Viper Racing lap times and driving tips at Dundas (15 posts about it)
Viper Racing frame rate benchmarks (13 posts about it)
Viper Racing (12 posts about it)
Why Viper Racing has no user-made tracks (11 posts about it)
Re: Anything better but similar to Viper out there yet? (11 posts about it)
Sports Car GT versus Viper Racing (11 posts about it)
Newcomer asks for sim, wheel and graphics card advice (11 posts about it)
Poll of favourite racing games for fun and realism (11 posts about it)
Readers list their top ten racing games (10 posts about it)
Viper Racing 1.2 beta patch still available? (10 posts about it)
Viper Racing aging well (10 posts about it)
Request for a simple force-feedback patch for GPL (10 posts about it)
Why Papyrus sims lack a career mode (10 posts about it)

Sentiment by year

Each post that discussed the sim was rated from −2 (very negative) to +2 (very positive).

Year	Posts	Positive	Negative	Tone
1998	491	235	30	very positive (+0.61)
1999	1,042	468	79	positive (+0.50)
2000	595	319	16	very positive (+0.68)
2001	288	134	4	positive (+0.59)
2002	162	87	10	very positive (+0.62)
2003	47	21	0	positive (+0.57)
2004	14	11	1	very positive (+1.07)
2005	15	9	0	very positive (+0.80)
2006	4	2	0	very positive (+0.75)
2008	1	1	0	very positive (+2.00)
2009	1	0	0	mixed (+0.00)
2010	1	1	0	very positive (+2.00)