Ford Racing U.S. release -- SURPRISINGLY GOOD

I picked up the U.S. release of Ford Racing today at Electronics Boutique for $19.95. The box didn't say anything at all about in-car or bumper-cam views, nor did the box graphics depict this either, but I figured I'd go ahead and take a $20 risk. After I opened the box, I found that the manual was VERY sparse, and it didn't mention much about driving views -- it only listed the function keys that are used to change views, but not which views were available. I loaded it onto my machine with much trepidation, but after I fired it up, I was hugely pleased to find that there are five different driving views that can be selected from the main menu: Near chase, far chase, bumper cam, in-cockpit, and roll bar view. I immediately selected the in-cockpit view as my default view and fired the game up. The cockpit view is rather pleasing -- the windshield features wiper-blade marks, there's a moving steering wheel (complete with driver's arms and hands), and the gauges are tiny but clear and legible. The cockpit isn't a full 3D cockpit like in NASCAR Heat or NFSPU -- it's more of a cockpit overlay like in SCGT or Viper Racing, although I think there might be some in-cockpit "bobbing" actions when going over bumps and such. I mentioned SCGT and Viper Racing, but the cockpit itself reminds me a lot of the one in the first STCC demo, or that found in Rally Masters, which ain't bad. Like SCGT, though, you only seem to get one cockpit, regardless of the car (or truck) you choose. So far I've only sampled the Ka, Escort, F150, and Explorer, but they all seem to handle differently: The Ka feels like a small, underpowered front-drive econobox; the Escort feels a little heavier but still small and low on power; the F150 and Explorer both handle very much like you would expect rear-drive trucks to handle. The handling is surprising -- I mentioned a while back in the RAS newsgroup that it *looked* to me like there was some decent physics modeling going on in the Ford Racing demo, and with an in-cockpit view to work with, the physics feel pretty decent. To me, it feels very much like it falls somewhere between the physics in the original Need For Speed and Viper Racing, and it's FAR better than the likes of NFS3 or NFSHS. Overall, the game reminds me quite a bit of Viper Racing -- imagine if MGI had used the Viper Racing engine to model Dodge Neons, and you have some idea of what I think the Ka and Escort feels like in Ford Racing using the cockpit view. The physics aren't as lively as Viper Racing, but the level of immersion is similar -- for example, none of the four Fords I've sampled so far are as skittish as the Viper in Viper Racing, but fast laps rely on good driving technique; drop a tire into the grass, too far past a curb, or into the dirt, and you'll scrub off valuable speed that is hard to recover in the woefully-underpowered Ka, for example. Go into a turn too hot, and all you have to do is lift off the throttle and you gently transition from understeer to oversteer, and dialing in a bit more steering input will get you back on track. Overall, the Ka and Escort respond quite a bit like my wife's Toyota Paseo -- you won't confuse this part of Ford Racing for the Porsches and BMWs in SCGT, but that's not how these cars should feel, anyway. At this point, Ford Racing has left me smiling after several different driving sessions, much like Viper Racing and SCGT did when I first began to discover those two titles. I recently found F1WGP to be a nice, amusing driving diversion, but I feel that Ford Racing may be a bit more realistic at this point. The graphics are a nice surprise as well -- the game wants to default to 640 x 480, which really does look horribly grainy. You can only set the resolution from outside the game, using the graphics selector utility, which is annoying, but I cranked things up to 1024 x 768, and things looked MUCH better. Be advised: With 32-bit colors enabled at this resolution, I experienced some graphical pauses even on my Duron 700 system, but I suspect that my 16MB TNT2 Ultra may be the bottleneck here. You can adjust the graphic details from within the game, so I cranked a few of the detail selections down to midrange and things smoothed out quite nicely, and the graphics still easily rivalled SCGT or Viper Racing, without any detectable pop-up. The championship mode is kind of neat -- you can qualify or go directly to the race. In my second race, I qualified in daylight conditions, but the race occurred at dusk, which looked AWESOME -- even better than SCGT, in my opinion. It looks like wet-weather conditions are also possible, but I haven't done any testing with that yet. I can't say much about the AI except that they seem to be pretty competent -- again, Viper Racing and SCGT come to mind. I don't think there's any damage modeling at all, either graphical or otherwise, but that's not a big deal to me -- the objective is to not damage the car in the first place, so I tend to "drive it like I bought it" anyway. The sounds are also a low point, and it seems that the same engine sound must suffice for all vehicles, and there is noticeable looping in the engine not sample. This may be something that can be addressed by third-parties, but I haven't had time to look into it yet. Not a biggie at this point, since the Kas and Escorts need to run flat-out anyway, but the engine sound is definitely one thing that could still be improved upon. The biggest downside I can see so far is that you only get the first four cars and trucks that I've listed here to start with, and you have to unlock (or "earn") the others, which is a bite. Anybody know any cheat codes from the European release? Speaking of the European release, it seems our overseas brethren have been shortchanged on this one. The U.S. release looks like it has the potential to a fun little simulation in its own right, while the Euro release was limited to the horrible arcade-like chase mode that rendered it essentially useless for even the most casual sim racing enthusiast. I recommend that everybody on the other side of the pond should e-mail Empire Interactive immediately and demand a past, pronto -- the coding already exists from the U.S. release, so there should be SOME way to get the new enhancements disseminated to all those who bought the European version of Ford Racing. I'd recommend giving this one a try if it looks interesting to you -- there seem to be some pleasant surprises here, and the reviews of the Euro release don't do the U.S. version justice. As far as I'm concerned, it looks like there's easily $20 worth of fun to be had here. -- John Bodin

Although some of your points about Ford Racing are valid, I have to disagree with your overall point that it's worth a purchase. (Although for $19.99, some might say that you can't go wrong at that price...) First off, the Force feedback is non-existent, at least with my LWFF. The only time any effects can be felt is if you crash into the wall. Effects such as grip and weight transfer just aren't there. So, I can't really say how it handles, since there's no feel at all. I'll agree with your comment on the graphics only with regard that there is no pop-up effect. I'm running it on a Celeron 566@850 and I find that I have to turn the details way down to get smooth graphics. Granted, I'm a bit behind the curve with 2 Voodoo2's in SLI mode. But since you used Viper Racing as comparison, there is really is no comparison. Even with my V2's, Viper gives a great since of speed, while Ford racing simply does not. In fact, with details high, the frame rate still seems smooth, but the car slows down! So at what graphic level is the speed "right"? Your comments about the sound are right on. It's pathetic. In fact, jamming the brakes so you skid produces a little "toot" that's laughable. Graphically, it also produces skid marks IN FRONT of your car. Again, maybe it's my video set-up, but I found the cockpit to look quite chintzy -- so bad, that I preferred the bumper cam. I also agree with you about working your way up to the other cars. I don't particularly like that feature, but it's nothing new. One last thing: Although the replays have good graphics, there are no "VCR-like"controls. Just thought that's something which should be pointed out. Glad you like it, but it's not really my cup of tea...... John Bodin wrote:

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> I picked up the U.S. release of Ford Racing today at Electronics > Boutique for $19.95. The box didn't say anything at all about in-car > or bumper-cam views, nor did the box graphics depict this either, but > I figured I'd go ahead and take a $20 risk. > > After I opened the box, I found that the manual was VERY sparse, and > it didn't mention much about driving views -- it only listed the > function keys that are used to change views, but not which views were > available. I loaded it onto my machine with much trepidation, but > after I fired it up, I was hugely pleased to find that there are five > different driving views that can be selected from the main menu: Near > chase, far chase, bumper cam, in-cockpit, and roll bar view. I > immediately selected the in-cockpit view as my default view and fired > the game up. > > The cockpit view is rather pleasing -- the windshield features > wiper-blade marks, there's a moving steering wheel (complete with > driver's arms and hands), and the gauges are tiny but clear and > legible. The cockpit isn't a full 3D cockpit like in NASCAR Heat or > NFSPU -- it's more of a cockpit overlay like in SCGT or Viper Racing, > although I think there might be some in-cockpit "bobbing" actions when > going over bumps and such. I mentioned SCGT and Viper Racing, but the > cockpit itself reminds me a lot of the one in the first STCC demo, or > that found in Rally Masters, which ain't bad. Like SCGT, though, you > only > seem to get one cockpit, regardless of the car (or truck) you choose. > So far I've only sampled the Ka, Escort, F150, and Explorer, but they > all seem to handle differently: The Ka feels like a small, > underpowered front-drive econobox; the Escort feels a little heavier > but still small and low on power; the F150 and Explorer both handle > very much like you would expect rear-drive trucks to handle. > > The handling is surprising -- I mentioned a while back in the RAS > newsgroup that it *looked* to me like there was some decent physics > modeling going on in the Ford Racing demo, and with an in-cockpit view > to work with, the physics feel pretty decent. To me, it feels very > much like it falls somewhere between the physics in the original Need > For Speed and Viper Racing, and it's FAR better than the likes of NFS3 > or NFSHS. Overall, the game reminds me quite a bit of Viper Racing -- > imagine if MGI had used the Viper Racing engine to model Dodge Neons, > and you have some idea of what I think the Ka and Escort feels like in > Ford Racing using the cockpit view. The physics aren't as lively as > Viper Racing, but the level of immersion is similar -- for example, > none of the four Fords I've sampled so far are as skittish as the > Viper in Viper Racing, but fast laps rely on good driving technique; > drop a tire into the grass, too far past a curb, or into the dirt, and > you'll scrub off valuable speed that is hard to recover in the > woefully-underpowered Ka, for example. Go into a turn too hot, and > all you have to do is lift off the throttle and you gently transition > from understeer to oversteer, and dialing in a bit more steering input > will get you back on track. Overall, the Ka and Escort respond quite > a bit like my wife's Toyota Paseo -- you won't confuse > this part of Ford Racing for the Porsches and BMWs in SCGT, but that's > not how these cars should feel, anyway. > > At this point, Ford Racing has left me smiling after several different > driving sessions, much like Viper Racing and SCGT did when I first > began to discover those two titles. I recently found F1WGP to be a > nice, amusing driving diversion, but I feel that Ford Racing may be a > bit more realistic at this point. > > The graphics are a nice surprise as well -- the game wants to default > to 640 x 480, which really does look horribly grainy. You can only > set the resolution from outside the game, using the graphics selector > utility, which is annoying, but I cranked things up to 1024 x 768, and > things looked MUCH better. Be advised: With 32-bit colors enabled at > this resolution, I experienced some graphical pauses even on my Duron > 700 system, but I suspect that my 16MB TNT2 Ultra may be the > bottleneck > here. You can adjust the graphic details from within the game, so I > cranked a few of the detail selections down to midrange and things > smoothed out quite nicely, and the graphics still easily rivalled SCGT > or Viper Racing, without any detectable pop-up. > > The championship mode is kind of neat -- you can qualify or go > directly to the race. In my second race, I qualified in daylight > conditions, but the race occurred at dusk, which looked AWESOME -- > even better than SCGT, in my opinion. It looks like wet-weather > conditions are also possible, but I haven't done any testing with that > yet. > > I can't say much about the AI except that they seem to be pretty > competent -- again, Viper Racing and SCGT come to mind. I don't think > there's any damage modeling at all, either graphical or otherwise, but > that's not a big deal to me -- the objective is to not damage the car > in the first place, so I tend to "drive it like I bought it" anyway. > > The sounds are also a low point, and it seems that the same engine > sound must suffice for all vehicles, and there is noticeable looping > in the engine not sample. This may be something that can be addressed > by third-parties, but I haven't had time to look into it yet. Not a > biggie at this point, since the Kas and Escorts need to run flat-out > anyway, but the engine sound is definitely one thing that could still > be improved upon. > > The biggest downside I can see so far is that you only get the first > four cars and trucks that I've listed here to start with, and you have > to unlock (or "earn") the others, which is a bite. Anybody know any > cheat codes from the European release? > > Speaking of the European release, it seems our overseas brethren have > been shortchanged on this one. The U.S. release looks like it has the > potential to a fun little simulation in its own right, while the Euro > release was limited to the horrible arcade-like chase mode that > rendered it essentially useless for even the most casual sim racing > enthusiast. I recommend that everybody on the other side of the pond > should e-mail Empire Interactive immediately and demand a past, pronto > -- the coding already exists from the U.S. release, so there should be > SOME way to get the new enhancements disseminated to all those who > bought the European version of Ford Racing. > > I'd recommend giving this one a try if it looks interesting to you -- > there seem to be some pleasant surprises here, and the reviews of the > Euro release don't do the U.S. version justice. As far as I'm > concerned, it looks like there's easily $20 worth of fun to be had > here. > > -- John Bodin

-- Bert (Remove <nospam> from e-mail address when replying)

BRH, I'm not a Force-Feedback guy, so I couldn't comment on that aspect. I own a Saitek R4 Force, but I still always defer to my TSW products, as I personally feel that FF is too gimmicky -- to each his own, though, and I will defer to your assessment of the FF in Ford Racing. Other FF wheel owners be advised. Your Celeron 850 constitutes a pretty hefty system -- definitely comparable to my Duron -- but I think the problem for you is the Voodoo2 cards. Even in SLI mode, I have a feeling that the Voodoo2 architecture is beginning to struggle with modern D3D implementation. NVidia's TNT2 architecture, on the other hand, has always relied on speedy execution of D3D apps, given that there was no dedicated API for the NVidia cards. Add to that the fact that NVidia owners enjoy constantly-updated drivers, and that just might make my system a little more of an optimal configuration for running newer things like Ford Racing more smoothly at higher graphics resolutions and details. I would be willing to bet that Voodoo3 owners might see better performance in this game than what you're seeing, but I could be wrong. I do know that I saw a big performance boost when I traded in my Voodoo Banshee for the TNT2 Ultra, though. FWIW, I cranked all the graphic details up to max at 1024 x 768 today just to see how it would work, and other than some hesitation on occasion, it was very smooth. I haven't noticed any "slowdowns" as you have reported -- just occasional hesitation when the scene pans, like during a tight, fast turn, for example. This fact that I'm not seeing slowdowns like you are further leads me to believe that your Voodoo2's might be choking on the D3D execution. TNT2's and Voodoo3's are getting pretty cheap these days, so that's something to consider (if not for Ford Racing, then for gaming and racing in general). Also FWIW, you do have full "VCR-type" controls available, but they're somewhat "hidden" -- there is no graphical mouse interface, but, instead, the function keys serve as VCR controls, as follows: F1: Info bar on/off (haven't tried this yet . . .) F3: Change camera views F5: Go to the start of the replay F6: Rewind F7: Pause F8: Slow play F9: Play F10: Fast forward F11: End of replay F12: Eject/leave replay All this is buried in the manual, so it's no wonder that you overlooked it (I stumbled upon by accident it while flipping through the whopping 16-page monster <G>). Sorry it's not your cup of tea -- it's not at the top of my list (F1 2000 holds that spot at the moment), but it is an amusing, semi-sim/semi-arcade racer that falls somewhere ahead of NFS3 or NFS:HS in my book. Cheers! -- JB On Sun, 26 Nov 2000 16:18:27 -0500, "BRH <brh<nospam>@" <"nospam>cavtel.net"> wrote:

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>Although some of your points about Ford Racing are valid, I have to >disagree with your overall point that it's worth a purchase. (Although >for $19.99, some might say that you can't go wrong at that price...) > >First off, the Force feedback is non-existent, at least with my LWFF. The >only time any effects can be felt is if you crash into the wall. Effects >such as grip and weight transfer just aren't there. So, I can't really >say how it handles, since there's no feel at all. > >I'll agree with your comment on the graphics only with regard that there >is no pop-up effect. I'm running it on a Celeron 566@850 and I find that >I have to turn the details way down to get smooth graphics. Granted, I'm >a bit behind the curve with 2 Voodoo2's in SLI mode. But since you used >Viper Racing as comparison, there is really is no comparison. Even with >my V2's, Viper gives a great since of speed, while Ford racing simply does >not. In fact, with details high, the frame rate still seems smooth, but >the car slows down! So at what graphic level is the speed "right"? > >Your comments about the sound are right on. It's pathetic. In fact, >jamming the brakes so you skid produces a little "toot" that's laughable. >Graphically, it also produces skid marks IN FRONT of your car. > >Again, maybe it's my video set-up, but I found the cockpit to look quite >chintzy -- so bad, that I preferred the bumper cam. > >I also agree with you about working your way up to the other cars. I >don't particularly like that feature, but it's nothing new. > >One last thing: Although the replays have good graphics, there are no >"VCR-like"controls. Just thought that's something which should be pointed >out. > >Glad you like it, but it's not really my cup of tea......

FWIW, the good folks at GamesDomain have posted a cheat that lets you access all the cars in Ford Racing, and the cheat works with the U.S. version as well. Go to the GamesDomain review of the European release and click on "cheats": http://www.gamesdomain.com/demos/demo/1048.html Enjoy! -- JB

"John Bodin" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

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> The physics aren't as lively as > Viper Racing, but the level of immersion is similar -- for example, > none of the four Fords I've sampled so far are as skittish as the > Viper in Viper Racing, but fast laps rely on good driving technique; > drop a tire into the grass, too far past a curb, or into the dirt, and > you'll scrub off valuable speed that is hard to recover in the > woefully-underpowered Ka, for example.

This is one of my pet hates in arcade racers. When will developers learn that the penalty for going off line into the dirt or on to the grass is the possibility of LOSING CONTROL, NOT slowing down. TOCA2 does this as well. Going on to the grass should be dangerous enough in itself that no one dares to try it. Forcing a pre-programmed slowdown effect is pathetic, IMHO. Ryan

Yes, it does come off somewhat like "Test Drive: Ford Family Cars" (although it is infinitely better than any "Test Drive" title in recent memory), but three of their most major complaints have been addressed: - There is a rear view mirror now - There is an in-car and bumper cam view now - There is a full manual transmission now Plus, don't discount their comment about the impressive array of tracks. The tracks -- and the track graphics -- are some of the best I've seen anywhere. I'd love to see some of these tracks ported over to GPL, F1 2000, or NASCAR Heat. You can check out their full review of the original release here: http://www.gamesdomain.com/gdreview/zones/reviews/pc/dec99/ford.html Enjoy! -- JB In article <2aFU5.48395$[email hidden]>, "BRH <brh<nospam>@" <"nospam>cavtel.net"> wrote: > There's also a review at that site....... Anybody thinking aboutbuying

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> this game oughta read it. > > Nuff said. > > John Bodin wrote: > > > FWIW, the good folks at GamesDomain have posted a cheat that lets

you > > access all the cars in Ford Racing, and the cheat works with theU.S.

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> > version as well. > > > > Go to the GamesDomain review of the European release and click on > > "cheats": > > > > http://www.gamesdomain.com/demos/demo/1048.html > > > > Enjoy! > > > > -- JB > > -- > Bert > > (Remove <nospam> from e-mail address when replying) > >

Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy.

Your point about my video system is well taken. Up until now, it has served me well. For example, GPL, F1RS, MGPRS, GP3 and yes, even F12K all have run great on it. But it may be time for something new...... Some recent stuff doesn't even appear to run at all on the V2. (Links2001 being the most glaring example. Ok, so it's not a racing sim......) Thanks for pointing out the VCR controls via the function keys. Maybe I oughta read the manual a bit closer. (Shouldn't take too long in this case....) Glad you enjoy the game. John Bodin wrote:

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> BRH, > > I'm not a Force-Feedback guy, so I couldn't comment on that aspect. I > own a Saitek R4 Force, but I still always defer to my TSW products, as > I personally feel that FF is too gimmicky -- to each his own, though, > and I will defer to your assessment of the FF in Ford Racing. Other > FF wheel owners be advised. > > Your Celeron 850 constitutes a pretty hefty system -- definitely > comparable to my Duron -- but I think the problem for you is the > Voodoo2 cards. Even in SLI mode, I have a feeling that the Voodoo2 > architecture is beginning to struggle with modern D3D implementation. > NVidia's TNT2 architecture, on the other hand, has always relied on > speedy execution of D3D apps, given that there was no dedicated API > for the NVidia cards. Add to that the fact that NVidia owners enjoy > constantly-updated drivers, and that just might make my system a > little more of an optimal configuration for running newer things like > Ford Racing more smoothly at higher graphics resolutions and details. > I would be willing to bet that Voodoo3 owners might see better > performance in this game than what you're seeing, but I could be > wrong. I do know that I saw a big performance boost when I traded in > my Voodoo Banshee for the TNT2 Ultra, though. > > FWIW, I cranked all the graphic details up to max at 1024 x 768 today > just to see how it would work, and other than some hesitation on > occasion, it was very smooth. I haven't noticed any "slowdowns" as > you have reported -- just occasional hesitation when the scene pans, > like during a tight, fast turn, for example. This fact that I'm not > seeing slowdowns like you are further leads me to believe that your > Voodoo2's might be choking on the D3D execution. TNT2's and Voodoo3's > are getting pretty cheap these days, so that's something to consider > (if not for Ford Racing, then for gaming and racing in general). > > Also FWIW, you do have full "VCR-type" controls available, but they're > somewhat "hidden" -- there is no graphical mouse interface, but, > instead, the function keys serve as VCR controls, as follows: > > F1: Info bar on/off (haven't tried this yet . . .) > F3: Change camera views > F5: Go to the start of the replay > F6: Rewind > F7: Pause > F8: Slow play > F9: Play > F10: Fast forward > F11: End of replay > F12: Eject/leave replay > > All this is buried in the manual, so it's no wonder that you > overlooked it (I stumbled upon by accident it while flipping through > the whopping 16-page monster <G>). > > Sorry it's not your cup of tea -- it's not at the top of my list (F1 > 2000 holds that spot at the moment), but it is an amusing, > semi-sim/semi-arcade racer that falls somewhere ahead of NFS3 or > NFS:HS in my book. > > Cheers! > > -- JB > > On Sun, 26 Nov 2000 16:18:27 -0500, "BRH <brh<nospam>@" > <"nospam>cavtel.net"> wrote: > > >Although some of your points about Ford Racing are valid, I have to > >disagree with your overall point that it's worth a purchase. (Although > >for $19.99, some might say that you can't go wrong at that price...) > > > >First off, the Force feedback is non-existent, at least with my LWFF. The > >only time any effects can be felt is if you crash into the wall. Effects > >such as grip and weight transfer just aren't there. So, I can't really > >say how it handles, since there's no feel at all. > > > >I'll agree with your comment on the graphics only with regard that there > >is no pop-up effect. I'm running it on a Celeron 566@850 and I find that > >I have to turn the details way down to get smooth graphics. Granted, I'm > >a bit behind the curve with 2 Voodoo2's in SLI mode. But since you used > >Viper Racing as comparison, there is really is no comparison. Even with > >my V2's, Viper gives a great since of speed, while Ford racing simply does > >not. In fact, with details high, the frame rate still seems smooth, but > >the car slows down! So at what graphic level is the speed "right"? > > > >Your comments about the sound are right on. It's pathetic. In fact, > >jamming the brakes so you skid produces a little "toot" that's laughable. > >Graphically, it also produces skid marks IN FRONT of your car. > > > >Again, maybe it's my video set-up, but I found the cockpit to look quite > >chintzy -- so bad, that I preferred the bumper cam. > > > >I also agree with you about working your way up to the other cars. I > >don't particularly like that feature, but it's nothing new. > > > >One last thing: Although the replays have good graphics, there are no > >"VCR-like"controls. Just thought that's something which should be pointed > >out. > > > >Glad you like it, but it's not really my cup of tea......

-- Bert (Remove <nospam> from e-mail address when replying)

There's also a review at that site....... Anybody thinking about buying this game oughta read it. Nuff said. John Bodin wrote:

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> FWIW, the good folks at GamesDomain have posted a cheat that lets you > access all the cars in Ford Racing, and the cheat works with the U.S. > version as well. > > Go to the GamesDomain review of the European release and click on > "cheats": > > http://www.gamesdomain.com/demos/demo/1048.html > > Enjoy! > > -- JB

-- Bert (Remove <nospam> from e-mail address when replying)