:)
Bought this one just last week and ,with the exception of GPL, it has
idled all other racing games on my computer for the last week. I realize
that its far from hardcore but its an absolute hoot to hop in a 550 Spyder
and blast down some faux Corsican highway dodging the local peasantry in
their vans whilst pursueing some early 911's.
Interestingly enough for a fairly arcadish title it actually does a
pretty good job of communicating the cars traction state to me; probably due
to the seperate modeling of each tires contact patch. I'm finding the middle
level cars to be the most fun since the earlyier models are bog slow while
the very latest models have an absolutely unbelievable abilty to stick to
the road that reduces the game to lining up on the corner entrance and
hammering on the throttle.
Of the nine tracks included most are serious fun to drive with three of
them making me want to learn how to program just so I could make them even
longer ( the sim world *needs* a Targa Florio sim :) ) Sure the air time
lasts longer than is proper and if a real car could stand as much damage and
still function as well as these we'd all pay $5.95/year for car insurance
BUT a bad move or ham handed input will still cost you the race against the
racier levels of the AI. Exercise a little restraint in the use of the
optional parts (*cough* power ups *cough*) and you can dial up an intense
couple of minutes hustling through the Roman ruins.
There's a couple of different game modes such as Evolution where you
work your way through Porsches history right from the first "Ferdinand" to
the latest rocketships earning credits as you go and being granted
progressive levels of access to the showroom. In conjunction there is an
interesting used car market that allows you to buy and sell older models of
Porsches in various states of disrepair. Kudos to Porsche for actually
allowing their cars to appear damaged! At least one car company that hasn't
succumbed to the blandishments of corporate lawyers and PR flacks. There is
also a mode called Factory driver that I haven't actually checked out yet
but it looks promising since you get to be an apprentice running missions
for the factory delivering cars (Wonder if Patrick Stewart will do the voice
over for this one :) )
Anyway this is not a good purchase for those who take their simming
really seriously but its got enough going for it to qualify for a good look
if you're looking for some sort of "sim lite" to jump into quickly for a
few minutes R&R.
Off to see if slicks are really all that bad in the Alpine snow!
--
David
Too much spam
Remove the obvious from address to email
And it's a blast online.
In article <XEe05.94419$[email hidden]>,
"David Erb" <[email hidden]> wrote:
>
> :)
> Bought this one just last week and ,with the exception of GPL,it has
> idled all other racing games on my computer for the last week. Irealize
> that its far from hardcore but its an absolute hoot to hop in a 550Spyder
> and blast down some faux Corsican highway dodging the local peasantryin
> their vans whilst pursueing some early 911's.
> Interestingly enough for a fairly arcadish title it actually doesa
> pretty good job of communicating the cars traction state to me;probably due
> to the seperate modeling of each tires contact patch. I'm finding themiddle
> level cars to be the most fun since the earlyier models are bog slowwhile
> the very latest models have an absolutely unbelievable abilty tostick to
> the road that reduces the game to lining up on the corner entrance and
> hammering on the throttle.
> Of the nine tracks included most are serious fun to drive withthree of
> them making me want to learn how to program just so I could make themeven
> longer ( the sim world *needs* a Targa Florio sim :) ) Sure the airtime
> lasts longer than is proper and if a real car could stand as muchdamage and
> still function as well as these we'd all pay $5.95/year for carinsurance
> BUT a bad move or ham handed input will still cost you the raceagainst the
> racier levels of the AI. Exercise a little restraint in the use of the
> optional parts (*cough* power ups *cough*) and you can dial up anintense
> couple of minutes hustling through the Roman ruins.
> There's a couple of different game modes such as Evolution whereyou
> work your way through Porsches history right from the first"Ferdinand" to
> the latest rocketships earning credits as you go and being granted
> progressive levels of access to the showroom. In conjunction there isan
> interesting used car market that allows you to buy and sell oldermodels of
> Porsches in various states of disrepair. Kudos to Porsche for actually
> allowing their cars to appear damaged! At least one car company thathasn't
> succumbed to the blandishments of corporate lawyers and PR flacks.There is
> also a mode called Factory driver that I haven't actually checked outyet
> but it looks promising since you get to be an apprentice runningmissions
> for the factory delivering cars (Wonder if Patrick Stewart will dothe voice
> over for this one :) )
>
> Anyway this is not a good purchase for those who take theirsimming
> really seriously but its got enough going for it to qualify for agood look
> if you're looking for some sort of "sim lite" to jump into quicklyfor a
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Quoted text (10 lines)
> few minutes R&R. > > Off to see if slicks are really all that bad in the Alpine snow! > > -- > David > Too much spam > Remove the obvious from address to email > >I absolutely LOVE this game -- as far as its merits as a sim, it may
not be as technically-accurate as something like GPL, but it does a
WONDERFUL job of simulating the real-world driving "feel" that I
really, REALLY enjoy in a "sim."
You are right about the damage model, though. As it stands, the
existing damage modeling would be great for the "arcade mode" damage,
but it would be nice if they had a more severe damage model for a full-
blown "sim" mode. As much as I like finishing a race, it would add a
lot to the overall realism if it were actually possible to "DNF" if you
have a head-on with a wall (or otherwise take on enough damage to
prevent you from finishing). In addition to the simulated market
economy, this would be further incentive to avoid damage.
The ONE thing I wish they had included is a "test track" type oval
(like the large oval in NFS2, for example). That would have been
EXTREMELY easy to do, and even though the 5 Monte Carlo courses all
offer quite a bit of variety, I still find them so similar that they
are just redundantly boring (or boringly redundant). <G>
Other than this, though, there's really very little that I would change
about the game. Based on the amount of enjoyment I get out of it, I
now put NFSPU slightly ahead of GPL, DTR, and Viper Racing in my own
personal hall of fame. Doesn't mean it's any better than these other
titles, it's just that I get more sheer, pure enjoyment out of it
overall.
-- JB
In article <XEe05.94419$[email hidden]>,
"David Erb" <[email hidden]> wrote:
>
> :)
> Bought this one just last week and ,with the exception of GPL,it has
> idled all other racing games on my computer for the last week. Irealize
> that its far from hardcore but its an absolute hoot to hop in a 550Spyder
> and blast down some faux Corsican highway dodging the local peasantryin
> their vans whilst pursueing some early 911's.
> Interestingly enough for a fairly arcadish title it actually doesa
> pretty good job of communicating the cars traction state to me;probably due
> to the seperate modeling of each tires contact patch. I'm finding themiddle
> level cars to be the most fun since the earlyier models are bog slowwhile
> the very latest models have an absolutely unbelievable abilty tostick to
> the road that reduces the game to lining up on the corner entrance and
> hammering on the throttle.
> Of the nine tracks included most are serious fun to drive withthree of
> them making me want to learn how to program just so I could make themeven
> longer ( the sim world *needs* a Targa Florio sim :) ) Sure the airtime
> lasts longer than is proper and if a real car could stand as muchdamage and
> still function as well as these we'd all pay $5.95/year for carinsurance
> BUT a bad move or ham handed input will still cost you the raceagainst the
> racier levels of the AI. Exercise a little restraint in the use of the
> optional parts (*cough* power ups *cough*) and you can dial up anintense
> couple of minutes hustling through the Roman ruins.
> There's a couple of different game modes such as Evolution whereyou
> work your way through Porsches history right from the first"Ferdinand" to
> the latest rocketships earning credits as you go and being granted
> progressive levels of access to the showroom. In conjunction there isan
> interesting used car market that allows you to buy and sell oldermodels of
> Porsches in various states of disrepair. Kudos to Porsche for actually
> allowing their cars to appear damaged! At least one car company thathasn't
> succumbed to the blandishments of corporate lawyers and PR flacks.There is
> also a mode called Factory driver that I haven't actually checked outyet
> but it looks promising since you get to be an apprentice runningmissions
> for the factory delivering cars (Wonder if Patrick Stewart will dothe voice
> over for this one :) )
>
> Anyway this is not a good purchase for those who take theirsimming
> really seriously but its got enough going for it to qualify for agood look
> if you're looking for some sort of "sim lite" to jump into quicklyfor a
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Quoted text (10 lines)
> few minutes R&R. > > Off to see if slicks are really all that bad in the Alpine snow! > > -- > David > Too much spam > Remove the obvious from address to email > >And it's a blast online.
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:8i3kpm$nqf$[email hidden]...
> And it's a blast online.
>
> In article <XEe05.94419$[email hidden]>,
> "David Erb" <[email hidden]> wrote:
> >(snip)
I did get online this weekend with it . There are some fast runners out
there. It seems that you'd need a completely kitted out car to effectively
compete. Most of the races at the EA site are the late model , full kit
type. Big problem for me is that I don't much like the late models since the
cars are *so* good that they kill a lot of the charm of PU. However if
you're patient you can usually find one group of crazies that like to see
how far you can step out a 356 :) I still get waxed but enjoy it more .
David
<[email hidden]> wrote in message news:8i3pm5$r45$[email hidden]...
(snip)
> it would be nice if they had a more severe damage model for a full-
> blown "sim" mode. As much as I like finishing a race, it would add a
> lot to the overall realism if it were actually possible to "DNF" if you
> have a head-on with a wall (or otherwise take on enough damage to
> prevent you from finishing). In addition to the simulated market
> economy, this would be further incentive to avoid damage.
While I agree this would be an interesting idea I suspect that ,given what
EA would see as the target market for PU, (ie not middle aged motorheads
like myself), such a setting would have to be a toggleable one. Also I not
sure that increased realism is playing to the strengths of PU since a large
part of its charm for me is being able to do some pretty silly things while
retaining some of that ever elusive "feel" that suspends my sense of
disbelief.
> The ONE thing I wish they had included is a "test track" type oval
> (like the large oval in NFS2, for example). That would have been
> EXTREMELY easy to do, and even though the 5 Monte Carlo courses all
> offer quite a bit of variety, I still find them so similar that they
> are just redundantly boring (or boringly redundant). <G>
I recall running across a site recently that had a utility that allowed you
to replace one of the ingame tracks with the skid pad from the factory
driver mode. It may have been one of the German sites but not sure where
(just checked ,think URL is http://www.nd4spd.de for the main page)
Certainly fun is what I'm here for and PU is definitly part of my stable of
regular sims/games
David
.
Quoted text (9 lines)
> > Other than this, though, there's really very little that I would change > about the game. Based on the amount of enjoyment I get out of it, I > now put NFSPU slightly ahead of GPL, DTR, and Viper Racing in my own > personal hall of fame. Doesn't mean it's any better than these other > titles, it's just that I get more sheer, pure enjoyment out of it > overall. > > -- JB
"Rod Prince" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:MPG.13c1bece8565ec039896d9@news-server...
(snip)
others just dissapear out of
> sight in a matter of seconds!!
>
> I was under the assumption that you couldn't modify your online vehicles?
>
> Cheers,
> Rod.
You can't modify your vehicles in the sense of buying new performance parts
while online BUT you can use a previously modified vehicle in an online
race. Why NFSPU has this rather strange restriction I don't know. Online ,in
addition to changing suspension settings, you can also swap parts that you
have previously purchased offline i.e. switching to rain tires prior to an
Autobahn race. You'll notice that in the online drop down menu for
switching cars are two sections, one for the cars you've previously
purchased and another ( labelled "Factory") for showroom stockers that you
can use to compete in online . The stockers have no asterix next to them
when displayed in the race list and are definitly not competative against
the modified stuff.
I'd suspect also that the basic NFS file formats have been hacked long ago
and that ,ahem, some cars are more equal than others :)
David
In article <Y6m15.605$[email hidden]>, [email hidden]
says...
> However if
> you're patient you can usually find one group of crazies that like to see
> how far you can step out a 356 :) I still get waxed but enjoy it more .
You too, eh?
I was getting my ass handed to me so badly that I stopped racing, on any
of the Carlo laps, I was down by around 30 seconds/lap. I assumed you're
put in a stock car, and off the start, the others just dissapear out of
sight in a matter of seconds!!
I was under the assumption that you couldn't modify your online vehicles?
Cheers,
Rod.
You can always start your own game and title it "356B; no mods" or
something to that effect. Someone is sure to join you.
In article <Y6m15.605$[email hidden]>,
"David Erb" <[email hidden]> wrote:
out
> there. It seems that you'd need a completely kitted out car toeffectively
> compete. Most of the races at the EA site are the late model , fullkit
> type. Big problem for me is that I don't much like the late modelssince the
> cars are *so* good that they kill a lot of the charm of PU. However if
> you're patient you can usually find one group of crazies that like tosee
> how far you can step out a 356 :) I still get waxed but enjoy it more.
>
> David
>
>
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
