Wanna help shape the "next" NFS product?

In an ongoing dialogue I've been having with folks in "high places", I posed the question: "...As NFS fans, who is the best person at EA/Pioneer to direct our Need For Speed wish lists, gripes, suggestions and suggested features to?..." The answer I got back frankly was one that I hadn't anticipated - guess I just didn't figure on the "legal" angle. It seems that EA (and probably most wise software companies these days) DO NOT want "game suggestions" that don't come with a "release of ownership." Basically if they take your idea because it's a good one or they came up with the idea themselves, they don't wanna get sued! Now I can understand that... All things being what they are though, this presents a problem. How do "the consumers" of the software take part in the improvement of said software? Well I have an answer...! (I would not have written this message if I didn't... <GRIN>) It was suggested to me that said company (can't speak for others) DOES in fact monitor the newsgroups related to their products (i.e. for NFS REC.AUTOS.SIMULATORS) for user feedback, complaints, compliments and suggestions. At least they do early on in the development cycle up to the end where they don't have time to sleep, let alone follow the 'Net... Hence our opportunity... It was also suggested to me that RIGHT NOW is the best time to be talking about what WE want to see. I take that to mean that things are in the "early stages." So with no promise or guarantee, I offer this suggestion: Let's get talking about what WE want to see in any future driving sim's from EA (related to NFS or not) and we may just get lucky... Doug -- ===== From the desk of Doug Burg, diehard *Cowboys* fan since the 70's HTTP://members.aol.com/speed1racr/html/nfs_main.htm "Remember: you can make $$$ or you can make excuses but you can't make BOTH"

says... I'd like to see older cars modeled. Older American muscle cars, European cars also (ferrari's and what not)

Well, this is a great idea. First of all, I have to state the obvious. Also late but better than never.......... The NEED FOR SPEED RULES. I love the whole product, and while there are a few gripes, I must say it is a really cool product. I didn't think anything could come close to DOOM :-) hehehehe !!! My wish list is as follows : * Make it easy to modify. ie. Easy to create new tracks from scratch. <Just like WADs> This will lenghten the life considerably. * Wider roads. So when you go off the road, you really go off the road. Add more realism to the already great stacks, we can achive. * Love those Burnouts. Keep em coming. one Track or Course could be a "Dounut ring" allowing us to just do what we love best. Smoke some ***. !! :) * I have said it before, and I would like to say it again. I would love to be able to put an ordanary car in the game. Like my Ford V8. We could add our own statistics, to get the handling, speed, and performance we need. * More Video's of Diablos, and Ferrari's. * The ablity to lock the front wheels, while the back wheels still spin. :) hehehehe * Burnout Competitions. * Kmph for us Aussies. :) We don't use Mph down here. + I can't read German. * More Super cars. <-------- keep em coming * More tracks * Stunt Tracks. Well, thats all I can think of now. EA Please think about NFS 2 EA has my written permission to use any ideas I may have given them, or that they may derive from my posts. FREE of any charge or Binding agreement. I accept that I will not sue or cry about anything that may come from this. Unless it is an insult on me or my family. I just want NFS 2 Love AXE Check out my DOOM 2 Levels. : AXE1, AXE2, AXE2, AXE4, AXE5, AXE6. And tell me what you think. All at your local DOOM ftp site.

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> says... > > I heard through the grapevine that EA has started planning NFS > >2... which means suggestions gotta be made NOW!!!! There are the usual > >improvements that could be made to NFS like graphics and such but > >let's take assume EA already knows this. > I'd like to see older cars modeled. Older American muscle cars, European cars > also (ferrari's and what not)

- Separate high score list for TimeTrial and Head2Head, it's much harder to get a good time when racing Head2Head, so this should be recorded in an extra list - Where are the police cars when playing Head2Head via (Null)Modem ? - It would be nice, if police cars could stop computer opponents, too. -- Peter Conrad | In theory, there is no difference between theory an practice, | but in practice there is.

>> I heard through the grapevine that EA has started planning NFS >>2... which means suggestions gotta be made NOW!!!! There are the usual >>improvements that could be made to NFS like graphics and such but >>let's take assume EA already knows this. >I'd like to see older cars modeled. Older American muscle cars, European cars >also (ferrari's and what not) Anyone remember a game called 'Street Rod'? it let you adjust a bunch of stuff in your 'muscle' car and upgrade it. I'd like a 90's version of that portion of the game. Also, NFS2 **must** have IPX support so it can be played over the internet via Kali. or at least have built-in tcp/ip support through Windows95. An official EA-endorsed track editor would be a plus. Hmmm, what else..... :) oh ya, stunt tracks would be good, I'd like to send a lambo up a 45 degree ramp and test its shocks as that ton of weight hits the ground ;)

Just some more suggestions for NFS2: - How about putting in some steroidial luxury cars like the Benz S600L, BMW's 750iL and Jag's Supercharged XJR? It would be interesting to see how these cars perform. - Make the automatic modes REAL - and I mean a real PRND321 gate instead of the "automatic-shifting manuals" - complete with kickdowns and *** modes (Sport, Economy, Winter, etc). This would work great with cars like the 911 with it's Tiptronic 'box and the luxury cars (see above) where the game matches the real cars' specification. - How about weather changes, and night/day situations requiring the use of headlights, wipers and different driving style? Other than that, thanks to EA and R&T for giving us a great game!! Johann.

I want to have more sports cars, like: 1. Nissan Skyline GT-R R33, 2. Mitsubishi Lancer Evo.III, 3. Toyota Celica GT-4, 4. Subaru Impressa ST-i, 5. Mitubishi FTO ( a must-have), 6. BMW M3, 7. Ferrari F355, 8. a slow car, just for enjoying the scenery, a Mercedes 600SEL/Corolla, 9. some of the BTCC cars ( for performance comparison), 10.2 DTM cars ( a Mercedes and an Alfa), 11.RAC rally cars - to fly over the Alpines, There shall also be some muddy rally courses and some F1 tracks like Monacco or Silverstone.

>> I'd like to see older cars modeled. Older American muscle cars, European cars >> also (ferrari's and what not) Yeah, cool Some Street Machines would rule !!! I know you didn't suggest that, but I had to say it ! Yeah, I have wondered why the computer oponnet could drive past without affecting the cops. Yeah, police during 2 player link up would be really cool. Imagine flying past the cops, who have just pulled over your mate. Heaps more tracks would be very cool. Later AXE

>Just some more suggestions for NFS2: >- How about weather changes, and night/day situations requiring the use of >headlights, wipers and different driving style? Yes, even if lights went on automatically when you entered a tunnel. A great game EA & R&T. Keep up the good work ! Please do a NFS 2 or update patch !!! AXE

I would like to be able to race the following cars on Need for Speed: (1) Subaru SVX (2) BMW 850CSi (3) Toyota MR2 (4) Mit 3000GT I love this game so much, I would be willing to buy the next version no matter how they price it. Salman

How about more customizable controls, and definitely dual joystick support. I would also like to see a true city course with cross traffice, and stop lights etc. You could take different routes to get to the same place. (anyone for 150mph the wrong way down a one way street?) -- ============================================================================ | | | '56 Ford F100 --> '78 Cutlass Salon --> '86 Mustang GT | | "thgir peek ciffart rewols" | | | ============================================================================

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>I would like to be able to race the following cars on Need for Speed: >(1) Subaru SVX >(2) BMW 850CSi >(3) Toyota MR2 >(4) Mit 3000GT >I love this game so much, I would be willing to buy the next version no >matter how they price it.

I think all the ideas people have posted for this game are great. I have one more request: don't change the track format! I own every driving game I can find, but I keep coming back to Need For Speed because I can build new tracks, so it never gets boring. Joe

What about a whole Rally add-on pack. That would be really awesome. Sorta like Sega Rally but with more choices of cars. I gues s there would be the Celica GT-4 All-trac Turbo, and of course the Subaru Impreza that won the english rally. Anywayz, with a very realistic physics engine... rallying could be done on the PC. Imagine sliding through hairpin turns at 90 degree angles to the surrounding trees... there's nothing like rally racing...

Don't change the track format? You kidding? If making the tracks easier to edit and build, by all means EA should change it all they want. A proper "official" track editor is what is needed. BTW your tracks are pretty good....

> Don't change the track format? You kidding? If making the >tracks easier to edit and build, by all means EA should change it all >they want. A proper "official" track editor is what is needed. BTW >your tracks are pretty good.... Thanks. *If* they procide an official track editor then changing the track format is fine. I'm just not too confident of this - so far NONE of the racing game vendors seem to have yet clued in to how much better their games would be if people could edit tracks. They just don't get it. Joe

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> I would like to be able to race the following cars on Need for Speed: > (1) Subaru SVX > (2) BMW 850CSi > (3) Toyota MR2 > (4) Mit 3000GT > I love this game so much, I would be willing to buy the next version no > matter how they price it. > Salman

a Subaru SVX? a Toyota MR2? a MIT 3000GT? If they add new cars, I've rather really fast cars. Something like Bugatti EB110 SS Jaguar XJ-220 Mc-Laren Vector TVR Griffith 500 Donkervoort ... A Ferrari (or rather 2) and a Lambo, together with a 911 Turbo an the Viper should also be in the package. If they wanna add another car like the Warrior, they could perhaps use some real prototype that never reached the streets, something like a Citeza Moroder or a Audi Avus W12, since these cars are beautiful and the Warrior really looks shitty. Tomas Van Elst

: ... so far NONE : of the racing game vendors seem to have yet clued in to how much : better their games would be if people could edit tracks. They just : don't get it. You are forgetting Bullfrog, who offered an unsupported track editor for Hi-Octane. Since I don't have Hi-Octane, I don't know if anyone took them up on their offer.

: >You are forgetting Bullfrog, who offered an unsupported track editor : >for Hi-Octane. Since I don't have Hi-Octane, I don't know if anyone : >took them up on their offer. : That's interesting, I don't know of that game. Is it an older game? : Are they working on any new racing software? I hope so, it sounds like : they have the right attitude. It's less than a year old. Check out http://www.bullfrog.co.uk/games/hioctane/ As far as I know they don't have any new racing games in development (they're featured in this month's Edge mag, and it doesn't mention any), but the web page mentions a forthcoming upgrade to Hi-Octane.

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>: ... so far NONE >: of the racing game vendors seem to have yet clued in to how much >: better their games would be if people could edit tracks. They just >: don't get it. >You are forgetting Bullfrog, who offered an unsupported track editor >for Hi-Octane. Since I don't have Hi-Octane, I don't know if anyone >took them up on their offer.

That's interesting, I don't know of that game. Is it an older game? Are they working on any new racing software? I hope so, it sounds like they have the right attitude. Joe

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>> Don't change the track format? You kidding? If making the >>tracks easier to edit and build, by all means EA should change it all >>they want. A proper "official" track editor is what is needed. BTW >>your tracks are pretty good.... >Thanks. *If* they procide an official track editor then changing the >track format is fine. I'm just not too confident of this - so far NONE >of the racing game vendors seem to have yet clued in to how much >better their games would be if people could edit tracks. They just >don't get it. >Joe

Not true: Stunts had it's own track editor... and that was made by the same guys I believe...