Rally Championship: don't let them fool you

I took a lot of unwanted close looks at the Hmm you ever looked at the trees in colin Mcrae? I wont comment on any more because I havent tried the demo, I like colin Mcrae though. People said the trees were bad in that too! Does anybody really expect full 3d trees on todays hardware? The trees in gpl are carboard aswell, and you know what? I couldnt give a shit cause im busy driveing =) Just pointing out that the trees in all car games suck because, well who cares?

Well, well, well, another 'beta' demo. Don't believe it! This is the same trick they used with the previous version: the demo sucked (keyboard control only!) and after buying the full game I found out nothing was changed (well, you could choose your own controller...). And only after a long, long time the 'real' demo was released. They don't DARE to release a 'real' demo now, because they are afraid we will say it sucks BEFORE everyone has bought it. It's unbelievable. Do they think we are stupid? Do they really think playing a demo like this will make me buy the game?!? (Yeah, I know, some of you will. You are forgiven.) This game (and any game like this) can't be played using the keyboard. I drove it using the bonnet view and ended in 12:58.80 (1st try). It's hardly playable using the bonnet view (or any non-behind-the-car-view). Just steer a little off the road and you are up in the air. I did 4 or 5 flipovers (landed on my wheels and drove on!!!) and landed upside down far too often. I've never ever seen a rallycar make so may jumps. What a joke. And I can't stand the irritating noise of the engine when it is stuck in gear 1 for about 5 seconds before the car finally drives off. No matter what surface your on. The graphics look nice at first but don't take a closer look at the trees: you'll be terrified! I took a lot of unwanted close looks at the trees and they are so FLAT! Awful. The old cardboard wall is back in all it's glory... And the textures are very, very repetitive. I wonder what Europress paid all those magazines that raved about this arcade game... Europress is only good at one think: creating a hype. Read this (copied from their site): "As rally enthusiasts eagerly await the launch, it has been revealed that Rally Championship 99 will shock the market with a number of new features that have never been seen before: Include multiple driving positions, fully operational 3D dashboard instruments, a superb selection of top rally cars, new crash, collision and damage routines and comprehensive mulit-player options and it all adds up to the most exciting driving experience you can have without getting into a car and doing the real thing." Now can you tell me the NEW features??? WELL??? Yes, I'm shocked. But not the way they want me to be! I could say a lot more, but I've got better things to do. Like driving Colin McRae or TOCA 2. Hm, I wonder what friendly and loving reactions this message will lead to :-) Jeroen

I agree with most things you said, but to make a long story short: I see this game as an arcade game, not as a sim, and in that way I love it! Even with the stupid keyboard control I had great fun, can't wait for the full version with force feedback. Yes, it could have been better, it could have been more of a sim instead of an arcade racer, but I simply had big fun playing the demo. That's all that counts for me. Andre

Sharing your anger about this demo, for quite a few reasons I don't think it is possible now, to make conclusions how the game will be. At least the downloaded demo from the french magazine states clearly, that it is an 'ALPHA' demo! The german magazine PC Games, which also released the demo on CD, stresses out, that the faulty calculation of gravity is an issue, which caused some months delay in the development of the game until now. I don't really understand, why they released a demo with these faulty physics, but at least they are working on it... let's hope... At the moment it looks like this game will not be out before 2000. Hope they work on the sounds too, they are just too raw... I don't understand all these guys playing Colin McRae or TOCA 2. These are the only racing games I don't play, because IMO the steering seems to be awkward (just an opinion). CU Zolli

: The german magazine PC Games, which also released the demo on CD, stresses : out, that the faulty calculation of gravity is an issue, which caused some : months delay in the development of the game until now. g = 9.81 m/s^2 Problem solved. Perhaps I can get a consulting job with Magnetic Fields ;) Stephen

Lack of analog control in the demo (as already mentioned by others) kills this one for me. I really want to like it, but so far I can't. On the one hand, it does some things really well, like for example managing decent graphics on even a box standard Rage OEM board. I like the map, and the stage has a nice design. I can live with the repetitive textures - what else do we expect? Last time I looked, the same guy in the straw hat, white shirt and tie is standing on every corner in GPL. I like the narrowness of the road - that's Rallying. There are some peculiar, trench-like sections, but that alone is not enough to let me down. If I could keep the car off those banks, then I'd really start to warm to it, but with the keyboard at least, I can't. Perhaps I'm not skillful enough, but the times I tried it, most had more than a few barrel rolls. I'd like to believe that with even a joystick I could place the car with more precision - this was certainly the case with the old RAC game. I don't suppose a modified demo, or a patch for joystick support, is possible? As it is, I will have to wait for the r.a.s. reviews. With the keyboard only, it really feels like a graphically tarted-up Rally Championship. There's no way to tell if the driving model is much better, although at least a few times I had to dial in some opposite lock (or rather, "switch on" some lock). And what's with the crazy backwards rebound off a tree? It's like those weird slow-motion lift-offs you used to get in GP2 if you spun around backwards on a fast straight. Stephen

I personnaly can't enjoy a game were you don't have to brake to pass a corner like in the first games of europress...

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> I agree with most things you said, but to make a long story short: > I see this game as an arcade game, not as a sim, and in that way I > love it! Even with the stupid keyboard control I had great fun, can't > wait for the full version with force feedback. Yes, it could have been > better, it could have been more of a sim instead of an arcade racer, > but I simply had big fun playing the demo. That's all that counts for > me. > Andre > >I could say a lot more, but I've got better things to do. Like driving Colin > >McRae or TOCA 2. Hm, I wonder what friendly and loving reactions this > >message will lead to :-) > >Jeroen

Maybe the developer is trying to hide something by not including joystick/wheel support, maybe there physics engine sucks and if we could use a joystick/wheel we would all discover this, because the developer is touting this a the greatest rally game ever and that its very realistic, sure feels realistic with the KEYBOARD <G>. BTW it looks great and I have manged to get used to the keyboard now

I wasn't talking about the first games of Europress, ofcourse I was talking about the new demo. If you can take all corners in the demo without braking then you have my deepest respect... Andre

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> I personnaly can't enjoy a game were you don't have to brake to pass a >corner like in the first games of europress... >> I agree with most things you said, but to make a long story short: >> I see this game as an arcade game, not as a sim, and in that way I >> love it! Even with the stupid keyboard control I had great fun, can't >> wait for the full version with force feedback. Yes, it could have been >> better, it could have been more of a sim instead of an arcade racer, >> but I simply had big fun playing the demo. That's all that counts for >> me. >> Andre >> >I could say a lot more, but I've got better things to do. Like driving Colin >> >McRae or TOCA 2. Hm, I wonder what friendly and loving reactions this >> >message will lead to :-) >> >Jeroen

Doesn't that depend how fast you are going in the first place :-) John

Or maybe it wasn't ready in this ALPHA demo ;) And that was the case... -- Kenneth Verburg Webmaster/Editor-in-chief High Gear http://www.simracingnews.com

Hi I have often asked if the same old invisible wall of the Old Rally will be there. Guess from this feedback it is still there No going off the road no matter what speed you take the corners........... In fact the old game , alot of people could just drive flatout, bounce at the invisible wall and get right back to the track.... And I was looking forward to this game guess I have to take it off my list now

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| I agree with most things you said, but to make a long story short: | | I see this game as an arcade game, not as a sim, and in that way I | love it! Even with the stupid keyboard control I had great fun, can't | wait for the full version with force feedback. Yes, it could have been | better, it could have been more of a sim instead of an arcade racer, | but I simply had big fun playing the demo. That's all that counts for | me. | | Andre | | >I could say a lot more, but I've got better things to do. Like driving

Colin | >McRae or TOCA 2. Hm, I wonder what friendly and loving reactions this | >message will lead to :-) | > | >Jeroen | > |

: I have often asked if the same old : invisible wall of the Old Rally will be : there. It's not really there. There is plenty of freedom, including freedom to ***up at a t-junction and drive several hundred metres the wrong way. You are only limited by trees, fences and rocks... all very real and not invisible. There are several wide open spaces even in the demo stage. Not really the same at all. Stephen

Remember, this is an ALPHA DEMO only, not an OFFICIAL DEMO !!!

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> Lack of analog control in the demo (as already mentioned by others) kills > this one for me. I really want to like it, but so far I can't. On the > one hand, it does some things really well, like for example managing > decent graphics on even a box standard Rage OEM board. I like the map, > and the stage has a nice design. I can live with the repetitive textures > - what else do we expect? Last time I looked, the same guy in the straw > hat, white shirt and tie is standing on every corner in GPL. > I like the narrowness of the road - that's Rallying. There are some > peculiar, trench-like sections, but that alone is not enough to let me > down. If I could keep the car off those banks, then I'd really start to > warm to it, but with the keyboard at least, I can't. Perhaps I'm not > skillful enough, but the times I tried it, most had more than a few barrel > rolls. I'd like to believe that with even a joystick I could place the > car with more precision - this was certainly the case with the old RAC > game. > I don't suppose a modified demo, or a patch for joystick support, is > possible? As it is, I will have to wait for the r.a.s. reviews. With the > keyboard only, it really feels like a graphically tarted-up Rally > Championship. There's no way to tell if the driving model is much better, > although at least a few times I had to dial in some opposite lock (or > rather, "switch on" some lock). > And what's with the crazy backwards rebound off a tree? It's like those > weird slow-motion lift-offs you used to get in GP2 if you spun around > backwards on a fast straight. > Stephen

From the screenshots I would say this game is NOT MUCH improvement over the old "corner_bang_continue " thing of the old...... It has some much potential yet ............................... I was in fact looking forward to driving off some of the cliff, down into a ravine etc If they had implemented that, it would be so much more ground-breaking

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| >If you can take all corners in the demo without braking then you have | >my deepest respect... | > | | Doesn't that depend how fast you are going in the first place :-) | | John | | |

>>I was in fact looking forward to driving off some of the cliff, down into a ravine etc If they had implemented that, it would be so much more ground-breaking very punny! --dk