First Look at N3

Just picked up N3 at the local EB and brought it home and installed it. The install caused a crash after testing the wave file, requiring a reboot. After the reboot the install went flawless. It checks system speed and detected me at greater than p2 400. Next gives you the option for 16 bit or 8 bit sounds. It defaulted to 16bit for me. Then it checks if you have a compatible 3d video hardware. It detected my d3d device and let me go. Finished the install, skipped the readme and dove right it. First thing I noticed was it looked like absolute crap. Huge video problems. So back to the options menu (very difficult to read with the screwed up video) and turned on software video rendering. After restarting the game it looked about like N2 at 8x6 and sounded pretty cool. Since I don't have a A3d card I couldn't enable reflections. Direct sound sounded good on the sblive value though. After running a while in software and playing at Bristol (my favorite track) I figured I would check out the readme. For those with a Riva 128 or ATI rage Pro based card you are SOL on D3D support. The readme says something about texture rendering problems. My Canopus T3d128 is based on the Riva 128 card and it looks like absolute ***in D3D. I like my card for the video in features and have been waiting on the Asus Geforce with video in. Well back to the mini review. In software at 8x6 on a celeron 550 with 192 meg of ram there was very little hitching in the video with all options on. Everyonce in a while the cars would warp around a little. I may sound a little negative about the game mainly 'cause I wanted to see the cool smoke effects, but I really have enjoyed what I have see in the game so far. I have only played Bristol and 'dega. 'Dega was a bit bizarre though. I ran my same line as I do in N2 with all the same speeds at every location. (204 on back straight, 202 on front and a slow of 191-192 in the turns and was running 199+ laps. In N2 was only good for 194-195. My 199.4 lap at 'Dega was only good for 39 place in practice at 100%. Hell I don't know if I can go any faster :). Well got to go back and check out the rest of the 28 tracks. Got to go back and check the AI some more. It does seem more aggressive. My 2 cents. If I currently had N2 or N99 and a Riva 128 or ATI Rage Pro, I would wait on a new video card before getting the game. The new sounds and better AI aren't enough to justify the new game in my opinion. Me I am gonna keep it and get me another video card. Have fun. Mike

I got my copy today. No install problems. I have a Celeron 333 (375) 128 meg, a SB live value and a voodoo3 3000. It detected all. My Logitech formula force worked fine. I bumped detail up to 1024 and left cars at 43. WOW!!!!! Detail is unreal. No jaggies anywhere. Only a very slight slowdown with all 43 cars at the start at Martinsville. There was no problems with control during this slight slowdown. Car feels a little more skitish, but seems to handle being bumped in traffic much better. To me it feels much more like GPL than it does N2/N1999. Car rolls much more and you seem to get a better feeling. It's not GPL but is a real improvement over the previous versions. I like it. I paid full retail and I am really happy. This may only N2 in a new clothes but boy do those clothes look and feel fantastic! Now when does The Pits release their Touring Car patch for this one? buzard

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> Just picked up N3 at the local EB and brought it home and installed it. The > install caused a crash after testing the wave file, requiring a reboot. > After the reboot the install went flawless. It checks system speed and > detected me at greater than p2 400. Next gives you the option for 16 bit or > 8 bit sounds. It defaulted to 16bit for me. Then it checks if you have a > compatible 3d video hardware. It detected my d3d device and let me go. > Finished the install, skipped the readme and dove right it. First thing I > noticed was it looked like absolute crap. Huge video problems. So back to > the options menu (very difficult to read with the screwed up video) and > turned on software video rendering. After restarting the game it looked > about like N2 at 8x6 and sounded pretty cool. Since I don't have a A3d card > I couldn't enable reflections. Direct sound sounded good on the sblive > value though. After running a while in software and playing at Bristol (my > favorite track) I figured I would check out the readme. For those with a > Riva 128 or ATI rage Pro based card you are SOL on D3D support. The readme > says something about texture rendering problems. My Canopus T3d128 is > based on the Riva 128 card and it looks like absolute ***in D3D. I like my > card for the video in features and have been waiting on the Asus Geforce > with video in. Well back to the mini review. In software at 8x6 on a > celeron 550 with 192 meg of ram there was very little hitching in the video > with all options on. Everyonce in a while the cars would warp around a > little. I may sound a little negative about the game mainly 'cause I wanted > to see the cool smoke effects, but I really have enjoyed what I have see in > the game so far. I have only played Bristol and 'dega. 'Dega was a bit > bizarre though. I ran my same line as I do in N2 with all the same speeds > at every location. (204 on back straight, 202 on front and a slow of 191-192 > in the turns and was running 199+ laps. In N2 was only good for 194-195. > My 199.4 lap at 'Dega was only good for 39 place in practice at 100%. Hell > I don't know if I can go any faster :). Well got to go back and check out > the rest of the 28 tracks. > Got to go back and check the AI some more. It does seem more aggressive. > My 2 cents. If I currently had N2 or N99 and a Riva 128 or ATI Rage Pro, I > would wait on a new video card before getting the game. The new sounds and > better AI aren't enough to justify the new game in my opinion. Me I am > gonna keep it and get me another video card. > Have fun. > Mike

Heh, yep, I have an ATI Rage Pro turbo. Hey, if you get a chance, turn on D3D and go into a race. You still get the smoke, just with really funky colors, it's kinda weird. The smoke really does look awesome, even when the rest of the track looks like something out of a fun house from hell. Anywho, I'm getting my Monster 3d II in soon, so that'll help a LOT (it's in a different, but slower computer). I ran N3 on the computer with the M.3DII. The processor is slower, same ram. I'm running full details and everything on this computer with SOFTWARE support, but getting a lot of jerkiness on the one with the M.3d.II. SO, I figured I'd combine the best of both worlds and get the M.3d.II put into this one. We'll see how the framerates run. Corey Leigh

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> >Riva 128 or ATI rage Pro > Heh, yep, I have an ATI Rage Pro turbo. Hey, if you get a chance, turn on D3D > and go into a race. You still get the smoke, just with really funky colors, > it's kinda weird. The smoke really does look awesome, even when the rest of the > track looks like something out of a fun house from hell. Anywho, I'm getting my > Monster 3d II in soon, so that'll help a LOT (it's in a different, but slower > computer). I ran N3 on the computer with the M.3DII. The processor is slower, > same ram. I'm running full details and everything on this computer with > SOFTWARE support, but getting a lot of jerkiness on the one with the M.3d.II. > SO, I figured I'd combine the best of both worlds and get the M.3d.II put into > this one. We'll see how the framerates run. > Corey Leigh

I have a PII400, Diamond monster 3DII (12 meg), SB 128 PCI, 128 Ram (100 mhz) and the game was choppy at 800X600 will all th cars on the track. Can't hardly get more than 25 fps. What type of machine is required to run the game in 1024X768 with all the options turned on? Online *** is a mixed bag. Was able to do 2 races (with 19 drivers!) ok, but 3 disconnects ("your connection is bad, your connection is getting worse, your connection sux big time"...). BTW, I have a cable modem. Philster Philster

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> Phil, > I have almost the exact same setup as you (actually not as stout)... > only PII300 and my sound card is an Ensoniq Soundscape. I have the > same 3D card, same amount of memory as you. My machine runs N3 very > smooth at 800X600, 43 cars, all graphics on, default settings for > everything (since that what the setup program figured my machine could > handle... and it was right on)... oh, and the graphics are incredible > compared to N2/N99. I was suprised by the smoothness since I had to > turn down graphics with N99 on most tracks. I wonder if you have a > problem with your system or if you have any background programs > running? The only track I've tried where I noticed any choppiness > (and it was very subtle), was Martinsville. I never thought to check > the frame rate as it was so smooth that it didn't dawn on me to check > it. I will say that for some reason at 1024X768 the F2 (Standings) > display was shifted to the upper left corner of the screen and > blinking badly. I didn't get around to changing my desktop screen > settings to see if I could fix it, as I just went back to 800X600 and > had FUN!! > I hope you get past the choppiness and have better experiences with > it! > Dave Ericson > MomoBoy online > JDB Racing > > I have a PII400, Diamond monster 3DII (12 meg), SB 128 PCI, 128 Ram > > (100 > > mhz) and the game was choppy at 800X600 will all th cars on the > > track. > > Can't hardly get more than 25 fps. What type of machine is required > > to > > run the game in 1024X768 with all the options turned on? > > Online *** is a mixed bag. Was able to do 2 races (with 19 > > drivers!) > > ok, but 3 disconnects ("your connection is bad, your connection is > > getting worse, your connection sux big time"...). BTW, I have a > > cable > > modem. > > Philster > > Philster

Just a quick question: how many cars are drawn ahead (your setting); skid buffer size and track draw ahead? Just wanna compare. Philster