I got a chance to check out the X-Box version of IndyCar Series at the
Speedway today, and I was MUCH more impressed than I thought I would
be.
As I stood in line waiting for my chance to drive, I was very
impressed with the graphics -- VERY nice stuff, and much better in
person than the screenshots that I've seen so far.
When I got a chance to drive, I found that the in-cockpit view works
VERY nicely, and it looks MUCH better in person than the in-cockpit
screen shots that we've seen. There is an RPM "heads-up display" in
the lower right-hand corner of the screen to show your speed and RPM,
and another display of your car showing the tyre temps in a
green/yellow/red kind of pictogram. There are simulated RPM indicator
lights on the top of the in-cockpit steering wheel, and these track
the green/yellow/red RPM levels nicely enough. The use of this
"HUD"-type overlay isn't distracting, and it works well. I don't
know how configurable these overlays are because I didn't have much
time to fiddle with the options settings. It's a VERY "driveable"
cockpit view, though, which is good.
From a driving standpoint, the game felt pretty good -- MUCH better
than Pro Race Driver (not sure if the physics are related, but even
with a handheld controller instead of a driving wheel, IndyCar Series
felt MUCH better than PRD to me). There was quite a bit of dead zone
in the steering, but since I was using an X-Box controller instead of
a wheel, I'm not sure how big of an issue this will be on the PC with
a proper wheel. Also, I didn't get to change (or even look at) any of
the game options, but I'm pretty sure that SOME driving assists were
enabled -- at the very least, auto-shifting was enabled because I
didn't have to shift. Even so, the physics engine felt pretty solid .
. . a lot like some of the open-wheel mods for NASCAR Heat, in fact,
or perhaps a more modern version of IndyCar Racing II from Papyrus.
I'd say that Codemasters did their homework, at least based on my
initial impressions.
The driving experience seemed solid overall, and I even with
(presumably) some driving aids enabled, I had to work fairly hard just
to turn in a 220 mph lap at Indy -- I started out in the low teens,
then as I became more familiar with the controls and such, I was able
to better modulate the steering and throttle to carry more speed
through the turns. I was hitting 231+ on the front and back
straights, and on my better laps I was able to carry about 215 - 220
through the turns. Like I said, it was work to just put in a 220 mph
lap at Indy, and that was my BEST lap (I finished up with a series of
220 mph laps out of about 25 or so laps total). So, it seems to me
like there is some solid simulation going on here, and I am now VERY
excited to see what's in store with the PC version.
I mentioned IndyCar Racing II from Papyrus, and this reference really
came to mind as I watched someone else playing with the garage menus a
bit -- the garage menus looked a LOT like the old garage displays in
ICR2, and as you click on an option (like the left rear tyre, for
example), the car rotates to show you that portion of the car. VERY
nicely-done, and it was good to see that Codemasters may have
"borrowed" some ideas from other people's previous successes. Like I
said, it seems like they did their homework.
Also of note, the animated pit crews actually looked pretty decent --
better than those in NASCAR Heat, IMO.
All in all, I'd say that things are looking up, indeed, and I am now
eagerly anticipating the release of the PC version! With just an
X-Box controller in place of a proper wheel-and-pedals setup, it's
hard to tell just how good the final version will be, but I am much
more upbeat about it now than I was previously.
:-D
-- JCB
