Racing Sim Thread, Part II

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 7:57 am

Sweet !

It looks like they do annual updates for most of the tracks. I downloaded all the 2008 tracks. Should I wait for the 2009 tracks instead? PK are you using their carset? I need a current carset.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 9:50 am

I'm not using any of their stuff yet, as I just found the site last weekend and haven't had time to drive or work on NR 2003 since then. I'm going to download and try the 2008 tracks tonight. I may grab the 2009 Daytona Shootout tracks, too.

Have you driven the 2008 tracks, Rod? If so, how do they feel?

Take care,
PK

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 10:53 am

Best of rFactor 2008 video. All mods and cars in this video were released in 2008:

<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xphQ08xA16M&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed>

Bad ass!

Take care,
PK

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 1:05 pm

pk500 wrote:
Have you driven the 2008 tracks, Rod? If so, how do they feel?

Take care,
PK

I haven't yet but i'll give a few of them a go tonight.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sun Feb 15, 2009 8:46 pm

I've driven the Revamped Reloaded Daytona track with the Superspeedway.net COT mod Thursday and Saturday night, and only one word comes to mind, even if it is cliche:

AWESOME.

It is so cool how you can drive the high line the entire lap and go three-wide for a long time with the Revamped Reloaded Daytona track, just like in reality. You also can make a bit more contact without spinning, which is realistic, too.

This track is a MASSIVE improvement over the default Papyrus Daytona. Big fun.

Take care,
PK

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 2:18 pm

Man why can't they make a rally game like Mobil 1 Rally Championship?

The game is genius. It's the sequel to the 1996 Rally Championship which I also had and recently found on eBay for less than $5 shipped. It wasn't available via the usual means so I decided to pony up.

Any way back to both Rally games they were genius in that each stage was not a 3 minute piece meal but the actual length of the British Rally stage. Some stages took 13 minutes and others were as long as 45 minutes.

Unfortunately it doesn't have the physics of Richard Burns Rally or graphics but man I just wish some developer made this game on the Xbox 360 and merge the physics of RBR and next-gen graphics along with super long stages.

johnvon314 · Post by **johnvon314** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 2:47 pm

Rodster wrote:Man why can't they make a rally game like Mobil 1 Rally Championship?

I still play that game along with Rally Trophy regularly. It's nice to have stages longer than 10 miles.

John

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 3:05 pm

johnvon314 wrote:
Rodster wrote:Man why can't they make a rally game like Mobil 1 Rally Championship?
I still play that game along with Rally Trophy regularly. It's nice to have stages longer than 10 miles.

John

I'm eagerly awaiting Rally Championship. I hope it runs on my current laptop as it's a 1996 game. IMO that game was even better than Mobil 1 Rally. It's hard to describe but when I started each stage, the game gave you the feeling of being alone and isolated as you progressed through each stage. I was so glad to see the final stage marker.

There was one Rally, I believe it was towards the end of the Championship and I lost a couple of gears in my car. Man it was the worst time for that to have happened as it was a 35+ minute stage. Anyways I eventually had to withdraw from the Championship.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 3:28 pm

Interesting story about NASCAR's deal with EA at NASCAR.com, of all places:

http://www.nascar.com/2009/news/busines ... index.html

Crib notes:

-- This is last year of NASCAR's exclusive deal with EA, and NASCAR may look to a non-exclusive deal to broaden its virtual approach and reach.

-- Looks like the current NASCAR franchise really stumbled for EA, forcing the development of NASCAR Kart Racing for the Wii.

All good news.

Maybe NASCAR will license PC rights to a company that gives a crap about PC sim racing. It wouldn't surprise me if John Henry forks over some serious cash to get an exclusive NASCAR deal for iRacing, which would suck. But that's business, and if it happens, NR 2003 still lives as the greatest stock car racing sim ever.

I'm eager to try NASCAR Kart Racing on the Wii. Could be a fun diversion with my kids. NASCAR Rumble, another Mario Kart-style game, was a riot on the PSX. Loved that game, as it was one of the biggest gaming surprises of that year for me.

Take care,
PK

TCrouch · Post by **TCrouch** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 3:47 pm

pk500 wrote:I'm eager to try NASCAR Kart Racing on the Wii.

That just makes me want to slap you. You're going into the safer barrier next time.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 3:51 pm

pk500 wrote:Interesting story about NASCAR's deal with EA at NASCAR.com, of all places:

My thoughts are as follows. Nascar 09 was the best sim in the series from EA since they started doing Nascar games but not the best game as Nascar Thunder 2004 and Nascar 2005 set the benchmark.

EA pooched this genre big time. They should have taken a queue from Papyrus. Papyrus began releasing their yearly sims prior to the Daytona 500. So it begs the question, who at EA thought August was such a good time to offer a Nascar game?

I hope Papyrus does jump back in and release it as it's own product and not part of iRacing. I think they should as the iRacing offering is only good for those with lots of cash and time on their hands.

Too bad the same thing couldn't happen with the NFL license.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 4:56 pm

TCrouch wrote:
pk500 wrote:I'm eager to try NASCAR Kart Racing on the Wii.
That just makes me want to slap you. You're going into the safer barrier next time.

I'll be ready for you.

Seriously, NASCAR Rumble was a hoot. Just push any thoughts of anything other than an arcade game out of your brain, and it was fun.

Take care,
PK

TCrouch · Post by **TCrouch** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 2:51 am

fluver wrote:Thanks for the link that you have posted

Lisa

F*cking spammer. Go to hell.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 1:57 pm

Complete 2009 SS.net COT car set available here for NR 2003, based on Daytona 500:

http://www.simracingdesign.com/download ... ile&id=839

Let's make this our standard set for Poker Nights. Terry, just pick the Daytona list of cars when setting up the server.

Take care,
PK

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 1:58 pm

New 2009 Truck Series mod is out for NR 2003. This is completely different than the Project Wildfire 2003 CTS mod that everyone probably has. This mod has the newer, more slippery truck bodies. Trucks get a hell of a tow, get tighter sooner and are a bit trickier to drive than the PWF Truck mod. Very, very fun.

http://www.teamom3ga.com/index.php

It's up to Version 1.2. Mod and patch are in separate spots in Downloads section of that site. Mega fun. A cockpit from one of the trucks:

Take care,
PK

DChaps · Post by **DChaps** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 2:04 pm

Paul, excellent work here. Thanks for bringing NR2003 back into my life.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 2:07 pm

Nice

Does the mod include a carset?

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 2:33 pm

Rodster wrote:Nice

Does the mod include a carset?

It includes a 2007 car set. This will make us current.

Take care,
PK

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 2:34 pm

I also grabbed the GNS version of the Outlaw Late Model mod:

http://simthunder.com/page12.html

Very eager to run these on some asphalt short tracks that I've grabbed.

Yes, I have NR 2003 fever again!

Take care,
PK

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 4:46 pm

Tried the Outlaw LM mod over lunch today, and my reactions are mixed.

Solid mod, nice models. But I have two small quibbles.

One, the default FFB feels a bit light with this mod, lighter than others. I don't want to adjust FFB levels for every mod. I have one setting that works great for all of my other mods.

Two, these are big, wide cars. They don't leave a lot of racing room on bullrings. You really need to hope for a mistake or use the chrome horn to pass if you're toward the back. There seems to be more racing room on short tracks with the Whelen mods and Saturday Night Stock Cars, as they're slightly smaller vehicles.

I'll play with these a bit more. But I'll probably just end up keeping the Whelen mods -- my favorites, since I live in the Northeast -- and the SNSC for my short-track fix.

Take care,
PK

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 12:31 pm

Funny video comparing online racing with rFactor on public and league servers:

<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vEkYiVhSDYo&co ... edded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed>

Pretty true depiction, based on my experience!

Take care,
PK

bdoughty · Post by **bdoughty** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 7:45 pm

Well I guess this is the place for racing game news and such.

Codemasters Interview (posted today)

http://www.mcvuk.com/interviews/438/INT ... odemasters

I am pasting this here because of how they have it posted on their site. It is like trying to read something off a cereal box, sitting next to another cereal box.

-------------------------------------------------

INTERVIEW: Codemasters

Jeremy Wigmore and
Alex Bertie UK General Manager and Marketing VP

Codemasters is heading into 2009 with a strong new UK management team, and an even stronger line-up of new products. Michael French speaks to UK GM Jeremy Wigmore and marketing VP Alex Bertie about their plans for the year ahead…

You’re both relatively new to Codemasters. How does it compare to your previous roles?

Jeremy Wigmore: Coming from old Atari to this, it was quite eye-opening. In a good way. The product line-up is Euro-centric, that’s very encouraging. There is a lot of UK-made stuff that will sell. And we know that, as it’s now the second largest market in the world, that can also be a good indicator of global performance.

Alex Bertie: What was most exciting for me is that Codemasters is a global business focused around development – it feels like we are more part of the developer than we are just a publisher.

JW: But Codemasters had lacked a regular communication with retail, that’s one thing I’ve found coming in. We’re looking now to have a much closer working relationship.

What some other publishers forget is that the people who sell the games, the people on the shopfloor at the frontline of our business, are passionate about games. About good games. And the thing for us to do is make them our evangelists, have them on side and talking about our games. The quality of Codemasters products is exceptionally, uniquely high – so we’re planning to exploit that that fact.

AB: And because we are a British developer a lot of the sensitivities we have are of this market. That makes us much more commercially relevant than some of our bigger competitors, who tend to approach things from either a very Japanese or North American point of view with their products or strategy.

That’s a really important thing for us, especially in terms of games like Colin McRae DIRT, for instance. That includes some touches which I think, if the game was developed in North America, it just wouldn’t have.

You mention placing a bigger emphasis on the development talent. Does that influence your approach to marketing?

AB: I’ve always been a very studio-focused person. You must work hand in glove with developers because of the investment required. Understanding what a product is and being close to the developer is an incredibly important part of getting that right.

The challenge with global brand teams in the past, in my experience, is that you end up with an ivory tower – and you forget details, the budget, you don’t talk to developers, you don’t talk to retailers, you don’t talk to consumers. That approach in effect is ‘marketing as a consultancy business’ – and that is not what we are about.

JW: And that approach is far too frustrating. It leaves you out of touch with the sharp end of the business.

That could go some way to explain why some larger publishers have been laying off staff this year…

JW: In my previous role the publisher was effectively a distributor – we bought products at cost of goods. There was no flexibility in the way we did business. There we had that proverbial ivory tower Alex mentions, which created a total disconnect between the game being made, its values, and how it sat with the business.

With the products Codemasters has it is vital to make sure the people that making those games are connected with the commercial front end.

So what are the key Codemasters releases this year?

AB: We’ve still got some unannounced titles to reveal, but the announced key games so far are: FUEL in May, Operation Flashpoint 2 later in the summer, new games in the Overlord series for both 360/PS3 and Wii/DS, a new MMO Jumpgate, and of course DIRT 2 which will hit 360/PS3/PC, plus Wii/DS and PSP.

You mention Wii there. But Codemasters has been focusing on next-gen mainly. Is that changing?

AB: You can’t ignore Wii, but it’s bewildering watching what other publishers are doing. Codemasters has taken a more cautious strategy on Wii which has been the right thing to do. We are not going to make cheap, crappy ports. DIRT on Wii, for instance, is not Mario Kart. Overlord 2 is a gamer’s game. We’re not planning to compete in this ‘big head sports arena’ that everyone is obsessed with – the shelves are cluttered with those games. What you’ll see from us is quality games for gamers built for the Wii.

JW: That’s where we can excite retail further. There’s only a number of times I think you can go to a retailer with a DS or Wii game which is that type of mass-market product. Those games just become white noise.

A number of Codemasters’ 2008 releases were American-made externally-developed games, but the new line is all European. Does that signify a bigger strategy shift?

AB: We’re always going to have a mix of internal or external product. It doesn’t make sense for a company of our size to build up a vast development organisation and only focus on those games. We have some great partnerships with external teams as well – but that’s always about finding the right cultural fit as well.

JW: We’ve had some product to get through that was very much ways to try new revenue stream in the previous years. What we have now is a mix of product that is much more powerful and palatable to both us and people outside the company.

The company is famed for its racing games – and you’ve a number of them due this year. How will you differentiate between them?

AB: Most important is that we have racing games with very distinct identities. FUEL is an open world racer. DIRT is a rally game full of authenticity which also captures the driving lifestyle.

JW: The one thing that everyone knows about Codemasters is the development quality of its racing games. That’s never been in doubt, and I think that will win out for each game.

And of course there is Formula One. What can you tell us about it?

AB: Our game is an opportunity to bring F1 back on multiple platforms to a broader marketplace. Our vision for F1 is about making it exciting again as a video game property. We can’t talk about how we will do that yet, but we have big plans that will not just be one huge game later this year, but a phased approach over a number of years. There’s a great alignment of ethos there that a UK studio is working on the game of a sport whose current champ is a young ambitious British driver.

There’s been regular talk of a Codemasters sale or float. Is that influencing your 2009 plans?

JW: Yes, there’s been a lot of corporate chatter. But this team’s focus is a sensible approach to profitability and revenue. That has become more pertinent given what is going on across the High Street. I’ve seen too many people get lost up the corporate arse and forget what they are supposed to be doing. Our responsibility lies with our products. Because if the games don’t stand up, the sales won’t – and what Codemasters stands for means nothing.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 8:45 pm

Thanks, BD. Sadly, Codemasters has jumped the shark as a publisher/developer of quality racing sims. It makes arcadish crap now.

But I have high hopes for the next Flashpoint game. That could be killer.

Take care,
PK

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 5:10 pm

Have you guys checked out the new DRM-Mod? It includes classic BMW's and Porches, yummy.

http://www.rfactorcentral.com/detail.cfm?ID=DRM-MOD