NASCAR The Game 2011 Q&A and Impressions

[nascarthegame]

Quote: Originally Posted by i c u cant stop me

Is it just me our or some of the tracks inaccurte? like some of them are wider then they are in real life and whats with talladega comming off of turn 2? that isnt like that in real life.

I'm not as up to speed with actual track layouts, but I always feel like they aren't wide enough. I've seen real races 4 & 5 cars wide, but on this game, I feel like if there are ever three wide, we are really crowding each other.

[Giants2003]

Quote: Originally Posted by Romain El 82

Here's another scheme I made last night and today. Again, it's kind of plain, but I'm not completely confident in my abilities on the paint booth yet. I also have tail-lights on the rears of the cars now, and the ones I have were surprisingly easy to make.

Nice job on this but I cant seam to get the numbers to work? how did you number the car?

[Romain El 82]

Quote: Originally Posted by Giants2003

Nice job on this but I cant seam to get the numbers to work? how did you number the car?

You have to put numbers on via the "Text" method...so go through the menu like you're going to put text on the car but instead put on a number. You can only do it one at a time (just like text) so I've found it's best to create a decal for the numbers.

[Papi34]

Finally got my copy through today and don't mind admitting I'm really nervous about firing it up. I'm trying to go in open minded and not go looking for the faults.

I've been playing a lot of NR2003 recently as well, which probably isn't going to help!

[bigdoc85]

Is this NR2003 that everyone keeps talking about the PC game?

Quote: Originally Posted by Papi34

Finally got my copy through today and don't mind admitting I'm really nervous about firing it up. I'm trying to go in open minded and not go looking for the faults. I've been playing a lot of NR2003 recently as well, which probably isn't going to help!

[goosedawg68]

Quote: Originally Posted by bigdoc22

Is this NR2003 that everyone keeps talking about the PC game?

Yes it is.

[Papi34]

So I fired the game up with some nervousness this afternoon. Nice intro and a bit of ZZ Top to get you in the mood. I'm playing with a Driving Force GT and jumped straight into Career on Hard and all assists off. Thought I better practice first and the first thing that hit me was the handling. Nice. Very nice. Feels great and the force feedback is nice and strong.
On to qualifying and it is way too easy, even on hard. I've found it so easy to get pole on nearly every track. No way you should be two seconds faster than the next car.
Anyhoo, I've had about 7 races now and overall I'm having an absolute blast with the game. Now I am only doing 20% distance so a lot of the of the AI issues aren't showing up as there's no pitstops. I can definitely live with only doing that distance until the second patch comes out. I'll give a few longer races a shot over the weekend to see if the bugs show up.

So far, there's nothing about the game that's really bothering me, quite the opposite. On the few tracks I've raced, I've not seen any bunching or sudden braking and the caution has come out every time it, although sometimes it has taken a while. It's great to see the cars bump drafting at tracks like Daytona, and it working as well. Frustrating though when you get hung out to dry! Actually, now I think about it, it is very frustrating when the AI spins you out trying to bump draft with you. Probably my only frustration with the game so far. Rewinds are handy here.
I know it's not perfect and it's certainly no "sim", but I'm having as much fun playing this as NR2003 on these short races.
I just had a 50 lapper at Bristol and it's one of the best racing experiences I've ever had. I was a nervous wreck by the end and my arms were nearly hanging off! God knows how anyone could do the full distance on that track, let alone the real race. I managed to get from 18th up to 8th, but had to work from every place. Really satisfying. Also managed no cautions as well, which is amazing for me at Bristol.

I like the replay system & photo mode, very easy to use. It is annoying that it won't even let you go into either with the wheel though. Wouldn't be an issue if you could use a controller in the 2 slot, but it is a bit of a pain (just a bit) to switch them. Here's a couple of photos I took.



Right before the thunder is unleashed at Bristol!




Love this one, looks just like a slo-mo shot on the race highlights video on ESPN. I was Carl Edwards trying to get back in the top 5 after losing control on the straight.


The game certainly is a looker, every track feels a lot more "alive" than other games and it sounds great as well. Live replays are a bit of a disappointment though, as has been said needs a lot more debris flying and damage visible.

Now, I'm not under any illusions about this game, it most certainly does have some issues and I'm concentrating on the positives, but I'm having great fun so far. Real fun. Yeah, I know I'm only doing short races, but I can handle that for the month or so it's going to take for the second patch. If they fix the big issues, and I really think they will, then this game is a winner for me.
By the way, for me, it's way better than Nascar 09. I'm actually really surprised how people are raving about this game now (especially on the Eutechnyx forums) when it's been constantly slated, especially in the lead up to this game.

Blue, I'd just like to say thanks for honest opinions about the game, not to mention the fact you stuck to them even under a barrage of abuse and criticism. I'm glad I listened to you. And that's not just because I agree with you! Value your opinion dude, and trust it.
Actually, now I think about it, I'm pretty sure you did the same thing with NCAA Basketball 11 for me as well or was that someone else? I'll have to check that.

[mwjr]

Said this before, but man, that's a good-looking game.

Holding out until the patch, though.