NASCAR The Game 2011 Q&A and Impressions

[Lieutenant Dan]

Quote: Originally Posted by skydog71

Well cars dropping from the sky sounds kinda cool. I don't have any games with that feature.

Ahh....levity. Thank you.

Hopefully, Eutec will get the online straightened out with another patch. They seem to really care about this game so I think they'll try their best.

[TCrouch]

Spent an hour with it at lunch. I'm decidedly undecided.

The good parts:

The handling is pretty good. It's a bit on the easy side once you're at speed. I could bobble down onto the apron at Daytona and it wouldn't break loose or wiggle at all. Try that in NR2003 and your traction will be gone faster than a fart in a whirlwind. It is very easy to correct when you overcook it into a corner or press too much.

With both a wheel and a controller, I was able to put the car where I wanted it and held a very smooth line around Indianapolis (even with the controller). I didn't tweak a single setting for controls and it was very smooth with both the pad and the wireless 360 wheel.

It sure is pretty, and I like the cockpit1 camera quite a bit. Gives me just enough peripheral vision out the side windows to know who's even with me. Not sure what I think of that crosshair thing at the bottom with the cars zipping about, however, as my wheel obstructs my vision to it easily at my desk, so I have to sit up really high to see it...then wreck when I had to take my eyes off where I was going.

The bump drafting from AI cars is pretty believable. They didn't cream me at Daytona, but they hit me hard enough to create some wiggle and force me to correct. That was good stuff.

Now, the bad:

The AI half the time I've raced them so far (Texas, Bristol, Indy, and Daytona). At Indy and Daytona, they raced pretty well, but they still had the old school "bunch up at corner entry or exit" way too much. I remember Blue saying that they'd do that at the start, but this is like dropping 50mph coming off of turn 4 at Texas or Bristol. If you're anywhere near them, you're going to destroy them and you, because you'll either overcorrect trying to miss them and send it into a spin, or plow right into them and kill you both. This happened a ton at Texas, and then a ton at Bristol on Very Hard AI with Legend settings and manual tranny. It was enough that I cancelled both races at those tracks because the AI was just way too slow in or out of the corner. That's the trademark of "first gen" AI that really shows its warts sometimes. They were pretty good at Indy and Daytona, so maybe the problems rely entirely on their braking ability and negotiating mile-and-a-half and smaller tracks.

Yellow flags. At both of the problem tracks I ran, I would get tossed into a spin or wreck and NO YELLOW WOULD FLY. This has been reported over and over, but I wrecked probably 10 times in the first two races just getting the feel for it, and I got a yellow twice...despite stopping dead center in the track. They completely ignored solo-car spins or stops, which is what's causing the issue. If another car hit me, it MIGHT pull out a yellow. If TWO more cars hit me, it definitely would. So they are way too lenient with it. They should be tossing out yellows for cars off the pace that can't make it to Pit Road and things like that (impossible to do with no DNFs though). This will have to get fixed or it's going to really piss a lot of people off.

The interface itself is way too clunky. You go to Single Player--load screen. You pick a car--load screen. You set race options, and you're taken to controls. Choose those--another load screen. You suddenly appear on track with no clue what's going on, and then you realize it's a qual session. Finish that--load screen to rolling start in the race.

Just way too many loading sessions and abrupt in-or-out sequences to make it smooth.

At this point, I really don't know. I *think* I like the handling, but it's tough to tell when I have to spend half the corner out of the throttle and putt-putting through turn 2 or 4 to make sure I don't annihilate anybody, or blow by 10 cars on an exit because I'm planning for it and dive down to the apron at mach IV just to avoid the train of idiotic AI drivers.

I think there may be a really good game under here, but my first impression after an hour is decidedly less impressed than I hoped I would be. AI and Yellow Flag implementation are some of the biggest things in NASCAR, so for them to be the two things I'm most unhappy with after my first session, that's not a good thing for me.

[goosedawg68]

The more I read, the more undecided I am becoming.

[SECElit3]

Quote: Originally Posted by TCrouch

Spent an hour with it at lunch. I'm decidedly undecided. The good parts: The handling is pretty good. It's a bit on the easy side once you're at speed. I could bobble down onto the apron at Daytona and it wouldn't break loose or wiggle at all. Try that in NR2003 and your traction will be gone faster than a fart in a whirlwind. It is very easy to correct when you overcook it into a corner or press too much. With both a wheel and a controller, I was able to put the car where I wanted it and held a very smooth line around Indianapolis (even with the controller). I didn't tweak a single setting for controls and it was very smooth with both the pad and the wireless 360 wheel. It sure is pretty, and I like the cockpit1 camera quite a bit. Gives me just enough peripheral vision out the side windows to know who's even with me. Not sure what I think of that crosshair thing at the bottom with the cars zipping about, however, as my wheel obstructs my vision to it easily at my desk, so I have to sit up really high to see it...then wreck when I had to take my eyes off where I was going. The bump drafting from AI cars is pretty believable. They didn't cream me at Daytona, but they hit me hard enough to create some wiggle and force me to correct. That was good stuff. Now, the bad: The AI half the time I've raced them so far (Texas, Bristol, Indy, and Daytona). At Indy and Daytona, they raced pretty well, but they still had the old school "bunch up at corner entry or exit" way too much. I remember Blue saying that they'd do that at the start, but this is like dropping 50mph coming off of turn 4 at Texas or Bristol. If you're anywhere near them, you're going to destroy them and you, because you'll either overcorrect trying to miss them and send it into a spin, or plow right into them and kill you both. This happened a ton at Texas, and then a ton at Bristol on Very Hard AI with Legend settings and manual tranny. It was enough that I cancelled both races at those tracks because the AI was just way too slow in or out of the corner. That's the trademark of "first gen" AI that really shows its warts sometimes. They were pretty good at Indy and Daytona, so maybe the problems rely entirely on their braking ability and negotiating mile-and-a-half and smaller tracks. Yellow flags. At both of the problem tracks I ran, I would get tossed into a spin or wreck and NO YELLOW WOULD FLY. This has been reported over and over, but I wrecked probably 10 times in the first two races just getting the feel for it, and I got a yellow twice...despite stopping dead center in the track. They completely ignored solo-car spins or stops, which is what's causing the issue. If another car hit me, it MIGHT pull out a yellow. If TWO more cars hit me, it definitely would. So they are way too lenient with it. They should be tossing out yellows for cars off the pace that can't make it to Pit Road and things like that (impossible to do with no DNFs though). This will have to get fixed or it's going to really piss a lot of people off. The interface itself is way too clunky. You go to Single Player--load screen. You pick a car--load screen. You set race options, and you're taken to controls. Choose those--another load screen. You suddenly appear on track with no clue what's going on, and then you realize it's a qual session. Finish that--load screen to rolling start in the race. Just way too many loading sessions and abrupt in-or-out sequences to make it smooth. At this point, I really don't know. I *think* I like the handling, but it's tough to tell when I have to spend half the corner out of the throttle and putt-putting through turn 2 or 4 to make sure I don't annihilate anybody, or blow by 10 cars on an exit because I'm planning for it and dive down to the apron at mach IV just to avoid the train of idiotic AI drivers. I think there may be a really good game under here, but my first impression after an hour is decidedly less impressed than I hoped I would be. AI and Yellow Flag implementation are some of the biggest things in NASCAR, so for them to be the two things I'm most unhappy with after my first session, that's not a good thing for me.

Thanks for these impressions... I haven't owned a Nascar game since 98. I had high hopes for this one, but after reading your impressions, I think I can hold off another year, or at least until the game has been improved with a patch. Thanks again!

[Skyboxer]

Quote: Originally Posted by TCrouch

Spent an hour with it at lunch. I'm decidedly undecided. The good parts: The handling is pretty good. It's a bit on the easy side once you're at speed. I could bobble down onto the apron at Daytona and it wouldn't break loose or wiggle at all. Try that in NR2003 and your traction will be gone faster than a fart in a whirlwind. It is very easy to correct when you overcook it into a corner or press too much. With both a wheel and a controller, I was able to put the car where I wanted it and held a very smooth line around Indianapolis (even with the controller). I didn't tweak a single setting for controls and it was very smooth with both the pad and the wireless 360 wheel. It sure is pretty, and I like the cockpit1 camera quite a bit. Gives me just enough peripheral vision out the side windows to know who's even with me. Not sure what I think of that crosshair thing at the bottom with the cars zipping about, however, as my wheel obstructs my vision to it easily at my desk, so I have to sit up really high to see it...then wreck when I had to take my eyes off where I was going. The bump drafting from AI cars is pretty believable. They didn't cream me at Daytona, but they hit me hard enough to create some wiggle and force me to correct. That was good stuff. Now, the bad: The AI half the time I've raced them so far (Texas, Bristol, Indy, and Daytona). At Indy and Daytona, they raced pretty well, but they still had the old school "bunch up at corner entry or exit" way too much. I remember Blue saying that they'd do that at the start, but this is like dropping 50mph coming off of turn 4 at Texas or Bristol. If you're anywhere near them, you're going to destroy them and you, because you'll either overcorrect trying to miss them and send it into a spin, or plow right into them and kill you both. This happened a ton at Texas, and then a ton at Bristol on Very Hard AI with Legend settings and manual tranny. It was enough that I cancelled both races at those tracks because the AI was just way too slow in or out of the corner. That's the trademark of "first gen" AI that really shows its warts sometimes. They were pretty good at Indy and Daytona, so maybe the problems rely entirely on their braking ability and negotiating mile-and-a-half and smaller tracks. Yellow flags. At both of the problem tracks I ran, I would get tossed into a spin or wreck and NO YELLOW WOULD FLY. This has been reported over and over, but I wrecked probably 10 times in the first two races just getting the feel for it, and I got a yellow twice...despite stopping dead center in the track. They completely ignored solo-car spins or stops, which is what's causing the issue. If another car hit me, it MIGHT pull out a yellow. If TWO more cars hit me, it definitely would. So they are way too lenient with it. They should be tossing out yellows for cars off the pace that can't make it to Pit Road and things like that (impossible to do with no DNFs though). This will have to get fixed or it's going to really piss a lot of people off. The interface itself is way too clunky. You go to Single Player--load screen. You pick a car--load screen. You set race options, and you're taken to controls. Choose those--another load screen. You suddenly appear on track with no clue what's going on, and then you realize it's a qual session. Finish that--load screen to rolling start in the race. Just way too many loading sessions and abrupt in-or-out sequences to make it smooth. At this point, I really don't know. I *think* I like the handling, but it's tough to tell when I have to spend half the corner out of the throttle and putt-putting through turn 2 or 4 to make sure I don't annihilate anybody, or blow by 10 cars on an exit because I'm planning for it and dive down to the apron at mach IV just to avoid the train of idiotic AI drivers. I think there may be a really good game under here, but my first impression after an hour is decidedly less impressed than I hoped I would be. AI and Yellow Flag implementation are some of the biggest things in NASCAR, so for them to be the two things I'm most unhappy with after my first session, that's not a good thing for me.

Thanks man! appreciate the impressions

[Tidefan6869]

I've only played for a little while, but here are some concerns of mine. The online has very little options when I looked at it. I tried to get in an online race but it wouldn't load.

As far as handling, it may feel realistic in some parts, but I don't like the car darting all over the place going down the straight away. I have to drive it more on the straights than I do in the corner. If or when they get online fixed, Daytona and Talledega will be a mess with people trying to bump draft and stay off each other. If there is a setting that will correct this, someone please let me know.

I'm not going to say this is a bad game yet without more playing time and I'm not even leaning that way right now, so I don't want everyone thinking I'm saying not buy it. However my first impression is that I like the way the cars in F1 2010 handle better than this. I don't think the cars (F1 and Nascar) should handle the same and at Daytona so far the cars handle the way I think they should in the corner, but at least on F1 you could drive straight. There is no way a real sprint cup car handles like this.

[lVlAtlZiX]

I noticed that when I get a race to work correctly online on PS3 that bump drafting is nearly impossible. Whenever I tried to do it or someone tried with me it would just start to spin us both out.

[FSU Judge]

Quote: Originally Posted by TCrouch

Spent an hour with it at lunch. I'm decidedly undecided. The good parts: The handling is pretty good. It's a bit on the easy side once you're at speed. I could bobble down onto the apron at Daytona and it wouldn't break loose or wiggle at all. Try that in NR2003 and your traction will be gone faster than a fart in a whirlwind. It is very easy to correct when you overcook it into a corner or press too much. With both a wheel and a controller, I was able to put the car where I wanted it and held a very smooth line around Indianapolis (even with the controller). I didn't tweak a single setting for controls and it was very smooth with both the pad and the wireless 360 wheel. It sure is pretty, and I like the cockpit1 camera quite a bit. Gives me just enough peripheral vision out the side windows to know who's even with me. Not sure what I think of that crosshair thing at the bottom with the cars zipping about, however, as my wheel obstructs my vision to it easily at my desk, so I have to sit up really high to see it...then wreck when I had to take my eyes off where I was going. The bump drafting from AI cars is pretty believable. They didn't cream me at Daytona, but they hit me hard enough to create some wiggle and force me to correct. That was good stuff. Now, the bad: The AI half the time I've raced them so far (Texas, Bristol, Indy, and Daytona). At Indy and Daytona, they raced pretty well, but they still had the old school "bunch up at corner entry or exit" way too much. I remember Blue saying that they'd do that at the start, but this is like dropping 50mph coming off of turn 4 at Texas or Bristol. If you're anywhere near them, you're going to destroy them and you, because you'll either overcorrect trying to miss them and send it into a spin, or plow right into them and kill you both. This happened a ton at Texas, and then a ton at Bristol on Very Hard AI with Legend settings and manual tranny. It was enough that I cancelled both races at those tracks because the AI was just way too slow in or out of the corner. That's the trademark of "first gen" AI that really shows its warts sometimes. They were pretty good at Indy and Daytona, so maybe the problems rely entirely on their braking ability and negotiating mile-and-a-half and smaller tracks. Yellow flags. At both of the problem tracks I ran, I would get tossed into a spin or wreck and NO YELLOW WOULD FLY. This has been reported over and over, but I wrecked probably 10 times in the first two races just getting the feel for it, and I got a yellow twice...despite stopping dead center in the track. They completely ignored solo-car spins or stops, which is what's causing the issue. If another car hit me, it MIGHT pull out a yellow. If TWO more cars hit me, it definitely would. So they are way too lenient with it. They should be tossing out yellows for cars off the pace that can't make it to Pit Road and things like that (impossible to do with no DNFs though). This will have to get fixed or it's going to really piss a lot of people off. The interface itself is way too clunky. You go to Single Player--load screen. You pick a car--load screen. You set race options, and you're taken to controls. Choose those--another load screen. You suddenly appear on track with no clue what's going on, and then you realize it's a qual session. Finish that--load screen to rolling start in the race. Just way too many loading sessions and abrupt in-or-out sequences to make it smooth. At this point, I really don't know. I *think* I like the handling, but it's tough to tell when I have to spend half the corner out of the throttle and putt-putting through turn 2 or 4 to make sure I don't annihilate anybody, or blow by 10 cars on an exit because I'm planning for it and dive down to the apron at mach IV just to avoid the train of idiotic AI drivers. I think there may be a really good game under here, but my first impression after an hour is decidedly less impressed than I hoped I would be. AI and Yellow Flag implementation are some of the biggest things in NASCAR, so for them to be the two things I'm most unhappy with after my first session, that's not a good thing for me.

The "bunch up" problem is a big concern. Anyone else seeing it?