NASCAR The Game 2011 News Post

NASCAR The Game 2011 Q&A and Impressions

12:47 PM - March 24, 2011 by bluengold34_OS

I received the game this morning at 9 AM. Please keep in mind, I have only raced 4 times so far and practiced at another.

I am going to answer as many questions as I can that have already been asked, then will keep posting impressions and answer as many questions as I can. I have my PS3 in my office hooked up to the same monitor as my PC, so I have to switch over, so If I don't immediately respond to something, it's because I am on the PS3.

On to the questions, from the other topic.

I wanna know how are the Graphics compared to NASCAR 09? I really can't get a good grasp from the videos. Thanks.

IMO the graphics are a bit better than NASCAR 09. NASCAR 09 was a nice looking game, but I think NTG11 does a better job here. There is a very natural, organic look to it, almost like MLB The Show has. The color palate is there, but it's not too crisp, or overdone.

The car models are nicely executed, and tracks look beautiful.

1. I think we are all wondering about the difficulty of the game and if what we saw in the videos was on some easier level. Is the game more realistic than what the videos may have lead us to believe?

2. Is there a true career mode, or is it just a season, and how does that work?

3. Do you get the sense that you are at 30+ different tracks, or does it feel like most of the tracks run about the same?

1. I set the difficulty for the AI on the highest at Tally, Daytona, and Texas. They were very competitive at Tally and Daytona, and Texas were just better than me....flat out! What I really like so far about the AI, is that they are aggressive, but not cheap. They understand that you are also on the track, and try to be cautious of their surroundings. They did bump draft with me at Tally and Daytona, and I could do the same with them...and there was no sign of them being disturbed by it.

2. Have not jumped into career mode as of yet, but will give it a run as the day progresses.

3. There was a nice difference in the feel from Atlanta, Texas, Daytona and Tally. They didn't feel that same at all, and based off early impressions, they did a nice job trying to individualize and realistically replicate each track.

Pre-race presentation-Is there a full pace lap with the driver/grid position rundown like EA did a few years back? Very tv-style touch that was very nice. Also, any featured drivers pre-race?

Wreck/caution-how long is it between the wreck, caution and going into the pace lap? Time enough to 'go thru' the wreck if it happened up in front and you're in the back of the pack, or just 'there's a wreck' and then two seconds later in the caution lap?

Keep in mind, I have not done season or career, but in "race now" option, there was no pre-race or any presentation. It literally took you to the race about 100 yards away from the start finish line.

In regards to wrecking, you get to watch the whole wreck. It doesn't take you away to a cut scene instantly. I was in one at Tally, and it seemed like it lasted 20 seconds, and I was in one at Texas, and it only lasted about 10 seconds. Then it gives you the option to pit under caution...if you choose no, it takes to a few seconds before the green flag drops again.

I am very curious about the realism of the track surface. For example, Are there bumps in on the lowside of turns 1 and 2 at Las Vegas? Do the bumps upset the car and make you create a setup that can handle those bumps?

That leads to my other question. How much does messing with the setup actually change the feel of the car? When the track rubbers up, does the car get tighter?

From what I have seen, the bumps feel like they are barely noticeable. I felt a little bit at Daytona in turns 3 going into 4(keep in mind its still Daytona 10 on my copy) but nothing that really forced me to white knuckle the wheel at all. When an AI car gets into you, you notice that a lot more than any bumps on the track surface. If you're hoping to really feel the surface bumps and have it effect the car....probably not going to be real happy.

I will say the the driving model is really well done though, and you truly feel connected to the track surface.

Ok, going to go test some more, and try to get some photos, but videos may be very difficult. I am trying to find a way to do it right now. I will be back in a few to answer some more questions and give some solid impressions.

Game: NASCAR The Game 2011Reader Score: 4/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Wii / Xbox 360Votes for game: 15 - View All

NASCAR The Game 2011 Videos

Member Comments

# 1201 Senor Nascar @ 03/30/11 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by petty43


	that is spot on...you fix that and we got a good game,by the way are you playing on ps3 or xbox..what concerns me is that some of the things are so easy to see the first time you play the game it looks like it would have already been fixed makes me wonder if they can even fix it.

I actually have both copies. I am more of an XBOX guy though.

# 1202 Rules @ 03/30/11 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Senor Nascar


	Message to Developers: Here are my concerns and suggestions for issues which should be fixed in future patches: 1. Obviously the caution issue which has been well addressed by numerous people. 2. The AI aggressiveness at bump drafting on Auto Club Speedway. I have been wrecked numerous times by the AI simply slamming into the back of me at a place where bump drafting is minimal. 3. The AI difficulty needs to be ramped up especially in Qualifying. 4. The lack of TIRE TEMPERATURE readings. I would really like to see this added in. If you do not know your tire temperatures it makes it really difficult to set up a car properly. 5. The small tire wear indicator needs reworking. It is very difficult to see how much your tires are wearing and if the insides, middle, or outside of the tire are wearing more than other parts of the tire. This is key info for finding out what is wrong with the setup and how to make it better. I would advise using a system like other games. Where the tires are blue, then green, then yellow and then red. 6. The AI needs help when pitting under yellow. Numerous times I have seen them run into each other on Pit Road causing a huge mess. 7. When Pitting, the DEFAULT should be a full gas tank not the opposite like it is now. You already don't have much time to make adjustments so it would be great if this could be reversed so I am not wasting time filling that meter up. If I want less than a full tank than I could dial it down instead. 8. I would like to be able to save more than 50 setups. I know it sounds like a lot but it really isn't if you calculate that you at least have one saved setup for each track (23) and when the update comes you will need at least another 23 for the 2011 models which will handle differently. I would like to see the number of allowed save setups to go up. 9. The spotter should stop saying all clear at odd times like when I am stopped or on pit road. It is just way overdone. Also for future versions of the game I would look at maybe omitting the comedic lines because although they might be funny the first time...they get real old real quick. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard the hot dog line. I would rather the spotter focus on positional info. 10. The bunching up of AI on certain tracks. 11. It was my understanding that there would be an Adaptive AI setting in this game. What happened? It could help solve some difficulty issues for some if it were to be added. 12. I think for future iterations try to make the default setup not so good out of the box. It really takes away from the need to work on your car. I know you are trying to appeal to people who don't want to work on their car but it just kills it for those who do. 13. The draft is way overdone at certain tracks. I think it greatly needs to be toned down overall. I think it will really help with the difficulty as well. 14. The online timer (even in private races) needs to go away. All other racer games have always had a ready up feature which works much better. Hopefully this can be addressed soon. F1 does a good job of this. 15. Better online stability. 15. The wheel support needs revamping. I play with a Porsche Fanatec GT2 wheel for Xbox 360. It is operational but is certainly not tuned for this game and the force feedback seems to come and go. After playing with the g25 on PS3 last night, I can honestly notice a HUGE difference. Hopefully you guys can look at all the wheels people are using and tune them for this game. That is what I got in terms of immediate fixes to help get this game on the right path. I am sure I left out a couple of things but overall I think there is a good base here in this game (driving model and AI) and with these fixes the game would be much better.

This is money! Please ask to be a consultant as fixing these issues would make this a beautiful game.

# 1203 TIm @ 03/30/11 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Senor Nascar


	Message to Developers: Here are my concerns and suggestions for issues which should be fixed in future patches: 1. Obviously the caution issue which has been well addressed by numerous people. 2. The AI aggressiveness at bump drafting on Auto Club Speedway. I have been wrecked numerous times by the AI simply slamming into the back of me at a place where bump drafting is minimal. 3. The AI difficulty needs to be ramped up especially in Qualifying. 4. The lack of TIRE TEMPERATURE readings. I would really like to see this added in. If you do not know your tire temperatures it makes it really difficult to set up a car properly. 5. The small tire wear indicator needs reworking. It is very difficult to see how much your tires are wearing and if the insides, middle, or outside of the tire are wearing more than other parts of the tire. This is key info for finding out what is wrong with the setup and how to make it better. I would advise using a system like other games. Where the tires are blue, then green, then yellow and then red. 6. The AI needs help when pitting under yellow. Numerous times I have seen them run into each other on Pit Road causing a huge mess. 7. When Pitting, the DEFAULT should be a full gas tank not the opposite like it is now. You already don't have much time to make adjustments so it would be great if this could be reversed so I am not wasting time filling that meter up. If I want less than a full tank than I could dial it down instead. 8. I would like to be able to save more than 50 setups. I know it sounds like a lot but it really isn't if you calculate that you at least have one saved setup for each track (23) and when the update comes you will need at least another 23 for the 2011 models which will handle differently. I would like to see the number of allowed save setups to go up. 9. The spotter should stop saying all clear at odd times like when I am stopped or on pit road. It is just way overdone. Also for future versions of the game I would look at maybe omitting the comedic lines because although they might be funny the first time...they get real old real quick. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard the hot dog line. I would rather the spotter focus on positional info. 10. The bunching up of AI on certain tracks. 11. It was my understanding that there would be an Adaptive AI setting in this game. What happened? It could help solve some difficulty issues for some if it were to be added. 12. I think for future iterations try to make the default setup not so good out of the box. It really takes away from the need to work on your car. I know you are trying to appeal to people who don't want to work on their car but it just kills it for those who do. 13. The draft is way overdone at certain tracks. I think it greatly needs to be toned down overall. I think it will really help with the difficulty as well. 14. The online timer (even in private races) needs to go away. All other racer games have always had a ready up feature which works much better. Hopefully this can be addressed soon. F1 does a good job of this. 15. Better online stability. 15. The wheel support needs revamping. I play with a Porsche Fanatec GT2 wheel for Xbox 360. It is operational but is certainly not tuned for this game and the force feedback seems to come and go. After playing with the g25 on PS3 last night, I can honestly notice a HUGE difference. Hopefully you guys can look at all the wheels people are using and tune them for this game. That is what I got in terms of immediate fixes to help get this game on the right path. I am sure I left out a couple of things but overall I think there is a good base here in this game (driving model and AI) and with these fixes the game would be much better.

You really need to send this via Twitter to Dave Thompson or something.. I'm having fun with the game right now but it could be really a great game if these things would be patched.. Or at least the most important.

# 1204 Kolden101 @ 03/30/11 05:33 PM

There really needs to be a split screen season. Good all around game though.

# 1205 bluengold34_OS @ 03/30/11 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Senor Nascar


	Message to Developers: Here are my concerns and suggestions for issues which should be fixed in future patches: 1. Obviously the caution issue which has been well addressed by numerous people. 2. The AI aggressiveness at bump drafting on Auto Club Speedway. I have been wrecked numerous times by the AI simply slamming into the back of me at a place where bump drafting is minimal. 3. The AI difficulty needs to be ramped up especially in Qualifying. 4. The lack of TIRE TEMPERATURE readings. I would really like to see this added in. If you do not know your tire temperatures it makes it really difficult to set up a car properly. 5. The small tire wear indicator needs reworking. It is very difficult to see how much your tires are wearing and if the insides, middle, or outside of the tire are wearing more than other parts of the tire. This is key info for finding out what is wrong with the setup and how to make it better. I would advise using a system like other games. Where the tires are blue, then green, then yellow and then red. 6. The AI needs help when pitting under yellow. Numerous times I have seen them run into each other on Pit Road causing a huge mess. 7. When Pitting, the DEFAULT should be a full gas tank not the opposite like it is now. You already don't have much time to make adjustments so it would be great if this could be reversed so I am not wasting time filling that meter up. If I want less than a full tank than I could dial it down instead. 8. I would like to be able to save more than 50 setups. I know it sounds like a lot but it really isn't if you calculate that you at least have one saved setup for each track (23) and when the update comes you will need at least another 23 for the 2011 models which will handle differently. I would like to see the number of allowed save setups to go up. 9. The spotter should stop saying all clear at odd times like when I am stopped or on pit road. It is just way overdone. Also for future versions of the game I would look at maybe omitting the comedic lines because although they might be funny the first time...they get real old real quick. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard the hot dog line. I would rather the spotter focus on positional info. 10. The bunching up of AI on certain tracks. 11. It was my understanding that there would be an Adaptive AI setting in this game. What happened? It could help solve some difficulty issues for some if it were to be added. 12. I think for future iterations try to make the default setup not so good out of the box. It really takes away from the need to work on your car. I know you are trying to appeal to people who don't want to work on their car but it just kills it for those who do. 13. The draft is way overdone at certain tracks. I think it greatly needs to be toned down overall. I think it will really help with the difficulty as well. 14. The online timer (even in private races) needs to go away. All other racer games have always had a ready up feature which works much better. Hopefully this can be addressed soon. F1 does a good job of this. 15. Better online stability. 15. The wheel support needs revamping. I play with a Porsche Fanatec GT2 wheel for Xbox 360. It is operational but is certainly not tuned for this game and the force feedback seems to come and go. After playing with the g25 on PS3 last night, I can honestly notice a HUGE difference. Hopefully you guys can look at all the wheels people are using and tune them for this game. That is what I got in terms of immediate fixes to help get this game on the right path. I am sure I left out a couple of things but overall I think there is a good base here in this game (driving model and AI) and with these fixes the game would be much better.

Senor Nascar...if it's ok with you I would like to send this to the developers personally, but wanted to get your approval first...just let me know in here, or send me a pm bro.

# 1206 chrisasst @ 03/30/11 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluengold34_OS


	Senor Nascar...if it's ok with you I would like to send this to the developers personally, but wanted to get your approval first...just let me know in here, or send me a pm bro.

How about you both send it...

# 1207 Senor Nascar @ 03/30/11 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluengold34_OS


	Senor Nascar...if it's ok with you I would like to send this to the developers personally, but wanted to get your approval first...just let me know in here, or send me a pm bro.

Absolutely Blue. I am all for it. That would be great! I updated my original post on page 128 with a couple of new things I noticed. Hope this helps influence the direction of changes for the patch.

# 1208 Senor Nascar @ 03/30/11 06:17 PM

Blue, Here it is with an update.

Message to Developers:

Here are my concerns and suggestions for issues which should be fixed in future patches:

1. Obviously the caution issue which has been well addressed by numerous people.

2. The AI aggressiveness at bump drafting on Auto Club Speedway. I have been wrecked numerous times by the AI simply slamming into the back of me at a place where bump drafting is minimal.

3. The AI difficulty needs to be ramped up especially in Qualifying.

4. The lack of TIRE TEMPERATURE readings. I would really like to see this added in. If you do not know your tire temperatures it makes it really difficult to set up a car properly.

5. The small tire wear indicator needs reworking. It is very difficult to see how much your tires are wearing and if the insides, middle, or outside of the tire are wearing more than other parts of the tire. This is key info for finding out what is wrong with the setup and how to make it better. I would advise using a system like other games. Where the tires are blue, then green, then yellow and then red.

6. The AI needs help when pitting under yellow. Numerous times I have seen them run into each other on Pit Road causing a huge mess.

7. When Pitting, the DEFAULT should be a full gas tank not the opposite like it is now. You already don't have much time to make adjustments so it would be great if this could be reversed so I am not wasting time filling that meter up. If I want less than a full tank than I could dial it down instead.

8. I would like to be able to save more than 50 setups. I know it sounds like a lot but it really isn't if you calculate that you at least have one saved setup for each track (23) and when the update comes you will need at least another 23 for the 2011 models which will handle differently. I would like to see the number of allowed save setups to go up.

9. The spotter should stop saying all clear at odd times like when I am stopped or on pit road. It is just way overdone. Also for future versions of the game I would look at maybe omitting the comedic lines because although they might be funny the first time...they get real old real quick. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard the hot dog line. I would rather the spotter focus on positional info.

10. The bunching up of AI on certain tracks.

11. It was my understanding that there would be an Adaptive AI setting in this game. What happened? It could help solve some difficulty issues for some if it were to be added.

12. I think for future iterations try to make the default setup not so good out of the box. It really takes away from the need to work on your car. I know you are trying to appeal to people who don't want to work on their car but it just kills it for those who do.

13. The draft is way overdone at certain tracks. I think it greatly needs to be toned down overall. I think it will really help with the difficulty as well.

14. The online timer (even in private races) needs to go away. All other racer games have always had a ready up feature which works much better. Hopefully this can be addressed soon. F1 does a good job of this.

15. Better online stability.

16. The wheel support needs revamping. I play with a Porsche Fanatec GT2 wheel for Xbox 360. It is operational but is certainly not tuned for this game and the force feedback seems to come and go. After playing with the g25 on PS3 last night, I can honestly notice a HUGE difference. Hopefully you guys can look at all the wheels people are using and tune them for this game.

17. When your fuel runs out, it should not be an automatic DNF. There needs to be a chance to coast to the pits.

18. The AI needs to be more careful when coming out of pit road and onto the track (Auto Club Speedway is a good example of this) They move all the way over near the wall when not at speed yet and it causes major bunching. They need to stay near the white line till they are up to speed somewhere on the backstretch.

That is what I got in terms of immediate fixes to help get this game on the right path. I am sure I left out a couple of things but overall I think there is a good base here in this game (driving model and AI) and with these fixes the game would be much better.

# 1209 Rules @ 03/30/11 06:55 PM

They have a forum set up to report bugs and suggestions.

I added the tire temp by Senor Nascar but you might want to head over and get your list up and going!

# 1210 Senor Nascar @ 03/30/11 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rules


	They have a forum set up to report bugs and suggestions. I added the tire temp by Senor Nascar but you might want to head over and get your list up and going!

I'll do that Rules. Thanks for letting me know.

# 1211 Rules @ 03/30/11 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Senor Nascar


	I'll do that Rules. Thanks for letting me know.

No thank you!

# 1212 Aggies7 @ 03/30/11 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rules


	They have a forum set up to report bugs and suggestions. I added the tire temp by Senor Nascar but you might want to head over and get your list up and going!

If your talking about the eutechnyx forums I am not to fond of them. Seems like a cluster over there.

# 1213 Senor Nascar @ 03/30/11 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aggies7


	If your talking about the eutechnyx forums I am not to fond of them. Seems like a cluster over there.

Unfortunately, I would have to agree with you. I much prefer the forums over here which is why I stuck to posting my impressions on OS.

# 1214 SSWood10 @ 03/30/11 07:27 PM

It's going to get read over there faster than it will here though Senor. It's a good post you should make sure the proper people get it ASAP.

# 1215 Senor Nascar @ 03/30/11 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SSWood10


	It's going to get read over there faster than it will here though Senor. It's a good post you should make sure the proper people get it ASAP.

Thanks SS. I actually did post it. I think it might have more of an impact though if Blue is able to send it directly. We will have to see what happens.

# 1216 bluengold34_OS @ 03/30/11 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Senor Nascar


	Unfortunately, I would have to agree with you. I much prefer the forums over here which is why I stuck to posting my impressions on OS.

I have already sent it straight to the developers(the updated one)...hoping Dave ends up with it. If I hear any news on it at all, I will post it in here Senor!

# 1217 Senor Nascar @ 03/30/11 08:00 PM

Perfect Blue. That is great news! Thank you for doing that.

# 1218 bluengold34_OS @ 03/30/11 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Senor Nascar


	Perfect Blue. That is great news! Thank you for doing that.

Not a problem at all, if this site(you in particular) can help in finding a way to fix these issues a lot of people are having, then it becomes a great game for everyone...not just some!

# 1219 TIm @ 03/30/11 08:33 PM

Thank you both!!! Senor for the GREAT LIST!!! and Blu for sending it out... I still stand by my word that this game will be a diamond in the rough... Alot of people don't see it IMO... Thanks again!! Now to go learn how to drive this thing

# 1220 chapmac24 @ 03/30/11 08:33 PM

How do you get AI cars during practice?

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