NFS Shift tips and comments

"Andrew MacPherson" > wrote in message
...
> (schooner) wrote:
>
>> FYI - http://forums.xbox.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=29123795
>
> Thanks. The complication here -- as with all Shift discussion -- is always
> having
> to check whether people are using gamepads or wheels, and which wheel.
> Nightmare. I
> never had this trouble with iRacing. :-)
>
> There is a complicated 'web' of settings to play with, including things
> like the
> steering lock buried in the car setup screens. It may take quite a while
> to find a
> combination which hits the control nail squarely on the head, and I
> suspect
> everyone will have their own preferences.
>
> So far though I think it's worth persevering with. I really am
> *incredibly*
> impressed by the depth of the overall racing experience. I am spending the
> vast
> majority of my time at the Nordschleife though. (Perhaps my addiction to
> that track
> is part of my delusional enthusiasm. :-) The career mode stuff is just a
> chore I
> have to go through in order to experiment with some upgraded/improved
> cars.
>
> Andrew McP

Ah. Well I still plan to pass, lotta effort for little enjoyment and most
are saying is it pretty poor overall. As for Nordschleife that track does
nothign for me personally but seems to be a standard of many of the arcade
racers of late.

I've pretty much limited my racing to iRacing. I know what I'm getting
there at least instead of the $60 a pop buy and dump games.

> As for Nordschleife that track does nothign for me personally
> but seems to be a standard of many of the arcade racers of late.

GTR Evolutions also has it.

GPL was the first game to have it, the older 14 mile version,
sort of like the combined Nurburgring + Nordschleife, but instead
of Nurburgring, there was a straight, a 180 degree keyhole turn,
(45 degrees left, then 225 degrees right), another straight right
behind the first straight, then left back on the Nordschleife as
we know it now.

Video of Greger Huttu Run from GPL:

http://rcgldr.net/gpl/gplnrgh.wmv

"jeffareid" > wrote in message
...
>> As for Nordschleife that track does nothign for me personally
>> but seems to be a standard of many of the arcade racers of late.
>
> GTR Evolutions also has it.
>
> GPL was the first game to have it, the older 14 mile version,
> sort of like the combined Nurburgring + Nordschleife, but instead
> of Nurburgring, there was a straight, a 180 degree keyhole turn,
> (45 degrees left, then 225 degrees right), another straight right
> behind the first straight, then left back on the Nordschleife as
> we know it now.
>
> Video of Greger Huttu Run from GPL:
>
> http://rcgldr.net/gpl/gplnrgh.wmv
>
>
>
>

I'm aware, what I said was it seems to be the big thing to have in these new
arcade racers as a drawing point, Shift beign a case in poitn where some
bought the game based on this track alone. I'm aware other sims had it
before and again the track doens't interest me personally.

> Nordschleife

> I'm aware, what I said was it seems to be the big thing to have in these new arcade racers as a drawing point, Shift
> beign a case in poitn where some bought the game based on this track alone. I'm aware other sims had it before and
> again the track doens't interest me personally.

For one thing, it's a long track, 13 miles, a lot to remember sort of a game
within a game. In Europe, it's still popular for several racing series, and
when not in use for a race, it's open to the public as a one way "toll
road".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordschleife

Few road courses are longer. Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy), used for
motorcycle times trials type racing, is proably the longest at 37.75 miles.
J R Pearson is currently working on a version for Grand Prix Legends.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_Man_TT

http://jrpearson.homestead.com/LatestNews.html

(jeffareid) wrote:

> Fastest car I tried so far was the Zonda R in an invitational event.

As anyone keeping an eye on the RSC forum may already know, yesterday I finally got
as far as unlocking the Veyron Challenge at The Ring. Aggressive AI in Veyrons and
me in a car about three times as fast as my natural talent did not, at first, seem
like a good mix.

But after I'd adjusted to the higher speeds and braking requirements I had an
*amazing* time! Whatever Shift's weaknesses (and they seem fewer by the day as
people get to grips with tweaking it) it is capable of delivering the most intense,
exciting experiences I've ever had in a racing sim... particularly when it comes to
conveying the sheer speed of a racing car. The subtle external blur (visible more
obviously in screenshots) may be at the root of this, along with the massive amount
of trackside detail either real or fictional, it seems to serve a useful purpose
when fooling my eyes and brain.

Obviously it can't compare with the online experience in sims like iRacing, but
I've always known that at heart I'm an offline kind of person. While I will always
love iRacing's physics, I can never relax completely when there's another person on
the other end of my mistakes. And although that tension can also delivery the best
rewards, it also delivers the worst regrets. I still miss iRacing's satisfying cars,
but I don't miss the actual racing anywhere near as much.

Anyway, while Shift can't match iRacing's immersive physics, it can certainly knock
its iSocks off when it comes to fun. And not just a lo-fi, fudgy physics, kind of
fun. With a controller setup dialled in there's some really satisfying driving to
be had. Weight transfer in the Veyron flying over the hill at Flug-wossit is simply
divine... especially if I manage not to crash afterwards. :-)

I keep expecting to wake up one day and find my Shift enthusiasm gone, but every
time I fire it up again I end up grinning before long. It's the best £26 I've spent
in ages!

Andrew McP

PS I went off to test my opinion again before posting this. Half an hour later I've
dragged myself back to type this and hit send. I like to think I'm not someone who
falls prey to mindless enthusiasm very often, but I swear Shift is the most fun
I've ever had in a racing sim or game (ok, when sober anyway ;-). Maybe it's just
because I've finally been de-cloaked as a gamer, and not a simmer. Maybe I'm
incapable of telling a decent sim engine from a lousy one. Or maybe I've just lost
my marbles! But whichever one it is, I no longer care. :-)

(Andrew MacPherson) wrote:

> yesterday I finally got as far as unlocking the Veyron Challenge
> at The Ring.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fXhiTDGSrw

....is mainly an illustration of my inability to brake (some things never change),
and without FFB-Tube as well as YouTube it's hard to convey the feel of these
beasts. But in the cockpit I can easily lose myself for an hour at a time without
even noticing the time going.

I just tried to add a few more promotional stars to my tally, and was forced into a
few less rewarding and more 'numb' cockpits, but there's definitely some wheat in
among the chaff here.

Andrew McP

"Andrew MacPherson" > wrote in message
...
> (Andrew MacPherson) wrote:
>
>> yesterday I finally got as far as unlocking the Veyron Challenge
>> at The Ring.
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fXhiTDGSrw
>
> ...is mainly an illustration of my inability to brake (some things never
> change),
> and without FFB-Tube as well as YouTube it's hard to convey the feel of
> these
> beasts. But in the cockpit I can easily lose myself for an hour at a time
> without
> even noticing the time going.
>
> I just tried to add a few more promotional stars to my tally, and was
> forced into a
> few less rewarding and more 'numb' cockpits, but there's definitely some
> wheat in
> among the chaff here.
>
> Andrew McP
>
>
>

The plowing into other cars and guard rails to continue on seems less than
realistic, as does all the smoke and spins from cars ahead of you. Might be
a fun arcade racer but seems far from a "sim" from that video.

(schooner) wrote:

> Might be a fun arcade racer but seems far from a "sim"
> from that video.

Yes, I know, it isn't hard enough to be a sim.

Andrew McP

Andrew MacPherson wrote:
> (schooner) wrote:
>
>> Might be a fun arcade racer but seems far from a "sim"
>> from that video.
>
> Yes, I know, it isn't hard enough to be a sim.

No, with all the "controlled" drifting it's not REALISTIC enough to be a sim...
....for me it adds way too much "Coool, dude!" effects just to appeal to a different
crowd...

ronny

(Ronald Stoehr) wrote:

> No, with all the "controlled" drifting it's not REALISTIC enough to
> be a sim...

I've tried (and obviously failed) to show that despite the lack of realistic damage,
and problematic AI, the core driving experience in Shift is far from unrealistic. I
thought perhaps the movies showed cars which weren't doing anything obviously
unrealistic, except when I bounce them off the walls and cars.

Still, it's interesting being on the other side of the fanboy fence for a change. I
usually try to be balanced in my opinions about any project, whether that's iRacing,
rFactor mods, the WRS demo, or Shift. But I now understand why some iRacing fans
get so irate when challenged about their project's weaknesses. When people get hung
up on the problems, and can't see the good points, it can get a little frustrating.

Never mind. They're all silly computer games at the end of the day, and we're all
sat at a desk playing pretend. We just all have our own idea about which cocktail
of pretend is best. :-)

Andrew McP... having a Tequila Sunrise in Shift