NR2003 Interview

U

User 22

CopyandPaste

NASCAR Racing 2003 Interview - 28 October 2002 00:02 - John [JCal] Callaham

Papyrus Racing Games has long been the premiere developer of PC racing sim and no other racing sim series has been as popular or as well rated as their NASCAR racing franchise. However, all things must come to an end and so it is with the NASCAR license for Papyrus so the next game in the series, NASCAR® Racing 2003, will also be the last from the developer. HomeLAN got a chance to chat with Papyrus's Director of Design and Production Rich Yasi about NASCAR® Racing 2003 and the future for the developer.


HomeLAN - First, were you pleased with the reaction to NASCAR®Racing 2002 when it was released last year?


Rich Yasi - Yes, definitely. I think a lot of people were expecting that N2002 would be little more than NASCAR 4 freshened up with a quick coat of paint, and they were pleasantly surprised when they discovered that we actually took some big steps forward with that product, especially in the areas of sound and accessibility.


HomeLAN - What were the main goals in creating NASCAR® Racing 2003 Season?


Rich Yasi - Well, we found out fairly early on in the project that thiswas going to be the endof thetrail for theproduct line, so we decided to reallypull out all the stops. Every part of the gameis being enhanced, from the AI to the graphics to the physics. People are going to be blown away when they see what we've been able to accomplish in just a year of development time.


HomeLAN - What has been done to improve the graphics in the new game?


Rich Yasi - A lot of effort is being put into the graphics. We're doing extensive work with the shadows and the environment mapping, we've got higher resolution textures for most of the trackside objects, we've got four unique car models in the game, we've added solar effects like sun glare and lens flare, we've got a windshield that accumulates dirt and oil buildup, we've got animated flags, jumbotrons,and infield objects, we've got some incredible new sky and horizon artwork, we've got higher-resolution pit crews, and last but not least we're giving people the option of displaying opponent pit crews as well as their own.


Beyond the new stuff, though, we're also making a number ofefforts on the performance optimization front as well. One of those involves trying to bring Direct 3D frame rates up to the level of OpenGL, and so far the results have been encouraging.


HomeLAN - How much has been done to improve the sim aspects of the game for NASCAR® Racing 2003?


Rich Yasi - Our physics engine has had its' biggest overhaul since Grand Prix Legends, and so far we've been very pleased with the results. Beyond the physics changes, we've also added realistic bumps to the track surface, we've overhauled the AI, and we've done a lot of work on the graphics and sound. All of these things help players to become more immersed in the game world.


HomeLAN - How many drivers will be available to for players to drive as in the new game?


Rich Yasi - We always strive to get as many as we possibly can, but licensing always comes right down to the wire, so although I can't give you an exact number at this time, I can say that we're aiming to have a full field of licensed cars like we did for N2002.



HomeLAN - Will there be a fantasy track available in the new game as there was in NASCAR® Racing 2002?


Rich Yasi - Yes, there will be a fantasy track, although the details haven't been finalized yet.


HomeLAN - What other elements are new and/or improved in NASCAR® Racing 2003?


Rich Yasi - In a word, everything! We already discussed the improvements to the physics and graphics, but in addition a lot of work has been done on the AI, the sound, and on the multiplayer aspects of the game as well. We've added a Pit Stop Frequency option that will force people to pit in shorter races, we've added a "Catch Up" AI mode, auto-adjusting AI strength, expanded options for those using digital controllers like keyboards and gamepads, and on and on.


HomeLAN - Is everything still set for the full version of the game to be released in time for the Daytona 500 in February?


Rich Yasi - Yes, we're on schedule to finish it up in mid-January, and the product should hit the store shelves a couple of weeks later.


HomeLAN - This will be the final NASCAR licensed game from Papyrus and Sierra. How does it feel to be looking back a bit at what Papyrus has accomplished in the NASCAR PC racing sim field?


Rich Yasi - It's definitely a bittersweet feeling. It's always sad to see a successful relationship come to an end, but when it's all said and done I know we'll be able to hold our heads high, secure in the knowledge that over the last decade, wewere able to do more quality work with the NASCAR license than anyone else in the business. In a nutshell, we're very proud of what we have accomplished and excited about the future.


HomeLAN - The press release announcing your final NASCAR game hinted that your next game would be for consoles. What can you tell us at this point about Papyrus's future plans?


Rich Yasi - Well, as we move forward we're definitely looking at a multi-platform strategy. I can't go into details on what our next projects will be, but I can tell you that we have a number of interesting concepts that we're considering, and we feel that the future of Papyrus is looking very bright indeed.


HomeLAN - Finally, is there anything else you wish to say about NASCAR® Racing 2003 before we wrap this up?


Rich Yasi - I just want to stress that Papyrus has no intention of bringing a decade-old product line to an end with a slipshod, half-hearted effort. Every person at this studio is working very hard to make this last NASCAR Racing title the best one ever.


Ulli

Quelle: DaddelNews
 
U

User 191

Na, das liest sich ja schonmal sehr gut. Achwas, richtig GEIL!

Es gibt endlich kleinere Bodenwellen, unterschiedliche 3D-Modelle für die Fahrzeuge und bessere Texturen.

Endlich steht meine Pitcrew auch nicht mehr so alleine in der riesigen Boxengasse. Stell ich mir klasse vor, wenn man unter Yellow in die Pit einbiegt und 35 Crews mit den Lollipops winken. Sieht ja unter Nascar Thunder 2003 schon richtig gut aus.

Diie Öl- und Staubverschmutzungen auf der Windschutzscheibe sind das Schmackerl für die FCV-Cups, und die "Forced-Pitstops" wären eine Option für die Cups mit kurzer Renndistanz.

Doch gefällt mir. Meinem schwächelten Athlon 1800+ aber weniger. :(

Thx Ulli!
 
U

User 124

Das heisst auch: Schon mal sparen. Die Grafik wird wohl sehr performancefressend sein. Aber egal. Ich will alle Pitcrews sehen!!!!! Her damit! :] :happy:


Olaf
 
U

User 113

Was sagst dazu Viktor, wir diskutieren am sonntag noch über all das was noch verbessert werden könnte (ölspuren, verschmutzte windschutzscheiben usw) und schon bekommen wir all das. :)
 
U

User 378

Ich hoffe, sie implementieren eine gute T&L-Unterstützung, dann brauchen wir uns um die Prozessoren keine so großen Gedanken mehr zu machen.
 
U

User 6

Original von Max Brundle
Was sagst dazu Viktor, wir diskutieren am sonntag noch über all das was noch verbessert werden könnte (ölspuren, verschmutzte windschutzscheiben usw) und schon bekommen wir all das. :)
Vorallem kann dann keiner mehr meckern wenn FCV in einigen Cups Pflicht wird :] :P
 
U

User 191

Ich sehs schon kommen:

[x] Forced Cockpit
[x] Forced Oil
[x] Forced Dust
[x] Forced Sunflares
[x] Forced opponent pit crews
[x] Forced bumps
[x] Forced animated flags

Nur her mit dem Zeug. :D
 
U

User 406

Original von Martin Koch
Ich sehs schon kommen:

[x] Forced Cockpit
[x] Forced Oil
[x] Forced Dust
[x] Forced Sunflares
[x] Forced opponent pit crews
[x] Forced bumps
[x] Forced animated flags

Nur her mit dem Zeug. :D

Du hast noch was vergessen:
[x] Forced High End PC :P
 
U

User 251

Mal back to topic ;)

Das entscheidenste Aussage aus meiner Sicht sind die 4 verschiedenen Autos. Der graphische Schnickschnack ok, die Bumps naja (die kann man schon in N02 einbauen), aber erstmals seit N3 gibt es unterschiedliche Autos. Hoffentlich nicht nur im Design sondern auch in der Fahrweise. Dann wird die Sache mit den Setups erst richtig interessant :]

Stefan
 
U

User 304

Original von Ullrich Kratochwil
HomeLAN - Is everything still set for the full version of the game to be released in time for the Daytona 500 in February?

Rich Yasi - Yes, we're on schedule to finish it up in mid-January, and the product should hit the store shelves a couple of weeks later.


Aber ob es dann auch schon in Europa/Deutschland zu haben sein wird, muß man abwarten.
 
U

User 358

Wow,
das Ganze hört sich echt super an.
Anscheinend schmeißen die jetzt mal alles so in die Waagschale, um nochmal ein richtiges Hammerspiel auf den Markt zu werfen.
Einfach klasse, mit einem 1800+ und einer gescheiten Grafikkarte sollte das Spiel dann schätze ich mal gut laufen, alles andere wäre irgendwo Schwachsinn.
Also ich kanns kaum noch erwarten :D
 
U

User 191

Original von underbreaker
die Bumps naja

Oh? Gerade von den Bumps versprech ich mir eigentlich ne ganze Menge. Bisher sind die Oberflächen aller Tracks doch glatt wie Klausis Popo.

Man stelle sich mal vor, wie schön es wäre wenn man nun auch den Zustand der Strecke spüren würde. Es gäbe Strecken, die schon richtig abgenudelt und abgenutzt wären. Bestimmte Stellen auf den der Wagen mehr oder weniger hin- und herspringt. Ekelige Huckel auf einer bestimmte Linie im Anbremsbereich usw.

Oder erwarte ich da einfach zuviel? Soll da nicht der Track besser modelliert werden? Ich hoffe, es gibt am Ende nicht einfach einen neuen Wert in der 'track.ini':

bump_factor = 0.6
 
U

User 145

wow hört sich ja alles Super an. Besonders, dass es 4 echte Skins geben wird (aber will nicht Toyota 2004 mit einem Auto in den WC? verdammt, dann fehlt wieder ein Skin, es ist zum heulen :( X( ;) :D)
 
Zurück
Oben