NFS Shift tips and comments
jeffareid
If you have trouble with drifting, set the driving mode to casual,
the game's auto-steering and auto-throttle/brake makes is seem that
your driving with a different set of physics (or maybe the physics
is changed). You only need to steer a bit, and you can hold the
throttle down most of the time.
If you want all stars, the "clean lap" stars on sprint tracks, like
sections of Nordschleife are near impossible. After winning, you
can re-run the event and stay behind the AI to get the clean lap star,
but you'll get a loss in your stats. There is also a trainer that
will mess up the AI.
Comments:
I'm barely into tier 2 events. I have a "works" Mustang GT, but a
stage 3 Carerra GT is faster on a track, and as shown in the numbers,
although the bars for the Mustang GT are longer. The "work" upgrade
was unlocked before I unlocked tier 4, so maybe there's a bug.
Upgrades on the 350Z and the Carerra GT, make them overpowered compared
to the grip. Even with traction control set to high, you need to go
easy on the throttle.
Fastest car I tried so far was the Zonda R in an invitational event.
As mentioned you spend a lot of time waiting for menu's to load. I'm
not sure what the issue is.
Andrew MacPherson
> Upgrades on the 350Z and the Carerra GT, make them overpowered
> compared to the grip.
I upgraded the 350z without about 150k's worth of winnings (just from single lap
Quick Races at The Ring) and found myself in trouble. It's a bit of an animal, and
I'm still not sure I have my controls set up properly. There are moments when I
feel this is the best sim experience I've ever had, but plenty of others when I'm
left with that feeling that something is wrong.
It remains, however, great fun. The immersion at times is immense. I may just be
seduced by the graphics and new features, but there is something pretty convincing
about the car's behaviour when you step onto the grass, and the cockpit 'jiggle' is
very good even though you don't get the kind of FFB jiggle iRacing's laser tracks
have to offer.
After a few more hours I'm still very glad I bought it. It's certainly an
interesting project and I think they've genuinely tried to bridge the game/sim
divide.
Whether they ultimately satisfy everyone or no-one remains to be seen.
Andrew McP
schooner
"Andrew MacPherson" <mcp.a...@DELETTHISgmail.com> wrote in message
news:memo.2009091...@mcp.andrew.c...
> jeff...@hotmail.com (jeffareid) wrote:
>
>> Upgrades on the 350Z and the Carerra GT, make them overpowered
>> compared to the grip.
>
> I upgraded the 350z without about 150k's worth of winnings (just from
> single lap
> Quick Races at The Ring) and found myself in trouble.
The main feature I hate about these games and all console racers, using
winnings to upgrade the cars. I'd prefer to be racing equal race machines,
not ricers all sooped up. They are always more about upgrading, tweaking,
tuning than about racing.
That and stupid kudos/points for drifting and other on track nonsense durign
a race.
Andrew MacPherson
> The main feature I hate about these games and all console racers,
> using winnings to upgrade the cars.
I agree with everything you say, which is why Shift is the first of this
game-orientated genre I've bought since, er... the first NFS, when we didn't have a
choice :-)
But there is one heck of an experience hiding behind all the gaming cr*p in Shift.
And some of the shallower gaming elements are actually fun, I must -- reluctantly!
-- admit.
The way I see it, Shift wouldn't exist if it wasn't for all that gaming cr*p, and
there's enough of a sim (as in simulated overall racing experience) buried in there
to make it worthwhile persevering with.
Who knows whether this enthusiasm will last. The novelty may well wear off quickly.
But I've already had a great morning and some real 'wow!' moments out of Shift. So,
for me at least, and for today at least, I consider this money well spent. I look
forward to someone out there possibly ripping the installation apart and finding
out how to maximise the sim side of things.
Andrew McP
schooner
"Andrew MacPherson" <mcp.a...@DELETTHISgmail.com> wrote in message
news:memo.2009091...@mcp.andrew.c...
jeffareid
With upgrades, it ends up traction limited. Even with traction control
on, it still too much power for the grip it has. Not a fun car to drive
on the tigher tracks.
As mentioned before each car is like a different game. So far, most of the
cars with a "W", meaning you can upgrade to "works" level, end up with
a better power versus grip balance.
> jiggle
Actually I though the recent addition of jiggle effect was put to much
better use on Lara Croft in the latest Tomb Raider games.
For the tier 2 cars, the RX7 is a "works" car, but it ends up traction
limited, so you end up using 5th and 6th gears instead of the lower gears.
When you get to drift events, before entering the event, go to the gameplay
driver setup and select "casual", which enables "auto-drive", unless you're
a glutton for frustration at trying to get some of the cars to drift well.
Based on my testing, the best tier 2 car with "works" upgrade is the newer
Camaro SS, it ends up with a rating of 14.00.
For tuning, I recommend setting tire pressures at 30, or maybe 29 psi,
and changing the damper fast rebound rates to max stiff to prevent cars
from bouncing (the "works" Camaro SS has this issue on some tracks).
Andrew MacPherson
> The main feature I hate about these games and all console racers,
> using winnings to upgrade the cars.
Thinking about this again, you could argue -- if particularly awkward, like me ;-)
-- that the series in iRacing are equally annoying hurdles. At least I don't have
to wait 13 weeks to earn my next badge in Shift. :-)
And I care for the badges/tiers etc. in Shift almost as much as I care for the
divisions, stats, and assorted pseudo-real series progression in iRacing... ie not
at all. It's just noise in the background in both games, and I just ignore it until
it gets in my way and I have to take it seriously enough to get over the next
hurdle.
In iRacing that's in order to be allowed to race a faster car against more than my
shadow and the Stephane's HUD util. In Shift it's to open up access to faster cars.
They are obviously different projects, but they also have a lot in common. I am
equally annoyed at the things I dislike in both titles.
Andrew McP
schooner
"Andrew MacPherson" <mcp.a...@DELETTHISgmail.com> wrote in message
news:memo.2009091...@mcp.andrew.c...
I see little in common with Shift and iRacing beyond they both involve
racing, totalt different games all together.
Shift is a sprint race/tuner game it appears to me. iRacing is a graduated
license racing series with stock race cars on real tracks.
schooner
"Andrew MacPherson" <mcp.a...@DELETTHISgmail.com> wrote in message
news:memo.2009091...@mcp.andrew.c...
FYI - http://forums.xbox.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=29123795
I don't have the game so can't say if it works but I've seen various posts
saying it does fix some of the issues.
Andrew MacPherson
> 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
schooner
"Andrew MacPherson" <mcp.a...@DELETTHISgmail.com> wrote in message
news:memo.2009091...@mcp.andrew.c...
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.
jeffareid
> 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
schooner
"jeffareid" <jeff...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:JF8tm.164365$8B7.1...@newsfe20.iad...
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.
jeffareid
> 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
Andrew MacPherson
> 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
> 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
schooner
"Andrew MacPherson" <mcp.a...@DELETTHISgmail.com> wrote in message
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.
Andrew MacPherson
> 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
Ronald Stoehr
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
Andrew MacPherson
> 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
Uwe
> mcp.a...@DELETTHISgmail.com (Andrew MacPherson) wrote:
>
>> yesterday I finally got as far as unlocking the Veyron Challenge
>> at The Ring.
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fXhiTDGSrw
>
thanks for sharing, Andy. Will NFS:Shift run decently on my geforce
8800 GTX? I've read in places it's rather hardware hungry... the
graphics look awesome in that video you posted.
Uwe
Andrew MacPherson
> Will NFS:Shift run decently on my geforce
> 8800 GTX?
I'd need to do some reading around, but the GTX was a pretty fast card IIRC. My
260GTX certainly handles 1680x1050, x4fsaa perfectly well at max details (think I
might be on medium shadows, though you'd never know it) and my E6600@3GHz/3Gb
machine is pretty mainstream these days.
I run XP/DX9 though. I haven't thought about it before (and I haven't seen any
discussion about it) but DX10-capable machines may be getting more eye-candy as
default, potentially causing lower frame rates.
I did try Shift in Triplehead mode yesterday, but the frame rate was all over the
place in the 20-35fps range, recreating the early days of the GPL experience when
we were all struggling to keep the frame rate consistent enough to drive in a
straight line. It was horrible, giving me an idea what some ATI owners may have
been experiencing.
Andrew McP
Tony R
> 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. :-)
Blasphemy!
Time for another RAS stoning... :)
Richard
It runs fine on my 8800 GTS. Medium settings all around. Looks fine to
me. I just have to figure out how to get the AI to stop bumping me off
when I pass them cleanly. They always whack me at the next turn. It's
the one thing that ruins the fun for me. I believe in clean driving,
NFS/S gives point for unclean driving. It should take away points for
smashing into others.
The game is kind of fun in a non serious kind of way. No pressure to
be perfect, just drive. The Veyron is a beast at the 'Ring. My first
race there, I came in with everything dented.
Andrew MacPherson
> Time for another RAS stoning... :)
I'm not the Messiah, I'm a very naughty boy!
Andrew McP
PS I never inhaled, though if I had done that might explain the blurring in Shift.
Uwe
> uschu...@gmail.com (Uwe) wrote:
>
>> Will NFS:Shift run decently on my geforce
>> 8800 GTX?
>
> I'd need to do some reading around, but the GTX was a pretty fast card IIRC. My
> 260GTX certainly handles 1680x1050, x4fsaa perfectly well at max details (think I
> might be on medium shadows, though you'd never know it) and my E6600@3GHz/3Gb
> machine is pretty mainstream these days.
>
> I run XP/DX9 though. I haven't thought about it before (and I haven't seen any
> discussion about it) but DX10-capable machines may be getting more eye-candy as
> default, potentially causing lower frame rates.
>
Same here, I see no compelling reason to "upgrade" to MS' next O/S
simply for the sake of dx10 as dx9 still does the job fine
imho. Thanks for the info, it's much appreciated.
Uwe
Richard
Ummmm, Win 7 is DX11. No video card support yet. It will be supported in
the new video cards tho.
Uwe
Hi folks,
I downloaded and installed the demo last night. It comes with two
tracks, London City and the veritable Spa Francorchamps circuit. The
demo had mouse control, loading times were ok so a couple of gripes
with NFS:S have apparently been fixed already. FPS was ok (I had to
upgrade the nv drivers to the latest release though as the cars in the
spinner were all invisible ;-), nothing to write home about but even
on medium settings the graphics looked a lot better than rF.
Physics: I'd rate them ok, but I somehow feel that better fps could
help a lot with the feedback from the car, but that might just be
me. The driving experience was believeable, and I'm beginning to
understand just what kind of fun Andy has when running on the
Nordschleife.
Sounds are great, too.
Conclusion: I'll probably buy it when I find it in a shop somewhere (a
mate mentioned a copy for 40 euros somewhere). It won't replace rF
anytime soon, but as Andy said, it's a fun diversion from all out
serious simracing.
Cheers,
Uwe