Game Presentation

James started off the presentation with a short Powerpoint show of the concepts and strategies used in the production of Nascar Sim Racing. The sim is being developed by a collaboration of members from Papyrus, ISI, and EA Games, and based on an eighteen month development cycle. Due for release at the start of the 2005 Nascar season, the game is to feature an all new physics engine, based on the ISI engine from the acclaimed F1 Challenge series, a revamped multiplayer experience, allowing for up to 43 players per server, high definition graphics, pixel and vertex shading, Dolby 5.1 sound, and is DirectX 9.0c compliant.

The default textures for the vehicles are mapped at 1024x1024 resolution, with an option to reduce this to 512x512 for slower systems. Real-time telemetry data is included in the sim for review car and setup performance, and to analyze lap times. The game features a career mode, with Nextel Cup, Grand National, and Craftsman Truck series, and every track has been rebuilt exclusively for this sim, complete with safer barriers. In addition, sun glare has been added, and also reflects off of cars, world objects, and the road itself.

Based on information quoted from James and another tester on hand, recommended specs should fall at around 2.0 GHz, 512MB RAM, and a GeForce 4 or equivalent, though those specs may go lower as the game nears release. A whole slew of graphics options are available in the sim to adjust the performance and visual quality of the game to match a wide range of systems.

The sim will ship with the 2005 schedule, points system, and rules in effect, including the new 2005 Happy Hour rules, and will include a mix of 2004 and 2005 paint schemes. The remaining 2005 paint schemes will be available for download after release, as they become available from the Nascar teams.

The game was tested and produced with feedback from real Nascar drivers, including Ryan Newman and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. A short video was shown featuring Newman driving the sim and giving his feedback on the sim. James then went on to speak a bit about how valuable the input from real drivers was in the production of the sim, noting that several features of the tracks and physics were redesigned based on their input.

There was also a series of screenshots, comparing the current graphics engine to previous EA Nascar titles. The contrast in details was pretty drastic, and really showed how much the textures have been improved with the PC only audience in mind.

Throughout the presentation, the recurring theme was that this is not a mass market title. This game was aimed directly at the sim racing and online racing community from the very beginning, specifically the Papyrus racing fans. It was also very clear that the sim will feature a very open architecture, allowing for enormous modding and add-on potential for the community. James also mentioned that there would definitely be a patch shortly after release to add more features to the game and to fix any issues found at release.

Following the presentation, we made a short trip to GoKart Racer, in Burlingame, CA, where the rest of the days events would take place.

Next: Playtesting Nascar Sim Racing
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