Q & A

I had the opportunity to sit down with the producer for a short interview. The Quicktime video footage of that interview can be downloaded here:

mcdaniel_low.mov (11.5MB, right-click, Save As)

This is the pool of questions gathered from the ORCA members. This is still a work in progress, as much more time was needed with both the game and the producer to get everything answered.

1. Tire wear. How realistic will the tire wear be? Can we expect to see different wear properties from rough surfaces like Darlington to a smoother surface like Michigan?

The tires will go away faster on rough tracks, and last longer on smooth tracks. The tire wear and temperatures also vary with how much they are abused. In testing, the tires ran a little cooler than optimum temps with the setups we were using.

2. Car Painting. Can you make your own custom paint job? Are there tools included inside the game, and what support will there be for creating cars outside of the game such as Photoshop templates or 3D models?

There will be no in-game paintshop. This was a decision based on the limitations and development time of such a feature, and the fact that most use external programs anyway. Photoshop templates will be available directly from EA, no word on 3D models as of yet.

3. Online play. Will this new sim support 42 drivers with acceptable pings, and how much bandwidth does each client consume?

The sim supports 43 drivers and requires a broadband connection. No word on exact client bandwidth numbers.

4. Dedicated servers. Will the server software be included with the retail game, or available as a download?

The dedicated server will be included on the retail disk, and will not require a unique CD Key for the server.

5. Garage details. How in depth in details can you setup your car such as springs, caster, camber, and so on?

Just clicking through the setup screens, all of the familiar adjustments appeared to be present.

6. Damage levels. Are there different levels of damage available, such as realistic, moderate or arcade damage settings?

Yes

7. Weather settings. How much control will we have over the weather, and will there be realistic, variable weather that changes during the course of the race? Will the clouds move, allowing the sun to peek out at times, and will track temperature be affected by the sun?

There is dynamic weather built into the game, including wet weather. However, based on the fact that textures have to be swapped, it is not recommended for online play. There are no day to night transitions, for much the same reason. It would require the entire world to be reloaded in real-time, which would kill performance. No word on whether the clouds are dynamic.

8. Wheel support. Will it have split axis, 3 or 4 axis for advanced racing wheels like the tsw?

The sim supports split axis, shifters, many buttons, and has the full range of force feedback settings we are used to.

9. Cheating. What measures have been taken to counteract cheating, particularly online?

There will be a file verification tool that ships with the game that scans and detects changes to the exe or suspect programs running in the background. Altering of game files in RAM has not been tested yet.

10. Game rules. Is there support for altering the game's ruleset for a series to keep up with the constant changes in Nascar?

The open architecture of the game will allow for modifying of about 75% percent of the ruleset.

11. Driver identity. For online play, what methods are being used to verify identity, such as GUID, CD Keys, login, etc.?

An auth server will be used with User/Password, bound to your CD Key, similar to what we are used to. Direct IP, bypassing the auth server will be available for LAN games only.

12. Track building. Will there be tools and resources available for creating and adding tracks to the game, or editing existing tracks?

EA is still working to put together a package for track builders. No specifics at this time.

13. Driving Aids. Will there be driving aids/assists for new drivers, and if so, can they be restricted on servers?

Driving aids are in the game, they have to be to support newer players and those without wheels. All the familiar settings are there except steering assist. These can be restricted for online play.

14. Views. How many and what views will be available for the drivers, and can those also be restricted for online racing?

I observed cockpit, hood, roof, and chase views, as well as external replay-style views, while driving. Again, these can be restricted.

15. Caution/Pitting. Will we retain control over our cars during caution flag periods and while driving to/from our pit stall when pitting?

Yes. There is an option for offline to skip the initial pace lap and fast forward to the start.

16. Voice Communication. Will there be voice communication built into the game?

Yes, Voice over IP client built right into the game.

17. Racing grooves. Will there be multiple lines to drive around the track, and how will the different lines affect tire wear and the feel of the car?

Yes. Particular attention was paid to Daytona and Talladega to ensure that there will be 3 or 4 wide racing at these tracks. Testing at various tracks confirmed this.

18. Car feel. How much can you feel the handling of the car change during the course of a run?

You can feel the car fading as the tires wear, and gets tighter or looser during the run based on how the car is setup.

19. Brake bias. Can brake bias be adjusted in the car while driving?

Yes. There are two commands in the options that can be bound to keys or buttons to adjust brake bias from the car.

20. Random elements. Are there any random elements built into the game, such as engine failures, blown tires, dead batteries, or track debris?

No random elements. Engines will expire if run too hard or too hot, and tires will explode if abused too much. The tire explosion effect is pretty dramatic.

21. Spotter. How realistic is the spotter, and how quick and accurate is it when calling the position of other cars and alerting the driver to wrecks on the track?

The voice and sound was certainly alot better. In testing, calling the position of cars around my car was pretty accurate and timely. Didn't have any wrecks sitting on the track to see how well it called those.

22. Graphics settings. What options are available to adjust the graphics to improve frame rates, and can the steering wheel be disabled?

There are many options in the graphics setting to adjust performance and quality. Texture quality, world detail, reflections, draw distance, cars visible, etc.

23. Race results. Is there an option to export the race results to disk, what formats are available (HTML, plain text, XML, etc), and are there any codes or checksums generated in the export for verifying the file?

Currently only plain text. HTML or XML are a possibility.

24. Garage adjustments/repairs. Will garage-type adjustments and repairs be available during the race, with appropriate time lost on the track?

Unknown at this time.

25. Spring rubbers. Will we be able to add/remove spring rubbers during the race?

Unknown at this time.

26. Pace speed. Can we adjust the speed of the pace car by modifying the track files? Is the pace car a solid object?

The pace car is not a solid object to prevent problems with it colliding with players. The speed of the pace car can be adjusted.

27. Track buildup. Will the grip on the track and lines be affected as a race progresses and rubber is built up and marbles gather near the wall?

No. The track itself will not change during the course of a race.

28. "Wall suck". When you scrape a wall in the turns, does it bounce you off or does the car get stuck to it?

No "wall suck" was evident in testing, nor did the walls shoot you back down the track.

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© 2004 ORCA Racing Series