Need for speed gets "serious".....confirmed!

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Whats with all the writing on the road on Silverstone?
That's EA's way of making "boring race tracks" more exiting for their NFS fans :scared:

Let's hope the PC modding scene can make them boring again ;), because untill a PS3 slim arives, that is the version I'm most likely going to use.

,
 
As you all know, iRacing uses scanned laser tracks. In an interview, Ian Bell said that SMS doesn't model their tracks with this technique. And still he claims that the tracks created by SMS are very detailed and true to life. So I thought to post 2 you clips:


  • one from iRacing on Laguna Seca
  • one from Shift on Laguna Seca.
Look at the track, compare them in terms of realisme, true to life etc...



It seems that the FOV is very similar, so it's possible to compare these tracks with each other.

Start the iRacing clip and pauze it at ±3 sec. Start the Shift clip and pauzed it at ±28 sec. I believe that both cars are at almost the same spot on track.

Thanks to markao who gave me this idea by posting the Shift clip.

It seems that the Soltice driver in iRacing is faster than the Shift driver in the Renault.
 
As you all know, iRacing uses scanned laser tracks. In an interview, Ian Bell said that SMS doesn't model their tracks with this technique. And still he claims that the tracks created by SMS are very detailed and true to life. So I thought to post 2 you clips:


  • one from iRacing on Laguna Seca
  • one from Shift on Laguna Seca.
Look at the track, compare them in terms of realisme, true to life etc...



It seems that the FOV is very similar, so it's possible to compare these tracks with each other.

Start the iRacing clip and pauze it at ±3 sec. Start the Shift clip and pauzed it at ±28 sec. I believe that both cars are at almost the same spot on track.

Thanks to markao who gave me this idea by posting the Shift clip.

It seems that the Soltice driver in iRacing is faster than the Shift driver in the Renault.


Looks pretty good for me 👍 Although you do need to pause the iRacing dude for a while now and then... :cheers:
 
Thanks for your condescension. I wasn't expecting GRID-like replays. Something closer than a GT or some sort.
Who ever might be developping the game, never forget it is still a Need For Speed game ;)


And because we have not seen enough trailers, this time an introduction of the game mode "car battle"

[youtubehd]HMAaQiLJi70[/youtubehd]
 
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I hope the car battles aren't as physical as they were in that video. Beating someone doesn't mean much if you have to take them out to get there.

I am still deciding whether to get this or DiRT 2 when I get my PS3 Slim.
 
Looks like the boadiceas were deployed at the end there. Can't wait.

boadicea.jpg
 
Thank you so much for posting those videos Markao. 👍
The more I watch, the more I'm looking forward to playing it with my own hands. :drool:
 
I seem to be the only one getting more and more worried about the phsyics every video I watch now, only the Porsche onboard and Megane at Laguna have really looked good to me.
 
The laguna video and that 'ring video on Facebook are the good ones for me, the rest make it look like crap tbh.
 
I seem to be the only one getting more and more worried about the phsyics every video I watch now, only the Porsche onboard and Megane at Laguna have really looked good to me.
The laguna video and that 'ring video on Facebook are the good ones for me, the rest make it look like crap tbh.
... but still a lot of fun. You can't deny that. ;)
 
Most of these videos are aimed at the NFS market, screeching tyres, fliping cars, all very hollywood! it's only when you see someone racing with the wheel and the assists off that you get a feel eor it, I say wheel, I should rephrase that to "pad and wheel users who can actualy keep the car on the track"
And as for the "hollywood" videos it's not supriseing realy, this game has a "sim" physics engine at it's heart. I think we can all agree with that, but they are concerntrating on the "arcade" handleing aspects with all the aids turned on. Why? well look at the sales figures. What sells more units on a onsole? Burnout or Ferrari challenge? Arcade racers or Sim racers? I know where all sim fanatics here but the general gamer is an arcade racer! sales figures tell us this and EA know this! So why have EA made a sim racer? well they can see burnout has sown up the arcade racer genere, also it's a very crowded market and one the NFS series has been losing ground in for a while now. But why are they not marketing it as a sim? well that means your going up against the big 2, namely Forza and GT.....both of which are hugely established. And remember the PC market is awash with top class sim racers as well!
So they have a sim racer that dose the arcade thing as well, they have a fantastic looking game and there marketing it at the largest market, ie the arcade racer, but also giving the sim guys a knowing nod of the head. I say this as when you look at the dev team and the physics engine stats it's obvious this isn't going to be a "normal" NFS title or have the handleing of Burnout!
Right I've waffled on a bit here, basicly the vids your seeing on the whole are marketing vids, if they want to market it as a full blown sim there up against GT and Forza.......bad idea, if you market it as an arcade game your going to disapoint alot of arcade guys as it's got more sim than arcade in it.....so I think there marketing it at both, unfortunatly the Arcade guys will be a bit dubious about it's "real racing experience and real tracks" while us the Sim guys look at it and are dubious about it's "hollywood crash videos" There going for both markets and as such they put out a sim trailer the arcade guys will hate it, they put out an arcade trailer us sim guys hate it LOL

I'll stop repeating myself now, all I will say is I'm 100% in for the experience. Looks like a blast akin to earlier GT titles but with next gen visuals.
 
I have to say, the engine sounds from those videos just blow me away. I wonder if the game REALLY sounds that good or it's just very impressive post production work...
 
Brilliant engine sounds have always been a strong point for NFS games anyway, so it doesn't surprise me. Yet to play a game that matches the quality and realism of PGR4's engine sounds, though.
 
I'm thinking with those tracks and cars it will be a good bit of fun even if it's pretty arcadey. If it turns out to be an excellent sim racer with the aids off as well, then it could just be the next big thing.
 
... but still a lot of fun. You can't deny that. ;)

For me personally, not really, no. However I still feel they are just trying to keep the kids interested by using these videos. I really wish there was a demo but even if not I will likely take theplunge anyway an hope for the best.
 
First to thanks to iam220 from NeoGaf for digging this out.

Second, no demo whatsoever.

“In the last few weeks we’ve received a lot of messages and forum posts about a demo so we’re currently looking into the feasibility of releasing a demo for SHIFT. We are committed to releasing the best Need for Speed game so we kept the entire team working on the game to make sure we release a really great experience.

We’re really proud of what the guys at SMS and Black Box have created and we can’t wait to get the game in your hands.”

http://www.virtualr.net/need-for-speed-shift-no-demo-coming-before-release/#comments


And third, very intresting impressions is the same page over at Virtualr.net, thanx to weedlewalker from NeoGaf for editing all of them in one place:




"""""This is going to be long winded.

Im going to begin by saying I am no hardcore sim racer by no means, but i do race Go Karts in real life and have countless hours on Forza and Race Pro and i do like racing games to be serious and realistic.

Yesterday i had the chance to play Shift (even won myself a key ring and an EA pen, but that is besides the point). Basically it was a competition thing and you had 2 practice laps and then a flying lap. Alas the steering assist, brake assist ABS, SC, TC & racing line were on (physics set at normal) for the purposes of the competition and i wasn’t aloud to take anything off. So, I was in a Nissan 350Z (the prize if you win the comp) on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit, which is a track i have virtual miles on and real time miles on, so i was confident i would be cool with it. I got there early and i think was the 4th to have a go and the best time up until then was a 1:07.xxx i think, and suffice to say, i destroyed that on my first practice lap with a 1:04.xxx, then a 1:03.xxx and then on my final lap a 1:02.995 or something. But that isn’t important!
The car, the track, the feel….well. Even with the assists on, it was brilliant, i mean i felt sooo tied in with the assists on, but it felt good, REAL good. You drop into Paddock Hill bend and you just feel the car wanting to push wide, holding onto that fine level of grip and the back wanting to break free, the weight transfer coming through Surtees and up to Clearways, it was fantastic. Again, an issue as i was having to use a pad and im used to a wheel, but it still felt good. And the cockpits? Man they were amazing, the dials and everything just look beautiful.

Now, it doesnt end there, Seeing as it was early and no one was even interested or even heard of Shift, i got talking to the guy and asked if i could have a cheeky look round the game and maybe have a bash in an Aston or something, NO ASSISTS. Dude not only agreed to this, but even let me in his pink Veyron round Spa (it was savage to say the least), which handled well, but the back end (as you can imagine) was snaky, but could be contained.
All in all i played for like 2 hours on varying tracks and cars, different levels of assists and what have you. i drove:-

V8 Aston Martin Vantage (@ Spa & Indy Brands) - No assists
Veyron (@ Spa) - ” ”
Subaru Impreza (@ Willow Springs? Not sure) ” ” - Against a hard AI apponent

The Veyron was savage, yeah.
The Vantage….stunning. The cockpit was alive, it was like i was there, it felt poised, planted and so SO nice to drive, just what id imagine (key word) a Vantage would drive like.
The Impreza also very nice. Not a lot of tail action or drama as the 4WD system gave me some nice grip, but it felt brilliant. And the AI were challenging to say the least, i took a little too much curb and he pounced and got me and i really had to fight to get my position back, he was no pushover.
Despite the fact i was on a pad didnt ruin the experience, as you could tell the potential, and with the wheel i could imagine it would be even better.

Something that did and didnt surprise is that i was able to do like a 1:00.233 i think with the Vantage (Brands Indy) with all the assists on, and then a 0:58.xxx with everything off, however i think this had a lot to do with the start as the TC just ruined any sort of good start.

I was very optimistic for this game, and cant wait for its release so i can use my wheel and really give it some stick. ""



""Thanks man, glad to know my opinions/preview of the game is appreciated!
Now i do have some more info which i should have posted first time round, but by time id typed that block of text, id lost the will to live a little!

A few, maybe minor details i witnessed in the game i liked:-

The blurring of the screen at high speeds:-
I did notice the blurring of the screen, but less as a distraction, more because i wanted to see it as i like the idea of that effect, and even at 180mph in the Veyron down the Kemmel Straight at Spa, i didnt notice it that much, it just added a nice feel to the game.
The blurring as far as i know (for the 360 version) cannot be turned off, as i did sift through the menus alot.

Gravel traps:-
Now its no new thing, gravel traps should be “sticky” you shouldnt be able to continue through at race pace thats for sure. The ones in Shift are really good, you dont get beached like in real life as that would be no fun, but you do get rather stuck. Another note is that as they use the old Spa track, the Pouhon corner still has that massive gravel trap which i actually went into and flipped the Veyron! Which brings me onto my next point….

Crash blurring/effects:-
This was awesome. I “discovered” after my flip at Pouhon that if the screen goes into black & white and everything goes way out of focus…get this…the car will not move again until the screen has cleared! Just like in real life! I mean, if you glance a wall in real life and the car is somehow still able to move, you wont be moving away to the pits as soon as you know which way is up you will be shaken, sore maybe and will be stunned to say the least, so it will take some time to move off again, and the game does this. I was very impressed.

Demo:-
I asked the guy about the demo and he said it should have come out on August 28th, however they still have some bugs to figure out. He told me that the HUD some times went off, the times are out of wack and they round down instead of up or something. So there is still some work to be done.

Head movements:-
The in car view really gave me a feel of being in the car and that a real person was behind the wheel, under braking, during cornering, going over bumps, everything you would feel in real life is replayed to you via the head movements. Although there is no FFB with a pad, i could tell the tracks were bumpy as the head moved and the car shook.

Comparability:-
There is none. Straight up. Im not sure who said it, but i saw in a developer interview or something that the physics cannot be compared to anything, and its so true, the game feels like nothing ive felt before, its sensational.
Those worried about an arcade racer dont have to worry, with the assists on, it is kiiind of arcade like but with the assists off it could reach full sim potential. But, i cannot be 100% as i didnt use a wheel and only had a limited time on the game with limited settings.

The game IMO is worth all the attention (good or bad) it is getting as it really does seem like a fun, and great game to play.
If anyone has any questions, i’ll try my best to remember stuff and answer them!
""
 
To be honest, I'll be getting Shift and Gran Turismo 5. Shift will satisfy my "team livery and customization" needs. :D But from what I've read above from amar, the game looks great. I'm renting this before buying it, though. 👍
 
Right after I saw those trailers, i thought to myself that the AI were going to be pushovers. But seeing as how amar described them, I can have fun even by myself and actually drive hard. As in GT4, I have to 1/2 throttle on straights and what-not. Gets annoying and old.

But Shift looks amazing. Another thing I was thinking, the trailers shows all the cars flying and sliding into turns way over the recommended speed for a turn made me think it was very arcady and losing care about the game with each trailer I watched.

But after reading that whole shakedown by amar, I believe I should be pre-ordering this soon!

And one thing, the replay camera that looks down the front stretch of Silverstone with that nice looking black Porsche, as it slid into view blew me away.

86389033.png
 
According to Andy Tudor (lead designer at SMS), there will be a demo, it will be there a.s.a.p., but definitivly will be post release.




Also interesting, he answered the following question;
Ya Ferrari won't be anymore. Its sad but true. I don't think i'll be buying shift this year.
with this answer:
Don't make your decision that quickly. Watch this space

Fastest car in the game is the Zonda R by the way; it's a real beast of a machine
So it looks like EA paid some money for a license and some of the Ferrari models lying around at SMS will be added as DLC, at least cannot read any other way :P


If you look top left above the track you'l see EA have missed an advertising opertunity LOL
:lol: :lol: :lol:
 
Since this thread is now at 72 pages and we are 8 or so days from release, can we get a sub section for this as by the looks of things this game is going to be pretty big.
 
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