Superstars V8 Next Challenge (PS3, Xbox360, PC)

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The AI are pety good, especialy if you come up against 2 in front battleing for position, allways a good opertunity to get a sneaky overtake in, they do make mistakes as well, very rarely but I've seen a fe overcook it and run wide into the kitty litter. You'll also see there laptimes drop away as there tyres go off.

I'm running the AI on hard at the moment in a championship, first 4 races out of the way and I'm about to hit the 3rd track. !st weekend was a bit of a walkover with pole for the first race and a 1st place finish, second race I started in 8th (race rules) and it took me around 4 laps to get up behind the front 2 drivers and then 2 laps to see them off, I'm also runnng 10 lap races all assists off all penalties damage on.
Second race was a nightmare though, rained the entire weekend, practice, qualifying and both races. Qualified 14th after a knightmare session saw me a good 2 seconds of the leaders but I managed to crawl upto 4th before the finish line and get the fastest lap of the race. Second race I started in 4th but made a fatal error, I left the wets on.....I didn't realise the track stayed in the same condition as from the race before and the racing line was very dry by race 2, should have gone with intermediates. Anyway after 10 laps of hard racing I finaly took 1st on lap 9 and then held it as I slid the last lap LOL

Also, I've not seen any rubber banding whatsoever, not so evident on hard or extreeme but doing a quick race on medium difficulty I won by 17 seconds over 5 laps.......there fastest laptimes showed they were all consistantly lapping and hadn't sped up to match my time.

On the subject of AI you'll notice certain drivers are more agresive than others they'll try and squeeze you out on straights, rub you into braking zones and go for deep overtaking manouvers, whilst others will avoid you if you have the jump on you, actualy moving over to give you room. It seems to be the same drivers doing this as well, plus if you squeeze or rub an AI it's 70% assured he'll return the favour, 100% if it's one of the agresive ones. I've also noticed these drivers don't just do this to you, they do it to any other AI as well, get 2 aggressive AI going at each other your almost garanteed a passing opertunity as they'll eventualy go off line. It's quite amazing watching certain cars take really deep lines on certain bends as well, by deep I mean 2 wheels on the grass, they certainly don't follow each other round in a procession all sticking to the same racing line. Oh yeah and some will break early on certain turns, allways wise to be ready for it, I'm not talking braking trying to catch you out, just some will hit the brakes 10 yards earlier then brake softer into the bend.

On Hard the AI are a lot less compertition than on extreeme but I'm using hard AI to learn the tracks and to really explore the car tuning options. I'm using the preset settings first then going in and just tweeking little things, the cars really do need to be setup for the extreeme races so doing it on hard is removing the frustration factor for when I get it wrong, nothing worse than reeling them in through the corners only to see them just out power you down the straight, oh yeah I'm doing my championship with the maseratti which at 400bhp is one of the slower cars you can chose from.
 
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Another question: in online championship or race weekend, is there a practice and time-trial before the 1st race or will it just pick the starting order by random?

My copy already sent, but it'll take some days to come. Can't wait :)
 
Ok... first things off. You guys really should be forbidden to say anything more about this game until I get my copy (eventually next Friday). I'm getting a little bit (too much) jealous of you!

Seriously I'm starting to drool with your reviews of the game. I had great hopes for this one and for what I'm reading my expectations will be fulfilled.

Hereward - I understand from your review that your able to run a full championship online. I'm interested on this. Can you please clarify the following points:

1) Is the race structure as it is IRL on the series (quali+race 1+race 2)?
2) Car setups are usable online or is all preset setups for online events?
3) Considering the championship is a little too long to have it all in 1 day, how does this work online? You open a private lobby accessed by password and you can run you season there with your friends for a few weeks?

Thanks in advance
 
Right first up I have only done maybe 8 races online so I don't know all the ins and outs, theres an awful lot of options! first up theres 3 types of online racing,

Quick race...... you can host or join one already setup, if your hosting you can set the track, number of laps, max number of players, weather conditions, collisions, damage, tyre wear and AI on or off you can also "reserve slots for friends" These races go towards your global leaderboard ranking. All these options can be changed after each race in the lobby.

Championship....... again host or join one, here you basicly select a number of cuircuits and away you go..........more on this in a bit

Time attack.... all players apear as ghosts, fastest lap wins!

Right thats as much as the BOOK gives you! a little extra from me, private lobbys, you can set a password system so only people with the password can enter the lobby. Points, after each race players are awarded points dependant on there position, this then places them on the grid for the next race, the person with the highest points going at the back. AI, ok limit the race to say 10 players, then you have 6 humans in the lobby, the computer will then fill the free slots with AI drivers of whatever skill level you select, the AI drivers allways start behind all the human players on the grid. Championship......right I have only tried quick race and quickly looked at the lobby for championship, I don't know if you can select tuning options for your car though I suspect the last tune you put on it stays on it, but I don't know, same for the qualifiying on online championship races, I haven't tried so I can't say. Again the playing of championship online over a few days and different sessions I don't honestly know, I do know you can select the full compliment of tracks for a championship and set each at 20 laps a race..........that would take an awful long time! a save session would be nice but easily worked around if not available.

Quick note on online racing, with collisions on and damage on you would have to hit the car in front or to the side prety hard to take him off the track, which would in turn definatly damage your car and take you off the track also, usualy "rubbing" results in nothing more than bent panels, smashed lights and apologies LOL as for track position that usualy stays the same. Never been taken off the track yet and had a few "missed breaking points" happen behind me LOL

Just to wrap up what little I know about the online racing side, in the lobby each player has information attached to there name, what car there driving, what there conection signal strengh is and what assists there using plus points so far in the online races your doing. The assists seem not to give any great advantage. I was in a lobby with 2 of us using wheels, 2 of us with all assists off, 1 with a couple of assists on and the other with all assists on......the racing was very very close, the guy with all the assists seemed slower round the bends but got a better exit but it really didn't give him an advantage, same for the guys with and without wheels. we were all prety evenly matched and who won was down to consistancy and who was lucky enough to take advantage of any small mistakes by the guy in front of you.........I will go check and see whatelse lies hidden in the many options and menues, the book seems to be writen by the guy who did the book for MAG LOL


Few other jems gleamed from the book

Wet track, the racing line drys as the race progreses giving the dry line more grip
Dry track, as the race progresses the racing line becomes covered in traces of tyre rubber making it have more grip....
You'l also notice first lap on cold tyres care is needed! (own discovery, not in book)
Car damage, it's possible to write your car off, only option at this point is to retire from the race!
In race weekends, in the pits you'll find telemitary section, this is very detailed and actualy useful as you can compare 2 different tuning setups side by side to see which is better....just think of the running graphs you seen the F1 guys using, you can do 2 laps with 2 slightly different tuning setups and compare the 2 to see in minute detail how it's effecting the car at every point around the lap....even down to forces on the tyres! If your into tuning or even if your not this is a big help to see how your tune is or isn't improving things.
 
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Thanks for all the great info! Ordered my copy and it has been send to me. Couple of days though until I recieve it.

reminds me of good old TOCA2 👍
 
yeah it is like toca in lots of ways, I'd say though it is slightly more forgiving when the pack closes in around you but not by much.There are a few things I would change such as the steering responce is slightly too quick and the FFB could do with ramping up a little and the graphics are sometimes quite good and on other tracks a little low res. I'd also love for there to be pitstops but I think the original series dosn't have these. Apart from those points (and they are actualy quite minor niggles that sound worse than they are) the games nailed it! For me it's more enjoyable than NFS Shift as I can actualy drive the car as I want to, ie put the thing on the apex every time and it's less twitchy than FC or SCC so again I prefare it over those 2 excellent titles as it makes close racing the norm without worrying about hitting the other guy. That is just my opinion though and It's a very close thing between all 4 titles, if they patch in a set of steering control options then for me that would put it in seond place behind GT5........and yes this is high praise indeed, and verging on fanboy esq ranting but the game really is that good! Don't get me wrong it dose have faults as you can see at the top of this post but it's got that "heart in mouth" adrenerlin rush gameplay, you get it right it rewards you, you get it wrong it dosn't punish you too badly, select the right AI level for you or race the right guys online and you have that TOCA race experience! One last word of caution though, Online and Lag, I havent seen any and I ran 5 players all bar 1 with poor conections and with an aditional 11 AI drivers nipping at our heels with no lag but I haven't been in any big player only races so LAG may be an issue....I simply don't know yet? anyone else tried it and seen lag?

I would urge everyone to at least rent this title, give it a couple of hours to tune into the physics and the majority of you will buy it. At £34.99 in store and cheaper online it's a bargain! Black bean haven't invested the money in PR advertising and even getting magazine review copys out there, this I think is in part down to the previous titles poor sales and poor reviews (some were deserved) They have a huge title on there hands and no one knows about it! If this was say an EA title it would be plastered on every web newsite and would be selling like hot cakes! GO BUY IT TO STOP MY FANBOY RANTINGS LOL
 
Ahh reviews!!!! well found 3, all on prety minor sites, one joker gave it 5.6/10.......on the 360? you have to wonder what he's smoking. another gave it 75%, again on the 360 and the 3rd has given it 85% one which I would agree with after reading through his opinions, heres the link
http://www.gamerzines.com/pc/reviews/v8-superstars-review.html
I really do hope this game dosn't get crucified in reviews because of graphics or 30fps or the "lack of cars" or the fact it's a race series that has little coverage........but I know all those things will see it marked down. If your a sim fan get it, you won't regret it, I'm coming across more and more people who have taken a chance with this game and so far not one of them has said it's nothing less than great! And you know us sim fans are a picky bunch...anyone asks me if theres reversing lights or individual blades of grass trackside can be happy in the knowledge I'm not telling you.....but there are skidmarks LOL

Quick quote from the end of the review by gamerzine for the PC

Compared to the original this is a giant leap forward for Milestone, a perfect home for those looking to scratch that TOCA itch. It may not have a million different models but what this racer does, it does extremely well. Undoubtedly the most stable and entertaining touring car experience we've experienced for a long time. Turn off the ABS, revert to manual gearbox and you'll have hours of fun.
Final Verdict: 85%
 
Hereward, clearly the game is growing on you, each post you write gets you closer to total fanboy LOL ;)

I have the game since friday but didn't have a chance to properly play it yet. When I got to fire it up the few things I checked to compare with the previous game were:

Loading times/multiple menus - a lot better game overall, less menus, faster loading times. Good job!

Steering customization - still unavailable in the PS3 version and that's a real downside for me, using a G25 and bumper or bonnet cam, the need to take the hand off the wheel just to look back is very annoying. As it is the stupidity of having reverse in a button (like in GT5P) instead of being a selectable gear with the paddles (like in FC/SCC).

Cockpit views - I'm not a cockpit view user but I may turn into one because of this game. Firstly, because I think it's well done (of course the drivers' gloves aren't as detailed as the ones in GT5P, but I couldn't care less about that), Secondly because the cockpit views are the only ones with rear view mirrors.

AI speed and general behaviour - I already praised the original title for having the best AI I faced racing in the PS3. From the litle I tested (free practise at Imola, Hard Setting) I have no reason to feel dissapointed. I ended a 30 minutes session in last place, 0,3 secs behind the guy ahead, and about 2 full secs behind pole. But, in the course of the session, both because I started to know the track, the handling and because I tuned the car to my liking, I gained 4 secs per lap.

This means two very iomportant things about this game:
a) the entire AI field (18 cars) is separated by less than 2 secs per lap
b) Hard setting is Hard indeed! And you still have "Legend" setting to deal with! :P

Handling/Physics - Don't buy this game expecting a full-sim physics engine, because it clearly hasn't got it. However, with all aids off, no ABS means wheel lockup, have no doubt about it. Careful braking is needed, balancing the car for the corners is needed, wheel-play and inertia are present. However they are a lot "tamed", compared to FC/SCC - where all cars behave like pre-historic enraged beasts - and there is a lot less "detail" than what you get from GT5P.

THere are two things that must also be said here, one good, one bad:

The bad - The feedback provided by the wheel is very weak and lacks precision, thanks to a huge deadzone. Maybe I complain about the weakness because I mostly play FC/SCC but even compared to GT5P you've got a weak FFB. And, on top of that, you can't change it (remember, you can't change the wheel predefined settings)! So, it takes more using to it than it should before you start to get the "feel" of what's happening, when are you losing or gaining grip.

The good - Make no mistake, this isn't another "Simcade" like Shift. The physics are tamed, but are consistant. And, once you understand what's happening, to drive on the limit becomes enjoyable and not - like in Shift - irrealistic.


To be continued ...
 
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:mad::banghead: I want this game so bad!!!

(speaking of Shift... as some know, I've sold my copy of the game a few months ago. This weekend I've downloaded the demo to have a go on the
G25... it's even worse than I remember :ouch: . Oh and the track colors :crazy:)
 
i'll be getting this in due course, when i can find a pre-owned one on amazon

i enjoyed the first one and would have got this by now except for post xmas
budget constraints :crazy:
 
Nice one Hun, another person I can say likes it.......still not found anyone who hates it yet, and yes this game is turning me into a V8 superfanboy LOL

The deadzone and FFB as I said were niggles but you do get used to them the more you play, the deadxone for instance is completly not even noticable to me now, as for the FFB......well, yeah I'd prefare it stronger but, stick soft tyres on and take the car out on a bumpy track (Imola is as smooth as a babys bum) you'll notice the FFB stiffens up quite a bit, as a quick test go drive through the kitty litter, you'll see what I mean LOL One thing which dose come across well is the rumble from rumble strips and bumping other cars, thats just about perfect.

Cockpit view is very good, though the steering wheel travel isn't the same as the the steering wheel your using......but hey, also unlike using the pad you cant look left and right and around the cockpit with the wheel, small thing but could have easily been adressed.

One thing which is quite good is the differences between the cars performance wise, and the effects of tuning, before the none tuning guys get woried tuning is very easy is SSV8NC (god thats a long one) theres a good selection of preset tunes with a good description of the virtues of each and you can then tweak them to get it just right for you and the track. But back to the cars, you will notice it first by watching the competitors, get behind the old M5 and it'll pull away from you quite disturbingly down the straight then brake early to lumber round the bends, then see the oposite from the new M3! When you start trying out the cars in quick race these traits are very obvious when you drive them to the extent of making you adapt your driving style and tuning to get the best from them. There isn't one Uber car, there all prety much matched over the course of a race but some cars will be better on some tracks especialy the faster cuircuits. Watching the AI deal with these different cars just strenghens your apreciation of the AI in this game.

Now go buy it! .....just don't read any reviews, aparently the great and the good feel 6/10 is all it's worth........Neil has been dispatched to those concerned!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM5YDI7ttME
 
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hi to all :)
they agree with Hun 👍 the game not and' a simulation and it has some problems (dead zone to steering wheel .....i have logitech dfp ) but and' amusing and the online works well ,I have made some competitions I have met only fast and correct pilots :) no lag, unfortunately I believe there is not the qualifications in competitions online but the competitions can be planned in many parameters.
he remembers a toca series (but not grid or shift !)
it doesn't have a very beautiful graphics but and' honest .
with the pad he is not able' to plan the gas on the lever dx :grumpy:, we hope in a patch for the steering wheel.

I hope to make soon a video and some photos of the various menus (if sony resolves the problems ps3 fat...:yuck:)

bye bye
 
I noticed that on amazon.co.uk there are 2 reviews for the Xbox version of the game, both glowing about Next Challenge. One gives 5 stars, and the 2nd gave it 4.
No reviews yet on the PS3 or PC version pages.
 
There are many things about this game which will give it a poor score, compared with PS3 titles, it's not what I would call a title that has general apeal. But thats not what it's trying to do, it dosn't cater for casual gamers, thers no arcade mode, no fantastic envelope pushing graphics. Theres no big PR push so thers no huge buzz in the comunity about the game. It's simply put, a bloody minded little upstart of a game which caters to a very small section of the gaming comunity....namely us! I'm seeing no continuity regarding review scores, some giving it a good review and others saying it's dross.......Rent it or hang on and see if someone from the GTP or UKOG (I'll let you know) comunity actualy finds it bad, so far everyone likes it, which should speak volumes. It certainly surpasses Shift (which I personaly like alot and own) but I very much doubt the general gaming press will rate it above that title, FC and SCC had similar problems review wise, V8 is even more obscure to the general gaming public than those 2 titles are LOL
 
Yes, I own Shift and like it too. Thanks Hereward for your input on Superstars. It's very interesting to hear your views on it. Personally I think it's a cracking racing game. Just wish I had more time to get up to speed with it.
 
thays anothr member who likes it LOL

came across my first online idiots, one german and one italian......try as they might I stayed in the fight to the bitter end LOL I worked out just preasureing them by sitting on there back bumper usualy ended with them outbreaking them selves and you just nip up the inside and await the next attack from the rear, I wouldn't mind so much but the Italian guy was actualy quite a quick racer? Also had a Blackbean guy in a race as well......just stupidly fast, was a lesson in how good you could get if you put the time in! 4 people in I hosted with a 10meg conection and no lag, jumped on just after midnight so things were quite especialy with the PSN chaos earlier.
 
Thanks Hereward and the others for posting their impressions. Can you race your own ghost in the time trials ?
 
The game arrived in the post yesterday so I eagerly sat down to give it a spin last night. Supercar Challenge has been my driving game of choice since it was launched last September so it was interesting to see how the games compare.

I'm not going to go into too much detail as Hereward has already covered alot of the bases but suffice it to say that, for a start, I am very happy with my purchase!

Having said that, one of the first things I came across was initially a problem. Although I have a G25, and I would prefer to use it, circumstances force me to use the pad. Up to now I have been using the right stick to control braking and accelleration but this choice is not an option with SSV8NC so I am forced to use the L2 and R2 buttons instead. It took a bit of getting used to but it wasn't too much of a problem and, in fact, it might improve issues I've had with the transition between braking and acceleration.

As Hun200kmh mentioned previously, while the handling/physics are not as sim-like as SCC, there is definately a decent level of feel to the cars and they respond in a far more natural fashion than the likes of Shift. For reasons of familiarity I chose to start off with a race weekend on a track that's also in SCC (Mugello). As with any new game it takes time to get used to the developers interpretation of the track but after a bit of time I found a decent rythm and, while you still need to be smooth with your inputs, it is possible to use more throttle in areas where if you tried it in SCC it would chew you up and spit you off the track!

The major advantage this game has over SCC, GT and others is the behaviour of the AI. Please bear with me while I give you a brief report on my Mugello race weekend which illustrates why I say this. The race weekend consists of 30mins free practice, 30mins qualifying and two races. I chose the default car (Morbidelli's M3) and I threw myself in at the deep end by going with the top level of difficulty, legend. I began to wonder why I did that when I found I was about 4 or 5 seconds off the pace of the 18th placed car!

I kept lapping but while my lines were improving I wasn't making any major inroads into the laptime and then I remembered the tyre wear was on so I returned to the pits . Once I went out the second time on fresh tyres i suddenly found I was more competitive and ended up with a third place time. I then moved onto Qualifying and this went very well and I managed to secure pole position.

The races were 5 lappers and I didnt get a great start in race 1 which alowed 4 cars to pass me. I did claw back two positions but the first two cars were too quick and consistant so I ended up in third position.

The second race was the interesting one. For race 2 the top eight from the previous race are reversed so my third position put me in sixth on the grid. I made a mess of the start when I instinctively pushed forward the stick to accelerate and nothing happened! By the time I jumped on the R2 button 5 cars had passed me and I was lying in 11th position. Now with most console driving games you would expect to make up quite a number of positions over 5 laps if you were lying in 11th position and you had previously managed to post the pole position time, but this game is different! Although I was driving reasonably well and not making any major mistakes, the cars ahead were clipping along at a nice pace and it took me two laps to get passed the car in front of me into 10th position. Then on the next lap that car managed to get by me again and after the 5 laps I ended the race still back in 11th!

Now I know why they use the word Challenge in the games title and I like a challenge!
 
ok ... let me get this right ... with the AI in "Legend" setting you pulled off a pole position in the first race you did? oh boy ... I think the Pentathlon will be a humbling experience !! :crazy:


Just checking ... all aids off, tyre wear on, damage on? :scared:
 
Yeah, all off or on as needs be! Did a 1'52.726. This kind of machinery suits my style in the same way that I tend to be more competitive in the modern cars in SCC compared to the "Old Timers".
 
^ why exactly did you not use your G25? I have one as well and I am currently waiting arrival of my copy of the game.......
 
This thread:

inquisition.gif


Mario, Derek, Hereward, and the guys from Amazon, explaining me how good this game is.
 
Could some one please post up a video of them using a wheel? Please.... I beg!
I can't wait to get this game!!!!! It should be here any day now......:nervous::ill:
 
Nice one turnupdaheat......I'll add you to the growing list of "I like this game".....STILL no one dislikes it LOL

I set the laps to 10.....gives you time to work your way through the field and a challenge to stay consistant over that period of time. Once you get on the wheel you'll find you'll have greater throttle control which helps especialy in the wet.

Nice one bullie77, I've dispatched Neil to amazon for you..........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM5YDI7ttME
 
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Thanks a lot! The ones on youtube never show a wheel being used with the game.
Reading your review and watching 2 videos made me feel like I had to get it! Thanks for evrything.
 
@Wnabm3. The reason for not using the G25 is simply down to space and noise. I originally had my setup in a home office which was away from the main house and noise levels were not an issue but that space is been used for something else now. As a few of the guys in this forum will testify, I tend to play late at night and often into the early hours of the morning and as my setup is in a box room between my kids bedrooms my compromise is to use the pad to keep the noise levels down.

@Mario. Yeah, I know, the 5 laps is not as bad as 3 but it still is Coitus Interruptus!
 
@turnupdaheat

oh I see.... I thought it was for other reasons.
I didn't know if you just didn't like the way it plays using the wheel or not.
 

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