Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends

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Zero7159
I sent them a request for support via the Atari website.
Click to expand...

Here is the response I got back from Atari, which I think is basically a middle finger. This concerns the PC downloadable version, which I paid for, but cannot download.

Greetings!

Thank you for contacting us regarding this issue.

Digital River, who we have partnered with for our Atari.com website, uses a secondary method of DRM that is not normally included with the game that is specific to their service and requires a specific activation key that is separate from the installation key. Unfortunately, we do not have access to the products purchased digitally from the Atari website as those are provided by Digital River. Their customer support information is:

• webhelp@digitalriver.com
• Phone Number 1-800-310-2850

We appreciate your time and thank you for playing.

- Atari Technical Support


Sincerely,

Atari Customer Support
http://support.atari.com/
---------------------------------
Tip: Login to http://www.Atari.com and click on Support link in the footer to access your Ticket History from the website.
 
Just found this on their Facebook page about the UK release

As Bigben cannot distribute the game in the UK and hasn't been informed about the UK distributor (if it exists!), we're sorry UK followers but cannot answer this question.
 
squeakD
Ussr is correct about the sliding issue. This is also a very common physics characteristic from SMS. However.., with their previous titles you could at least tune a car and dial some of that out. With TD Ferrari (as Ussr stated) you know it's going to happen, and just prepare yourself for it on each corner.

The game really would benefit from very basic tuning. I'm surprised to not even see the "Quick Tune" option that SMS has already implemented within their games. Perhaps it's an issue with the Ferrari license.

I can't honestly say I'm surprised to find the AI in campaign mode (on Easy) is one big mess. We've seen this behavior in all of SMS's titles to date. Oddly it's gotten worse with each title too (even though consumers have been complaining about it since the release of Shift-1).

What SMS needs to understand is that you cannot have such a loose physics engine mated with this type of AI. This type of AI requires a more refined and polished physics engine because performance differences between identical cars (to your own in a grid) is so grossly unbalanced.

When doing a Quick Race my mouth dropped wide open when taking one corner. The race was all identical cars and I had the choice of either slowing down and making the turn, or power sliding right into a wall. I slowed down for the turn, and took it at what would be considered an appropriate speed. However.., I watched several AI cars just blast right past me without even hitting the brakes, literally losing NO traction on that turn. To add insult to injury the last car passing me intentionally put me into the wall.

I really hope SMS gets to patch this game properly. Even if we don't get tuning options via a patch update.., for Pete's sake FIX THE BLOODY AI. Three consecutive titles with this type of AI is getting stale. It's also getting progressively worse too.

Again.., at this point it's anyone's guess how (if any) patches will change the game. I will say that if you're not a fan of either Shift titles.., you probably will have a hard time liking this one. It's literally NFS Shift (Ferrari Edition). Hell.., this title could have easily been a massive Ferrari DLC pack for Shift-2.

**Oh I forgot to address the crash physics. IMO they're EXTREMELY over done. Low speed impact collisions are just downright wrong. I had an AI car brake check me.., then slow down to a crawling speed, and it resulted in an unavoidable rear bumper to front bumper impact. However., the speed at the point of contact was so low that it should have simply been a light tap. However.., the moment my vehicle touched the AI.., the entire front end got completely loose and my car did a complete spin. It's clearly the same poorly implemented collision physics carried over from Shift-2.

I wasn't expecting an ultra realistic racing title when buying this either (and based on what they've done to date) I don't expect anything remotely realistic from SMS period. However.., the game IMO would be much more enjoyable if they'd just listen for once and TONE DOWN THE AI. Yes.., rubbing and bumping is part of racing.., but the smashing and bashing that's in SMS's titles is just unacceptable.

I will say that I'm very worried now about how PCARS is going to turn out for the consoles......
Click to expand...

Could you bash SMS just a little bit more?
 
No, but the publisher is responsible for development budget, deadlines and, in most cases, creative control.

(Except in this case of course and in any other case involving SMS, according to the book of fatkrakradamus)
 
squeakD
**Oh I forgot to address the crash physics. IMO they're EXTREMELY over done. Low speed impact collisions are just downright wrong. I had an AI car brake check me.., then slow down to a crawling speed, and it resulted in an unavoidable rear bumper to front bumper impact. However., the speed at the point of contact was so low that it should have simply been a light tap. However.., the moment my vehicle touched the AI.., the entire front end got completely loose and my car did a complete spin. It's clearly the same poorly implemented collision physics carried over from Shift-2.

I wasn't expecting an ultra realistic racing title when buying this either (and based on what they've done to date) I don't expect anything remotely realistic from SMS period. However.., the game IMO would be much more enjoyable if they'd just listen for once and TONE DOWN THE AI. Yes.., rubbing and bumping is part of racing.., but the smashing and bashing that's in SMS's titles is just unacceptable.

I will say that I'm very worried now about how PCARS is going to turn out for the consoles......
Click to expand...

I completely agree. I haven't played TDFL yet, but if it's anything like Shift 2, the collision physics are just terrible. It ruins online racing.

Shift 2s crash physics (with other cars), is like bouncing giant ping pong balls off eachother. The tiniest little bump sends you flying. It's completely exaggerated and I can't stand it. Even if you're trying helplessly to avoid any collisions, a tiny little bump will send you off. It's absolutely ridiculous.
 
Also when online in shift 2 you didnt need to actully touch the other car for them to be sent spinning off track. For me that was the biggest killer for the game. I wonder if that made its way over as well.
 
fatkrakr
Yeah why would you think the developer is responsible for the way a game plays? Im sure it was yet another publisher who wanted a game that plays like crap. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

pCARS shows that they know how to make a good racing game that's nothing like Shift so either they coincidentally worked out what they were doing wrong once unshackled from a publisher or it was those shackles that primarily made the Shift games what they were.

I'm not saying SMS were not at fault at all but I also think it's very unfair to basically say they have no idea how to make a video game.
 
Zero7159
Here is the response I got back from Atari, which I think is basically a middle finger. This concerns the PC downloadable version, which I paid for, but cannot download.

Greetings!

Thank you for contacting us regarding this issue.

Digital River, who we have partnered with for our Atari.com website, uses a secondary method of DRM that is not normally included with the game that is specific to their service and requires a specific activation key that is separate from the installation key. Unfortunately, we do not have access to the products purchased digitally from the Atari website as those are provided by Digital River. Their customer support information is:

• webhelp@digitalriver.com
• Phone Number 1-800-310-2850

We appreciate your time and thank you for playing.

- Atari Technical Support


Sincerely,

Atari Customer Support
http://support.atari.com/
---------------------------------
Tip: Login to http://www.Atari.com and click on Support link in the footer to access your Ticket History from the website.
Click to expand...

I mailed Digital River 2 hours ago and just got a response detailing how to get my refund. Its just an electronic form thing so its nice and easy.
 
fatkrakr
Also when online in shift 2 you didnt need to actully touch the other car for them to be sent spinning off track. For me that was the biggest killer for the game. I wonder if that made its way over as well.
Click to expand...

Plus the whole "vacuum effect" and "magnetic cars"drove me nuts as well. the magnetic cars thing happens in Ferrari Challenge or any of those Eutechnyx games but it's so much worse in Shift 2. Cars don't get stuck together like glue. Cars don't get stuck to walls either
 
SimonK
Could you bash SMS just a little bit more?
Click to expand...

Yeah.., at this point as it relates to CONSOLE titles produced by them, I think bashing SMS is well within reason here. I have supported SMS since the release of Shift-1.

Here's my SMS console line up:

Shift-1: Own it on BOTH the PS3 and XBox (including DLC purchases)
Shift-2: Own it on BOTH the PS3 and XBox (including DLC purchases)
Shift PSP
Shift iPod
TD Ferrari: Own it on the PS3

After spending round about $300 supporting SMS.., I think that earns me the right to bash them a bit. I'm not going to comment on PCARS because we don't have a BETA version for the consoles to test out.

However..., in regards to the work they've produced on the consoles (and for consoles owners considering PCARS).., I can't understand how SMS expects to be taken seriously by the console community who might be considering PCARS when their console titles have been so dreadful.

There's NO excuse (after all this time for development) that problems present in Shift-2 have been carried over to TD Ferrari. It's not like they had to do a complete rebuild either. Perhaps some may have forgotten.., but there was a Ferrari DLC pack for the XBox with Shift-1. So several of those Ferrari's in TD Ferrari have already been modeled. They obviously ported those over and touched up the graphics a bit.

As I stated before.., who knows what will happen with a patch update (if one is even released). This game COULD possibly be patched properly. They did happen to split from EA.., so anythings possible now.
 
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g1341523739736449461.jpg


Geddit?
 
squeakD, as much as I like your TD:F review, agree on the problems of Shift 2 and share your frustration with those games, you dont seem to have much knowledge of how business works. Anything they created for Shift is fully owned by EA, so they most probably couldnt just port something from Shift into TD:F. Maybe it was the other way around, but thats pure speculation.

From what I gathered the Ferrari Project (remember, thats what this game started out as) was started in 2007/2008 and was mostly finished in early 2009. Then it was put on hold and Shift 1 and 2 were made. To me it seems, if you connect the dots, Atari just took the opportunity of an almost finished game being readily available and decided to release it for as little cost as possible. That would be a logical explaination why so many things are not up to 2012 standards and why Atari is spending presumably around zeropointniente on marketing TD:F.

Its either that or SMS are a bunch of lazy, baboonic amateurs - but that discription doesnt fit very well to the SMS team I see working their rear ends off and doing amazing things for pCARS in the wmdforum.
 
FLX1981
squeakD, as much as I like your TD:F review, agree on the problems of Shift 2 and share your frustration with those games, you dont seem to have much knowledge of how business works. Anything they created for Shift is fully owned by EA, so they most probably couldnt just port something from Shift into TD:F. Maybe it was the other way around, but thats pure speculation.

From what I gathered the Ferrari Project (remember, thats what this game started out as) was started in 2007/2008 and was mostly finished in early 2009. Then it was put on hold and Shift 1 and 2 were made. To me it seems, if you connect the dots, Atari just took the opportunity of an almost finished game being readily available and decided to release it for as little cost as possible. That would be a logical explaination why so many things are not up to 2012 standards and why Atari is spending presumably around zeropointniente on marketing TD:F.

Its either that or SMS are a bunch of lazy, baboonic amateurs - but that discription doesnt fit very well to the SMS team I see working their rear ends off and doing amazing things for pCARS in the wmdforum.
Click to expand...

That's actually not true. I can't remember if it was here at GT planet or over at the Shift forum where a discussion regarding the separation between EA and SMS took place. Someone had copy and pasted remarks from the head guy over at SMS. Turns out SMS owns way more of the core than most realize.

EA actually didn't own as much of the game as most people thought. This is why TD Ferrari is literally just a port from the Shift engine. I do know how business works. Obviously Atari saw a good chance for a quick "cash in" on this split between EA and SMS.., and clearly SMS is also using the console market to further develop PCARS (with most of the development seeming to be towards the PC version as we've yet to see or touch anything for the consoles).

Everyone keeps talking so great about PCARS.., but what most fail to realize is that PCARS is currently a PC BETA title. There isn't a BETA version for consoles. Plus regardless as to how good they make PCARS.., SMS's is obviously spending the majority of their development on the PC version as we console users will clearly get a watered down version.

So at this moment (as it relates to CONSOLE titles).., SMS does "appear" to be amateurs when it comes to producing a proper console racing SIM. Every title released by them to date has been very "amateurish" compared to the competition.

Sure they may be giving it there all for the PCARS PC version.., but they've YET to prove themselves on the consoles. It's been one cluster "you know what" with each console title they've released.
 
Yes, SMS owns the engine, the core. But every piece of content, every car, every track, every asset, every bit of the UI, is owned by the publisher. So if there was porting, it was from the Ferrari Project (which was, at the time, owned by SMS if I understood the situation correctly) to Shift, but not the other way around.

Everyone keeps talking so great about PCARS.., but what most fail to realize is that PCARS is currently a PC BETA title. There isn't a BETA version for consoles. Plus regardless as to how good they make PCARS.., SMS's is obviously spending the majority of their development on the PC version as we console users will clearly get a watered down version.
Click to expand...

Sorry but thats straight up wrong. There already is a running console port. They are aiming for a port of the DX9 PC version at high detail. The physics model will most probably be exactly the same as the new one they are currently working on will be much more efficient. The tire model which is currently in the PC version will be the tire model for the console version. Its already much more sophisticated than in any previous SMS title - iirc they intially wanted to use that for the PC version as well, so they spend a lot of time on its development already.

Its all going a bit off topic now. To bring it back onto TD:F - I doubt there will be a patch, sorry. Regarding how little the budget seems to have been and how little fanfare Atari is making for the game, I really doubt it will get that much support. How was it for TDU2?
 
MildAshers
I mailed Digital River 2 hours ago and just got a response detailing how to get my refund. Its just an electronic form thing so its nice and easy.
Click to expand...

Ok, so its getting silly now, the email I got said I would receive another emailing detailing how to get my refund via and electronic form, this email never turned up (they said I would receive it within an hour, its been 12). I emailed them back saying I had not received the email, they emailed back saying they will get a customer service rep to contact me. FFS, just send me the god dam email I was meant to receive!

This is a joke.
 
squeakD
Yeah.., at this point as it relates to CONSOLE titles produced by them, I think bashing SMS is well within reason here. I have supported SMS since the release of Shift-1.

Here's my SMS console line up:

Shift-1: Own it on BOTH the PS3 and XBox (including DLC purchases)
Shift-2: Own it on BOTH the PS3 and XBox (including DLC purchases)
Shift PSP
Shift iPod
TD Ferrari: Own it on the PS3

After spending round about $300 supporting SMS.., I think that earns me the right to bash them a bit. I'm not going to comment on PCARS because we don't have a BETA version for the consoles to test out.

However..., in regards to the work they've produced on the consoles (and for consoles owners considering PCARS).., I can't understand how SMS expects to be taken seriously by the console community who might be considering PCARS when their console titles have been so dreadful.

There's NO excuse (after all this time for development) that problems present in Shift-2 have been carried over to TD Ferrari. It's not like they had to do a complete rebuild either. Perhaps some may have forgotten.., but there was a Ferrari DLC pack for the XBox with Shift-1. So several of those Ferrari's in TD Ferrari have already been modeled. They obviously ported those over and touched up the graphics a bit.

As I stated before.., who knows what will happen with a patch update (if one is even released). This game COULD possibly be patched properly. They did happen to split from EA.., so anythings possible now.
Click to expand...

I only own Shift 1 and 2 for the PS3 and Im with you on that... they seem to be lacking a proper PS3 coder/programer... worst ports I ever played in such promising games is really a shame.
 
I've bought that game and i love it 10x 👍

Currently I've focus on Campaign, there is a lot of fun stuff here to fin. Races like qualifying lap, races from back of the grid. Chases on race tracks.

Some of them are very funny. You start a race in 90th lap, that suppose to have 95 laps, everything is going great when suddenly i got on screen message saying that my arms are very tired and i can't change gears. No gear up, no gear down.

So i was driving first time this race and I've down-shift into 3rd. And message pops up. All my 12 second lead over second car was eaten during two laps. So next time I've down shift into 4th, and I've maintain my lead over second car.

Driving cars like 312 F1-67 is great fun. This is small example of driving car without ABS and No Traction Control, and Stability Control. Or maybe one of those two is on because i have no idea what that Crown and (P) letter means.

I'm fighting that car all the way :sly: sorry for no sound, i have no idea why it happens when i upload my movie to youtube suddenly all sound is gone :ill:

 
ussr
... This is small example of driving car without ABS and No Traction Control, and Stability Control. Or maybe one of those two is on because i have no idea what that Crown and (P) letter means.
Click to expand...

Is not in the manual?

Can you reply to my other questions:

- If game works with Thrustmaster T500 RS and TH8 RS
- If cars have visual damage


Thanks.
 
I pre-ordered the PC version at my local gamestore, Nedgame. Let's hope I get it by the end of the month. :)
 
FLX1981
That ((P)) symbox clearly means the park distance control is turned on. ussr you re the Paris Hilton of sim racing! :D
Click to expand...

Lucky me i don't drive like her :lol: Those two icons might have some use later in the game. Or maybe in online races. Anyway a little weird to put something that i can't switch off.

I did not found any game manual in Home button and in game.
 

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