Will you buy Shift 3 even if its not made by SMS

[musomaniak]

You know what , i'm sort of stuck in the middle , i agree with the guys who say they won't and i agree with guys who say they will .
I for one really enjoy playing shift 2 even with all its problems , i would enjoy it even more if it didn't have any problems though thats for sure .
Would i buy shift 3 ? Well the way i'm thinking at the moment , the answer would probably be yes , but with reservations . Obviously i wouldn't be suckered into buying another broken game , so i would make absolutely sure that the problems evident in shift 2 did not exist in shift 3 . If that were the case then i think it would be too good of a game to pass up on .

 

[musomaniak]

If you want to run S2U at similar quality as the PS3 and same resolution, you don't need to spend a lot. Any i3 processor or higher will do (as no game is CPU bound unless you use a dual GPU setup), and a midrange GFX card, coupled with 4GB of memory (cheap these days). And you'll run it at 45-60FPS too.

thanks for that info 👍👍

 

[Vaxxtx]

I said that after Shift 1, I followed Shift 2 development closely (being extremely interested by the car/track list), waited the early feedback, disappointed by the freeze issue, waited for a patch, disappointed by the lack of major fixing, waited for another one, pissed off by EA for not letting SMS do their job, racognized I've made a smart choice, not buying this game So the only chance I'll remotely buy anything from GAYEA in the future will be if they'll effectively offer a working and supported product, but knowing their a*****s attitude it won't never happen so... just screw them, plain simple.

Wait...you never picked it up? The freezing issues only started happening after the last patch. Also some people only get them rarely. Aside from the minor issues, and the big major one for some (freeze) I think you are missing out. I would buy S2 again in the state it is in. Even if you just go through 1/2 the campaign its worth the price of admission. IMO.

 

[Crispy]

I think the people here wouldn't buy it if SMS made it, not the other way around. Honestly, if the freezing had been fixed, it would be a wonderful game. But at its current status, its just great.

 

[Vaxxtx]

Its a long long time since i had a P.C. that was capable of playing games on , i have a laptop now which wouldn't run pac-man what spec PC would i need to run a game like shift 2 ? Just wondering in case i abandon the consoles myself

I have my old Q6600 Quad (3.0 oc) with and old 8800GTS gfx, and 4 gig, that I am dusting off here soon, just to check out some older ones...like GTR Evo or something similar.

I was also looking into building a new one, and if you do it youself, you can get a decent gaming machine for around 600-800 depending on if you need a case, Power Supply, etc. etc. Course, two young kids, and life in general has me strapped for fun funds. Cant upgrade and go crazy with my watercooling game machine anymore 👎.

 

[Animal_Mother]

Wait...you never picked it up? The freezing issues only started happening after the last patch. Also some people only get them rarely. Aside from the minor issues, and the big major one for some (freeze) I think you are missing out. I would buy S2 again in the state it is in. Even if you just go through 1/2 the campaign its worth the price of admission. IMO.

I've had the freezing since launch, but the latest patch definitely made it worse. At first it was only consistent at the Nordschleife. Then it started happening at Enna Pergusa and Bathurst. Only on long bits of upper A class 6th gear runs. But strangely enough, it's never happened at Road America. Then I couldn't even run Nords with almost anything. Just so y'all know, Nords is my favorite track in this game. They could take out half the tracks if I had my green hell to run on all day, so to say I'm pissed about not being able to race there is a serious understatement.

I've come to the decision that the lack of support in the way of patching this game falls squarely on EA, so if they hand off the Shift name to someone else, I will NOT buy it. This isn't me letting SMS off the hook completely. They programmed this game and I think they need to find a way to do some better in-house testing before they send their next game off QA, but I believe in their ability to make a fun game with long-term re-playability. So, If SMS makes another sim for PS3, I will certainly consider buying it (after I know they plan on providing proper support post-release of course).

 

[AngloAmerican]

After emailing and being ignored regards S2U being pretty much unplayable, i highly doubt i will buy the next one.

The only way i will buy it is, if after a good few months have passed, and the reviews and comments about how it plays are out, if they are all positive, then maybe yes i will purchase it.

Time will tell i suppose.

AA

 

[Zeeco_9]

Then I couldn't even run Nords with almost anything. Just so y'all know, Nords is my favorite track in this game. They could take out half the tracks if I had my green hell to run on all day, so to say I'm pissed about not being able to race there is a serious understatement.

Can't agree more with you 👍

 

[HKS racer]

I've had the freezing since launch, but the latest patch definitely made it worse. At first it was only consistent at the Nordschleife. Then it started happening at Enna Pergusa and Bathurst. Only on long bits of upper A class 6th gear runs.

@Vaxxtx
I know it has great gameplay but for me, this is more than enough to let the game at the shop. Bathurst and Nordschleife, my favourites tracks ruined by that silly bug, that would only be frustrating if you ask me. Furthermore being a Ferrari fan I'm also very interested on all the other supercars, (kinda like women you know, you love one but you want them all ) so, having the A class freezing at high speed is another major problem for me and what I really NEED from this game: SPEED.

 

[Nuck81]

Where is everyone getting the numbers about how Shift2 was not a success? Seems people are very "in the know" about sales figures. Can someone link this data please?

They release the NPD's all over the Internet, some are more accurate than others, but they all give you a general idea. Last time I looked at one Shift 2 had only sold about half a million across all three platforms, which isn't stellar since Shift 1 sold over a million on PS3 alone...

 

[RomKnight]

If SMS make another game like this, YES, I'll buy it. I'm on the side of those who like S2U...

Please don't hurt me

PS: I said SMS...

 

[bmwisme]

If SMS make another game like this, YES, I'll buy it. I'm on the side of those who like S2U...
...

I agree... what would be the alternative? Very few GT style racing sims (less-arcade) on the consoles - GT, Forza, Shift series - nothing else! If another "attempt" is made in the form of a Shift 3 I may through caution to the wind again as I have enjoyed S2U so much. GT5 gave me a reason to try racing on the consoles but didn't hold my interest (same with Forza). S2U was more my style (less gimmicky, more real tracks and "race" cars I wanted to race). Without a Shift style of racing, as I have stated before I may have to return to the computer for my fix.

 

[Strategy101]

Simple answer, most likely.

Why?

Because as a console player (Xbox 360), the options are very slim as far as exciting sims (I've got GT for PS3 also), and Shift has easily been my favorite as far as the consoles go.

I'd probably be more skeptical about it, and hesitant, but I imagine I'd likely end up buying it in the end regardless.

And while I realize I'm changing the phrase here, but Shift 2 in many ways was "Two steps forward, one step back" from Shift 1 (Again I realize the phrase is actually reversed numerically). Shift 1 had better graphics and handling model right out of the box, as well as MUCH better car detailing options (small improvements were made, but they didnt outweigh the massive reduction in options). I did like the increase in tracks, and larger car selection, and in some ways the "physics" are better, but all in all, Shift 2 was a bumpy road driven at 200mph... fun as hell at times, but frustrating as hell at others.

The market for racing sims on consoles is small, and so far Shift is still my most enjoyable experience of all the ones offered on consoles... so while I have my gripes with the game, I'll still likely fork over the cash for another iteration in the series.

 

[boxox]

They release the NPD's all over the Internet, some are more accurate than others, but they all give you a general idea. Last time I looked at one Shift 2 had only sold about half a million across all three platforms, which isn't stellar since Shift 1 sold over a million on PS3 alone...

Hurm:

* Since about last year all public NPDs have their numbers stripped and platforms combined

* I've never seen a mention of Shift 2 on NPD (as with Dirt 3 it just never broke the top 10 - but then neither did Shift 1 and that eventually sold 5,500,000 + )

* NPD is, at any rate, a US only, retail outlet only survey, and for whatever reason the genre is one that tends to sell better in the EU (seriously - it's weird) - though good luck tracking down the equivalent GfK chart...

I do think it probably sold worse though, though how much is the question. The one thing that really worked in Shift 1's favour was getting a pretty good run in 9/09 without having to come up against many big titles, in what's actually a pretty good retail month. This time it competed in March against some other very big franchises (portal 2, mortal kombat, etc) which probably became 'the' games people bought if they bought anything at all.

 

[squeakD]

I will not buy it even if it's made by SMS. Why.., well I own both Shift-1 and Shift Unleashed. I've got copies of both titles on the Xbox and the PS-3. I felt a bit burned with the first Shift upon release. Patching made it better though.

With Shift Unleashed I feel more burned than on the first one. Support up to this point has been utter nonsense. Major problems still exist that need fixed. They were so rushed by EA to put this title out by a certain date that they didn't even have to time to do basic set ups on every vehicle in the game.

S2U requires way too much tuning and tweaking for a console racing title. I don't mind tuning cars.., but the blank slate (or unfinished) settings provided by SMS are an utter disgrace.

Shift1 was unfinished.., Shift-2 is even more unfinished. At this point if they continue to follow their own trend Shift-3 should be shipping as an empty case..., but the cover art will probably be nice

 

[Animal_Mother]

I will not buy it even if it's made by SMS. Why.., well I own both Shift-1 and Shift Unleashed. I've got copies of both titles on the Xbox and the PS-3. I felt a bit burned with the first Shift upon release. Patching made it better though.

With Shift Unleashed I feel more burned than on the first one. Support up to this point has been utter nonsense. Major problems still exist that need fixed. They were so rushed by EA to put this title out by a certain date that they didn't even have to time to do basic set ups on every vehicle in the game.

S2U requires way too much tuning and tweaking for a console racing title. I don't mind tuning cars.., but the blank slate (or unfinished) settings provided by SMS are an utter disgrace.

Shift1 was unfinished.., Shift-2 is even more unfinished. At this point if they continue to follow their own trend Shift-3 should be shipping as an empty case..., but the cover art will probably be nice

I understand your frustration, believe me I do. I've though about this a lot. The requests of what needs to be patched and what will actually be patched falls on EA and their QA dept. Ian Bell has come on here and said so himself.

Pause... and Ian Bell as..... Himself. (sorry, I felt the need to add some humor to this.)

He and SMS know about the issues but can't fix anything on the consoles due to contractual dealings with EA. I think SMS can and have made several sim racing titles (maybe under a different name for the earlier PC titles) that show they know what they're doing. If you look at the PC version of S2U, you'd see that SMS have fixed a lot of the major issues because they don't have to get the same level of approval that they do for the consoles.

Also, there are the community mods that exist on PC. From what I understand, it's not as easy to mod Shift as it is some other sim-racers, but the ability does exist. Imagine if the console users had, on some level, that same ability to fix their own game. I would definitely sign some sort of waiver to gain that power (what's the worst that could happen, you have to delete and re-install your game data?).

So in conclusion, I would say that you shouldn't give up on SMS just yet. Maybe you don't want to buy their new game on day one, me neither. But I would keep a close eye on them because if they are able to support a game properly, I think they could make a real classic. After all, this is the game that pulled me away from Gran Turismo 5, and I waited 6 years for that one.

If you got this far, thanks for hanging in there.

 

[squeakD]

I understand your frustration, believe me I do. I've though about this a lot. The requests of what needs to be patched and what will actually be patched falls on EA and their QA dept. Ian Bell has come on here and said so himself.

Pause... and Ian Bell as..... Himself. (sorry, I felt the need to add some humor to this.)

He and SMS know about the issues but can't fix anything on the consoles due to contractual dealings with EA. I think SMS can and have made several sim racing titles (maybe under a different name for the earlier PC titles) that show they know what they're doing. If you look at the PC version of S2U, you'd see that SMS have fixed a lot of the major issues because they don't have to get the same level of approval that they do for the consoles.

Also, there are the community mods that exist on PC. From what I understand, it's not as easy to mod Shift as it is some other sim-racers, but the ability does exist. Imagine if the console users had, on some level, that same ability to fix their own game. I would definitely sign some sort of waiver to gain that power (what's the worst that could happen, you have to delete and re-install your game data?).

So in conclusion, I would say that you shouldn't give up on SMS just yet. Maybe you don't want to buy their new game on day one, me neither. But I would keep a close eye on them because if they are able to support a game properly, I think they could make a real classic. After all, this is the game that pulled me away from Gran Turismo 5, and I waited 6 years for that one.

If you got this far, thanks for hanging in there.

To be honest.., one of the reasons I find myself losing faith in SMS is because SMS isn't really all that new at this. SMS has history with SimBin. SMS "does" know how to make a racing title. At this point with S2U unleashed (given SMS's abilities) we should have not seen many of the issues present in the physics with S2U. There are issues that are inexcusable that clearly fall on the shoulders of SMS and not EA.

Another problem IMO is when you combine the experience that SMS has with the wrong publisher. EA IMO has to be the best example of all that's wrong in the gaming industry today. It's all profits over quality. The capitalist hag of a CEO over at EA also is a very BIG reason BOTH Shift titles turned out the way they did.

Shift-1 was unfinished..., yet EA still pushed SMS to bring it to market by a certain (and clearly unrealistic) date. Just two years after that they're dropping S2U on the market. Once again.., SMS bound by the unrealistic requirements of a publisher who only cares about the "green" side of any product they publish.., have forced SMS to release a half-baked product.

SMS is more than capable of producing a good quality racing title. They just need to either find a reasonable publisher or go the "player-funded" route that Ian has been trying to set up.

Both Shift titles could have been HUGE in console racing. Had EA not been so damn greedy, the Shift franchise would have done much better. Personally I don't see why they had to push this title out within two years after the first. Other developers who have many more resources available to them are capable of this (good example is Forza-4 coming out this fall). However.., SMS isn't as large as some of the other developers. Had EA given SMS an additional 6 months to iron out the kinks.,. I think we'd be seeing a much more positive attitude from consumers.

 

[Animal_Mother]

To be honest.., one of the reasons I find myself losing faith in SMS is because SMS isn't really all that new at this. SMS has history with SimBin. SMS "does" know how to make a racing title. At this point with S2U unleashed (given SMS's abilities) we should have not seen many of the issues present in the physics with S2U. There are issues that are inexcusable that clearly fall on the shoulders of SMS and not EA.

Another problem IMO is when you combine the experience that SMS has with the wrong publisher. EA IMO has to be the best example of all that's wrong in the gaming industry today. It's all profits over quality. The capitalist hag of a CEO over at EA also is a very BIG reason BOTH Shift titles turned out the way they did.

Shift-1 was unfinished..., yet EA still pushed SMS to bring it to market by a certain (and clearly unrealistic) date. Just two years after that they're dropping S2U on the market. Once again.., SMS bound by the unrealistic requirements of a publisher who only cares about the "green" side of any product they publish.., have forced SMS to release a half-baked product.

SMS is more than capable of producing a good quality racing title. They just need to either find a reasonable publisher or go the "player-funded" route that Ian has been trying to set up.

Both Shift titles could have been HUGE in console racing. Had EA not been so damn greedy, the Shift franchise would have done much better. Personally I don't see why they had to push this title out within two years after the first. Other developers who have many more resources available to them are capable of this (good example is Forza-4 coming out this fall). However.., SMS isn't as large as some of the other developers. Had EA given SMS an additional 6 months to iron out the kinks.,. I think we'd be seeing a much more positive attitude from consumers.

I never played any Simbin titles as I don't play PC games, but as I understand, the PC version of S2U doesn't have the problems that the console versions have. It's EA who dropped the ball on my side of the court. I think you are right to be wary of SMS's ability to produce a bug-free, well supported sim-racer, but I also believe that you should not write them off just yet. As for EA, I will never buy another one of their games until well after release and I'm convinced that they are willing to put in the resources to keep those games running at peak efficiency. And this really sucks because I hate COD and love Battlefield, so I will be vetting the new game extensively before I purchase it.

 

[NLxAROSA]

At this point with S2U unleashed (given SMS's abilities) we should have not seen many of the issues present in the physics with S2U.

What physics issues are you referring to? The physics are pretty solid, much more detailed than anything on the console (except maybe perhaps Race Pro). The car setups however: . Which is a direct result of SMS/EA messing with them to cater for pad users. And it's the car setups, together with the input lag, that ruin some of the car handling, like the Exige and the GT40 Mk1.

As far as I can tell, the PS3 version of S2U suffers from three major issues:

1. Freezing
2. Input lag
3. Bad car setups

Note that point 1 and 2 are non-existent (for most people anyway) for the PC version. Car setups are the same, but less of an issue because there's not as much input lag as on PS3. Like I said before, the PC version is almost a completely different game.

As for buying Shift 3: I might buy it, or maybe not, I waited with S2U until patch 2. Then again, we don't have to worry about this, as there are no plans for a Shift 3 at this moment.

 

[Nuck81]

Hurm:

* Since about last year all public NPDs have their numbers stripped and platforms combined

* I've never seen a mention of Shift 2 on NPD (as with Dirt 3 it just never broke the top 10 - but then neither did Shift 1 and that eventually sold 5,500,000 + )

* NPD is, at any rate, a US only, retail outlet only survey, and for whatever reason the genre is one that tends to sell better in the EU (seriously - it's weird) - though good luck tracking down the equivalent GfK chart...

I do think it probably sold worse though, though how much is the question. The one thing that really worked in Shift 1's favour was getting a pretty good run in 9/09 without having to come up against many big titles, in what's actually a pretty good retail month. This time it competed in March against some other very big franchises (portal 2, mortal kombat, etc) which probably became 'the' games people bought if they bought anything at all.

http://gamrreview.vgchartz.com/sales/46563/need-for-speed-shift-2-unleashed/

 

[boxox]

Yeah, vgchartz is rubbish. Occasionally in the right ballpark assuming they get good data ... but for anything short term - hell no. Put it another way, even after everyone (EA/retailers) relevent FY reports are well and truly done, they are still about 1.5million sales short for Shift 1.

 

[HKS racer]

Both Shift titles could have been HUGE in console racing. Had EA not been so damn greedy, the Shift franchise would have done much better. Personally I don't see why they had to push this title out within two years after the first. Other developers who have many more resources available to them are capable of this (good example is Forza-4 coming out this fall). However.., SMS isn't as large as some of the other developers. Had EA given SMS an additional 6 months to iron out the kinks.,. I think we'd be seeing a much more positive attitude from consumers.

^ EA trolls, read here. You lost lot a good amount of profit $$$. That's it.

 

[NLxAROSA]

^ EA trolls, read here. You lost lot a good amount of profit $$$. That's it.

True. Console players are practically begging for competitor to step into the gap that is left there by the competition, but EA failed to capitalize on that. And the most frustrating thing is that one can clearly see the diamond that is underneath.

 

[HKS racer]

Yep, and I'm talking about the same thing at nogrip in the community racing sim by SMS (C.A.R.S.) I copy the post I've made overthere, sorry for my crappy eng.

Thunderbreaks:
If someone's able to create a sort of Iracing for consoles with a good amount of licensed cars (about 100) a rock solid online and a kinda Forza Motorsport livery editor they're gonna lead the market pretty QUICKLY. People want racing simulators even if they are not so good and even if they don't have a PC. They simply want them. There are tons of PS3/X360 users waiting for something really great for their G25/G27/DFGT/Fanatech wheel but there aren't many options outhere, mostly it's all about their rispective exclusives GT & Forza because of the lack of talented developers. They all wonna create another fps game and Codemasters it's mainly an arcade pubblisher. Sadly EA trolls wasted a big opportunity with Shift series to create a solid alternative to those racing games for console crowd not giving SMS time to fix some issues. The steering wheels are the same of you PC guys the console market it's more than ready. Not considering them a big part of C.A.R.S. business plan will be a big mistake.

 

[UVeryVeryBadMan]

Before I purchase anything at all from now on I will make sure it has solid coding; freezing has ruined what could have been a great game!

We should all ask for our money back!!!

 

[Nuck81]

Yeah, vgchartz is rubbish. Occasionally in the right ballpark assuming they get good data ... but for anything short term - hell no. Put it another way, even after everyone (EA/retailers) relevent FY reports are well and truly done, they are still about 1.5million sales short for Shift 1.

yeah, of course

 

[soulless]

I think the shift games are a breath of fresh air and a step into the best direction for racing games so right of the bat, id say ill buy Shift 3 whoever makes it.

BUT, for me it all comes down to what they make of the multiplayer. Because that needs drastic improvements imo, and if it falls short in the next game, i will probably reconsider.

 

[boxox]

yeah, of course

Well, for another thing Ian has joined the long list of people who actually knew what their game sold (as the Mass Effect folks did) who directly called BS on the vgchartz figures for their game

 

[OLDSKOOLACURA]

I'm done with console racers, I'm a IRACING fan now. I am keeping SHIFT 2 hoping they fix the problems with it.

I used to love that game and I never really had a problem with the lag people talked about until all I kept reading about was lag this and lag that and now I notice it and can't stand it. Sad because it was a great game, and could of been so much better.

 

[NLxAROSA]

I used to love that game and I never really had a problem with the lag people talked about until all I kept reading about was lag this and lag that and now I notice it and can't stand it. Sad because it was a great game, and could of been so much better.

You could give the PC version a go, it's dirt cheap and it has no lag. Same dodgy car setups though, although much easier to drive.