EA Redefines NASCAR Racing with NASCAR SimRacing

by Louis Bedigian

 

“There are no illusions in NASCAR SimRacing. Everything is real and the physics system is so complex that no two crashes ever appear identical.”

 

 

With your hands wrapped tightly around the wheel, victory moves closer with every lap.  You’ve been doing this for a long time, yet the experience never seems to tire, the thrill never seems to wane.  As you race toward the finish line, your heart races along with you, beating so fast it almost hurts.  You know you can make it.  You can feel it in your skin; it flows through your blood.  You will win this race.  You will be victorious!

 

Once the game is done loading. 

 

 

 

Many of you know NASCAR Thunder and NASCAR: Chase for the Cup as the tokens of EA’s fun machine.  Some of you probably remember NASCAR Rumble, the extreme sports side of simulation racing.

 

As great as those are, EA couldn’t just port ‘em to the PC and call it a day.  They had to make a game that was designed specifically for the PC market with specific PC features.

 

Several months of hard work and dedication was all it took for EA to put together what could be their most realistic racing game yet: NASCAR SimRacing.

 

Hop into the driver’s seat and strap yourself in for an interview with Producer James Hawkins. 

 

 

 

PC gamers' demands are not the same as console gamers.  How are you meeting their needs with NASCAR SimRacing?  More specifically, why would a PC gamer want this game instead of (or in addition to) NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup?

 

James Hawkins: We recognize that PC gamers demand a different experience to that of PS2/XBOX/NGC gamers. PC gamers want to experience NASCAR for real and all of the racing games that have been successful on the PC are simulation oriented.

 

In order to create the simulation game that PC gamers were demanding, we established a completely new specialist PC development team including myself, ex-papyrus personnel, several engineers and artists from I.S.I. (best known for development of EA SPORTS F1 series on PC). The team is based at the Tiburon studio, in sunny Florida – home of the Madden, NCAA, and NFL Street teams.

 

PC gamers will like the emphasis on absolute reality and attention to real world details such as the authentic driver helmets etc. The biggest features that set PC apart from the PS2/XBOX/NGC game are the ability to drive in the cockpit, high resolution physics and vehicle dynamics using real data and test driven by real drivers such as Ryan Newman and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and last but by no means least, the multiplayer game mode where it is possible for 43 players to race against each other simultaneously.

 

With game consoles you have the advantage of analog controls and analog button sensitivity.  The PC has an extensive list of peripherals, but much simpler controllers.  How has this influenced this game's development?

 

JH: The PC has the most advanced steering wheel/pedal game controllers available and there are many affordable good quality systems available such as the Logitech Momo for example which is just one of the wheel/pedal game controllers that we support. 

 

Once the in-the-car view gets perfected, I’ll never leave the house again. 

 

What's this in-depth telemetry data I keep hearing about?

 

JH: NASCAR SimRacing provides Telemetry exactly as real race drivers would get. Telemetry provides players with very detailed feedback about their car and driving style.  Multiple laps can be overlaid and compared exactly at any point of any lap. The following is a short summary of the things that Telemetry may be used to analyze.

 

Driver Inputs - Throttle, Brake, Steering, Gear & Clutch.

Engine & Gearbox Information - RPM, Oil Temperature & Water Temperature.

Damper Velocities & Ride Height

Tires - Temperatures, Friction & Wheel Spin.

 

Telemetry is perfect for improving vehicle setups and driving style.

 

Tell us about the game's 25 authentic NASCAR tracks.

 

JH: We set ourselves two key goals in regards to creating the tracks for NASCAR SimRacing. 

•  Absolute Accuracy/Authenticity. Every detail, including bumps and ridges that may be present where tunnels pass under the track surface are modelled and positioned exactly as they are at the real track.

• ‘High definition’ tracks comprising the very highest resolution models and maps developed to date for any PC racing game.

 

High-resolution photographs were taken for each track to create ‘flick books’ comprising entire laps that we could compare directly to game shots. In addition to the ‘flick books,’ panoramic and close up shots of all track features as well as onboard footage, measurements and driver feedback were used to ensure we realized our goals.

 

NASCAR SimRacing includes 28 tracks in total as listed below. The last 3 tracks are fantasy tracks that we designed and created ourselves.

 

DAYTONA®

TALLADEGA®

Bristol

Atlanta

California®

Chicagoland

Indianapolis

Lowe’s

Michigan™

DARLINGTON®

Homestead-Miami™

Texas

Dover

Indianapolis Raceway Park

Infineon Raceway

Kansas Speedway™

Las Vegas

Martinsville

Milwaukee Mile

Nazareth

New Hampshire

North Carolina®

PHOENIX™

RICHMOND™

Watkins Glen®

Dodge Raceway Stadium

Levi Strauss Signature Speedway

Red Ball Raceway

 

 

“They took off as soon as they saw the trailer.”

“For what?  Star Wars?”

“Nope.  Cars.” 

 

Thus far, Chase for the Cup (Xbox version) has been the most beautiful racing game.  Can NASCAR SimRacing top it?

 

JH: NASCAR SimRacing uses directX 9.0c and pixel shaders to render some of the most complex and detailed cars and track environments of any racing game ever developed. Pixel shaders have proven very effective for special effects such as the solar effects and glare which add a new dimension to the game and make the tracks feel much more natural. NASCAR SimRacing supports a variety of different resolutions and looks almost like the real thing at 1600x1200.

 

How much collision detection and collision detail is there?  When I crash into a row of vehicles, how much destruction will follow?

 

JH: NASCAR SimRacing features accurate car-to-car collisions, special effects such as smoke, skids and fire, and removable parts such as the hood, wheels, etc. All of the removable parts have physics applied allowing them to rebound off of objects, get whipped up by air, etc. In extreme crashes, cars can also get airborne.

 

Are the crashes being designed to give the illusion that no two are exactly alike?

 

JH: There are no illusions in NASCAR SimRacing. Everything is real and the physics system is so complex that no two crashes ever appear identical just as in real life.

 

What kind of replay features will NASCAR SimRacing have?

 

JH: NASCAR SimRacing includes a complete replay studio, allowing entire races to be saved and reviewed at a later date. Other features include the ability to watch replays during multiplayer races when you have crashed out while the race continues. Switching between LIVE and REPLAY mode is seamless.

 

NASCAR SimRacing features the first ever NASCAR Career Mode.  What's different about it – why is it superior to the career modes featured in other NASCAR or standard racing games?

 

JH: Career mode allows you to start a career in any series and attempt to gain promotion to higher series. It is an extremely flexible game mode on the PC where you may elect to compete as a driver or driver/owner. As a driver/owner, you get to manage Research and Development, Sponsorship, Merchandise and team budgets. 

 

“You know, I was going to buy one of these, but the insurance would’ve killed me!”

“Yeah, sure…” 

 

Explain why the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is not merely NASCAR racing with new aesthetics.

 

JH: NASCAR has several racing series, creating a structure similar to baseball’s minor leagues. NASCAR SimRacing includes all of these series, allowing you to race in the Craftsman Truck, Busch/National and NEXTEL Cup Series.

 

NASCAR SimRacing has unique vehicle dynamics for the trucks/cars in each series so as to provide a real simulation of the challenge that drivers face in each series.

 

Some of the main differences between the series are as follows: 

• The Craftsman Truck and Busch/National series trucks/cars have slightly less horsepower than that of the NEXTEL Cup Series cars making them a little easier to control.

•  The Craftsman Truck and Busch/National series races are shorter than those of the NEXTEL Cup Series. The Craftsman Truck series races being the shortest.

•  The Craftsman Truck series races feature 36 drivers whereas the Busch/National and NEXTEL Cup series races feature 43 drivers.

•  The Craftsman Truck and Busch/National series race at some tracks that the NEXTEL Cup Series does not visit including Indianapolis Raceway Park, Milwaukee Mile, and Nazareth. Nazareth being raced at exclusively by the Busch/National series.

• The Craftsman Truck and Busch/National series allow the player to race at Dodge Raceway Stadium, Levi Strauss Signature Speedway and Red Ball Raceway. These are fantasy tracks that we created to replace a few Craftsman Truck and Busch/National series tracks where we were unable to obtain enough information with which to recreate them accurately.

The Craftsman Truck and Busch/National series are perfect for fans of those series and also a great learning ground for new players learning to drive and race high-powered NASCAR race cars before taking on the elite NEXTEL Cup Series. 

 

Can you spot the product placement? 

 

When we're not losing hours of sleep racing through the career mode, what other mode(s) will we be playing?

 

JH: NASCAR SimRacing drivers are most likely to lose sleep with the Multiplayer game mode.

 

The ability to compete against other real drivers in top-level motorsports such as NASCAR is beyond the reach of most people. In the real world, racing is an expensive and dangerous sport in which to participate, races are organized months in advance and drivers must travel almost constantly in order to complete the season schedule.

 

Conversely, in NASCAR SimRacing, racing against other drivers is affordable and without risk, races can be entered at any time and ‘SimRacers’ all over the world are able to compete against each other from the convenience of their own homes. In NASCAR SimRacing it is possible for 43 ‘SimRacers’ to compete against one another simultaneously, just as 43 real drivers compete against one another simultaneously in every real life NEXTEL Cup Series race.

 

All you need is a registered copy of NASCAR SimRacing and your computer configured so that it is connected to the internet via a high speed/broadband internet service or recognized as part of the Local Area Network that other players may be connected to.

 

Thank you for your time.