50 replies to this topic

[rich42]

I found this a few days ago for £10 and decided to see what it was like...one of the best decisions I have made recently! Being made by Sierra (the GPL people) I expected some good things, and was not disappointed. I don't really follow the series itself, as I thought "hmm...oval racing...where's the interest in that?", but this simulator (it's more of a proper simulator than a game) gave me a whole new respect for those drivers and their strategies. There's just something about picking your way through a field of 42 cars racing nose to tail which is so much fun! It even has a fully functional pace/safety car (something which F1 games have always lacked for me). There's just one problem: I've got a really sore back after completing the Daytona 500 in just over 3 hours... Has anyone else seen/played this game and have any comments about it?

[FlatFoot]

Was thinking of grabbing this one myself. How is the multiplayer?

[Scoop]

I've played Nascar 2002.. pretty good sim.. before i started, i thought, ovals.. so what's the problem.. now i know
racing there is hard not as bad as f1, but still...

[Linus27]

Had it for a few months and YES, its brilliant. Also run in a league with a bunch of very fast Scandanadians. You might want to keep a check on the Blackhole Motorsports site as Papy, the guys who made the game (not Sierra) also included physics for Craftmans Truck, Bursch and Trans Am cars and so, once the patch has been released, these free addons will be released by a company called Project Wildfire.

[rich42]

Originally posted by FlatFoot
Was thinking of grabbing this one myself. How is the multiplayer?

I haven't played multiplayer myself, my connection isn't stable enough at home, although when I get back to college I'll be on a 100Mbit connection
What I've gathered is that you can have an entire field of 43 cars, all human-controlled. There is a "Hardcore Mode", which forces everyone to race from cockpit view, with all realism turned on. The chat system is reasonable, with about 10 pre-stored messages which can be accessed by the number keys, as well as being able to type your own. That's all I know about multiplayer.

[Nasty McBastard]

sadly is the last one in the papyrus-cum-sierra nascar series.

ive liked the games since the original nascar game come out, and i think the only sim that is better is GPL (funny how its made by the same people too).

sure, its all round in circles stuff, but thats besides the point. 'sim' wise, and 'racing' wise, it spanks every other sim ive seen./.....hard.

even comming into the EA f1 series as a diehard f1 nut, i still think the nascar series pisses upon it form a great height.

as for multiplayer, i cant comment on 2003, but 2002 was pretty nice.

[Cypher]

I skip qualifying, start off at the back and charge up 10th place or so, get wiped out by some fool AI car and end up at the back again, charge up to 10th place or so, get wiped out again, and so on....

I'm almost disappointed when I make it into the lead as a lot of the fun is over. Oval racing really, really tests how you deal with traffic.

[rich42]

That's what I like about having such incremental difficulty levels. It lets you set the difficulty at any level you like (up to a point). Learning the importance of drafting well is a massive key to success on ovals, as I'm finding out the hard way...

[rich42]

Oh btw, for those who have the game, any tips for being fast on Infineon (setup or driving style)? I'm fine at the Glen, but can't get the lines right fast enough at Infineon to be competitive (at least, not without shredding my tyres). Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

[Scoop]

I won at Glen yesterday on a quick race with 2002...


Anyone played 2002 and 2003 ? is 2003 better?

[Scoop]

Originally posted by Cypher

I'm almost disappointed when I make it into the lead as a lot of the fun is over. Oval racing really, really tests how you deal with traffic.

i've never successfully dealt with traffic .. there's always a big mess everytime i run into traffic.. i'm getting a bit better though.

[Cypher]

With traffic I find it's safest to wait until a gap appears that I can slot back into. This takes some patience early in a race and is a problem with short races if you are near the back. Of course, there's always a temptation to try and force a gap to appear. Or another temptation to run really down low on the white line on the inside and overtake a lot there. Or try a mad run around the outside of a whole bunch of cars in a corner. Great when it works.

NASCAR is addictive as even when it all goes horribly wrong, I want to try it again immediately and do it properly the next time.

I'm sticking with the ovals right now as I've tried Watkins Glen a few times now and I still can't get around it without at some point my car wallowing off into the scenery like a drunken walrus.

[Mat]

While I havent played it too much lately because im waiting for the patch to be released. But its a great game! It is definately better than 2002 as well.

Here's some sights to check out:
full 2003 cars from here
Jeffs N2003 car ratings

[rich42]

Originally posted by Cypher

I'm sticking with the ovals right now as I've tried Watkins Glen a few times now and I still can't get around it without at some point my car wallowing off into the scenery like a drunken walrus.

Don't worry about the Glen...just brake in a straight line where the darker rubber-laden tarmac starts, and you'll be at the right speed for the corner when it comes.

[Arrow]

Its simply the best sim of all time.
Makes any other non papy sim look amateurish and thats not an exaggeration!

If only papy had made an f1 sim.
Id probably never leave my room.

[mhferrari]

Sounds like a great game. Maybe I should get it.

[rich42]

Before I got it, I saw it a few times in the shops and didn't think too much of it. After all, I'd never really been into NASCAR or oval racing. Eventually I decided "what the hell, it's reduced anyway so I might as well try it". After my first complete race at Daytona, I had a massive grin transfixed on my face. It really is that good, and I'd recommend it as one of the best buys you'll find this year.

[Scoop]

Originally posted by rich42
Before I got it, I saw it a few times in the shops and didn't think too much of it. After all, I'd never really been into NASCAR or oval racing. Eventually I decided "what the hell, it's reduced anyway so I might as well try it". After my first complete race at Daytona, I had a massive grin transfixed on my face. It really is that good, and I'd recommend it as one of the best buys you'll find this year.

Compared to 2002?

I like 2002.. i was wondering if 2003 is even better.. then i would go and buy

As it is, i don't spend much time on the sims i have.. i should find more time.. but when i started recently trying on the Glen, i even leave early from work to get to my racing

[Mat]

Its definately better than 2002 version!

[Kiwi]

Originally posted by Mat
Its definately better than 2002 version!

How so??

[Pikachu Racing]

Anyone know a decent setup for Loudon?

[Bennett]

Quick list of 2003 improvements over 2002 (in no particular order):

1. Improved track modeling - bumps and dips seriously affect the car dynamics and can be felt with force feedback - brilliant!

2. Better graphic effects - sun flare and transition from day to night (ref. Charlotte night race). Cool oil and debris on windshield effect complete with haze when facing sun. Minor things but definitely adds to the immersion factor.

3. Better sounds - better tire at the limit sounds, better car on car rubbing sounds.

4. Major physics improvement - used much more current REAL telemetry data from Team Jasper. Downforce/tire grip balance feels fabulous. Aero push, tire management, damper/spring rates all just feel better. Jasper even provided setups based around their real-world setups! The new patch from Papy will further tweak the aero/tire model based on current data which is being collected by Jasper race-by-race!

5. Improved session options - as much as I would love to run a 100% race, I simply don't have time. Papy finally implemented multipliers to the tire/fuel usage. You can run a 25% race with 4x tire and fuel usage so you could run a realistic tire/fuel pitstop strategy.

6. Better AI - the AI seem less robotic. They definitely race hard, but don't seem as prone to taking me out. Sometimes it seems that an AI car takes me out, but when I watch the replay from various angles I can see that is not the case.

7. Multiple physics models - N2003 has physics models for the Busch series car, Craftsman Truck, and even the tube framed TransAm cars (complete with 6 speed tranny). Papy are "unlocking" these physics models for the mod community - check out www.projectwildfire.com. The future mods should be incredible.

8. N2003 supports long tracks - this means that you can run The Ring and Spa (courtesy of the GPL track converter by David Noonan).

Overall, N2003 is vastly improved from N2002 - highly recommended for any racing sim fan!

[mhferrari]

Originally posted by Bennett
8. N2003 supports long tracks - this means that you can run The Ring and Spa (courtesy of the GPL track converter by David Noonan).

Ricky Rudd at the 'Ring.

[Nasty McBastard]

one question.

can you save mid race?

its fine to increase tyre/fuel consumption 4 times in a 25% race and all, but i miss doing a full season at 100% distance.

all you need is an option to save under yellow or something.

[Mat]

Still no 'save mid-race' feature. Its the worst feature about papyrus games. Im like you as well, and only really enjoy doing 100% races, but I've settled for 50%.

[Pikachu Racing]

Anyone uses the Sierra race server? How about some of us race?

[OssieFan]

My question is, are there many downloadable tracks to add on? (Inparticular non-oval tracks)

[Bennett]

David Noonan - the creator of the GPL track converter has a converter for GPL to N2003. This is a commercial product but a very reasonable cost.

Papyrus has also included a very cool bonus track pack which includes a very high speed road course with the banked turns of ovals. The track pack also includes a figure-of-8 oval.

I imagine that free 3rd party downloads will be available in due time.

[mhferrari]

Is there anywhere I could find a demo?

[Cypher]

Go to www.papy.com and "downloads" and the demo is right at the top.

[Linus27]

Once we get the patch from papy which is any day now, we will be getting the Busch series add on, Craftsmans trucks add on and soon the Tram Am add on. All included is the correct physics and tracks so its going to be awsome.

[Arrow]

Will that truck series be a road track series or more boring oval crap?

i dont see the point of it being just the same ovals,you wont be able to tell it apart from nascars then.

[FlatFoot]

Originally posted by Arrow
Will that truck series be a road track series or more boring oval crap?

i dont see the point of it being just the same ovals,you wont be able to tell it apart from nascars then.

Well considering it's a physics patch...I suspect you will be able to tell a difference.

[Arrow]

Ovals are a waste of physics in my opinion.
In other words you cant fully taste them by driving around a highspeed oval.
Im sure we will be able to tell the difference but not enough to jusify a whole new mod!

[Linus27]

Ovals are a waste of physics in my opinion.

Unless you have driven ovals for real, I really have to disagree with that comment.

[Mat]

Originally posted by Linus27


Unless you have driven ovals for real, I really have to disagree with that comment.

I agree, there are just as many differences between ovals as there is in road tracks.

[Arrow]

Originally posted by Linus27


Unless you have driven ovals for real, I really have to disagree with that comment.

Thats not nothing to do with it.
Im talking from a gaming point of view.

Ovals limit the useage of the car compared to driving road courses that involve braking,acceraration and constant cornering.

How do you drive on nascar ovals?
Flat chat most of the time only backing off and leaning the car into left hand corners.
Yawn.

The car offers so much more scope but the nature of oval racing nullifys it all.

[FlatFoot]

Sounds like this thread/game isn't for you...I'm sure not compelled to try and convince you otherwise.

[rich42]

My experiences of this game have just been taken to a new level with an upgraded machine...
Previously: Athlon 1.2GHz with 256MB RAM and nVidia Riva TNT2 32MB card
Now: AthlonXP 2600+ with 512MB RAM and nVidia GeForce 4 MX and nForce2.
Crank all the settings to max...and it looks beautiful. Now to sort out the problem of the cars sounding like large bees...

[Nasty McBastard]

the 'large bee' thing will get sorted i imagine.

2002 had the same problem, and someone made a patch for it (dont forget to check www.theuspits.com for all sorts of **** for all sorts of race sims), and after i installed it the cars just sounded kick arse...they were all angry sounding and feisty....like youd expect a real nascar to sound






as for ovals being a waste of physics......ive spent more time getting some ovals in the nascar series perfected than alot of tracks in f1 sims (gpl excluded).

ovals really are about absolute perfection/consistancy.

most racing rims (f1 sims etc) its a matter of getting on the breaks in pretty much the same area...give or take, and turning in.....if you are slightly off..its ok...no drama.

some ovals......that slight bit that you are off braking or lifting or turning in can be the difference between nailing it, and bitchslapping the wall on exit

[Jason]

£10 is really cheap for NR2003. Was it some type of special deal?

[rich42]

Originally posted by Jason
£10 is really cheap for NR2003. Was it some type of special deal?

I just found it in GAME, originally priced £15, but 30% off on top of that. A very decent bargain, probably because there aren't too many US motor racing fans in Britain...

[FlatFoot]

It's still $40 USD everywhere I see it here in the states.

[Jason]

Originally posted by FlatFoot
It's still $40 USD everywhere I see it here in the states.

I ordered my copy a couple weeks ago from amazon.com for $33 (free shipping and no tax). At the time, I thought it was a good price. Apparently it wasn't.

[Arturo Pereira]

Buy and race NR2003 if you like to race at Oval tracks. Driving a Nascar car at Nurburgring is just like trying to drive a school bus at 100mph in Manhattan any Friday at 5pm. These cars were designed to turn left and that is what they do pretty well. Do not ask them to lap at Monaco and also to give pleasure to the driver

Do not pretend NR2003 to replace any F1 car sims. NR2003 can simulate only one kind of cars per series, no matter the skin. So any Winston cup car will perform as any other Winston cup car, no matter the skin shows a Chevrolet, a Ford or a Dodge. That is Nascar ... take it or leave it.

[Mat]

btw, make sure to check out www.theuspits.com for the unofficial patch, and addons such as Busch, Crasftsmen Truck and TransAm updates from Project Wildfire. They also have a damage model update which ads scrapes to the side of the car when you hit the walls!

[rich42]

Originally posted by FlatFoot
It's still $40 USD everywhere I see it here in the states.

If you are prepared to wait a while to get it, you can order from www.amazon.co.uk. It's £15 (plus a couple of quid for airmail)...

[Arturo Pereira]

Oh well, it seems that the real TransAm cars only used 5 or 4 gears transmissions, NEVER a 6 gears one.
It was named TransAm as it could have been named CanAm, F1, Sport Prototype, WRC ... whatever

[Nasty McBastard]

Originally posted by Mat
btw, make sure to check out www.theuspits.com for the unofficial patch, and addons such as Busch, Crasftsmen Truck and TransAm updates from Project Wildfire. They also have a damage model update which ads scrapes to the side of the car when you hit the walls!

yeah, as with most games, theyre ok as is, but once you get some patches/addons theyre better.

theres some pretty spiffy sound 'addon' things for n2002 atleast...actually make the cars sound like theyve got balls. and the no-cd patches are always worth the download.

i always use theuspits.com for my nascar stuff....theyve got stuff for GPL and f1 games etc there too from memory

[Mat]

The official patch has finally been released! Go get the 1.2.0.1 patch at www.papy.com