On 4/21/2011 1:36 AM, Andrew MacPherson wrote:
> (William Bradshaw) wrote:
>
>> As the dev of NSS
>
> Ah, that's very interesting. Having only recently reactivated rF I was a bit short
> of oval action. Since leaving iRacing (albeit temporarily because iRacing is the
> Hotel California of simming) I've missed my Silverado... though I haven't missed
> the occasional 1.5 hour races with a million laps under yellow.
>
> You've prompted me to do some downloading. I'll investigate later.

I think it's universally agreed among the guys at FMS that NSS 4.0 was
probably the best mod version. I took the reigns after NSS 2010 was
released by John Alley, which is a higher gripped version of NASCAR. I
believe his idea at the time was to challenge VHR in popularity and ease
of use. NSS 7.0, what I'm working on, is going back to roots in reality.

Basically, I ask that you don't judge the mod based off of NSS 2010.
haha. What I'm working on is vastly different. That said, I should
probably get in touch with the guys at Sim Racing Tonight and ask 'em
not to review what is currently out for Top Sim Car.

>> I'm just hoping that their tire and suspension updates will do
>> sim racing justice.
>
> Well, I think it's fair to use iRacing as a modern benchmark in these things, and
> the rF guys (especially Tim!) must know what they're competing with. So I'm
> confident we'll be getting something quite impressive.
>
> Perhaps not as impressive as many people hope for though. The rF forum seems to be
> full of folk expecting nothing short of a feature-packed miracle! When it turns out
> to be similar to iRacing, with lots of stuff on the to-do list, I fear a minor
> revolt.
>
> But then the simming community has always been pretty revolting and stroppy, so
> there'll be nothing new there. :-)

I think most people (AKA sim racers) can agree that graphics doesn't
define a sim, but the physics in the background. So far, it's been
promising from their updates.

>> It sucks trying to develop something
>> and then realize the physics just don't support it.
>
> In the distant past I did some game programming in assembly code, and being in
> complete control of the code was both frustrating and rewarding at the same time. I
> can only imagine the frustration associated with trying to make other people's code
> do what you want! :-) But it's always nice to 'meet' people who've actually given
> something to the community rather than just taking/complaining. So, er, thanks
> Will!

Well, I haven't given anything yet. Still a long WIP, but at least the
core suspension and aero is in place at the moment. But at least you're
aware of the challenges involved. I remember trying my hand at C++ and
giving up after a month.

Frankly, I got tired of the NSS cars not reacting as the real life
counterparts do! That, and I'm tired of seeing huge numbers of VHR
servers on the in-game server listing. lol. So, indeed, it's definitely
a mountain climb when getting into ISI modding.

>> Of course, I was excited about NASCAR 2011 as well...then I read
>> the reviews and forums. Talk about deflated expectations.
>
> I have so far managed to resist the temptation to buy a PS3 import on UK's Ebay.
> Maybe when it's a bit cheaper. Ok, a lot cheaper. :->
>
> It did seem to have potential though, you're right. I just got scared off by the
> nasty physics in some of the videos, then user reports.

Agreed. It's kind of strange of them to hype up the great damage
modeling and graphics, but not care about the physics so much. Reminds
me of the EA debacle all over again. On the plus side, at least they're
going to patch the thing up. Of course, that doesn't exactly help the
folks who don't have their PS3's online. Also heard they outright
cancelled release in Europe. I'm sure that'll go over well.


-Will