Articles

GameGuy:
The “Racing Sim” Edition (Hint -We don’t
need another NASCAR Game.)
By Mark H. Walker

I have two great passions:
Racing and gaming. In 1965, I saw Jim Clark (deceased Formula One
World Champion) blast flat out through Spa’s famed Eau Rouge,
and I was hooked. Although my taste in computer games is wider than
the racing genre, I have never lost that passion for speed imbued
by Clark’s deep green Lotus 33.

Whether the speed is real
–ingested at the wheel of my ITB Corolla– or simulated, matters
not. What does, however, matter is the direction the games that simulate
speed are taking –the future of racing simulations, so to speak.
It’s a bright future, but that doesn’t mean it’s
a good future. Let me explain.

The crystal ball is easily
read. In the coming years we’ll see a never ending stream of
simulations depicting two types of racing: NASCAR and the FIA Formula
One World Championship. No doubt, the games will sell well. Americans
buy the NASCAR simulations while the rest of the planet snaps up the
Formula One games. Yeah, we’ll see the occasional GT3,
TOCA 2, Viper Racing, or Sports Car GT,
but if you don’t like NASCAR or F1, you’ll often be out
of luck.

Innovation? Not here. Developers
will continue to wow editors with better graphics and drivers with
supposedly more realistic physics models, but the nature of the beast
will remain the same. Hey, I like high-gloss, reflective-paint cars
as well as the next guy (or gal), but does it really change
the racing experience? And realistic? Puhlease don’t talk to
me about realistic. Decreasing the surface traction coefficient and
making the steering more sensitive does not qualify as realistic.
Any coder can make a game impossible to drive.

Case in same-old-stuff
point: Grand Prix 4 and Papyrus’s NASCAR Racing
series. Grand Prix 4 is a solid game; Geoff Crammond has
once again hit the game-engine sweet spot, making the Ferraris, Jordans,
and McLarens a joy to pilot. The graphics, while not stunning, are
at least pleasing. But that’s it, Grand Prix 4 feels
like an updated version of Grand Prix II, nothing more. Nothing
new.

By the same token, NASCAR
4 (or is it version 5 or 6? I’ve lost count) is little
more than a prettier version of the original NASCAR Racing.
I respect Dave Kaemmer; he is arguably the finest racing simulation
coder/designer in the history of gaming, but Papyrus needs to give
NASCAR a rest.

In essence, racing simulation’s
bright future is the same old wine in a brand new bottle.
The game boots, the gamer chooses practice, single race, or championship
season, and the game plays. The cars are a bit more appealing than
the game’s predecessor, but little else has changed.

But what of the other future,
A.K.A. that good future? I’ve seen it, and it lives
in games such older games as Monaco Grand Prix Racing 2,
Dirt Track Racing, and NASCAR Heat. The good
future consists of racing simulations that eschew either the tried
and true NASCAR/Formula One series or present it in a unique manner,
or both.

Yes, Monaco Grand Prix
Racing 2 is another Formula One game, but it includes more options
than a neophyte long-distance phone company. At the top of the list
are the game’s scenarios. Why practice, qualify, and race when
you can hop into the seat and drive a scripted scenario? These mini-races
run the gamut, from helping a teammate win a championship to fighting
off the competition on the final lap. They’re new, creative,
and most of all, fun. Similarly, NASCAR Heat offers not only
its Beat the Heat challenge scenarios, but Race the Pro, which allows
gamers to pit their skills against actual hot laps laid down by Winston
Cup drivers. On the flip side of the coin, Dirt Track Racing’s
strength is its subject matter. Where else can you get the luscious
feel of sliding sideways through the dirt at darn near 1000 miles
per hour?

Unfortunately, we won’t
see many unique racing venues from major publishers in the coming
years. There isn’t a fan base to support it. What we can hope
to see is a new face on the simulations we buy. A face that includes
scenarios, laps against real pros, and other as of yet thought of
innovations. The days of slapping 200 new pixels, a slightly enhanced
physics engine, and the latest tracks into a box and calling it new
are drawing to a close. Let’s merge racing simulations bright
future with its good future and make a great future
for gamers and publishers alike.

© Mark H.
Walker, LLC 2002
Mark H. Walker is a veteran interactive entertainment journalist who
has written over 40 books and designs games including his soon to
be released Lock ‘n Load.