Nascar 08 - A UK Player PS2 Opinion

mrvpuk · 18-09-2007, 09:37 PM

Hi all,

First of all I'm going to say that I am enjoying playing the game (the way the AI reacts when side swiped or leaned on is great). It is a racing game however (and I always enjoy them) and I did say I was going to buy all the "08" games (only want Madden and NHL as well) this year as everything is likely to go "Next Gen" next year. However the PS2 version of Nascar 08 has a number of issues: (all based on one season in the Craftsman Truck series in "Earn your Stripes" mode - 4% race length).

1) Slide the car enough in the turn of a 1.5 mile oval to the point where it generates smoke, and 9 times out of 10 (or 30 seconds later) when you come around for the next lap, it's still there. This wouldn't happen in real life.
2) Bad AI lines mean apexs or bottom lines of corners are often left open on tracks like Boulder Raceway, Craftsman Raceway and Toyota Raceway and other short ovals, making passing too easy.
3) "Assists" prevent you from rear ending cars. Switch the "Assists" off, but put "Share Draft" mode on and you still can't rear end people. Bump Drafting is hence difficult.
4) Had my contract "end" whilst leading the championship by 150+ points, 14 races, 5 wins, 14 top 10's. This just wouldn't happen...........
5) When running with no yellows in a short race on a fast oval (Las Vegas in this case) I suffered an invisible car crash. Backed off, didn't get rear ended and the car just turned left.
6) The default setup for each track seems to either leave you very underpowered (i.e. won't top 130mph on the straight at New Hampshire - pole for last weekend's race was a 127mph average) or burns the tires (e.g. Martinsville).
7) Inconsistencies in the AI, as per point 2, around pitting & lap speeds run - see point 8
8 The rubber band effect of the AI is bad, i.e. stay in the inside lane you will head to the front easily. Head to the outside lane for a pass without dropping your lap speed and suddenly people you passed two laps ago will be going past you. It also happens when you hit the top 5 positions.
9) General inconsistent pace between qualifying and the race (see point 10 as well) qualified 36th out of 36 at Boulder Raceway and Michigan - 2 seconds off of the general speed (using the default setup). Michigan went 36th to 5th in 6 laps (and got stuck due to the rubber band effect). At Boulder went from 36th to 8th in 5 laps.
10) Craftsman Truck Series lap record at Watkins Glen 1'14'465 - I qualified in pole with a 1'08', with 2nd back on a 1'13'. In the race the top 3 cars ran with a 1'09' average. At New Hampshire I qualified on pole by 0.5 seconds (which is a lot on a 1 mile oval). Switched the setup for the race to gain 10mph on the straight (still slow running@140mph). Finished 3rd as the AI was running that much faster.

Hope this helps anyone that is thinking of buying the game (and perhaps EA?)

EAUK_Adroit · 20-09-2007, 12:14 PM

Thanks for your feedback, I'll be sure to pass it on to the developers for you.

mrvpuk · 20-09-2007, 10:14 PM

Hey thanks. Hope it helps in some respects to developers and fans, it is a fun challenging game to play. I always play a game on the weakest difficulty level when I first get it and then move up and I think that may be causing some of the problem. I am in my second season now and am more used to the way the game plays, hence I am driving faster, hence the rubber band effect - point 8 - is much more drastic.

At Lowes I was on pole by 2 seconds (which is a lot on an oval less than 2 miles). In the race my car was pretty much maxed based on set up and car upgrades that would have been attainable at that point (2's on a few things), but the rubber banding to keep things competitive was giving cars handling and acceleration off of the turns that was unreal (and possibly unattainable I was passed fully - i.e. a 3 length gain - exiting turn 4 at 170mph plus). Dropped back to about 5th, hit the share draft and the lap times dropped by 1.2 seconds! As soon as I made moves though up went the speeds. Crazy.

18-09-2007, 09:37 PM	#1 (permalink)
mrvpuk Rookie Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 3	Nascar 08 - A UK Player PS2 Opinion Hi all, First of all I'm going to say that I am enjoying playing the game (the way the AI reacts when side swiped or leaned on is great). It is a racing game however (and I always enjoy them) and I did say I was going to buy all the "08" games (only want Madden and NHL as well) this year as everything is likely to go "Next Gen" next year. However the PS2 version of Nascar 08 has a number of issues: (all based on one season in the Craftsman Truck series in "Earn your Stripes" mode - 4% race length). 1) Slide the car enough in the turn of a 1.5 mile oval to the point where it generates smoke, and 9 times out of 10 (or 30 seconds later) when you come around for the next lap, it's still there. This wouldn't happen in real life. 2) Bad AI lines mean apexs or bottom lines of corners are often left open on tracks like Boulder Raceway, Craftsman Raceway and Toyota Raceway and other short ovals, making passing too easy. 3) "Assists" prevent you from rear ending cars. Switch the "Assists" off, but put "Share Draft" mode on and you still can't rear end people. Bump Drafting is hence difficult. 4) Had my contract "end" whilst leading the championship by 150+ points, 14 races, 5 wins, 14 top 10's. This just wouldn't happen........... 5) When running with no yellows in a short race on a fast oval (Las Vegas in this case) I suffered an invisible car crash. Backed off, didn't get rear ended and the car just turned left. 6) The default setup for each track seems to either leave you very underpowered (i.e. won't top 130mph on the straight at New Hampshire - pole for last weekend's race was a 127mph average) or burns the tires (e.g. Martinsville). 7) Inconsistencies in the AI, as per point 2, around pitting & lap speeds run - see point 8 8 The rubber band effect of the AI is bad, i.e. stay in the inside lane you will head to the front easily. Head to the outside lane for a pass without dropping your lap speed and suddenly people you passed two laps ago will be going past you. It also happens when you hit the top 5 positions. 9) General inconsistent pace between qualifying and the race (see point 10 as well) qualified 36th out of 36 at Boulder Raceway and Michigan - 2 seconds off of the general speed (using the default setup). Michigan went 36th to 5th in 6 laps (and got stuck due to the rubber band effect). At Boulder went from 36th to 8th in 5 laps. 10) Craftsman Truck Series lap record at Watkins Glen 1'14'465 - I qualified in pole with a 1'08', with 2nd back on a 1'13'. In the race the top 3 cars ran with a 1'09' average. At New Hampshire I qualified on pole by 0.5 seconds (which is a lot on a 1 mile oval). Switched the setup for the race to gain 10mph on the straight (still slow running@140mph). Finished 3rd as the AI was running that much faster. Hope this helps anyone that is thinking of buying the game (and perhaps EA?)

20-09-2007, 12:14 PM	#2 (permalink)
EAUK_Adroit Community Representative Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: UK Age: 22 Gender: Male Posts: 23,421	Thanks for your feedback, I'll be sure to pass it on to the developers for you. __________________ Adroit Community Representative Electronic Arts Currently playing: FIFA 10 and Need For Speed: Shift Looking forward to: Left 4 Dead 2 PSN: EAUK_Adroit \|\| Gamertag: EAUK Adroit

20-09-2007, 10:14 PM	#3 (permalink)
mrvpuk Rookie Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 3	Hey thanks. Hope it helps in some respects to developers and fans, it is a fun challenging game to play. I always play a game on the weakest difficulty level when I first get it and then move up and I think that may be causing some of the problem. I am in my second season now and am more used to the way the game plays, hence I am driving faster, hence the rubber band effect - point 8 - is much more drastic. At Lowes I was on pole by 2 seconds (which is a lot on an oval less than 2 miles). In the race my car was pretty much maxed based on set up and car upgrades that would have been attainable at that point (2's on a few things), but the rubber banding to keep things competitive was giving cars handling and acceleration off of the turns that was unreal (and possibly unattainable I was passed fully - i.e. a 3 length gain - exiting turn 4 at 170mph plus). Dropped back to about 5th, hit the share draft and the lap times dropped by 1.2 seconds! As soon as I made moves though up went the speeds. Crazy.