NASCAR Chase for the Cup 2005 (XBox) Q & A

[b_assassin]

Re: NASCAR Chase for the Cup 2005 (XBox) Q & A

Is the handling of each type of vehicle discernably different? Meaning, can you really tell the difference when you are driving a modified, truck, busch or cup car?

Also, I was curious if the lightning challenges are in for this year. I've always found those to be a fun way to get acclimated to the game. Thanks!

[b_assassin]

Re: NASCAR Chase for the Cup 2005 (XBox) Q & A

Is the handling of each type of vehicle discernably different? Meaning, can you really tell the difference when you are driving a modified, truck, busch or cup car?

Also, I was curious if the lightning challenges are in for this year. I've always found those to be a fun way to get acclimated to the game. Thanks!

[pk500]

Re: NASCAR Chase for the Cup 2005 (XBox) Q & A

Two questions:

1. Has the drafting model been toned down, or is there a slider to tone it down?

2. Is the Grudges and Alliances system as stupid as it was last year? Will a rival go out of his way to hit you when passing, even when two lanes away from you at a wide track like Michigan?

Thanks,
PK

[pk500]

Re: NASCAR Chase for the Cup 2005 (XBox) Q & A

Two questions:

1. Has the drafting model been toned down, or is there a slider to tone it down?

2. Is the Grudges and Alliances system as stupid as it was last year? Will a rival go out of his way to hit you when passing, even when two lanes away from you at a wide track like Michigan?

Thanks,
PK

[TCrouch]

Re: NASCAR Chase for the Cup 2005 (XBox) Q & A

what new tracks r there and what series to u is the most fun to drive?

I've seen quite a few new tracks in the Featherlite series. The Milwaukee mile is raced by the Featherlites, CTS and Busch cars, etc. Some fantasy tracks are pretty good, actually. I really dig the Levi Strauss Signature Speedway...it's a tri-oval with some nice banking that you can really set a car up to fly around. You'll notice a LOT of sponsorship thrown all over this game. The Old Spice such and such, the Levi this and that. It's kind of funny...closer to real racing every year heh. So far, I'd have to say the Featherlites are the most fun for me. Give me an open wheel car with a ton of grip and let her rip any day.

How is the racing at the plate tracks? In last year's version of the game, the cars would pretty much get single file and stay that way pretty much all through the race. Also, have there been any improvements in caution flags coming out?

I only raced one plate race, and it was anything but single file. I was using the draft feature as much as I could, and got stuck in a line more than a few times. I ended up finishing in the top 10, but just couldn't get myself to the top. I haven't seen cautions yet, but I'll turn them on when I bump it up to Legend and increase race distance to 25%.

Is the handling of each type of vehicle discernably different? Meaning, can you really tell the difference when you are driving a modified, truck, busch or cup car?

Also, I was curious if the lightning challenges are in for this year. I've always found those to be a fun way to get acclimated to the game. Thanks!

Tough to answer. I'd say the Featherlites definitely have a lot more grip, and you can "pitch it" a bit more. The CTS and Busch vehicles felt somewhat similar, with varied speeds obviously. There are lightning challenges and the "Dodge Speed Zone" (more sponsors plastered everywhere) which is like the Nascar Heat "Beat the Heat" mode.

The cars feel different, but it won't feel like a completely different game when you switch series.

Two questions:

1. Has the drafting model been toned down, or is there a slider to tone it down?

2. Is the Grudges and Alliances system as stupid as it was last year? Will a rival go out of his way to hit you when passing, even when two lanes away from you at a wide track like Michigan?

Thanks,
PK

PK, my sim brother! Drafting model is still not quite 'realistic', but it's not absurd either. You won't be picking up the draft at Martinsville like you do at Talladega. It's actually something I'm growing to like the more I use it. Too often in a true sim will I try to draft somebody and end up plowing them somewhere along the lines. This uses somewhat of an artificial system that keeps you right on their bumper, even at full throttle. For a console game using a gamepad, it's something that's needed. It's been like this in previous years, but not this tuned. When you want to put the slingshot on somebody you can just disengage the draft button as you close on them and rocket past them. I haven't found anything that I really dislike about it yet. The "Intimidation" button is kind of a joke, though. Just by hitting the B button (like draft, takes some time to set up) you can suddenly make a guy make a mistake? I assume that in Cup, guys like Gordon and Stewart would be relatively unflappable, but I have yet to get that far. It's a button I don't use though.

The rivals seem to be a bit better so far. I'm still not sold on the rival system, since the AI might do something really stupid (yep, seen it a few times so far) and pile up in a corner at a near-stop. Here I am in hood-cam and suddenly closing on things at 150mph. I hit an almost-stopped car and it makes him absolutely hate me. If anything, he should hate the idiots in front of him who bunched up the field. The good part is I've only seen this happen about 3 times in something like 50 races so far. But to answer your question more directly, I've actually run side by side with a rival at Martinsville for 7 laps. On another course, a guy did block me pretty hard and nailed my right front, but it wasn't a cross-track type of cut. I'll have to check it out more as I play.

[TCrouch]

Re: NASCAR Chase for the Cup 2005 (XBox) Q & A

what new tracks r there and what series to u is the most fun to drive?

I've seen quite a few new tracks in the Featherlite series. The Milwaukee mile is raced by the Featherlites, CTS and Busch cars, etc. Some fantasy tracks are pretty good, actually. I really dig the Levi Strauss Signature Speedway...it's a tri-oval with some nice banking that you can really set a car up to fly around. You'll notice a LOT of sponsorship thrown all over this game. The Old Spice such and such, the Levi this and that. It's kind of funny...closer to real racing every year heh. So far, I'd have to say the Featherlites are the most fun for me. Give me an open wheel car with a ton of grip and let her rip any day.

How is the racing at the plate tracks? In last year's version of the game, the cars would pretty much get single file and stay that way pretty much all through the race. Also, have there been any improvements in caution flags coming out?

I only raced one plate race, and it was anything but single file. I was using the draft feature as much as I could, and got stuck in a line more than a few times. I ended up finishing in the top 10, but just couldn't get myself to the top. I haven't seen cautions yet, but I'll turn them on when I bump it up to Legend and increase race distance to 25%.

Is the handling of each type of vehicle discernably different? Meaning, can you really tell the difference when you are driving a modified, truck, busch or cup car?

Also, I was curious if the lightning challenges are in for this year. I've always found those to be a fun way to get acclimated to the game. Thanks!

Tough to answer. I'd say the Featherlites definitely have a lot more grip, and you can "pitch it" a bit more. The CTS and Busch vehicles felt somewhat similar, with varied speeds obviously. There are lightning challenges and the "Dodge Speed Zone" (more sponsors plastered everywhere) which is like the Nascar Heat "Beat the Heat" mode.

The cars feel different, but it won't feel like a completely different game when you switch series.

Two questions:

1. Has the drafting model been toned down, or is there a slider to tone it down?

2. Is the Grudges and Alliances system as stupid as it was last year? Will a rival go out of his way to hit you when passing, even when two lanes away from you at a wide track like Michigan?

Thanks,
PK

PK, my sim brother! Drafting model is still not quite 'realistic', but it's not absurd either. You won't be picking up the draft at Martinsville like you do at Talladega. It's actually something I'm growing to like the more I use it. Too often in a true sim will I try to draft somebody and end up plowing them somewhere along the lines. This uses somewhat of an artificial system that keeps you right on their bumper, even at full throttle. For a console game using a gamepad, it's something that's needed. It's been like this in previous years, but not this tuned. When you want to put the slingshot on somebody you can just disengage the draft button as you close on them and rocket past them. I haven't found anything that I really dislike about it yet. The "Intimidation" button is kind of a joke, though. Just by hitting the B button (like draft, takes some time to set up) you can suddenly make a guy make a mistake? I assume that in Cup, guys like Gordon and Stewart would be relatively unflappable, but I have yet to get that far. It's a button I don't use though.

The rivals seem to be a bit better so far. I'm still not sold on the rival system, since the AI might do something really stupid (yep, seen it a few times so far) and pile up in a corner at a near-stop. Here I am in hood-cam and suddenly closing on things at 150mph. I hit an almost-stopped car and it makes him absolutely hate me. If anything, he should hate the idiots in front of him who bunched up the field. The good part is I've only seen this happen about 3 times in something like 50 races so far. But to answer your question more directly, I've actually run side by side with a rival at Martinsville for 7 laps. On another course, a guy did block me pretty hard and nailed my right front, but it wasn't a cross-track type of cut. I'll have to check it out more as I play.

[b_assassin]

Re: NASCAR Chase for the Cup 2005 (XBox) Q & A

Thanks for the replies! Now, some graphics questions for you:

Are you running the game in 480p? I've heard some of EA's games don't perform well in progressive mode (choppy framerate, etc), which may explain some of the slowdown issues(?). In last year's game, EA employed liberal amounts of blurring and mipmapping to keep the framerate even, are you noticing any of those effects in 2005? It makes for a decent visual effect when used in moderation, but I think they overdid it in the last game.

Thanks

[b_assassin]

Re: NASCAR Chase for the Cup 2005 (XBox) Q & A

Thanks for the replies! Now, some graphics questions for you:

Are you running the game in 480p? I've heard some of EA's games don't perform well in progressive mode (choppy framerate, etc), which may explain some of the slowdown issues(?). In last year's game, EA employed liberal amounts of blurring and mipmapping to keep the framerate even, are you noticing any of those effects in 2005? It makes for a decent visual effect when used in moderation, but I think they overdid it in the last game.

Thanks

[ThomasP]

Re: NASCAR Chase for the Cup 2005 (XBox) Q & A

Are there cut scenes in the story mode? And if you've won any races, how are the victory celebrations? Same as last year?

[ThomasP]

Re: NASCAR Chase for the Cup 2005 (XBox) Q & A

Are there cut scenes in the story mode? And if you've won any races, how are the victory celebrations? Same as last year?

[TCrouch]

Re: NASCAR Chase for the Cup 2005 (XBox) Q & A

Thanks for the replies! Now, some graphics questions for you:

Are you running the game in 480p? I've heard some of EA's games don't perform well in progressive mode (choppy framerate, etc), which may explain some of the slowdown issues(?). In last year's game, EA employed liberal amounts of blurring and mipmapping to keep the framerate even, are you noticing any of those effects in 2005? It makes for a decent visual effect when used in moderation, but I think they overdid it in the last game.

Thanks

I turned off my 480p, and it seemed to run a bit smoother. Then I turned it back on and noticed that it was still quite crisp. Could have been the track, it was the first time I had run at Vegas. I'll try it at some of the more choppy tracks and see. I won't play it without 480p though, the game is moderately ugly with it on...with it off it just looks...well, uglier.

Are there cut scenes in the story mode? And if you've won any races, how are the victory celebrations? Same as last year?

The cutscenes all revolve around your driver partying (or hanging his head) after races, and other drivers coming up and trying to fight you if you slammed them around too much. After winning the Featherlite Championship, I didn't get so much as a trophy presentation. I'm working on winning the Busch championship now...never have been a fan of the CTS. I'll see if cutscenes get any more plentiful.

[TCrouch]

Re: NASCAR Chase for the Cup 2005 (XBox) Q & A

Thanks for the replies! Now, some graphics questions for you:

Are you running the game in 480p? I've heard some of EA's games don't perform well in progressive mode (choppy framerate, etc), which may explain some of the slowdown issues(?). In last year's game, EA employed liberal amounts of blurring and mipmapping to keep the framerate even, are you noticing any of those effects in 2005? It makes for a decent visual effect when used in moderation, but I think they overdid it in the last game.

Thanks

I turned off my 480p, and it seemed to run a bit smoother. Then I turned it back on and noticed that it was still quite crisp. Could have been the track, it was the first time I had run at Vegas. I'll try it at some of the more choppy tracks and see. I won't play it without 480p though, the game is moderately ugly with it on...with it off it just looks...well, uglier.

Are there cut scenes in the story mode? And if you've won any races, how are the victory celebrations? Same as last year?

The cutscenes all revolve around your driver partying (or hanging his head) after races, and other drivers coming up and trying to fight you if you slammed them around too much. After winning the Featherlite Championship, I didn't get so much as a trophy presentation. I'm working on winning the Busch championship now...never have been a fan of the CTS. I'll see if cutscenes get any more plentiful.

[Kevin26385]

Re: NASCAR Chase for the Cup 2005 (XBox) Q & A

I dont know if you have played it on xbox live i dobut you have, but if so is it any fun online? and how many real players can race at once

[Kevin26385]

Re: NASCAR Chase for the Cup 2005 (XBox) Q & A

I dont know if you have played it on xbox live i dobut you have, but if so is it any fun online? and how many real players can race at once

[dbrandon]

Re: NASCAR Chase for the Cup 2005 (XBox) Q & A

Do the cpu controlled cars wreck on there own?

Thanks