Need for Speed Shift: sim racer?

[kalniel]

Its just the way it is. For me, with all aids off it is definetly a challenging game and one that IMO rivals forza 2.

It's certainly challenging, but I don't equate challenging to good.

A lot of hexus fans will be critical of this game as it appears that most of us like sim racers instead of arcade racers.

That's the problem though - it's a rubbish arcade racer compared to Grid/Burnout etc.

http://needforspeed.com/web/nfs-na/b...fsblogs/116565

Explains what each settings does

It needs explaining?

They came close to making a good game.. it just needed a bit bigger ambition/budget and the whole thing being integrated together much better (as well as polish on the controls etc.)

[j.o.s.h.1408]

is it 16 players online for the pc version?

[Deadlight]

Well I'm quite enjoying this.

Josh said something which had me thinking; he said 'A lot of hexus fans will be critical of this game as it appears that most of us like sim racers instead of arcade racers.', and he's right. Now, when I used to write game reviews for games, I often spoke of driving sims/arcade games (and flying games, motorbike games etc.) as having a 'meter-type affair'. All the way to the left was 100% sim, and if the 'meter' was to to right, eg. 100% arcade game.

Now, the NFS series usually came with the above 'meter' firmly stuck to the right. ie. an out-and-out arcade racder. However, with Shift seems to have the meter nudged towards the Sim bit, you'll have to work out just how much though!


Dale

[kalniel]

is it 16 players online for the pc version?

8

[Grey M@a]

Whole heartedly agree with Deadlight. I am a huge fan of the GTR series and Forza for the outright sim feel as to how the cars handle and the setup you can do on these cars. NFS Shift has certainly got a closer sim feel to it than and arcade racer. Last NFS I enjoyed was Most Wanted and Carbon and the rest after that were pretty much filler for EA. This one though is spot one I think, also picked up Race for the 360 and its still sealed here as this is filling my racing fill at the minute.

Looking through the settings it seems at higher levels (I am assuming to the more international/professional meets) you are able to tweak the car more right down to the tire pressures and the toe in and out etc like GTR.

One thing that did catch me out is that this game classes basic racing 101 such as drifting and using the curbs as aggressive racing xD Mind I am still seen as a precision driver on this. Anyone who is holding off wondering if they should bother or not I would say go buy it or rent it and see what you think. I stood there in Game for almost 20 minutes looking at Shift or Dirt 2 to buy along with Race and I always had that little niggle in the back of my head reminding me of the mess that was Pro Street. I can easily say that Shift will surpass a lot of us hard core sim racers expectations. Good game so far

Here's a few screen shots from my racing so far (Put them as links so people can look if they want so there are no spoilers):

NFS Shift 1
NFS Shift 2
NFS Shift 3
NFS Shift 4
NFS Shift 5
NFS Shift 6
NFS Shift 7
NFS Shift 8
NFS Shift 9
NFS Shift 10

[j.o.s.h.1408]

lots of issues with online play so far:

1. Stupid timer on the game lobbies meaning you got less than 2mins to pick a car and to invite friends into the lobby
2. 8 players online? WTF its suppose to be 16!!
3. No settings to force everyone to use certain settings ie force everyone to not use any Asissts
4. EA nation messanger doesnt say if your friends is online or offline

Those are stuff that needs to be improved im afraid.

[Andy3536]

I'm not quite sure i buy the idea that people on here arn't buying this as there are more 'sim' racers on here.
For my part although i love my sim games like rfactor and GTR evo i have also in the past ploughed plenty of time in more arcade racers like Forza 2 and Test drive unlimited.
I think most people on here would be the same.

The trouble with shift is that they seem to have made an effort to get the driving realistic but everything else is set up as an arcade game. The idea of rewarding bad driving aswell seems to me to be just odd.
It's completly put me off even trying the demo for shift, yet i'm still quite looking foward to trying the Forza demo on the 24th and they are both now rather similar games.

[Terbinator]

I don't see how you can tide Forza and Shift with the same brush - more so when youve not even tried the demo

[Andy3536]

I don't see how you can tide Forza and Shift with the same brush - more so when youve not even tried the demo

Both arcady racers where you have to do up your cars with money you win from races?

There are a lot of similaritys, even if the cars in both games don't drive the same, they are aiming at the same market and in competition with each other.
It's a fair point about the demo though, mabee i'll give it a go......

[j.o.s.h.1408]

new settings

There is now a 2nd fix for the sensitive steering/oversteer problem this game exhibits in its default settings. And let me tell you it is a NIGHT and DAY difference.
Please use 2nd fix along with the original thread suggestions on turning down sensitivity in the control options.

I have posted the original sensitivity config here:

Steering Dead Zone-15%
Accel Dead Zone-10%
Brake Dead Zone-10%
Steering sensitivity-5%
Acell Sensitivity -5%
Brake sensitivity-5%
Speed steering Sensitivity 100%


On to the 2nd fix:

At the main menu enter CAR GARAGE----> TUNING, press 'Y' to enter quick tuning mode.
Under the heading 'balance' move the slider all the way to OVERSTEER. That's right oversteer. Apparently the developer labeled this slider wrong or its a glitch. Turning the slider to oversteer will actually add understeer.

Now go drive. as you can see the cars are now more comparible to the feeling of Forza2 and RacePro. It may not be as good but it is now close! There was a sim hidden somewhere in all this mess and I may have to take back some to the nasty things I said beforehand

(Special thanks to Torque Spike for finding this on the EA forums!)

[looney]

ive just played the demo for this and first impression was its very similar to grid, if the need for speed tags werent there i would of thought it was grid! albeit it seems to have more realism then grid, i guess it is a cross between a arcade and sim game, its no way as realistic or sim like as GTR.

but still a good game none the less.

[MadduckUK]

well i have just run 2 hours of shift and its obvious from the first few seconds what the problem is, EA are unable to make a game even approaching a semi-simulator.

GTR = RFACTOR >>>>> GT > FORZA >>>>>>>>SHIFT

as soon as your pit guy tells you that the light has gone green and you should start racing you know that you have entered the weird zone where arcade racers try to add simulative elements, while having no cue what they are doing. the handling is vague and over responsive at the same time, encouraging drifts at every corner. the menu is confused - with a 360 pad plugged in the buttons are perfectly mapped, but the onscreen instructions are stupid - push button 2 or 3? what? so like a pair of virgins you fumble around for a while and see what works.



car upgrades are as nondescript as is physically possible, engine upgrade, drivetrain upgrade, turbo upgrade etc making you feel like you feel like you are playing a game carved out of wood using animal bones, and not something and not something crafted by a studio that has ever heard of the aforementioned games, a psp/ds game would have trouble justifying this kind of lightness.

fame rates are abysmal, seemingly most wanted was not enough to convince EA they must try harder. consistently choppy is the best way to describe it, it never gets any smoother so at least you can get used to it.

so far this is pro street with pretence of glandular, not that EA have ever been shy of lying about what their games are.

i would be more inclined to play through GRID than this muck

[Terbinator]

Am i the only one who thinks GT isnt as good as Forza and has been lagging since A-Spec ?

[MadduckUK]

Am i the only one who thinks GT isnt as good as Forza and has been lagging since A-Spec ?

GT4 > GT3, and gt4 came out before forza 1 so i don't know what you mean? i love forza and still i think this is a windup

people who like cars will prefer gt, people who prefer gaming will prefer forza, thankfully i like both so im spoiled

the range of cars, tracks and "feel" of GT, combined with the multiplayer and car customisation of forza.. there you go - sex in a game

[Terbinator]

See i preferred 3 too 4, maybe becuase im a bit fo a fanboy when it comes to GT3 - i dunno but when i bought Forza 1 i traded in GT4 for something else as it felt like a lesser game. I know what you mean about GT's 'feel' the model description that run across the ticker at the bottom including stuff like the cars boot size is like a nod that the devs like cars just as much as you, even if it doesnt affect the gameplay in anyway. Forza on the otherhand feels better to me. The cars actually feel different between each other where as sometimes on GT they can feel all the same (obviously a Ford GT soes not handle like the Ford ST on GT: P) and online was borked on Prolouge.

[MadduckUK]

I know what you mean about GT's 'feel' the model description that run across the ticker at the bottom including stuff like the cars boot size is like a nod that the devs like cars just as much as you

no thats not what i mean :/

running hotlaps on gt4 and comparing your car telemetry between setups is something turn10 just doesn't understand, trying variations of the same car to find the best is something turn10 doesn't understand. i could go on - but they have to lean from the masters and get rid of that yank smugness that Greenawalt has constantly.