Need For Speed: SHIFT & SHIFT 2 Unleashed

[Serj]

Someone beat it.....
1:27.187 - GT1 Class - Brands Hatch GP

In this video, is that original shift2 physics of the car?

 

[Rob]

In this video, is that original shift2 physics of the car?

Yes.

 

[Rob]

Peter Hooper / Hammerpgh

You left me out Robert :'( in so hurt lol

Has Boothy even got this? Don't think he's mentioned it before.

Dang sorry Peter, but I thought you said it was a no go on the other series. Happily added Mr. Co-Director.

 

[Rob]

@Matthew Booth should have got the name tag notice I sent out with the series posting. I hope @Karl Fuss can join too. And @Chris Hempsall before he gets memorized by Assetto.

 

[Peter Hooper]

In this video, is that original shift2 physics of the car?

Yes it is we are talking about the Xbox version her so no modding possible

 

[Peter Hooper]

Dang sorry Peter, but I thought you said it was a no go on the other series. Happily added Mr. Co-Director.

Well, as things stand I am unfortunately out of the F1 series at the moment, I definitely can't make Monaco if it is run on the 8th as scheduled so can spend some time in this getting some of the proposed tracks down and used to the cars we are using so I should be able to run in some of the races even if not completely up to speed each week.

 

[Peter Hooper]

don't forget to download the Online Pass, its free on Xbox Live Store.
I tried it last night. It will take some getting used to the handling model as it feels squishy to me compared to Grid. It may take some fiddling with the wheel to make it work.

I know what you mean Michael. It kind of reminds me a little of how Grid feels with there default tune. I haven;t adjusted my steering yet and only tinkered briefly with the setups on Tuesday but I have no doubt you'll get it how you like it. I am totally absorbed with this game right now, I knew I would be after my first run out with the demo after Robert told me about it but other things (incliuding Christmas) kept me away from it but I am so glad to be able to give it a decent run out now

 

[Peter Hooper]

I like the look of the schedule Robert, especially with Laguna now firmly in there However.... how about as a really nice and challenging finale we add an extra round at the Nordschleife, either a one off 30 minute race or a couple of races, I would be happy either way . Never had an online race there so it would be a great way to end the series.

 

[Michael Watts]

Ran some more laps today. Trying to pick a car in the respective classes. The set-up and cheesey physics has a lot to do with the squishy feel I've found. With some cars, their default setup, the wheel is awesome and you can really push the car. Others seem to just feel sloppy and wobble from side to side which is exacerbated by the Force Feedback on the wheel, and would give pad-users a distinct advantage. A combination of bad/sloppy physics and poor wheel support I suppose. So I suggest you do a lot of searching for the right car. Try the default then try the tune. You could very easily ruin a good car with a tune. Probably much easier than trying to tune a bad car into a good car. I found a few fast cars, but for me, its about feel. I like to get aggressive with the car and attack the corners, while other cars require finesse. Choose wisely, based on your driving style. I don't expect to be a front runner in this league, as I haven't put a lot of laps down, and it's hit or miss whether you will have Force Feedback at the beginning of the race or not. I guess we'll have to have pace laps so we can all reset our wheels to get the force feedback for online races.

 

[Peter Hooper]

Haven't had that FFB issue that you've found Michael, mine has been there every race I've had so guess it must be an issue with your wheel... Think you have a Fanatec don't you which Robert also has and he's not mentioned that particular problem.

I've not tried many cars so far but have been happy with them all to date. I certainly don't get that side to side wobble but there is a more 'alive' feel compared to Grid for instance so maybe that's what you are referring to. I'm probably more about finesse and smoothness than aggression so that's may be why I am finding things differently and am really enjoying the feel of this game. So far I've set most of my times with pretty much the default tune and haven't spent much time in the garage.

 

[Rob]

Ran some more laps today. Trying to pick a car in the respective classes. The set-up and cheesey physics has a lot to do with the squishy feel I've found. With some cars, their default setup, the wheel is awesome and you can really push the car. Others seem to just feel sloppy and wobble from side to side which is exacerbated by the Force Feedback on the wheel, and would give pad-users a distinct advantage. A combination of bad/sloppy physics and poor wheel support I suppose. So I suggest you do a lot of searching for the right car. Try the default then try the tune. You could very easily ruin a good car with a tune. Probably much easier than trying to tune a bad car into a good car. I found a few fast cars, but for me, its about feel. I like to get aggressive with the car and attack the corners, while other cars require finesse. Choose wisely, based on your driving style. I don't expect to be a front runner in this league, as I haven't put a lot of laps down, and it's hit or miss whether you will have Force Feedback at the beginning of the race or not. I guess we'll have to have pace laps so we can all reset our wheels to get the force feedback for online races.

This is not a game to get aggressive with, although pushing the limit is required, as in all racing. This game is about (for us Michael) hours and hours of trying to get that decent feel with the wheel settings and the in game settings. Those should not vary too much, although I have a different wheel setting for ovals. Once you get these cars dialed in, they are no more floaty or squishy than Autosport, but it may seem like that for the reasons Peter outlined. Of course, Fanatec users have it particularly difficult because the wheel was not supported. But I did give you my settings and if they don't do it for you, you are on your own from there. I have spent countless hours testing every individual setting and almost all actual race cars (not the stock or showroom junk) and as I tried to explain, any race car can be tuned to feel good (to me now, just opinion here) if you know what you are doing with tuning and you have done your homework on the wheel. I have tried to not only post tunes that work, but I will happily post my in game settings if you think that will help. Also, the cars you chose for the oval Mike, I just went with, since they are actual cars used in NASCAR, as you said.

I suspect your frustrations Michael are twofold. One, being used to Autosport so much and two, having that Fanatec to deal with.

BTW, the cars are set. It's GT1 and GT3. The GT3 cars are the best handling cars in the game, IMO.

P.S. - I think you are right about pad users having an easier time since E.A. basically sabotaged the physics, but, then again, when has Boothy not kicked our collective asses?

 

[Rob]

which is exacerbated by the Force Feedback on the wheel

There are many variables that give you crisp handling. About 4 on the wheel and 2 in game and then about 3-4 more in the tuning. So focusing in on the FFB is a mistake. The last two settings on the wheel and the steering settings in the game are huge. Plus, you have to deal with a certain amount of linearity (just like Autosport) and offset that with Sen, Steering Sen in game, Speed Sensitive Steering in game, Steering lock in tuning, and camber, among others. Damper is very big here too.

 

[Rob]

A combination of bad/sloppy physics and poor wheel support I suppose

...for Fanatec users. That company can burn in Hell. lol.

 

[Michael Watts]

I suspect your frustrations Michael are twofold. One, being used to Autosport so much and two, having that Fanatec to deal with.

BTW, the cars are set. It's GT1 and GT3. The GT3 cars are the best handling cars in the game, IMO.

P.S. - I think you are right about pad users having an easier time since E.A. basically sabotaged the physics, but, then again, when has Boothy not kicked our collective asses?

LoL, yeah a lot of my frustrations reside in the fact I'm very used to Grid and its handling model. I didn't have to do any tinkering with my wheel to make it work. I tried going back to Forza 4 a while back (which used to a favorite game of mine) and I absolutely hated the handling after driving Grid. So it's just a comfort factor for me, Robert. I appreciated the help with the wheel settings. You've got a lot more time invested in this game than I. I also like the car/class choices. I think I've found some cars I can be semi-competitive with. Just not sure if I'm comfortable running wheel to wheel yet as they still seem to suffer from some stability issues, at least on my end . You're right in saying this could have been a very good game, it just seems a little hastily produced and not well polished as most EA games. EA's philosophy is Quantity not Quality so if they release games rough around the edges just wait 6 months for a whole new game instead of fixing the one you paid for, LoL.

 

[Peter Hooper]

This is not a game to get aggressive with, although pushing the limit is required, as in all racing. This game is about (for us Michael) hours and hours of trying to get that decent feel with the wheel settings and the in game settings. Those should not vary too much, although I have a different wheel setting for ovals. Once you get these cars dialed in, they are no more floaty or squishy than Autosport, but it may seem like that for the reasons Peter outlined. Of course, Fanatec users have it particularly difficult because the wheel was not supported. But I did give you my settings and if they don't do it for you, you are on your own from there. I have spent countless hours testing every individual setting and almost all actual race cars (not the stock or showroom junk) and as I tried to explain, any race car can be tuned to feel good (to me now, just opinion here) if you know what you are doing with tuning and you have done your homework on the wheel. I have tried to not only post tunes that work, but I will happily post my in game settings if you think that will help. Also, the cars you chose for the oval Mike, I just went with, since they are actual cars used in NASCAR, as you said.

I suspect your frustrations Michael are twofold. One, being used to Autosport so much and two, having that Fanatec to deal with.

BTW, the cars are set. It's GT1 and GT3. The GT3 cars are the best handling cars in the game, IMO.

P.S. - I think you are right about pad users having an easier time since E.A. basically sabotaged the physics, but, then again, when has Boothy not kicked our collective asses?

You took the words right out of my mouth there Robert.. I was just about to post this same thing about the aggressiveness factor. Grid Autosport rewards aggression through the corners and I remember when Karl first got the game and was struggling that I made the point then that the game favours those drivers with an aggressive style, particularly in the tintops, I don't find it so much in the open wheelers though..Thats quite alien to me as I like more of a smooth and progressive style and use the throttle and brake quite a lot to control the car which seems ot suit Shift 2 more rather than Grid. In Shift 2 being too agrressive or overdriving is punished and your lap times suffer as a result. As an example I thought of Hockenheim where in the first turn you can be really aggressive and the car does that whole drift thing as it goes off track without any great impact on lap time as you still maintain speed (providing you don't cross the penalty threshold of where you come back on track there). But in Shift 2 that sort of driving impacts your lap badly and a good lap is not achieveable as a result. You have to be more careful through the corners imo.

 

[Michael Watts]

Actually Peter, I was able to find a few cars I can push. They are the cars that feel really stable using Robert's wheel settings. Obviously there are limitations with each track, but I was able to find that perfect medium and set some respectable lap times. But, yes I do find myself "rolling" the center of the corners more than I would in Grid, especially at Brands. I will probably focus on getting the cars to work on the ovals today and should be good fun.

 

[Karl Fuss]

I just rec'd email notification that the game has arrived at my local store. Picking it up at lunch and will give it a try after work. Hope the menus are east to navigate.... i hate learning new menus... lol

Karl Fuss / niblips2

 

[Rob]

You took the words right out of my mouth there Robert.. I was just about to post this same thing about the aggressiveness factor. Grid Autosport rewards aggression through the corners and I remember when Karl first got the game and was struggling that I made the point then that the game favours those drivers with an aggressive style, particularly in the tintops, I don't find it so much in the open wheelers though..Thats quite alien to me as I like more of a smooth and progressive style and use the throttle and brake quite a lot to control the car which seems ot suit Shift 2 more rather than Grid. In Shift 2 being too aggressive or over driving is punished and your lap times suffer as a result. As an example I thought of Hockenheim where in the first turn you can be really aggressive and the car does that whole drift thing as it goes off track without any great impact on lap time as you still maintain speed (providing you don't cross the penalty threshold of where you come back on track there). But in Shift 2 that sort of driving impacts your lap badly and a good lap is not achieveable as a result. You have to be more careful through the corners imo.

Bang on. I could not agree more. (Michael's comment about E.A. also was so true). It's was very interesting early in the first GRID series that we used slower cars and street courses. I remember Boothy saying "you all are slow because you just need to downshift for that 90 degree turn, no brake!"). Now it dawns on me what he was trying to say (which is probably why he's so good at just being good at any racing game) -- Autosport involves aggressive sliding, aggressive attack of the apexes, and skill with the throttle.

Peter, your point about Shift2 takes me to pCARS. They are still using the SETA engine for that, but it's been massive overhauled. And with the TX, it will be a dream, I'm sure. But that smoothness you were talking about. That's the way racers think. That's what they feel in the car. To me, that's why the game is so impressive for last gen. It manages to get that violent feeling across at the same time rewarding smoothness and an approach more like you would see in real life. So, I can see glimpses of pCARS. I can also see where they had EVERYTING for the title of best SIM for the 360, and how E.A. just cocked it sideways.

 

[Rob]

I just rec'd email notification that the game has arrived at my local store. Picking it up at lunch and will give it a try after work. Hope the menus are east to navigate.... i hate learning new menus... lol

Karl Fuss / niblips2

Great to have you Karl. I wish I could bend the truth and say "oh yea, menu options...no problem, but that's really not the case. You can see the PC./SIM roots in the menus, but think of it this way...once you get the cars unlocked, you will have everything (and much more) that you did in Autosport. They are both fun, but this game, if you can get the handling right, as Peter has with the same wheel, you will find layer upon layer of customization options.

Except no pits
No real fuel or tire wear
No real way to set up a full race weekend

But you have:
- Full Forza-esque telemetry, so you can see where you need to adjust the tuning.
- Free practice that is very quickly set yo...Takes no time at all to race by yourself or with A.I. in whatever and whereever.
- No upgrades
- No offline money making needs
- Very deep tuning
- The ability to track your laps or watch a video replay at the end of a race, or in solo practice.

 

[Karl Fuss]

.once you get the cars unlocked,

fcuk. how long does that take?