 By Brad Cook “With six laps to go, the yellow [flag] comes out again. No! Not with six laps to go! We were either going to finish under yellow or have a one lap shootout. Well... we had a one lap shootout.” |
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 Red Skies at Night. Race in a variety of weather conditions. |
No, that’s not Jeff Gordon talking about his last NASCAR win. Those words come from Chuck Chambliss, co-director of the Red Line Racing League (RLRL). The organization brings avid Mac racers together to show off their skills on a virtual NASCAR circuit.
Quick Reflexes. Keep your eyes on the track or you may not be able to steer your way out of danger.
RLRL entered the scene with the release of NASCAR Racing 2002 Season and kicked into high gear when Aspyr Media announced it would soon publish the follow-up, NASCAR Racing 2003 Season. The 2003 edition features: all 23 official Winston Cup tracks; the top drivers in the sport (including Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Kyle Petty, and the other big names); enhanced physics, 3D graphics and computer-controlled cars; force-feedback that transfers all the bumps and jolts into your gamepad; and multiplayer online play with room for 42 racers at the same time.
Door-to-Door, Bumper-to-Bumper
Chambliss, who has ridden around Talladega in a stock car going 180 MPH, says that “the only experiences you don’t get [in this game] are the smell of gasoline and oil and the rumble in your body as 43 cars scream by at 185 MPH, all at the same time.”
Otherwise, he and his fellow racers say, NASCAR Racing Season 2003 is as close as you can get to the sport while sitting at your desk. The development team at Papyrus worked with Goodyear and Jasper Motorsports to get the physics down right, and anyone with Mac OS X version 10.2.3 (or higher) on their Mac can plug a force feedback-capable gamepad/wheel into their computer and feel the vibration when they bump another car or hit a wall (with realistic results on their computer display, of course; you may even reflexively put up one hand the first time a car wipes out in front of you).
High Octane. So close to reality you can almost smell the gasoline.
“Force feedback greatly improves your ability to run the car at the ragged edge of control,” explains programmer Duane Johnson, who helped Westlake Interactive port the game to the Mac.
He adds that NASCAR 2003’s adaptive AI, which is new in this edition, allows the computer-controlled drivers to become much more aggressive as they react to your driving style. “They’ll be close to you much more of the time,” Johnson says. “And that’s what this kind of racing is all about: the door-to-door, bumper-to-bumper stuff.”
Multi-Taskers Needed
Even if you’ve never driven a stock car before, you’ll appreciate the way NASCAR 2003 puts you in the driver’s seat and throws out the kinds of challenges the pros face all the time.
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Sun glare practically blinds you and keeps you from seeing more than a couple cars ahead. Your windshield becomes semi-opaque with grime and there’s no windshield washer button on the dashboard. You pull in for a pit stop and try to find your crew among the chaos of pit road.
“My appreciation for what the real drivers do has increased greatly,” says Brad Hopkins, co-founder of RLRL. “The challenge of the game isn’t going fast, but keeping the car off the wall, listening to your spotter, hitting your marks on the track and doing it at speeds that can hit 190 MPH.”
Pit Stop. NASCAR 2003 features realistic pit crews.
He adds that those who want to join RLRL will have to get serious if their goal is to win the Aspyr Cup, the trophy awarded on the circuit that features realistic racing (those who prefer arcade mode can choose the Arcade Nationals, where they don’t have to worry about configuring their cars). “Start at the bottom and work your way up,” Hopkins advises. “The competition is tough and getting tougher. The time that league drivers put into their preparation is unbelievable: one person put in over 3,000 laps for an upcoming league race.”
“Car set-ups are key,” adds regular racer Lloyd Francis. “One minor track bar adjustment could make the difference between 1st place and 20th.”
Ouch. Remember: Don’t run into anything.
Johnson notes that serious racers will want to study the NASCAR 2003 Set-up Guide at the Sim Association for Stock Car Auto Racers.
Now if you’ll excuse us, we’re off to study the film from our last race (NASCAR 2003 saves video replays of the action, of course) and get ready for an upcoming race at Talladega. 3,001 practice laps sound about right.
If you liked this game, check out:
4x4 EVO 2 F1 Championship Season NASCAR 2002 Virtual Grand Prix 2
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