NASCAR '14 Available Now - Post Your Impressions

[BurghFan]

Playing tonight I noticed a couple bugs.

1. For the trivia questions during the loading screens, the number of correct answers appears to reset every time you restart the game as opposed to being cumulative like last year.

2. Running a race at Dover, I got loose coming out of turn 4 and would up on the apron then raced diagonally across the pit commitment line while getting back on the track. After crossing the threshold it triggered the crew chief voice saying "lets take 4 tires ...". Once I was back on track, I noticed that the fuel consumption bar was frozen at 1/8 tank and did not deplete even as I ran another 50 laps (should've had to pit within 10 had it continued to properly deplete). Tire wear continued to deplete however. Also, the spotter remained silent until my tire wear reached critical levels.
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Otherwise, I must say that I am mostly pleased with the improved AI in this years game. I like to race with cautions off, however, in Inside Line, when a car spun the AI cars seemed utterly incapable of avoiding it and incapable of properly righting themselves. Furthermore, when trying to right themselves they would often spin themselves out or drive right back into the racing line without being up to speed or even facing in the right direction. At intermediate tracks, this would often result in an ongoing wreck that would continuously propagate around the track until someone got roofed and a red was thrown. At short tracks, this was often the result.

Spoiler

Thrombus.jpg

That is one of several pictures I have of AI idiocy from Inside Line.

However, in 14, during races at Martinsville and Dover, I was pleasantly surprised to see that AI cars would actually make an effort to avoid spun or otherwise slowed cars and that spun cars were able to right themselves without collecting more cars. There were a few pileups, but they cleared pretty quickly. The only issue is that, as I believe has been mentioned before, the cars seem a bit stiff. It is difficult to get cars loose and when you do get them loose they seem not to loose much if any speed. Also, when spun cars are righting themselves, the motion appears robotic and unnatural. It almost looks like they have 0 turning radius.

[brandon27]

Yeah... so... pretty sure my days with this game have about come to an end. Im tired of being run right over by the AI as if they have no idea at all that im a vehicle on the track. I'm ok with being bumped out of the way at times (example: terry labonte by Earnhardt at Bristol etc) but I;m not ok with the AI slamming into me as if I dont exist because i may be a tad bit slower through a turn for whatever reason, and I'm not ok with them slamming into me and loosing zero speed/control yet when i even slightly touch an AI car I loose 15+mph and get sideways, only to be freight trained by 15 cars after the fact who also just plow through me.

I get that they maybe wanted to make the AI more aggressive, but there's a line between aggressive and stupid. This game far exceeds it. My experiences at Martinsville, and now at Darlington completely confirm it.

I get blown off the start of the race, I go from starting 4th, to being in 12th by turn one, then I get run over completely by the entire field in turn one until Im either way back in 30th and somehow made it through the turn without a caution because the field just snowplowed me, or because they've spun me out.

I much prefered the AI in IL. At least then they'd actually have a clue I was on the track. If I got in to a corner way to hot, theyd actually realize it and ease up a bit behind me. Now, they dont give a damn, they just drive right through me, literally plow into my side, or my rear end with no consequence whatsoever.

Its ridiculous, and I'm about done with it.

It's like I've said throughout this thread... at times... it can be a great game. However, Im starting to notice more often then not, its just a complete disaster with the AI.

There's being aggressive, and there's being stupid. 90% of the time the AI is just stupid aggressive. Zero consequences for hitting the player, each other, or the wall. They just plow on through. It's ridiculous.

Not to mention the fact that I can run a lap at some tracks that gets me the pole by well over half a second, but when the race starts, the AI is well over half a second a lap faster than me. Its pretty crazy how inconsistent this game can be in all phases.

[bigdoc85]

Brandon:

I feel your pain. I don't remember getting "plowed" by the AI in IL like this but I might need to put that one back in just to compare.

[cusefan74]

Quote: Originally Posted by BurghFan

Playing tonight I noticed a couple bugs. 1. For the trivia questions during the loading screens, the number of correct answers appears to reset every time you restart the game as opposed to being cumulative like last year.

I don't have this problem mine is up to like 200 give or take a few.

[Papi34]

I noticed Inside Line is only £6.39 in the February PSN sale and you can get this in the UK for £26.99. I still have the first game and have fun driving short races. Which game would you guys recommend getting, taking the price into account? Thanks.

[bigdoc85]

If you don't care about which season you're playing, I would just get Inside Line. Inside Line is an improvement over NTG2011 (the first one). NASCAR 2014 feels much more like a season update with a few minor changes.

EDIT: See the video below posted by Stormyhog. I agree with most of the points in the video (other than when he drops the F-bomb multiple times).

Quote: Originally Posted by Papi34

I noticed Inside Line is only £6.39 in the February PSN sale and you can get this in the UK for £26.99. I still have the first game and have fun driving short races. Which game would you guys recommend getting, taking the price into account? Thanks.

[Stormyhog]

Spotted this in depth review over at yt. I don't have the game myself so anyone here can chime in and discuss how accurate he is. It's a long review.

[Aggies7]

Anyone with Vita try to play this on remote play. I know most PS3 games can't be but haven't had time to at least try it.

Also for the folks using the controller do you use the joystick or the D Pad?

I'll add this question too. I have an old Xbox 360 wheel and a Microsoft one for an older PC would either work on PS3. Maybe stupid question but I figured I'd ask since they both have USB connection like the PS3 uses.