NASCAR The Game

NASCAR '15 - 4th Dimensional Collision Physica

2016-07-17T15:00:00.000-07:00

Remember how wrong NTG2011 got Watkins Glen?

2016-07-17T03:14:00.000-07:00

One of the funniest signs NASCAR 2011 was going to be a shit show was how lazy they were when reconstructing Watkins Glen. It is one of only two road courses on the Cup schedule, and the only track where the pit stalls are on the right hand side. Instead of animating a right-side pit stop, they hilariously chose to put the pit crews on a weird little island in the middle of the track. Were it not for the invisible island, this would be the least-safe situation in racing history.

Hope nobody needs to leave.

I think I'll fire up the game again to get a few more pics. Little did we know this was a sign of the laziness to come.

2016-06-18T16:31:00.000-07:00

NASCAR 15 Glitch: Flying Into Invisble Walls

2016-05-28T05:28:00.001-07:00

I took another crack at racing with my trophy truck setup. Things got weird.

It did result in some fun pics.

Trying to leapfrog Gillilans

I'm my own spotter

This is fine.

Be a HERO.

I hope my car isn't too aero dependent

I love the cartoonish puff of smoke

The photo booth function seemed to alternate between what happened, and a firm belief my car would have immediately burst into flames. When the game doesn't believe its own damage models, things get weird.

Trophy Truck Status at Sonoma

2016-05-28T04:50:00.000-07:00

So I was throwing back a few and got to thinking about my newly formed awesome stock car. I was also watching some awesome Stadium Supertruck racing.

And I got it in my head I should replicate their setup style and see how it would handle at Sonoma. The results were... interesting

With such a setup, I figured you could jump the hills and completely ignore the limits of the track. So I put it to the test.

I made a stock car (again)

2016-05-28T03:33:00.000-07:00

Back in the NASCAR '11 days, I messed around by making a paint scheme to match my real life car - a boring old gold/beige 2004 Ford Taurus. I liked the funny reactions it got racing online, so I decided to take another crack at it in NASCAR '15 (Victory Edition.)

I started out by setting up the basics of the nose and door lines. I also tries to shade the sides with gradients to give it a more curved street-car look.

Afterwards, I refined the nose, adding similar gradients to give it a more rounded look. I also added minor details like door handles, and a license plate.

Kinda works

Check out my drifting skills

Oops.

I've still got a bit of work to do, but I think it can work. One weird thing is I had to use the Chevy SS body style, because it was closer to those old mid-2000 Fords were than the current Fusion body style.

Ally Bank Original Paint Scheme - Part 2 (Brian Vickers Hendrick Motorsports Edition)

2016-03-04T04:44:00.000-08:00

(Part 1)

With the custom Ally logo brush in the paint booth, I decided to start from scratch and start experimenting. As I noted in the previous post, Ally Bank used to be the financing wing for General Motors, known then as GMAC. As was the deal back in the early 00's, GM decided to provide roundabout support to their top team (Hendrick Motorsports) without jeopardizing their GM Goodwrench deal with Richard Childress Racing after the loss of Dale Earnhardt. I believe the word "synergy" was thrown around a bunch.

Either way, everything went to hell with that giant crash in '08, and GMAC got "bailed out" under some fairly brutal terms. The unions pitched in to become actual stakeholders, and the government covered a hefty chunk, gaining most of the shares. They've finally righted the ship, and offered a new IPO to sell the company back to private shareholders in 2014, putting itself forward as a new lean online-only digital banking/auto loan service.

GMAC is now Ally, so I figured a #25 Hendrick style Chevy was the more fitting than the custom Fords I had been working on.

I decided to go with a mashup between MWR and Hendrick styles, since they were both major teams Vickers drover for and have had some similar styles in the recent past.

Some more shots:

Ally Bank Original NASCAR Paint Scheme - Part 1

2016-03-02T04:26:00.000-08:00

I was tooling around in the NASCAR '15 paint booth, trying to come up with an original sponsor paint scheme, when I settled in on Ally Bank. I figure since I use them for free online checking & debit services, they have a fairly simple corporate style, and they used to be GMAC (the financial wing of General Motors) -- a longstanding NASCAR sponsor up until the financial meltdown of '08, it would make sense to do some "what if" paint schemes for the company's new brand. The predominant colors are purple and white. They also have a weird lower case "a" symbol which serves as the company logo. So I started off with that in mind:

Nice and simple

After making the custom Ally logo, I slapped it on a solid purple car, and tried to add a bit of flag styling to the side.

Got 'dem 'dega hydraulics

I quickly realized the car would look better with a white splitter and air dam at the front. That also helps in came for determining how high off the ground it is:

It's important to be able to see the splitter in contrast to the shadow on the track when setting up your car.

I decided to continue on with the development of the paint scheme by doing the classic bottom white stripe around the entire car and eliminated the flag stuff, because it just wasn't working. Still, it seemed kinda off.

The people I race online with nicknamed this car "Barney."

Continued in Part 2...

NASCAR '15 Victory Edition - Davey Allison #28 Texaco Havoline Throwback Paint Scheme

2016-01-27T12:17:00.000-08:00

After starting with the simple black paint scheme the #28 Havoline team ran in the 90s, I decided to try my hand at the more slick livery from the late 80s. This is in the style of what Davey Allison he ran when he battled it out with father Bobby for the 1988 Daytona 500.

I tried to use the gradients to provide a bit of sense of the golden numbers and sponsorship decals they used back then. I might create a variant with blacked out headlights as well. Since he ran a Ford Thunderbird for most of that run, I decided to go with the Ford Fusion body. I think it could still work in modern times.

NASCAR '15 - Texaco Havoline #28 - Paint Scheme 01

2016-01-25T13:25:00.000-08:00

Running default paint schemes is boring, so before I hit the online races for NASCAR '15: Victory Edition, I whipped up a quick Davey Allison throwback, with a bit of variation. This time around I'm going to try to remix classic schemes a bit more - try to come up with new versions that are a bit different from the classics.
For this one, I decided the Texaco logo on the side would have eventually become more prominent, and been displayed on the tail a bit more how the old STP logos used to be. I used the lame un-resizable default numbers, though, so this probably won't be the last version of this car I make. The key is to create a paint scheme that's good enough for the short term, then slowly tweak it over time until you have a great one.

With that in mind, here is my quick-and-dirty mockup:

NASCAR 2015: Victory Edition

2016-01-24T17:31:00.002-08:00

After taking a break, I finally relented and bought a copy of NASCAR '15. Luckily, when you shell out the money for the basic copy, the "Victory Edition" update can be accessed as a free DLC.

It's essentially the same game we've been playing and paying for the past few years, so I decided there's no sense in making a new site to talk about it as if it were anything new. I'll be posting my paint schemes, stories, setups, and glitch images here.

Danny Efland #4

2013-01-31T16:15:00.004-08:00

NASCAR Nationwide driver Danny Efland is doing an "AMA" on Reddit. To commemorate the occasion, I decided to recreate his car in NASCAR The Game.

NASCAR The Game Talladega Setup and Tips

2012-10-28T16:05:00.001-07:00

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is my blog and setup for NASCAR The Game 2011. To keep things organized, I decided to start keeping my NTG:IL stuff on a sister blog. Go there for my NASCAR The Game: Inside Line Talladega Setup, if that's what you're looking for.

NASCAR The Game: Inside Line is out, so that means a lot of people will be moving over to that, and people will be able to pick up the old game for cheap. I figure that means there's no harm in sharing what I've learned for NTG2011 at Talladega, which is by far the most popular multiplayer track in the game.

TALLADEGA TIP #1:

Before you even worry about setups, make sure you turn off all driving assists. Set that shit to 'Legend." Even one bit of that will slow your car down, especially at a big, wide open track like Talladega. Any advantage you gain by the game counteracting poor driving decisions comes with a speed penalty. So just get rid of that shit, and spend some practice time making sure you can hold your line without swerving all over the track.

TALLADEGA TIP #2:

I'm serious. Make sure you can run a few consecutive laps holding your line. Hold your line on the bottom by the yellow line, then try the middle, then try the top. You scrub off speed every time you jump back and forth between them.

TALLADEGA TIP #3:

Pump up your tire pressures to 65 PSI for all tires if you get the chance to pit. This is a surefire way to add an extra MPH to your average speed.

TALLADEGA TIP #4:

To make the task of TIP #3 easier, create a custom setup where you pump up your tire pressures before the race. The game will let you max out the right sides at 65 PSI, but will only let you raise the lefts to 35 PSI. You'll still have to raise them to 65 in the pits if you get the chance, but it's a lot easier to raise two tires than four when dealing with a timer. Also, 35 L and 65 R will give you a slight advantage over default.

TALLADEGA TIP #5

It's a common tactic among online drivers to make a counter-intuitive change to their ride-height. Many suggest that you lower it as much as possible on both sides at the rear, and raise it as much as possible for the front two. Some say it gets the spoiler out of the air, helping you run faster down the straights. I'm not 100% convinced, but I did notice an improvement for my car, but I think that may have more to do with increasing stability for the next few changes.

TALLADEGA TIP #6

Turn the Toe-in to -1/4" all around. You can maybe afford to keep the Right Rear (RR) one notch above that. This will loosen the car up, but help you carry a bit of extra speed through the corners.

TALLADEGA TIP #7:

Loosen that baby up even more. Set that trackbar to 12, and lower that Wedge to as close to the minimum as you can while still feeling comfortable. Then tick it a couple notches below that. The point is the trackbar will help you maintain speed when turning out of the corners, the Toe-in adjustment from earlier helped you carry speed through them, and the wedge will loosen you up going in.

It is important to make your car somewhat more loose than you're comfortable with when it is riding on its own, because the draft will tighten your car up. A comfortable car at 194 MPH on its own will push out to the wall in a 200+ MPH draft. This is especially true going in and coming out of the corners, where you may still have to get off the throttle in a pack not to cause a wreck.

TALLADEGA TIP #8:

Change your gear ratio down to 360:1, or in basic terms set it for max top speed. If you've done all these other changes, your car should be fast enough after a lap not to worry about losing the draft because you sacrificed a bit of acceleration. In exchange, you can push cars up to a higher speed or get more out of any bump draft for longer before your speed comes down. Default is okay, but I prefer to keep it this way. Of course, others prefer to run default or even nudge it a bit more in the direction of acceleration, if they constantly find themselves losing the draft on restarts.

I hope all this helps. With these changes, I tend to run laps in the 49.45 range on my PS3 with a controller in practice on my own once there's a couple laps worth of heat in the tires. I can finesse the car to come out of corners at 191-193 MPH, and dive into them at 195-196 MPH.

Having a car that is fast on its own lets you blow by guys who mess up, be confident you can keep the tail end of the draft if you have to back off, and work with a drafting partner to even greater effect.

Of course, I'm not a master. I know guys faster than me who still keep secrets. If you want to share anything that's helped you out, feel free to do so in the comments.

Flying Lotus

2012-10-27T11:36:00.001-07:00

Just because you paint your car like a Lotus F1 racer, doesn't mean it'll handle like one.

#21 Citgo Ford

2012-10-26T21:14:00.000-07:00

I decided to make an old version of the #21 Wood Brothers Citgo Ford. Morgan Shepard almost won the Daytona 500 in 1992 with this car.

#9 Bill Elliott Evernham Dodge

2012-10-05T02:05:00.001-07:00

The latest car I like to race with is the #9 Evernham Dodge that Bill Elliott drove at the end of his full time Cup career, that Kasey Kahne eventually took over. While a simple car design, it involved a relatively involved process of making a proper Dodge "ram" logo, as well as the UAW logo. The 9 was once again a lower case 'g' that I added extra rectangles to in order to get it look right, as well as the "Flying E" triangles on the back. The game actually includes a pretty good approximation of the font used for the "DODGE" label.

I actually used a Toyota body for the car, because the default driver wears a red jumpsuit, and the Dodge Charger included in the game has a different tail light decal than the Dodge NASCAR vehicles of the time.

In-progress work on the #12 JPS NASCAR Lotus

2012-10-02T01:29:00.001-07:00

I messed around with the idea of showing work-in-progress shots as I muddled around with ideas on my latest car, the #12 John Player Special Lotus NASCAR Renault.

I started out just by testing how much of a pain it would be to do the trim.

Next, I worked on more of the trim, and getting the primary logos on there. I made the famous JPS logo, and also spelled out "John Player Special," adding some serif to the font as a custom logo, since all the fonts in the game are sans-serif.

I already had a Goodyear font I had made by making a custom logo of individual letters around a circle, then deleting the circle. A couple triangles make a "good enough" version of the little shoe logo in the middle. Once you have one made, you can then distort it to fit over any wheel arch and change the color to match the paint scheme of every car you work on relatively easily..

Later, I made up some details for the front grill work, and added a bit more of the golden trim to the top of the hood. I also threw in a manufacturer's name and some associate sponsors.

After that, I added the small basic sponsors that are on every car in NASCAR, to give it a more realistic look to it.

In the end, I decided to move the Olympus Cameras associate sponsorship from the quarter panel to the main siding. I figured JPS didn't need to be spelled out on the side. Those who got it, got it. I also messed with the main logo sizes a bit, just as a matter of personal taste.

#12 John Player Special Lotus NASCAR

2012-09-27T20:47:00.000-07:00

Going back to my speculative paint schemes, I decided to convert the famous John Player Special paint scheme that Lotus used to run into a NASCAR. Making the JPS logo took a bit of thought with the basic shapes in the paint scheme, but I think I did a pretty good job with it.

#99 Boost Mobile Travis Pastrana NASCAR

2012-09-22T23:52:00.002-07:00

Travis Pastrana is trying to make his transition to NASCAR, running the Nationwide series. I recreated his car for the game. The real car actually has a subtle texture of symbols, including a 1 in front of the 99, but almost nobody notices it, so I focused on getting the sponsors right.

#12 Obama NASCAR ( Obamacar )

2012-09-21T06:55:00.000-07:00

With all the endless political advertizing and the appearance of a car sponsored by a political candidate (Rick Santorum) earlier in the year, I decided to make one we're not likely to see on track: A NASCAR vehicle sponsored by Barack Obama's reelection campaign.

Making his signature logo was a bit difficult with the limited tools the game provides, but I think I pulled it off as a sort of quick looking sketch. There are a few little jokes poking fun at some of his signature legislation on the Obamacar.

If I can think of any Romney jokes, I'll probably consider making him a car too, in the interest of being fair and balanced™.

#26 Quaker State Buick

2012-09-18T17:49:00.000-07:00

As you may have noticed in my last glitch post, I was driving a car poking fun at the old #26 Quaker State Buick. Since then, I've updated it to make the "Q" logo, and got rid of the duck.

If I keep working on it, I'll probably turn it into a more serious replica, and either add in the gold trim from the earlier Buick version, or turn it into Brett Bodine's Ford that he drove later.

Glitch: Cars Without Bodies

2012-09-17T22:09:00.003-07:00

I was racing online at Talladega with a few buddies, when the game decided to have a brain hemorrhage on a restart when someone quit out. Our cars were stuck here, unable to move. I could still speak with the other drivers, but none of us could see the paint schemes (or even body panels) of the other cars. Obviously, I am the "Quacker State" parody car.

Unfortunately, the race never restarted and we had to quit out. Otherwise, it might have been hilarious to see roll cages roaring through the corners.

#17 Darrell Waltrip Western Auto Chevy

2012-09-16T04:33:00.002-07:00

In the early 90s, Darrell Waltrip owned his own team, and got his final win in a 17 car sponsored by Western Auto. The main challenge of this car is to have the patience to create the gradual stripes going from white to black, and getting something that approximates the flag logo. To get the metallic number right, I found it best to use a gradient that was white in the center, fading to a dark gray around the edges.

Michigan Speedway Lap Record Glitch

2012-09-15T02:12:00.004-07:00

I was doing some testing on an experimental setup at Michigan with my Reddit Car when I noticed I had no chance of ever beating my personal best.

#66 Phillips 66 Tropartic Ford

2012-09-14T00:59:00.002-07:00

Here's the old Phillips 66 Tropartic car that used to run back in the early nineties.