Motorsport Games Answers NASCAR 21 Questions in Open Q+A


Motorsport Games polled their player base for questions relating to NASCAR 21: Ignition and answered them in a video posted to YouTube.

The launch of NASCAR 21: Ignition was a disappointment on many fronts. Developer Motorsport Games had hoped that their first big release after acquiring many significant auto racing licenses would be successful and well received. NASCAR fans hoped that the Cup series would get that game it deserved after numerous underwhelming Heat titles. N21 was a letdown by either measure.

On paper, a NASCAR title using the Unreal Engine and backed by rFactor’s physics engine should be a smash. The result was unfortunately a letdown. Players complained early and often about the limited wheel support, lack of rearview mirrors, repetitive cutscenes, no custom setups, and limited online features.

Motorsport Games remained mostly quiet about the bugs in the game, and post-release improvements and additions have been sparse.

But this trend was upset recently, when Motorsport Games took to their YouTube channel to share answers to questions fans had asked about the current state of the title, and the future of N21.

While many of the answers will still leave players feeling let down by NASCAR 21, credit is due for the development team facing the questions and acknowledging the faults of their title in a public forum.

The key takeaway for those hoping for more from their purchase is that the development is not yet concluded. At some point the focus of the Motorsport team will shift to the next instalment in the NASCAR series, but thankfully that time is not yet here.

What are your thoughts on Motorsport Games taking on their criticisms in a public forum? Was this reassuring to hear, or just clever public relations? Let us know in the comments below.
  • Haha
  • Like
  • Wow
Reactions: DriverJay, Knoxstar, amsterDAN and 2 others
About author
Mike Smith
Mike Smith
I have been obsessed with sim racing and racing games since the 1980's. My first taste of live auto racing was in 1988, and I couldn't get enough ever since. Lead writer for RaceDepartment, and owner of SimRacing604 and its YouTube channel. Favourite sims include Assetto Corsa Competizione, Assetto Corsa, rFactor 2, Automobilista 2, DiRT Rally 2 - On Twitter as @simracing604

More in Other Games

Comments

wolftree
MadDriver11 said:
MSG may put different art workers and modelers on different games but the core coding team is always S397. So there is no way they can follow 4 different titles at the same time every year. The reality is that MSG always planned to design one game and sell it 4 times with different aesthetics and different licenses/names. Let's be realistic.
Click to expand...
Where do you get this? MSG has at least three different dev teams besides S397: one in Russia, one in Florida and one in Silverstone. S397 can't even fix the GT cars in rF2 so I doubt they're capable of programming physics for four different games at the same time.
 
Shannon Flynn
melanieuk said:
No, if they are using the rFactor 2 physics engine, we all know the reality of that physics engine :sneaky:
Click to expand...
The actual DRIVING on the road courses in this game feels quite good with all the assists turned off. Similar to some of the more recent S397 DLC. To ME, at least.
Just about everything else=bugged, though.
 
Ole Marius Myrvold
Staff
Premium
MadDriver11 said:
Not really: exclusive deal is for the series. Then car manufacturers and track owners can always market their stuff separately. It just won't be "the official game of xyz"
Click to expand...

I was considering that, but thought that it wouldn't be nitpicking on that considering this is about series and licensing, not individual cars...
Oh well.

MadDriver11 said:
MSG may put different art workers and modelers on different games but the core coding team is always S397. So there is no way they can follow 4 different titles at the same time every year. The reality is that MSG always planned to design one game and sell it 4 times with different aesthetics and different licenses/names. Let's be realistic.
Click to expand...

S397 isn't the dev.team behind NASCAR 21, nor will they be the dev team behind the BTCC, IndyCar or WEC/Le Mans game.
They may have some of the team helping out, but it is not the team behind it.
And yes, the idea is very likely to use the same engine for different games. Just like the GTR-series, rFactor, AMS etc. was built on the same engine, which was an evolution of the engine that was first used in Sports Car GT.
It's actually very easy to see the design-choices and similarities from Sports Car GT and all the way up to rF2.

This isn't anything new though. Most game companies use the same engine for multiple games, both in the same genre and different genre.
 
M
Regarding GT cars… Can someone explain to me what’s the difference between “broken” rF2 physics engine and that “realistic” one from ACC? Especially now when those setup issues with negative “toe” are actual in ACC? Even with ACC’s FFB update and my hardware update to DD, I still can’t feel a **** what’s happening with the front end of the car under hard braking or understeering. FFB of rF2 is top notch in the same scenario.
 
M
wolftree said:
Where do you get this? MSG has at least three different dev teams besides S397: one in Russia, one in Florida and one in Silverstone. S397 can't even fix the GT cars in rF2 so I doubt they're capable of programming physics for four different games at the same time.
Click to expand...
It depends on what you call dev teams: they have 3 different set of people running graphics, tracks probably and the storyboard of the games. But as far as the core side of driving, I/O and so on it's RF2 based and it's S397 to create the common ground for all the games as the "three devs teams" have no clue whatsoever about how to handle RF2 engine. It's quite evident the 4 games will differ only on the "exterior" and the "storyboard". They aren't going to develop 4 different game engines for sure. All they will change from one title to the other is the list of cars and tracks and the career stuff. The backbone will be the same for all and hoping differently is just delusional thinking.
Design one and sell four.
 
Last edited:
D
MadDriver11 said:
It depends on what you call dev teams: they have 3 different set of people running graphics, tracks probably and the storyboard of the games. But as far as the core side of driving, I/O and so on it's RF2 based and it's S397 to create the common ground for all the games as the "three devs teams" have no clue whatsoever about how to handle RF2 engine. It's quite evident the 4 games will differ only on the "exterior" and the "storyboard". They aren't going to develop 4 different game engines for sure. All they will change from one title to the other is the list of cars and tracks and the career stuff. The backbone will be the same for all and hoping differently is just delusional thinking.
Design one and sell four.
Click to expand...
That reminds me of when Sierra took over the Nascar title from Papyrus. They sub-contracted a great deal of the artwork to a Russian firm. There was a stink from users about firing Papyrus employees, but that didn't last long. I, for one, couldn't tell the difference, but that should be taken with a grain of salt, I'm one of the least artistic folks on the planet.
 
K
Ole Marius Myrvold said:
There's just exclusive deals these days. That's a thing that irritates me a lot, almost more than microtransactions (almost!!).



I would think they put different development-teams on the different games. Not at least because, even with the awful NASCAR-game released, they are supposed to have more NASCAR-games.
Click to expand...
Maybe, but that means three separate dev. teams working simultaneously on three games. Do they have the resources? I doubt that, unlike the result is more deeply flawed games like Nascar Ignition.
 
Last edited:
Ole Marius Myrvold
Staff
Premium
Kingkoenig said:
Maybe, but that means three separate dev. teams working simultaneously on three games. Do they have the resources? I doubt that, unlike the result is more deeply flawed games like Nascar Ignition.
Click to expand...

It will actually mean 6 in total. rFactor 2, KartKraft, NASCAR-series, BTCC, IndyCar and WEC/Le Mans.
I imagine the dev.teams being quite small, and the idea being to use the rF2 physic engine, coupled with the Unreal-engine, and have the dev.teams basically make the series-specific rules etc. Somewhat similar to all the different "simulation" titles being put out by the same people with little differences except what it's supposed to simulate.

They will need much bigger teams for this. Though, if what @wolftree writes are right, then they do have 6 dev.teams.
Wolftree lists: Russia, Florida and Silverstone. Motorsport Games also owns 704Games, the NASCAR people, formerly known as Dusenberry-Martin, they are based in North Carolina. S397 being Dutch and Motorsport Games Australia which is the KartKraft.

They are all likely to be small teams though. Talk about biting over more than you can chew.
 
C
No confidence left to this lot. What a waste of licenses, particularly BTCC.

They have rf2 that was sort of fine but archaic. Then, they proceed to ruin that old game while did nothing with making it less of a pain to play.
 
K
Ole Marius Myrvold said:
It will actually mean 6 in total. rFactor 2, KartKraft, NASCAR-series, BTCC, IndyCar and WEC/Le Mans.
I imagine the dev.teams being quite small, and the idea being to use the rF2 physic engine, coupled with the Unreal-engine, and have the dev.teams basically make the series-specific rules etc. Somewhat similar to all the different "simulation" titles being put out by the same people with little differences except what it's supposed to simulate.

They will need much bigger teams for this. Though, if what @wolftree writes are right, then they do have 6 dev.teams.
Wolftree lists: Russia, Florida and Silverstone. Motorsport Games also owns 704Games, the NASCAR people, formerly known as Dusenberry-Martin, they are based in North Carolina. S397 being Dutch and Motorsport Games Australia which is
Click to expand...
Didn’t know that. Thanks for the information.
 
Knoxstar
Your 3 year old wants Mario Kart or some like colourful cartoony game. You don't market or make a game like this for a kid that can't read!
Make it for the dad that tells his wife that he's only playing with the game for the kid, just like the football the kid can't kick or throw...yet or the train set that the kid just stares at.

But Holy Mother of Mary don't make a game like this for little junior!! In fact take this game, remove the overdone graphics, the realistic looking cars, any set-up stuff and splash it with bright colours, goofy looking NASCAR drivers with oversized heads driving tiny Camrys, Camaros and Stangs and sell THAT to mom and dad for little Tommy. When he wants to play the bigger more complex game, then buy him that after he knows how to tie his shoe laces, not poop his pants or pick his nose then eat it. (Yeah I had a young son once upon a time)
 
eSTee3
I hate myself for watching the entire video. He could have used the following "answer" for every question, since it's basically what he did and just switched some words around:

"Great question and we're looking at the possibility of eventually adding this feature in a future game that we may or may not ever create"
 
Austin Ogonoski
eSTee3 said:
I hate myself for watching the entire video. He could have used the following "answer" for every question, since it's basically what he did and just switched some words around:

"Great question and we're looking at the possibility of eventually adding this feature in a future game that we may or may not ever create"
Click to expand...
I honestly feel really bad for him. His name is going to be forever attached to this project which may or may not damage his credibility, possibly preventing him from finding work in the future if the company blows up spectacularly as anticipated.

Been in his shoes before. When the F&F game came out, both Cr1tikal and Angry Joe did these massive pieces on the game, millions of views each, with Cr1tikal singling out the QA squad for being the reason the game shipped in an... interesting state.

Woke up to a text from my friend being like "hey Cr1tikal made a video on you. Specifically you." Rubbed my eyes and yep, it was real. I took it in stride because I know game development is a lot more complex than just "QA bad" but that was certainly an item I didn't want on my bingo sheet lol.

And just like F&F Crossroads had a story, I assume NASCAR 21 is the same way. The older I get, the more fascinated I become in these kinds of projects. Have spent hours reading about Superman 64, Kiss' Music from The Elder, & The Alliance of American Football. Add NASCAR 21 to that list I guess.
 
Mekonrider
Sometimes you wonder were these companies get their money from. It's all a bit Rich Energy.

If you love BTCC the best you can hope for is AC mods or go a series up the ladder and the Raceroom world-tourers. Those are pretty good fun actually and certainly not simcade.
 
Romandevison
We didn't see the GTR3 and that's good - the main thing is that it didn't turn out to be such a crutch. It's really better not to release anything.

It's just a shame. The only justification would be if they returned the money and in that case it would be a chance to retain the loyalty and trust of users. Although... where I'm going with this.
 
maranello78
Kingkoenig said:
I don’t think these games will ever be made. And if they actually happen, I will wait for the reviews from real gamers.

Three titles to be developed at once by a studio that can’t make one? What a joke.
Click to expand...
And they want release for mobile, so i think is not serious, they must think about what kind of clients they want, boys with 12 years, or people that will pay Game and DLC?
 

Latest News

Article information

Author
Mike Smith
Article read time
2 min read
Views
9,437
Comments
54
Last update

Share this article

Are you buying car setups?

  • Yes

  • No

Results are only viewable after voting.
See comments…
Back
Top