NASCAR Racing 4 Interview with Scott Stutsman

NASCAR Racing 4 features a wealth of drivers and teams from the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup, NASCAR Busch Series and the Grand National Division. Papyrus has added a new physics engine, allowing for body rolls, wheel lock and wheel spin — perfect for hair-raising stock car crashes.

The 32-bit hardware-only graphics engine enables realtime reflection maps and shadows. If that weren’t enough, the game also sports an improved framerate.

We spoke to Scott Stutsman, Senior Producer at Papyrus Racing Games, about the game’s development. Here’s what he had to say about the game that can support a whopping 43 players via a LAN connection.

Tell us about NASCAR Racing 4’s multiplayer capabilities.

Scott Stutsman: We’ve been working on the multiplayer aspects of the game to give the users more options and features. It’s a much more robust type of multiplayer experience, allowing people that get disconnected from races the opportunity to reconnect. We also support up to 43 players racing simultaneously, depending on the server and bandwidth — 43 people on a LAN really rocks.

Can you tell us a little about the camera options and replay modes? Have any additions been made since the last version?

SS: The player will have four different views to drive the car from — cockpit, arcade, bumper and hood. In replay mode, there are 14 different cameras to view the action from and also a new spectator camera that lets you watch the action from the grandstands.

Casual gamers may be wary of the amount of detail put into the game, thinking that NASCAR Racing 4 is made just for hardcore simulation fans. How easy will it be for a newbie to get to grips with the game?

SS: It should be relatively easy for a nonracing gamer to get up to speed in the game. We’ve done a lot of work on the driving aids to help them out in simulation mode. One big advantage is that the arcade mode isn’t as hair-raising and white-knuckling.

How did you research the physics and handling of the cars?

SS: The whole team went and visited team shops, talked to drivers, and also received constant feedback through the development process with regard to the handling of the cars. This helped us a lot in producing correct handling.

Is there anything you’ve had to leave out due to time or platform restrictions?

SS: Other than the motor oil and the smell of pit road, I can’t think of anything else that we’ve had to leave out.

What about the future of NASCAR Racing? Is there anything not included in this title that you would like to add to future games in the series?

SS: Yes, I would like to see more interaction between the user and the game. Maybe including the team management element that puts the user in the team owner’s seat would be a good idea for the future.

Are there any tracks, teams, or drivers that haven’t been included due to licensing issues?

SS: No, none worth talking about.

How did the development team create the circuits? Where does the data come from?

SS: The data came from blueprints, track visits, revisits and eight years of history in modeling these tracks. We have our own proprietary tools that we use for track building. NASCAR Racing 4 utilizes the latest version of these tools.

And what about alterations to the car setup options?

SS: There are three pages of setup options. We’ve separated the bump and rebound in the shocks and also have the springs separated from that. Gamers can now also make track bar adjustments.

You have a qualifying motor that is a little more tweaked out than your race motor. Front and rear toe has been added, and you can also adjust the differential.

Are there any changes to the use of weather effects in NASCAR Racing 4?

SS: NASCAR Racing 4 will utilize the same type of weather effects that NASCAR Racing 3 had, including wind changes and temperature changes.

NASCAR Racing 4 is set for release on February 15.