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| Mercedes Benz Truck Racing |
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INTRODUCTION:
The hottest and most real truck racing sim you have ever seen. The strong license of Daimler Chrysler / Mercedes and the fast 3D engine assure a game of high interest and quality! Mercedes Truck Racing will stand out from the crowd of racing sims already available. Truck Racing is at its best.
Mercedes Truck Racing is a truck racing game based on the BreakNeck engine, with the Mercedes license behind it. Test your skills in racing freightliners in a 1st or 3rd person view. Choose from various tracks, weapons and collision damage to your truck.
FEATURES:
- Up to 11 trucks in a race.
- Original Mercedes Benz Super Race Trucks.
- Authentic circuit design of all original FIA race tracks, e.g. Nurburgring (Germany), Circuit de Catalunya (Spain), and A1 Ring (Austria), plus 3 fun tracks.
- High detailed Truck models with over 1.500 polygons
- 3D Cockpit, lightning effects, transparency...
- All original Mercedes Benz race teams with authentic driver profiles, sponsors and race statistics.
- Single race, Training or Ghostlap mode.
- Two races per weekend including training, qualifying and race.
- Telemetry data.
- Visible damage and vehicle deformation.
- Different weather conditions (rain, fog�).
- Surround sound.
- Multiplayer mode.
- Detailed circuit information with comments from experienced race truck driver
INTERFACE:
Well since the demo is in German language I decided to translate the basic options available in the demo. I doubt that many people would have problems with navigating the menus but we did it anyway.
Game interface is very nice and simple. Almost all options are available on all screens. This demo has only Single Race available.
When choosing tracks you can see all eleven of them (A1 Ring, Catalunya, Donington, Nurburgring...), but you can only run on one (Zolden).
When choosing a team you don't have anything to choose from. You are stuck with the default Synetic truck but you can see five other teams as well.
Garage is also available, but you can't tweak any settings. All you get is technical information about the racing truck.
If you click on options you will find yourself choosing between a wheel or keyboard. You can also set buttons for changing gears, camera, for looking back, using a horn and resetting the car (if you go off track).
You can also set key/button for every gear separately, which means the Act-Labs Shifter will work like a charm.
Last but no least there are game settings. There are 3 race length available (3, 4 or 5 laps). You can also set artificial intelligence there. Slider goes from 1% to 100% but even set to 100% means you will win easily.
Computer controlled trucks are doing laps around 2 minutes flat which is 4 seconds slower then a safe, no cutting corners drive.
PHYSICS:
Physic model is excellent. You need to be gentle on brakes as well as on the gas. Smashing the brake pedal will lock all wheels and off in the kitty litter you go. Applying the throttle has to be done gradually or the rear end will step out.
Physics model is based on a 6 degrees of freedom which means you can flip that big boy. Locking the brakes and sliding through the corners feels right and its fun to do. If you get a wheel on the grass the rear will come around. Well, it depends on the speed at which you hit the grass and that is what impressed me. Gravel traps are also modeled correctly. Same goes for curbs.
Only thing that seemed a bit unrealistic was the flipping of the trucks. They flip too easy when in contact with another truck, though pushing and rubbing is done very well. Driving a big truck can't compare to any modern driving ca. Controling and sliding the truck is a bit simillar to Grand Prix Legends (imagine Murasama - Honda - with five times of original weight and sliding around Monaco). Once you get the feel for the truck it's very easy to predict what the car will do. You feel the back end coming around and you can save it in time. Just don't over-correct it or you will be snaking that rear for some time.
RACE REPORT:
Zolden is the only track available in the demo and it is located in Belgium (it reminds me on Imola). It's twisty and turny with a few long straights and 3 chicanes. Fast times without cutting any corners are around 1:54 - 1:55 sec. This track is 4.194 km long and very easy to learn.
The trucks are going slowly through the last chicane preparing for the start. The tension is building and the green flag drops. Slow, heavy trucks transform into speeding beasts, bumping and rubbing for positions like its the last lap. Red braking lights light up as the trucks approach the first left hander. Tires start to squeal and the first contact is made. Luckily without any damage. As they exit the first turn they approach the tricky double right corner.
All the trucks made it thorough and one more right-hander lies before them. This one is fast and drivers only lift off the gas pedal for a second. Going down the backstretch they can relax... but not too much. Passing under the bridge they approach the fast left-right chicane. The trucks bounce as they hit the high curbs and one truck looses its rear end. He saves it just in time but looses much speed. Fast chicane is followed by a flat out left kink and a short straight.
Two trucks are still fighting for the lead as the track drops down. Now comes the slowest part of the circuit. It's a right-left-right combination and two leading trucks are side by side. There is only room for one and contact is unavoidable. Accelerating out of the right corner comes the 1st place truck. He's going flat out through the left kink and then hard on the brakes as the hairpin approaches. The tires lock up and pumping the brake slows the truck down just before the gravel trap. 90 degree corner is tight and shortly followed by a left right kink.
First place is taken but there is still a fierce fight for remaining places. Going down the short straight the bunch closes up. There is only left right chicane before finish. Second place truck makes a mistake going in the last corner and spins. He looses second place and has to settle with fifth place finish. Now isn't that fun?
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE:
As I mentioned before, it can be set from 1-100%. Computer controlled trucks are slow even at 100% but I am sure that will change in the final release. They are using various lines and different driving techniques. Some drivers slide the truck more and others are a bit more gentle. Right from the start they will let you know that they mean business.
Give them a tap and they will tap you back. Overtaking can be a handful if you don't do it correctly. They will run side by side through the corner and if they think they can make it they won't give you an inch of space. You really have to fight for position.
I must admit I had a lot of fun running with AI trucks, passing them, following their every move and bumping them at times just for fun. Computer trucks do fight between themselves and often push themselves off the track.
TRACK MODELING:
As you can se on the picture, track is modeled at the highest level and looks great. You can drive through the pits and go behind where the team trucks are parked. You can also see tents for guest, stairs going up the pit building and many other little details that will make your hair on the back rise.
I can't really say anything about the track's accuracy since I don't know the Zolden track but I've got a feeling its pretty accurate. The surrounding looks vivid and highly detailed. I love the big curbs which upset the truck's suspension and makes it bounce. Gravel traps slow you down like they are supposed to do and you really get a feeling like you are driving through a heavy, thick gravel.
I just wish there would be more tracks in the demo. Well I am one of the few guys who got a chance to play another track, but that was two months ago when I was visiting E3 show in Los Angeles and I can't really remember which one was it.
SOUND & GRAPHICS:
There isn't much to say. This game is flying on my Voodoo 3 card and Celeron o/c to 450 MHz. I won't say another word about the graphic. I will just invite you to check out the pictures on the next page. Sound is nice. I like the engine roar, the tire squeal and the sound of the loud horn. I noticed that all sounds are in .wav format which means you can create your own collection.
CONCLUSION:
I love this demo and I must say, I haven't had so much fun for quite a while now. The only thing missing are the setup options and a cockpit view.
Now check out the rest of the pictures among which you can find a cockpit screen shot and images from other circuits. One of them has even an oval. Enjoy.
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| Author: |
09-10-2002 |
| hi, dear this turk ismy lovely truck and his sexy driver 's hm love |
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| Author: |
21-10-2004 |
| I am concerned. I have used the name Zolden as an online handle and many other things (including a site). I have no knowledge of a place in belgium actually existing called Zolden. I want to know if this name was thought of fictionally or what. I find this ironic as I'm close to being a game developer myself, and have been in the industry for years. Hmm... |
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| Author: |
23-05-2007 |
| kkkkkk |
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