MULTIPLAYER

The online multiplayer aspect for the PC version was promised from the beginning, but it wasn't available in time for the retail release. Even so, Synetic promised a multiplayer patch from the start, and although they did a great job of maintaining communications with the gaming community while trying to get the patch together, it took much longer than expected for them to get the multiplayer component working properly and ready for release. Initial projections were for the multiplayer patch to be released roughly a month after the retail version of the game first appeared, but the multiplayer patch wasn't released until May of 2004 (almost 6 months late).

As they say, though, better late than never -- and Synetic did a very good job with the multiplayer aspect, teaming with GameSpy to provide multiplayer support and game matching. The initial multiplayer release featured an incompatibility issue with Windows 98 systems (yes, some folks still use Win98 for their gaming platform, including me), but Synetic followed up with an improved multiplayer patch within a couple of days (proof that as a developer, Synetic pays attention to their customers!).

In multiplayer mode, MBWR will only support up to six (6) players, so the competition can be sparse, even with a "full" field to race against. Overall, the multiplayer code seems to be solid and very stable, and I have seen very little warp or lag while racing online. You can get online using GameSpy or GameSpy Lite, but it's much easier to use the MBWR Multiplayer Lobby utility -- this makes for easy race matching without having to wade through the GameSpy environments. Online races seem to be sparse so far -- at any given time, I haven't seen more than three or four servers online at once, but this may pick up over time (especially if/when Synetic finds a U.S. distributor for MBWR).

CONTROLLER

Controller setup is very straightforward -- all the basic options are there, such as the ability to assign your control inputs and adjusting your deadzone, but you cannot calibrate your analog input device, nor can you adjust your range or saturation for your controller. The only controller options is the ability to choose between "Wheel," "Keyboard/Gamepad," and "Joystick" for your controller types.

MBWR does not support multiple controllers, so if you're using a wheel on your game port and high-end USB pedals, for example, MBWR will not recognize one of your input devices. Logitech wheel users have reported good results with split-axis pedal inputs, though, which is a plus (I am a right-foot braker in games like GPL, so my TSW2 pedals don't have the split-axis option, for what it's worth).

SOUND

This is the one area of the game that is truly painful for me -- overall, the sounds in MBWR are decent enough; all the basic stuff is there, including engine noise, tyre squeal, etc., but the implementation is so poor that it actually detracts from the otherwise outstanding physics engine.

For me, sounds and physics are tied very closely -- I am not an audiophile by any means, but a good physics engine with good engine cues can provide an outstanding sim racing experience (think Papyrus, ISI's F1 Challenge, or SimBin's ISI-based GTR demo). I find that sounds actually become more critical as physics engines become more sophisticated, because the sounds help fill in for missing physical sensations that you cannot achieve with a fixed racing platform, including things like lateral Gs being pulled (via tyre sounds), or acceleration/deceleration rates (via tyre sounds combined with engine note and gear/drivetrain sounds).

With MBWR, we have a fairly sophisticated physics model (apparently a direct descendent from the Mercedes-Benz Truck Racing physics model) paired with one of the poorest sound implementation schemes since some of the less successful titles from the "Test Drive" and "Need For Speed" arcade racing franchises. I have a Phillips Acoustic Edge sound card, which provides rich, high-end sound and works great with all of the games that I have installed, so I'm 99% sure that I'm not experiencing any sound issues related to my sound card.

The biggest problem with the sound implementation for MBWR is the occurrence of unforgivable audio "dropouts" that I have been unable to compensate for. The in-game menus do allow you to set the volume levels for engine sounds and ambient sounds, but I have been unable to find any combination that will allow me to hear my engine note drop to idle under hard braking -- in situations where tyre squeal becomes a major factor (hard braking or significant lateral Gs), the engine note becomes undetectable, making it seem as though you have killed your engine by not engaging the clutch, then it suddenly reappears once I'm done braking and I'm back in the throttle. This may be somewhat realistic to some degree, but I find it rather jarring, and it ruins my suspension of disbelief and spoils the overall sim racing experience because it does not seem realistic to me at all.

The annoying thing is that this does not seem to be caused by tyre sounds that are too loud, or engine sounds that are too soft -- the engine sound just cuts out entirely when the tyre sounds kick in under certain circumstances, and it seems as though the sound implementation doesn't support enough different sounds simultaneously, but I don't think this is the case at all, given all the different ambient sounds that are going on in the background. Even more frustrating is the fact that Mercedes-Benz Truck Racing didn't have these sort of sound problems, so Synetic obviously does know how to get these sort of things right.

One of the recent patches from Synetic supposedly addressed some sound issues, but I didn't notice any improvements to this audio "dropout" issue. This is one area I hope Synetic devotes more attention to in the MBWR sequel, because it's probably the most disappointing aspect of the game for me.