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INTRODUCTION
Rally Masters is the latest addition to the genre of rally racing simulators that makes a real challenge for the title of best rally game on the market at this moment. It is made by a Swedish company, Digital Illusions, and distributed by Infogrames from France. Rally Masters was a 'sleeper' when it became available in retail stores. There were no big advertising campaigns or other noticeable PR-stunts preceding the launch of it. One might almost think that the publisher didn't trust the title and was cautious in its release. That is a shame since Rally Masters is a very good product and would've deserved the usual hype preceding certain titles, assumed to be hit products by the publisher.
What does Rally Masters offer for the racing addict? 30 real-world drivers as your AI-opponents (and certain AI-drivers can be tough to beat), 45 different tracks which are located in six different countries (USA, England, Sweden and others), 26 rally racing cars from the past to the present and to top it all a truly exciting multiplayer-option.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
- Pentium 233 MHz CPUu
- MS Windows 95/98
- 32 MB RAM
- Direct3D compatible display adapter
- 4x CDROM drive
- Sound Blaster compatible soundcard
MY SETUP:
- AMD Athlon 700MHz CPU
- MS Windows 98SE
- 256 MB RAM
- Diamond Viper V550 display adapter
- 48x CDROM drive
- Sound Blaster Live soundcard
- Logitech force feedback wheel
- BOX COVER & MANUAL:
The retail box has a dark tone to it (not too catchy on store shelves), the text is clear and easy to read and the box has a recommendation from ELSPA which tells that the game is suitable for persons of three years of age and older. The included manual is fairly small in size (it is the size of the plastic CD-case cover) and thus the text in the manual is smallish, though one doesn't need a magnifying glass to read it. The manual goes through all the basic functions of the game and the user is ready to start driving after once reading through it. There is a slight error to be found in the manual when defining analog controls for the game. The text in the manual and the text in the actual game don't correspond to each other and some 'trial-and-error'-testing may be needed to get the right feel for an analog wheel for instance. I would think the definitions in the game have been changed after the manual has went in to the print and because of this it has been too late to implement the changes.
GAMEPLAY
There are basically four different modes in which to race. Race of Champions is featured in the name of the game and is maybe the most unique of the challenges Rally Masters has. The location is the exact replica of the track used in the real race of Champions driven annually in the Canary Isles (a small island on the Atlantic off the African coast) and the rules are the same as in the real event as well. Two drivers race on parallel circuits side by side with identical cars and the winner advances to the next round. This elimination-type contest leaves the two best drivers of the bunch to decide upon the winner of the Race of Champions. This kind of competition is especially fun online with a group of drivers.
The championship-mode is basically the same as Race of Champions but this time there are six parallel racecourses in six different countries to drive on. Rally Masters Challenge cup-mode uses the circular tracks instead of the regular special stages. You get points according to your finishing position in each race and naturally the driver with most points at the end is declared the winner. The toughest driving mode is the Rally Masters Trophy. In this mode you will not only race more tracks but you will also have to contend with varying weather, possible damage to your car (which can be partly or totally repaired at certain points of the competition) and the untouchable clock. These races are run only against the clock with one car running at the special stage. In this mode you will definitely appreciate the directions given to you by your co-driver who is by the way quite good in reading his notes.
Other modes of game play are the traditional single rally, where the driver can choose the track, car and opponent as he/she pleases and then time-attack. Time-attack is a nice way to practice the various tracks, weather and lightning conditions and of course to perfect that racing line for any given course. Time-attack mode is useful for hot lapping with your friends or taking part in the various hot lap competitions on the Internet. Last but most definitely not the least is the option to go online with the multiplayer option. What you need is the information for active Rally Masters-server and then you just fire up the Rally Lobby-program (included on the game CD) to meet your friends online. Or you could use your own computer as the server and invite your friends to a race hosted by you, although all involved parties still need to use the Rally Lobby-program. Setting up races and joining them are easy to do and races can be passworded for invitational races.
PHYSICS
Bells and whistles are nice to have and may look good on your screen but to me the most important thing in a game is its fun factor and in a driving game 'the feel' you have when running your car. This is the part where Rally Masters really impressed me. Granted, you do need practice to start noticing the differences in the behavior of various cars and the effect of setup options (which are unfortunately rather limited) but once you do it is rewarding to say the least. Many visually stunning driving games are very poor to drive and to me that kills the sim already at the get go. When you first go behind the wheel in Rally Masters you may think it is fairly easy to drive but there is driving and driving like in all good racing sims. I purposefully spent a lot of time on certain tracks trying to run that perfect lap and to get the best possible time for the special stage. While doing this I found several variables affecting the speed and handling of the car and I was able to improve my time even after dozens of attempts on the same stage. This to me tells that a fast time on a special stage in Rally Masters requires many things done the right way and it is by no means easy. Of course my experience could be interpreted that I suck as a sim driver too... Some examples of these variables are stages where you have road surfaces like tarmac, sand and gravel. You need to know how the car behaves on these surfaces and be prepared for it. Certain surfaces can even be used to the driver's advantage. For example a sand road with gravel on the edges of the road, you approach a curve then drive the car intentionally into the inside of the turn and gravel surface. The car slows down without you needing to apply the brakes and a well judged use of handbrake and accelerator will swing the rear of the car out and you find your car pointed to the right direction only needing to hit the gas pedal and power forward. This was just one example of using the game's variables right and to the driver's advantage.
As I've mentioned before in this review, the setup options are scarce. You can choose the type of transmission, several different tire types (one of the most important selections to be done for any given race and the recommended tire type by the computer is not always the right choice), gearbox ratio (affects acceleration vs. speed) and the settings for front- and rear suspensions. There are just three settings for suspension: soft, normal and hard. There are differences to be found with these suspension settings but they are rather subtle and not necessarily logical when compared to real world. They are worth testing though and can make a difficult car easier to drive for your liking.
DAMAGE MODEL
The damage model used in Rally Masters will most likely divide people's opinions about it. To make it simple, the damage model is between arcade and simulation. I would say that the makers of Rally Masters have knowingly made compromises to keep the game playable but still slightly on the simulation side. There are varying degrees of damage that the car can sustain but there is no such damage that would completely disable and kill the car. I did wreck the car in more than ways than I can imagine and the car did suffer but I was able to finish the special stage, nevertheless. When the car gets damaged you may notice the engine losing power, gearbox starts to miss shifts and behaves erratically, wheel damage affects steering control, etc. All this is enough to slow the car down and make sure you can't compete with an intact car or to match your best time-attack times. Along with the scarce setup options and the 'middle of the road' damage model it becomes apparent that Rally Masters is not a simulation and clearly isn't intended as one. The main emphasis in the game is skillful driving using close to- or equal cars between the competitors. And in this goal Digital Illusions has succeeded, the game is fun to drive!
WEATHER
A nice addition to Rally Masters is the variable weather and lighting conditions which the driver can choose to his or hers liking. If you want you can drive at nighttime in the rain for example or try out driving on snow when the sun is just about to set in a beautiful Scandinavian setting. Any race driven at night can become quite funny and amusing in a hurry. If our virtual-Colin McRae knocks out both driving lights of his car the rest of the special stage will be difficult for sure. The last hope in such a situation would be to stay close to another car that still has lights in operational condition. I ran some online races where my buddies (and myself too) were scrambling for directions and running off the road constantly since they could hardly see the outlines of the road.
CAR SELECTION
So what kind of car can you drive in Rally Masters? There are three car classes available for your selection. All sanctioned by FIA for rally racing at one point or the other. The legends cars are cars that were used in the '80s and some of them include the so-called B-group cars that at their time were real beasts speed wise and very difficult to master. The chassis shape of the Lancia Stratos made it very distinctive among the other cars of the era. The Peugeot 205 T16 was one of fastest, if not the fastest, rally car of all time and when the B-group cars were banned in rally competition the 205 T16 was used in rallycross competitions with great success. The Audi S1 was the most advanced four-wheel driven rally car and the last of the B-group cars, very difficult to drive and be quick in Rally Masters with the Audi S1.
Both the F2-class and WRC-cars are used in modern day rally competitions. F2-class cars are front-wheel driven and like the WRC cars the horsepower is limited to maximum amount of 300hp. Small and light, these cars very nimble and can be used to good effect on the twisty and narrow roads in the Italian mountain special stages. WRC-cars are the cream of the crop in current rally competitions. They are generally four-wheel driven, again have the limit of maximum of 300 hp and all that power is put to good use by these cars. 4WD gives WRC the upper hand against the F2-cars but as I mentioned earlier there are exceptions to this rule. Two major car manufacturers (in rally racing terms) are missing in Rally Masters and they are Subaru and its Impreza WRC alongside with the Ford Focus WRC. The omission of these car makes is most likely due to licensing facts.
My own favorites in these three categories were the Hyundai (F2), Mitsubishi Lancer EVO6 (WRC) and the Peugeot 205 T16 (legends). These cars may not be the fastest in their respective groups but they became my personal favorites.
RACE REPORT
Here is a report of a virtual special stage that is situated in USA (USA SS2 in game terms). You can follow this report by checking out the pictures or if you already have Rally Masters you can download the replay file of which this report was made.
Peugeot 206 WRC is standing on the start line and the driver waits for the countdown to reach zero. The special stage begins with a fast tarmac-section with some spacious 90-degree turns. The road is wide in traditional American style and rounding out the corners is not a problem.
The tarmac ends abruptly and our driver needs to negotiate a tight and dangerous gap between two fences to enter the sandy part of the special stage that is the most demanding part of this stage.
Four wheel slides and drifts look spectacular but they are not the fastest way to get around the tight corners. Going wide in the fast straights is not an option either since the gravel banks will slow the car down in a hurry. The sand road ends right behind a small hill and we have the last section to go on a narrow and bumpy tarmac road with some sand lying on the edges of the tarmac.
Maximum concentration and car control on the turns racing towards the finish line is critical. The last corner of this special stage is tricky and one could easily lose all the hard work done earlier by overdriving this tight left-hander. The checkered flag awaits and our driver can check out the elapsed time for this run.
FORCE FEEDBACK
Rally Masters supports force feedback-wheels but the effects in the game are not the best we've ever experienced. The 'force' is somewhat lacking and doesn't give the driver as good information on what's happening while driving the special stages as it could give.
CONCLUSION
To wrap up my pleasant experience with Rally Masters I want to say that the game is fun to drive, the graphics are very good indeed and the weather and lighting give, the already eye-catching scenery, more life. On the negative side I must point out the arcadish menu system to navigate through the game options. You must do it with the keyboard since there is no mouse support in the game.
I also want to emphasize the ONLINE MULTIPLAYER-OPTION this game has. The online code has prediction code in it and my numerous online races were solid experiences with little or no warp. And I am afraid I lack the words to describe my experiences while racing online with my friends. At one time I was laughing so hard that tears were running down my cheeks for the antics we managed to create while racing and the other time I was squeezing my wheel and using every bit of my mental power to catch the car in front of me before the finish line. Even watching the saved replays of both online and offline races can be a pleasant pastime.
Rally Masters is a driving game and as I said at the very beginning for me 'the feel' is the number one thing. I am convinced that the feel is there. Lacking in some respects when people refer to simulations Rally Masters to me is still a worthwhile addition to the driving game genre.
PROS:
- 'The feel'
- Online experience
- Very good graphics
- Easy to get up and running
- A good number of car and tracks to choose from
- Variable racing environments
CONS:
- Menu system
- Setup options are lacking
- For those concerned; not a simulation � la Grand Prix Legends for example
- Poorly documented analog wheel adjustments
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| Author: |
22-02-2003 |
| you sad bastard! reviewing the fucking box and manual? wtf man?! |
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| Author: |
25-06-2003 |
| This is a great game, but it's not fun playing in single player when you first tried the multiplayer part that rocks....... To play against the computer is just not the same as playing against your mates or other players around the world......... GREAT GAME, get it !!! |
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| Author: |
25-06-2003 |
| This is a great game, but it's not fun playing in single player when you first tried the multiplayer part that rocks....... To play against the computer is just not the same as playing against your mates or other players around the world......... GREAT GAME, get it !!! |
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| Author: |
29-03-2004 |
| where can i find a copy of this game?? |
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