NTG: IL Talladega Setup

In keeping with the theme that there are scant differences between the current game and its previous iteration, I figured I would share my final setup for NASCAR The Game: Inside Line at Talladega, in order to provide a baseline for working on whatever tweaks have been made between the two games.

I can say that the new game seems to demand some softer rear tires for restarts, and a bit more sway bar in the front for drafting purposes. The current game also seems to tolerate quite a bit more dragging on the rear than NTG: IL, meaning there is more speed to be found. Still, if you're starting from scratch, this might be helpful. You should be able to get up to 202-203 MPH or so on your own with this.

TIRES:

Front Left:
Cold Pressure: 35
Camber: 8
Caster: 6

Front Right:
Cold Pressure: 65
Camber: -8
Caster: 6

Rear Left:
Pressure: 35
Camber: 1.8

Rear Right:
Pressure: 65
Camber: -1.8


Front Toe-In: -1/4
Left Rear Toe In: -1/4
Right Rear Toe In: 1/16

SUSPENSION:

Front Left:
Ride Height: 10.0
Bump: 71
Rebound: 40
Spring: 350

Front Right:
Ride Height: 10.0
Bump: 71
Rebound: 19
Spring: 350

Rear Left:
Ride Height: 5.5
Bump: 69
Rebound: 14
Spring: 460
Trackbar: 4.7
Rubber: YES

Rear Right:
Ride Height: 5.6
Bump: 69
Rebound: 14
Spring: 650
Track Bar: 4.7
Rubber: YES

DRIVETRAIN AND AERO:
Gearing: Cog B

Brake Bias: 59
Steering Lock: 14

AERO:

Tape: 100%
Front Splitter: 2.0

Front Bias: 52.5
Left Bias: 52
Wedge: Whatever it says (Should be around 49.3)

FRONT & REAR SWAY BAR:
Front: 850
Rear:  400

First Paint Scheme Test: Bill Elliott Budweiser #11

It's become a tradition for me to test out the paint booth with a basic variant of this scheme. ETX has removed the need to "earn" basic shape decals how you needed to in NTG: Inside Line, reverting things to how they were in NTG2011, while keeping IL's interface. Otherwise, there seem to be few changes to the paint booth. They have changed up the pre-made sponsor decal list somewhat, and added a new "mirror" option for decals, which can somewhat help match up decals on the left and right hand sides of the car, but it doesn't work perfectly. Still, it's a welcome addition. One problem is you can't zoom out as far on the top down view or others, making placement of certain decals a tricky proposition.

Here's how the test went:

Another new feature of the paint booth in NASCAR '14 is the ability to write phrases in the text box with spaces. Previous games did not allow that. The "KING OF BEERS" phrase on the hood would have had to be three separate decals put down individually or into a custom "brush." Allowing spaces eases some of the old burdens of making a custom paint job in the game.

On the other hand, the new unique shapes to the cars makes it difficult, if not impossible, to simulate older car designs for these retro paint schemes. That's why I kept this as a Fusion, rather than trying to simulate a Thunderbird how I did in NTGIL:

I finally broke down and bought NASCAR '14. As a veteran of NASCAR The Game: 2011, as well as NASCAR The Game: Inside Line, my expectations weren't exactly the highest. In its tenure at the helm of the NASCAR games, Eutechnyx has proven itself to be the John Wes Townley of video game developers -- brief moments of promise punctuating routine screw-ups.

As always, there are a plethora of glitches and lazy decisions that hurt the game, but the online community is vibrant enough to warrant picking up a copy on sale.

This blog will be dedicated to my various observations, paint schemes, setups, tips, and tricks.