Following the first patch that was released shortly after Need for Speed Shift hit the shelves, Slightly Mad Studios are now busy preparing the second patch that will address a variety of issues.
Alongside various small fixes for all platforms, the patch also addresses the technical issues of the PC version such as poor ATI support, crashes when changing graphic settings and more. Furthermore, the patch will increase the number of players in online races from 8 to 12.
The patch is currently being tested, a release date has not yet been announced. You can find the full changelog below, you might have to click “Read More” to see it.
Jessica, Darin & Shaun of Insidesimracing.tv have released their video review of Sligthly Mad Studios’ Need for Speed Shift title, giving us an extensive look at the popular new racing game.
Furthermore, the video includes the newest edition of their top sim cars rating and the guys answer some Forza Motorsport 3 related questions. Enjoy the show!
Electronic Arts’ Need for Speed franchise has joined a very exclusive club by selling more than 100 million copies, making it the best selling racing game in the world.
Since the release of the first title in 1994, 14 Need for Speed titles have been released, the latest being Slightly Mad Studios’ Shift. The franchise joins a very elitist club as only a handful of other game series have sold this many copies, including The Sims, Mario, Pokemon and the Gameboy classic Tetris.
Players have completed over 279 billion virtual miles in Need for Speed, using 14 different game platforms. The number of sold copies even exceeds the number of sold passenger cars in the US since 1994. And just in case you´re wondering, the highest resolution cars in the initial Need for Speed consisted of just 70 polygons.
Sommergemuese has released a complete template pack for all cars in Need for Speed Shif, allowing everyone to include personal liveries in the popular title.
The templates come in 4096×4096 pixel resolution, allowing the creation of high-res screenshots. Due to the high resolution, the pack is 600mb in size, it is a must have for Need for Speed Shift painters though.
The pack can be downloaded below, more info and an english readme file can be found in sommergemuese’s blog.
Eter has put together another Need for Speed Shift comparison video, showing a lap in the Koenisgegg CCX on the Nürburgring Nordschleife both in Shift and real life, giving us the chance to compare the track and the car physics.
Xupeko has released a new beta version of his Pro Career Mod for Need for Speed Shift that fixes a critical bug found in the earlier version.
Changes by this mod include changes to the race length by factor five, getting rid of the very short two-lap events. The required points to level up have also been increased by the same factor to suit the new race length, the prize money awarded for new levels has been decreased to further slow down the career mode and make it more rewarding.
Xupeko points out that this mod is meant to be used with Dario Morelli’s Real Mod 2.0b, installation is as simple as overwriting some files.
Important: If you have an old version of the mod installed, make sure to uninstall it as explained in the mod’s readme file.
While other mods for Need for Speed Shift have already improved the title’s graphics and physics, xupeko’s Pro Career Mod aims to extends Shift’s career mode.
Changes by this mod include changes to the race length by factor five, getting rid of the very short two-lap events. The required points to level up have also been increased by the same factor to suit the new race length, the prize money awarded for new levels has been decreased to further slow down the career mode and make it more rewarding.
Xupeko points out that this mod is meant to be used with Dario Morelli’s Real Mod 2.0b, installation is as simple as overwriting some files.
Eter has put together a comparison video, showing the Pagani Zonda sports car in Need for Speed Shift alongside real footage from a hotlap on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
Racer_S has released Camera Control for Need for Speed Shift, allowing real-time editing of the game’s cameras and FOV settings.
While that’s very useful for those looking to make spectacular screenshots and videos, the tool also adds unofficial support for the TrackIR device to Shift.
Important: This tool only works with the 1.1 version of Shift so make sure you have the patch installed.
Carbonfibre has put together a very neat comparison video, showing the Corvette Z06 road car at Silverstone both in rFactor and Need for Speed Shift side by side.
The video shows the Corvette being aggressively driven around the Northamptonshire track, giving us the chance to compare both the physics and track accuracy of both titles. Keep in mind that this isn’t the stock version of Shift but the latest release of Dario Morelli’s Real Mod.
Two weeks ago, VirtualR readers had the chance to submit their Need for Speed Shift questions to Slightly Mad Studio’s Ian Bell, Doug Arnao and Erro Pitulainen.
Hundreds of questions have been submitted and while the guys haven’t had the chance to answer them yet, Ian Bell has been kind enough to engage in a discussion with many VirtualR readers in the comment section.
Since many readers will probably not spot his very interesting answers buried in the mass of comments, you can find the questions and all his answers below (you might have to click “Read More” to see the rest of this article.
Dario Morelli has released a new version of his highly populer Real Mod that gives the physics & AI in Slightly Mad Sudio’s Need for Speed Shift a complete overhaul.
Changelog:
NEW TIRES MODEL: entirely rewritten models for all the cars with three separate “slip curves”.
NEW AI MODEL: more competitive, less aggressive, and make fewer mistakes.
NEW CHASSIS MODEL: all data from the chassis of all the cars now are correct.
NEW COCKPIT CAM: now it’s like a real “onboard camera”.
NEW TRACK SURFACES: all the surfaces are now correct.(same as 1.0)
Once again, the mod is available in packed .bff files and in unpacked state for those using the “loose method”. To see the effects of this mod in action, check out the Aston Martin in the video below.
The modding community keeps on improving EA & Slightly Mad Studios’ recently released Need for Speed Shift title in a breathtaking pace. Following the first physics and damage mods as well as the fictional track object remover, Dario Morelli has pushed the envelope further by releasing his Real Mod.
The 900kb small mod combines many improvements made by other mods into one package, including damage improvements, alternative cameras and overhauled physics that get rid of the constant sliding of cars, making them feel more like in the GTR series of simulations.
Extensive work has been gone into the AI too as Diego has not just adjusted the AI aggressiveness but also changed many of the computer cars’ characteristics. Other changes include smoothed track surfaces and slight menu changes. If you´re unsure about which of the many Shift mods to get, this one shouldn’t be missed.
The mod is available both in packed BFF files as well as loose files for those preferring the unpacking method.
Team LMT has released their first ever public mod for rFactor, bringing Ferrari's F60 Formula One car and the 2009 version of the Singapore Grand Prix to the simulation.
Driven by Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen, the F60 was Ferrari's take on the new rules introduced prior to the 2009 Formula One season. Despite being equipped with the promising KERS system, the car failed to make an impact on the world championship. Along with the car comes the 2009 version of Singapore, Formula One's first ever night Grand Prix.
The team's first public mod for rFactor was helped by many modders who ...
Superleague Formula Game – Released
Image Space Incorporated and the Superleague Formula Series have released the Superleague Formula Game, bringing the 2009 SLF season to the PC.
Based on ISI's popular gMotor 2 simulation engine, the game includes all cars, drivers, rules and tracks of the 2009 SLF season, the second in series history. The virtual SLF cars have been created by none other than CTDP, rFactor's most popular open-wheel modding team.
The game includes six popular European road courses as Magny Cours, Zolder, Estoril, Monza, Jarama & Donington are included. Furthermore, the game includes all of the series rules including the two-race format used on race ...
Forza Motorsport 3 – Review
The third installment of Turn 10's Forza Motorsport franchise brings over 400 cars and 100 to the Xbox 360, aiming to create a new benchmark title in terms of console driving games.
Can the newest Forza give Gran Turismo a run for its money and is the title something sim racer should consider? Read the review to find out.
Endurance Series SP1 – Porsche RS Spyder Evo Previews
Enduracers have released a first batch of previews of the upcoming Service Pack 1 for their popular Endurance Series mod for rFactor.
The previews show the Porsche RS Spyder Evo LMP2 prototype in several paint schemes. Launched in 2007 after a problem-ridden season with the initial RS Spyder model, the Evo proved to be a big success, clinching Porsche countless wins in the American Le Mans Series, the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Le Mans Series.
The first service pack will be introducing several new models to Endurance Series, including the Peugeot 908 and Audi R10 diesel sports cars, the Acura ...
World Super GT 2 – NSX Cockpit In-Game Previews
Following a first batch of previews released a few days ago, Team RMT has now released new previews of the Honda NSX Cockpit in rFactor where World Super GT is running for testing purposes.
The shots show us what could very well be the most stunning cockpit in any PC simulation ever as no detail has been spared on the Super GT car's interior.
Successor to World Super GT for GTR 2, World Super GT 2 will bring some of of the most legendary GT cars of the 90s as well as Super GT GT500 class machinery to rFactor 2.
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Via BSR
Following the first patch that was released shortly after Need for Speed Shift hit the shelves, Slightly Mad Studios are now busy preparing the second patch that will address a variety of issues.
Electronic Arts’ Need for Speed franchise has joined a very exclusive club by selling more than 100 million copies, making it the best selling racing game in the world.
