SHIFT 2 Hands on all day today and tomorrow

User avatar
Bojan
NFSUnlimited Staff
NFSUnlimited Staff
Posts: 5182
Joined: 11 Sep 2002, 21:35
Location: Slovenia
Contact:

SHIFT 2 Hands on all day today and tomorrow

Post by Bojan »

I'm attending a SHIFT 2 Unleashed community event at EA UK with 2 days dedicated to the game. I've played it all day today and will be playing it tomorrow too. Now if anybody has any questions regarding the game, please post them here and I'll answer as soon as possible. After the event you can also expect a big preview article.

Update: I will be answering questions about the game live on Twitter from until 2pm GMT, just mention @NFSUnlimited.
Image
User avatar
ElvenAvenger
Drift King
Drift King
Posts: 999
Joined: 07 Jul 2009, 12:38

Re: SHIFT 2 Hands on all day today and tomorrow

Post by ElvenAvenger »

Im really curious, can cars like Subaru Impreza(in general, manufacturers that only have one car in Shift 2) get a different engine swapped in? And can we put a weaker engine in?
AI racers - are they less agressive now...and do they actually notice you are on the track as well?
BTW Which version of Shift 2 it is? X360/PS3/PC?
Hydro_PT
NFSUnlimited Staff
NFSUnlimited Staff
Posts: 1494
Joined: 15 Nov 2007, 02:22
Location: Braga, Portugal

Re: SHIFT 2 Hands on all day today and tomorrow

Post by Hydro_PT »

Nice opportunity Bojan. Use it well. :mrgreen:

1. If you have access to the visual customization, can you tell us how it works? Is it similar to SHIFT, with different bodykits only, or we can, for example, add just a front splitter or a rear wing to a car?

2. How is drift? Better, worse, easier, harder? (compared to SHIFT mainly, but you can compare to other games). Can you drift against the IA in the same track, that is, with them on the track too?

3. Is there tire wear or no? First they said there isn't, then they say it is...

4. Crash physics, how improved are they? Try to rollover if you can and compare it to, I don't know, GRID maybe.

That's all for me. :P
User avatar
Bojan
NFSUnlimited Staff
NFSUnlimited Staff
Posts: 5182
Joined: 11 Sep 2002, 21:35
Location: Slovenia
Contact:

Re: SHIFT 2 Hands on all day today and tomorrow

Post by Bojan »

1. Visual customizaion is basically paint, vinyls and rims. There are bodykit upgrades, but that's under performance. Vinyls do have the mirror function though :)

2. Drift is actually one of the features that got improved the most. The physics are basically the same as in race mode except for the fact that the tires have less grip. It's surprising how good it is to drift from helmet cam. That said it's actually quite easy to get the hang of it as with powerful cars you're basically already drifting during races, in drift it's just easier to do it. You're always alone in drift mode.

3. There is and right now it's set progressively to the length of the track, meaning that tires will wear out faster on short races. I've actually seen cars become undrivable during long drift sessions. You can check out the grip real time if you turn on the telemetry hud. They actually said the tires wear out a bit too quickly now and that they might tone it down a bit.

4. Can't compare it to GRID unfortunately as I haven't played it, but the fact is that if you get in someone's way, you'll be the one spinning out. All the bumping is very sensitive and will usually end up with both cars spinning out. The overall message of the game is that hitting others is bad and you're usually punished for doing it. On the other hand the AI doesn't do it anymore unless it hasn't got any choice (which is the second thing that really got improved compared to SHIFT).
Image
Gotch_nfsplanet
Ricer
Ricer
Posts: 44
Joined: 13 Oct 2007, 19:52

Re: SHIFT 2 Hands on all day today and tomorrow

Post by Gotch_nfsplanet »

1. Will be a drag racing mode?
2. Added a Quick Race option?
3. You know the rest of the cars from Carlist? (http://www.needforspeed.com/shift2unleashed/cars)
4. There will be a changing weather conditions?
User avatar
Bojan
NFSUnlimited Staff
NFSUnlimited Staff
Posts: 5182
Joined: 11 Sep 2002, 21:35
Location: Slovenia
Contact:

Re: SHIFT 2 Hands on all day today and tomorrow

Post by Bojan »

1. No drag right now.
2. Yup, quick race is right there in the main menu.
3. Car list is pretty big and I can't really remember all the cars, but they should be all revealed really soon.
4. No.
Image
User avatar
YaelDjiel
NFSUnlimited Staff
NFSUnlimited Staff
Posts: 1829
Joined: 04 Oct 2005, 22:01
Location: Valthermond, NL

Re: SHIFT 2 Hands on all day today and tomorrow

Post by YaelDjiel »

1. Is it true that you cannot turn the camera around the car with bodykit choosing?
Seemed there is only a 'peek' (showing useless amount :roll: ), and no full rotate as with paint.
From what I saw anyway.

2. Is there replay mode? if yes, can it be saved/shared later and will the HUD and such be visible in it?

3. Can the controller settings/calibration/mappings be changed in the game, on track, when you push ESC and go to options?
ingame deadzone settings? (going through all the menus/loadscreens just to get your controls right is very annoying :P )

4. able to skip movies/cutscenes? ( [-o< )
annoying language/profile select/press button X to accept loaded profile junk? x_X

Some multiplayer questions;
5. Are all tracks/game modes usable in multiplayer?

6. What are you able to choose for creating/joining... filters etc

7. Online nickname minimal character length? special chars allowed?

8. Will there be a time limit in online rooms, before the game starts?
Image
Hydro_PT
NFSUnlimited Staff
NFSUnlimited Staff
Posts: 1494
Joined: 15 Nov 2007, 02:22
Location: Braga, Portugal

Re: SHIFT 2 Hands on all day today and tomorrow

Post by Hydro_PT »

Thanks for the answers Bojan. :)

Mirror function, finally hehe. Too bad there's no drift duels with more cars on the track. :( Sensitive bumping is nice, I just hope it isn't too sensitive. I feel that that feature is missing in simulators like Race 07. When racing online even small touches on someone's car can lead to an accident, but when playing against the AI they just keep going unless you hit them really hard, on purpose. Small touches on the cars, especially the rear (which is very common in WTCC) just don't have effect, you slip right through their car. Glad to see SMS improving that, along with new crash physics and rollovers.

So tire wear is time-scaled, that's ok and makes sense. After all this is not a real simulator and thus there are probably a lot of races which are just 3/4 laps long. 3 laps is what it takes for the tires to get warm in real-life, even though that is not enough when the track temperature is below 16ºC or so. 5/6 tracks is the ideal for most tires.

Anyway enough of my deviations hehe. I have more questions. Hope you don't mind. :mrgreen:

1. Is the vinyl system similar to World, where you can use the mouse to look around and modify each vinyl? (this question is mostly directed to the PC version, I don't know if you have played it). Because in SHIFT it was very hard to see your car while creating a vinyl, there was no free camera to move around, and when applying bodykits you had those menus in there and couldn't see the car properly. Has that changed?

2. "That said it's actually quite easy to get the hang of it as with powerful cars you're basically already drifting during races." I've read in other sites (mainly sim-racing sites) that SHIFT 2's biggest improvement to the cars handling was the "removal" of that drifting that was present in SHIFT 1. Not entirely, obviously, but from what I've read you have more grip and the cars drift less during normal races. Can you compare it with SHIFT 1? I'm afraid they decided to bring back that drifting. It was fun, I liked it, but it would be better if the cars had more grip, depending, of course, on tire wear and the type of tyre. For example I expect a stock car with stock tires to have much less grip than a full-spec racing car like a GT1. I don't know if this "drift-free" handling is just available in the Elite Mode.

3. Do different tyres upgrades behave differently on the track?

4. I don't know which cars you drove, but for example are there noticeable differences between a GT1, a GT3, a supercar (Apollo, Veyron, Koenigsegg), "everyday" sports cars (BMW M3, Nissan 370Z), older cars (BMW M3 E30, Shelby 427) and american muscle (Charger, Challenger, Shelby)?

5. Different bodykits have different aerodynamics. Does this affects the car on the track? Or it is just a visual thing?

6. The game simulates different track temperatures or not? Is racing at night harder due to lower temperatures, you take more time to have the tires at optimum temp? Or that isn't feature at all?

I'm sorry for the bunch of questions, maybe some were already covered in the two massive Q&A, but I haven't had time to read the second one and can't remember half the things I've read in the first one. :mrgreen:

PS: Go play GRID someday. Even if you don't enjoy the handling you must enjoy the crashes and drifting. :D

PS2: If there are too many questions just don't answer. There's more people wanting to know other things. I'm just trying to get a clear picture of how the game feels compared to simulators. Still I won't probably buy it day one (unless there's a demo coming), I have to try it first. But by the looks of it it will come to my home. Limited Edition if possible. :D
User avatar
reputated
Turbo Charged
Turbo Charged
Posts: 147
Joined: 08 Mar 2006, 16:05
Location: india

Re: SHIFT 2 Hands on all day today and tomorrow

Post by reputated »

is the helmet cam any good?
Some pursue happpiness; others create it
User avatar
Bojan
NFSUnlimited Staff
NFSUnlimited Staff
Posts: 5182
Joined: 11 Sep 2002, 21:35
Location: Slovenia
Contact:

Re: SHIFT 2 Hands on all day today and tomorrow

Post by Bojan »

Some of your questions are pretty deep and I simply haven't looked that much into the game to be able to answer (or I simply forgot lol), anyway I'll try to look at it today.

YaelDjiel:
1. You buy bodykits in the performance upgrades screen and I don't you can turn the camere when buying, but I'm not really sure.

2. Replay is there, but I'm not sure if you're able to save it. I'll check it out though.

3. No I don't think you can change controller settings when in race. You can change gameplay settings (driving assists etc) though.

4. No, you can't skip movies :( There is no language selection screen though.

5. Yes and there's also a couple of new online exclusive modes like Catchup Pack where one racer gets a fast car and starts elsewhere on the track then others in slow cars. The fast racer then has to catch up with the pack.

6. Not sure I only used Quick join so far, but will keep an eye on it today.

7. No idea...

8. It's 2min but reduces down to 20s when over half are ready and down to 5s when all are ready.


Hydro's questions
1. I'll try to have a good look at the vinyl system today. I'm mainly on consoles though so it might not be the same as on pc.

2. It's easy to drift even with the low end 240SX you get when you start the game. Grip by default in drift is really lower than in races. But it all feels much natural than in SHIFT1 where it felt kind of forced. All my driving settings were not Elite though, but a mixture of Pro and Elite (only assist on was ABS, driving line on).

3. Not sure about that really, haven't tested it out either.

4. Differences between cars are huge. You'll know just from driving if it's FWD, RWD or AWD. The GT1 and GT3 cars are usually tuned better so that you feel more in control than in "normal" cars that are upgraded to the max. The Apollo is a beast too, with zero performance tuning I was able to beat my top time on Alpental (pulled a 37.0). Older cars are slow (but still fun) and again handle quite differently. The physics model imo is a big step forward too, something that SHIFT2 shines at.

5. Don't know... yet.

6. The conditions are a constant and I don't think they even change between day and night. Not sure though.


And about the helmet cam. It's definitely interesting and surprisingly good for drift. You have to get used to the apex turning though. However when I wanted top results I switched to hood cam.
Image
User avatar
ElvenAvenger
Drift King
Drift King
Posts: 999
Joined: 07 Jul 2009, 12:38

Re: SHIFT 2 Hands on all day today and tomorrow

Post by ElvenAvenger »

Reposting in a more readable form :lol: :


1) Has the AI improved? In Shift they would ignore your presence on the track...leading to ramming and difficulty in getting back on track after a crash.

2) Can we swap a smaller engine in? (downgrade ;P)

3) Any engine swaps available for the Honda S2000/Subaru Impreza/Acura NSX ?
User avatar
[T][U][N][3][R]
Drift King
Drift King
Posts: 257
Joined: 30 Sep 2010, 20:40

Re: SHIFT 2 Hands on all day today and tomorrow

Post by [T][U][N][3][R] »

Have fun. Or try at least...
User avatar
YaelDjiel
NFSUnlimited Staff
NFSUnlimited Staff
Posts: 1829
Joined: 04 Oct 2005, 22:01
Location: Valthermond, NL

Re: SHIFT 2 Hands on all day today and tomorrow

Post by YaelDjiel »

Thanks for the answers so far Bojan, nice.
Keep us further updated, when you can :D
Image
User avatar
Bojan
NFSUnlimited Staff
NFSUnlimited Staff
Posts: 5182
Joined: 11 Sep 2002, 21:35
Location: Slovenia
Contact:

Re: SHIFT 2 Hands on all day today and tomorrow

Post by Bojan »

@ElvenAvenger

1. Oh yes, so much that it is now in fact actually fun to race in career. They're not overly aggressive anymore and they'll sooner get out of the way than try to push you off road. When they see you've got the better line they'll back off. They'll also make an occasional mistake once in a while and in no way does it feel like they're driving on rails. Additionally since the crash physics have been changed a lot, it's not a really bad idea to bump with anybody on the track, resulting in cleaner races and careful overtaking.

2. Engine swaps are basically just another upgrade you can buy on the performance upgrades screen. You can't really choose between different engines, you just hit apply on the one that's available. And that's always a bigger engine.

3. Sorry, but I haven't really checked out all cars and their available upgrades, but engine swaps are usually available on lower end cars.


Anyway I'm done playing SHIFT for a couple of weeks now. Did some hotlapping today (1:14.7 on Laguna Seca wheee), visual customization, performance tuning, more drift, some GT3 races and lots of multiplayer.

Visual customization is pretty limited, basically paint, vinyls and rims. Vinyl selection is nothing special, editor is quick though and you can copy or mirror vinyls to other sections of th car. Performance tuning is like in SHIFT except that you can jump to a track and change settings on the fly. You can also have multiple setups per car and assign them on specific tracks (and modes - drift). Multiplayer is fun of course, however you have to drive more defensively and try to avoid contact. Drift I said a lot about already.
Image
Hydro_PT
NFSUnlimited Staff
NFSUnlimited Staff
Posts: 1494
Joined: 15 Nov 2007, 02:22
Location: Braga, Portugal

Re: SHIFT 2 Hands on all day today and tomorrow

Post by Hydro_PT »

Thanks for your answers Bojan. It helped cleared some things about SHIFT 2. Now all we have to do is wait until it is released. :D

It's good to see the AI being more realistic and not so aggressive. I didn't like the fact that you were encouraged to ram others in SHIFT 1.

"You have to get used to the apex turning though"

This cannot be turned off? I've tried in other game to drive with this function on, but I just can't. Instead of doing the corner correctly I just missed the line completely. If it cannot be turned off then I will probably just play on the hood, even though SHIFT's cockpit was really good and SHIFT 2's cockpit seems even better.

One last thing. What about the sounds? I just watched the new video (Tommy Milner Laguna Seca) and the sound of the Corvette is amazing! So it was the trailer of the Pagani Huayra. Are the sounds really that good?
User avatar
Bojan
NFSUnlimited Staff
NFSUnlimited Staff
Posts: 5182
Joined: 11 Sep 2002, 21:35
Location: Slovenia
Contact:

Re: SHIFT 2 Hands on all day today and tomorrow

Post by Bojan »

You got 5 cams: cockpit, helmet, bumper, hood and chase. Helmet is the only one which turns to apex.

Sounds imo *are* amazing, but that's just my opinion :)
Image
Hydro_PT
NFSUnlimited Staff
NFSUnlimited Staff
Posts: 1494
Joined: 15 Nov 2007, 02:22
Location: Braga, Portugal

Re: SHIFT 2 Hands on all day today and tomorrow

Post by Hydro_PT »

Ah so we have a cockpit camera but without the helmet. That's very well thought by SMS. You can still enjoy a cockpit without the helmet around. :)

Even though the helmet is the most realistic, the apex thing doesn't work well for me. I guess that the effect is not natural enough in the game. At least for me.

I don't trust your opinion. :P Joking hehe, I guess I'l have to wait and check the sounds for myself. If they are as good as those on the videos, SHIFT 2 will be the racing game with the best sounds ever made, I'm sure. :)
User avatar
ElvenAvenger
Drift King
Drift King
Posts: 999
Joined: 07 Jul 2009, 12:38

Re: SHIFT 2 Hands on all day today and tomorrow

Post by ElvenAvenger »

Heh, thanks for the answers. Seeing as the AI is now better, even singleplayer should be entertaining for a while.


Just one more thing, are those engine swaps just labeled like 'Engine Upgrade' or something similar, or do we actually see what real engine we swap in?
Cheesenium
Ricer
Ricer
Posts: 8
Joined: 29 Sep 2008, 10:10

Re: SHIFT 2 Hands on all day today and tomorrow

Post by Cheesenium »

Bojan, just some questions:

1. Can you tell us about the system requirements for PC?

2. As a gamer who enjoyed Shift 1, do you recommend Shift 2 Unleashed to me?

3. Any DLC support on PC?

4. Is the sound quality as good as the Huayra or tommy miller's GT1 Corvette video?

5. From all the unofficial videos, the AI were using stock cars, with no changes in visuals(ie: bodykit and livery), was this the case in your hands on? Even if you are driving a modified car?
Last edited by Cheesenium on 20 Mar 2011, 15:42, edited 1 time in total.
amadey0007
Stock
Stock
Posts: 2
Joined: 20 Mar 2011, 12:08

Re: SHIFT 2 Hands on all day today and tomorrow

Post by amadey0007 »

Hello Bojan
1.In a chat this was discussed?
What weather conditions will be in the game? Will it rain?

2.tell me more details about elite mode of physics?
what changes in it compared to other regimes?

3.game graphics have improved compared to the first part of the game? What improvements have taken place?
User avatar
Bojan
NFSUnlimited Staff
NFSUnlimited Staff
Posts: 5182
Joined: 11 Sep 2002, 21:35
Location: Slovenia
Contact:

Re: SHIFT 2 Hands on all day today and tomorrow

Post by Bojan »

Hey don't know the official sys reqs, but I bet they will be posted soon.

SHIFT2 is perfect for those who loved the first game as they basically fixed all the mistakes the first one had and added more content. I wouldn't recommend it to Hot Pursuit / arcade type lovers though.

Paid DLC for PC will not happen, but it might be getting some free DLC.

Sounds is pretty good I must say, but that's all relative tbh.

No weather, just day, night, dusk. Without transitions.

Elite mode is basically just all assists off, including abs, traction control and driving line. In the end you have the raw car at your fingertips and the difference is enormous.

Game looks really awesome on the PC, but I can't say that for the console versions where in fact it doesn't really look like it's improved much. PC however on a high resolution looks crisp and detailed.
Image
amadey0007
Stock
Stock
Posts: 2
Joined: 20 Mar 2011, 12:08

Re: SHIFT 2 Hands on all day today and tomorrow

Post by amadey0007 »

Bojan thanks for the answers
to your other questions:
1. As the machine behaves in elite mode? Physics on what games look more like the majority of races (eg GTR Evolution)?
2. The graphics are better or worse than in such races as Forza 3 and GT 5?
3. Which version of the game you have installed, console or PC?
4. If possible, please make a screenshot and video of the game.
Hydro_PT
NFSUnlimited Staff
NFSUnlimited Staff
Posts: 1494
Joined: 15 Nov 2007, 02:22
Location: Braga, Portugal

Re: SHIFT 2 Hands on all day today and tomorrow

Post by Hydro_PT »

@amadey0007: Bojan doesn't have the game installed, he just attended a community event and tried SHIFT 2. :P

"I'm attending a SHIFT 2 Unleashed community event at EA UK with 2 days dedicated to the game."
User avatar
Bojan
NFSUnlimited Staff
NFSUnlimited Staff
Posts: 5182
Joined: 11 Sep 2002, 21:35
Location: Slovenia
Contact:

Re: SHIFT 2 Hands on all day today and tomorrow

Post by Bojan »

Yea sadly I didn't go that much into detail (or remember everything), but regarding graphics I can say that the console versions don't stand out compared to other racing games; the pc version however does look really good.

And about the physics engine, I'm not an expert here, hell I haven't even played the true pc sims like rFactor or LFS, so I can compare it to Forza 2 and SHIFT1 and I'd say that it drives very good. There were some issues with cars being really twitchy at some points, but I think that was controller related (as it came and went). Speaking of controllers, the settings will have to be adjusted, especially the sensitivity and dead zone. Other than that, different cars feel a lot different, huge differences between AWD, RWD and FWD. Driving the Caterham is a big challenge, same as the overpowered RWD supercars like the McLaren F1 or Zonda R. And again performance tuning has a big factor, especially when you're going for lap times.
Image
User avatar
reputated
Turbo Charged
Turbo Charged
Posts: 147
Joined: 08 Mar 2006, 16:05
Location: india

Re: SHIFT 2 Hands on all day today and tomorrow

Post by reputated »

Gametrailers just posted a new video. It only contains gameplay!
Some pursue happpiness; others create it
Post Reply

Return to “News”