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SPACING AND LENGTH
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INTRODUCTION
I knew nothing about sprint car racing when I purchased this
game. From seeing an occasional highlights segment on Speed
News or RPM Tonight, a few of the driver names sounded
slightly familiar, but I was extremely surprised when, in
reading through the excellent game manual, I learned that the
right rear tire is larger than its left-side counterpart.
However, despite my extreme ignorance of sprint car racing,
the first thirty minutes with the game sold me on this form
of racing.
While the array of tuning options can feel threatening
initially (and also seems to run counter to tuning options in
games such as Gran Turismo 3 and F1 2001, two games which
place a HEAVY emphasis on tuning), the basics are well-
explained in the game manual, with brief tips on-screen in
the tuning menu. After a few runs through Single Race and
Time Trial to become accustomed to driving a sprint car and
learning a few circuits, anyone can have fairly quick success
in Arcade Mode; success is initially rather rare in Career
Mode, so concentrating in Arcade Mode for several days first
is definitely advisable.
One common complaint players often have is the loading time
required in various games. Fortunately, World of Outlaws has
one of the FASTEST loading times I have encountered in a
racing game - in my experience, only F1 2001 is faster, but
only by less than a second on average.
One important note: World of Outlaws REQUIRES a DualShock2
controller. I use a MadCatz DualForce controller (designed
for the original PlayStation) for all my other racing games
due to the better grip of the controller, but WOO does not
support PSX/PSOne controllers. Third-party controllers
designed for the PlayStation2 may also work with World of
Outlaws, but I have not had the opportunity to test any of
them with this game.
GETTING STARTED
First, game manuals are generally not very good at really
explaining the intricacies of a game. However, the game
manual for World of Outlaws is by far the BEST I have ever
seen!!!!! There is a lot of detail - all of it necessary to
know to perform somewhat well from the start - throughout the
entire game manual. DO NOT OVERLOOK THIS GOLD MINE OF
INFORMATION!!!!!
Next, spend time working in Arcade Mode. Try many different
venues in Time Trial and Single Race. This will give a good,
hands-on feel for the game. Tuning takes only a minor role
in Arcade Mode, so there is no need to worry about the nuts-
and-bolts of tuning a sprint car. However, what IS important
here, especially for those with little familiarity with
sprint car and/or dirt track racing, is learning how to read
the dirt at each venue and how to drive cleanly to attain the
lowest possible lap times. Certainly, it will be MUCH harder
to make low lap times at extremely short tracks, such as
Silver Dollar, due to the incredible amount of traffic; with
such a tiny venue (1/4-mile), traffic is inescapable, except
the first 2-3 laps of a race if starting from Pole Position.
As the last step in Arcade Mode, work through one or two
Championship runs. Each Championship consists of twenty-four
events, and will give a great view of the circuits in the
game. Here, tuning takes on more of a role, specifically
Wing Pitch (which can be set initially in Tuning, then
adjusted as needed - within reason - throughout a race).
When ready, go to Career Mode, enter a Driver Name and Racing
Number, and opt to watch the Career Mode Tutorial Movie.
This excellent overview of Career Mode explains the basics
first, then the details. The narrator speaks rather slowly,
which allows time to digest the information. The Career Mode
Tutorial Movie is also available at any time from the Movies
section.
==============================================
CAREER MODE
Beginning in Career Mode is even more frustrating than
starting in the Gran Turismo series :-( At least in the
Gran Turismo series, there is a fairly wide variety of cars
to choose from to begin a game. Career Mode in World of
Outlaws, however, only provides two choices of sprint cars
for the beginning racer. Of the initial $12,000, the
cheapest car will consume $9,000, leaving fairly little money
for upgrades or repairs.
Obviously, many races will be locked out to the newcomer to
sprint car racing, as the necessary travel costs would be
prohibitive. However, the initial local race is a good place
to start. Performing well here results in an initial
sponsorship offer; my first sponsor gave me a two-race
contract worth $400 per race, which was definitely necessary
to keep going as my first race with the sponsorship deal (in
the World of Outlaws Support Series) resulted in only $50 for
placing last :-( In the following regional race, I won
$1,000 for placing 16th, but such a poor showing is still
very little consolation - both for finances and for a
driver's ever-present oversized ego. This makes it rather
difficult to save enough money to buy the parts which are
likely to make a BIG difference in race performance, such as
a new engine.
One way to keep costs down is to turn off the damage option.
Especially at the start of a career, there will be a number
of incidents - usually just banging a wheel against a wall or
into another competitor, but perhaps even flipping the sprint
car repeatedly - which would require repair or replacement
and which would serious eat away any money from winnings or
sponsors. As you become much more comfortable with the car's
handling and are better able to tune the vehicle for each
particular circuit and time of day, damage can be reinstated
to add another level of challenge to Career Mode.
==============================================
TRAFFIC
No matter where a competition is held, all these tracks are
rather TIGHT. This is nothing like CART or F1 or ALMS, where
cars can easily spread out quickly. In this game, even the
'long' tracks are extremely short, which means that - except
for those starting a race from the front row - every car is
always involved with traffic on every lap.
As an event goes on, the best racing line often moves further
and further up the track, especially in the turns. However,
it may be beneficial to tune a sprint car to consistently run
tight to the apex of the corners. This is because most CPU-
controlled vehicles tend to stay high in the corners, thus
sacrificing themselves to a pass on the low line. This is
also great for dealing with large packs of traffic, as there
is always the potential that the lower car(s) will slide
upward into the higher car(s) in a turn, and knocking the
whole pack up into the outside wall (if there is one at that
venue). Also, if evasive action is needed, it is far easier
to quickly dart up the track to avoid an incident than it is
to slide back down toward the apex.
Another method of passing, which does have its risks, is
using a well-placed wheel to bump a car on the high side.
This will often cause the other car to temporarily lose
control, and if done in a pack of traffic, this maneuver can
send other cars scattering as well, thus opening a little
more space on the track to make a successful pass. However,
this tactic can backfire in terms of a temporary loss of
control and/or incurring damage.
==============================================
POINTS
In Arcade Mode Championship and in Career Mode, points are
awarded based upon placement at the end of each event. These
points determine the winner of Championship runs in Arcade
Mode, and the winner of the various championships in Career
Mode.
Also, a DNF (Did Not Finish - i.e., quitting an event)
results in 0 points. Even worse, in Career Mode, quitting an
event usually results in a loss of sponsorship. Therefore,
no matter how badly the car may be handling, no matter how
little hope exists of ending the night in a good position, no
matter how damaged the sprint car, a driver must ALWAYS
finish the event to gain the minimum 75 points and (in Career
Mode) the ever-valuable sponsorship money.
WISH LIST
1.) There needs to be a much faster/easier way to exit modes
such as Time Trial and return to the main menu.
2.) A training mode (or at least a training movie) would be
helpful for those with little or no knowledge of sprint car
racing. This should include the basics of tuning, how to
read a track's changing conditions, and the format of the
events (from Practice to A Main, including the distribution
of championship points).
CONTACT INFORMATION
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