Digital Gaming Arena Forum

Nascar The Game 2011 Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIPLMYTY7Jg#ws)

Confimed NASCAR 2011 drivers:

    1) Jamie McMurray
    42) Juan Pablo Montoya
    48) Jimmie Johnson
    5) Mark Martin
    18) Kyle Busch
    00) David Reutimann
    56) Martin Truex Jr.
    2) Kurt Busch
    34) Travis Kvapil
    38) David Gilliland
    13) Jennifer Jo Cobb
    11) Denny Hamlin
    20) Joey Logano
    47) Marcos Ambrose
    77) Sam Hornish Jr.
    83) Brian Vickers
    31) Jeff Burton
    43) A.J. Allmendinger
    19) Elliott Sadler
    99) Carl Edwards
    39) Ryan Newman
    51) Aric Almirola
    29) Kevin Harvick
    14) Tony Stewart
    16) Greg Biffle
    51) Michael Waltrip
    07) Kevin Conway
    71) Bobby Labonte
    9) Kasey Kahne
    7a) Robby Gordon
    21) Bill Elliot
    7) Danica Patrick
    82) Scott Speed
    24) Jeff Gordon
    88) Dale Earnhardt Jr.
    47) Marcos Ambrose
    33) Clint Bowyer
    98) Paul Menard
    17) Matt Kenseth
    6) David Ragan
    30) Todd Bodine
    00a) Ryan Truex
    16a) Trevor Bayne

With a fresh infusion of real world detail and blistering racing action, NASCAR The Game 2011 completely redefines what fans can expect from a NASCAR racing game.

NASCAR The Game 2011 has been built from the ground up to make a thoroughly new experience. The team started by speaking with the people who know NASCAR best - the fans - and took that insight to the teams, drivers and officials to completely embrace what makes NASCAR America's #1 motorsport.

Players can choose to play as themselves or as one of the sport's real-world drivers as they battle it out for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship. Each pro driver has the AI characteristics of his or her real world counterpart, setting the stage for intense rivalries played out on the track. Damage is meticulously detailed and multi-car wrecks are the most extreme ever experienced in an officially licensed racing game. From the 22 real world tracks to full pit stop strategy action, NASCAR The Game 2011 captures the real atmosphere, sense of speed and spectacle that embodies NASCAR. Players can even feel the thrill of a win with the interactive celebration mode.

The game also includes in-depth multiplayer modes which allow up to 16 players to battle it out for the win online. In both online and offline races, players earn NASCAR experience points which help unlock rewards such as decal packs or special car designs, as well as career sponsorships and special races throughout career mode. Everything you do on the track counts!

The release of NASCAR 2011: The Game has been pushed back to March 29th from its original date of February 15th. That means the game will not come out in advance of the Daytona 500 which takes place on February 20th.

The other head-scratcher is that Activision has chosen to release the game on a day where two other sports-themed titles hit the market. The 29th also includes the high-profile arrival of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters as well as the arcade fighter WWE All-Stars. If it had stayed in February it had a pretty open window with little competition to worry about until March. Instead it will not only be facing those but follows in the weeks after Fight Night Champion, MLB 11: The Show, MLB 2K11, and Top Spin 4. A very difficult month to break-in to say the least.

While NASCAR is attractive to a certain audience it may be that the dedicated fans will purchase the game no matter when it is released, and that casuals or those who have little interest in the sport are unlikely to buy it anyway. Still it perplexes me that with all the weeks that are pretty wide open one would be chosen that contains some competition. It could simply be that Activision felt it important to get the game out in their fiscal quarter and with March 29th being the last opportunity to do so they fit it in there. It may have been best for the viability of the franchise going forward if it had been moved into April however.

Source: PastaPadre (http://www.pastapadre.com/2011/01/12/nascar-2011-delayed-to-competitive-date#more-34165)

I smell something here...game probably in bad shape right now.
I would definitely hold off on pre-order,etc.

I really enjoyed our mini nascar league here.   Hopefully this title is decent enough that we could resurrect something like that.

That was a lot of fun while it lasted. I'd love to do something like that again.

I'd be interested in that again.  If this game is a bust is it possible to still run online with Nascar09?

I still have 09...  Before I start doing anything like that again, I need to get a wheel.  I just don't have enough "thumb control" to drive for any length of time, and I think guys with wheels have an edge.  I'd like to try it and find out!  Too bad MS doesn't make a wheel anymore...

Kevin

off topic but on the daily show there was a spoof about nascar, but it said their real numbers are down.  Viewership is down 20%, attendance down 10% and sponsorship is down too.

I didn't realize Microsoft stopped making their racing wheel for the Xbox 360. Does anyone know why they stopped making them?

Kevin, you're correct in saying that people with racing wheels have an edge in NASCAR 09. My driving was much improved using the wheel and was especially helpful for keeping my car steady around turns, which gave me the ability to race side-by-side with other cars and not bump into them.

Quote from: K_Mosley on January 14, 2011 @ 10:25 PM
I still have 09...  Before I start doing anything like that again, I need to get a wheel.  I just don't have enough "thumb control" to drive for any length of time, and I think guys with wheels have an edge.  I'd like to try it and find out!  Too bad MS doesn't make a wheel anymore...

Kevin

Here you go;pretty reasonable price-http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000VBIGK4/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000VBIGK4/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new)

Quote from: Ted on January 14, 2011 @ 10:47 PM
off topic but on the daily show there was a spoof about nascar, but it said their real numbers are down.  Viewership is down 20%, attendance down 10% and sponsorship is down too.

Yup.  It's not a good time to go looking for motor sport sponsorship deals in any of the major North American series at the minute and you'll have already noticed a major increase in the number of cars whose colours change from race to race.  Even the Dupont sponsorship on the 24 car, as recognisable and iconic a partnership as you'll find in motor racing these days, is being scaled right down.

The game is being developed about 30 miles up the road from me by Newcastle-based developers Eutechnyx (though it's not getting a PAL release...it will be region-free, though, so I'm looking forward to your thoughts on it, boys).  I think I've mentioned somewhere, either here or DSP, that the handling model in their PS3 exclusives Supercar Challenge and Ferrari Challenge was very very good but that the AI was generally a) a bit too slow and b) a lot too dumb, which wouldn't be ideal when applied to a NASCAR game.  I could do without a repeat of NASCAR 09's massive speed advantage on the superspeedways and constant road course cautions.

Adam - welcome aboard to the new XGN!  Long time no see, so to speak...

30 miles away, eh?  Why aren't you working there?!  At the very least, you could write the PR copy, or being a consultant on the physics.  Get the CV together man!

Take Care,

Kevin

Quote from: K_Mosley on January 18, 2011 @ 10:05 PM
Adam - welcome aboard to the new XGN!  Long time no see, so to speak...

30 miles away, eh?  Why aren't you working there?!  At the very least, you could write the PR copy, or being a consultant on the physics.  Get the CV together man!

Because petrol is $7.50 a US gallon at the minute and the morning commute would be a nightmare of unimaginable proportions.  A lad I went to school with actually does work there as a graphic designer, funnily enough.

I've seen some videos of a fella called Richard Towler running laps in the game.  Towler won last year's iRacing NSACAR World Series, for which he was awarded $10000 and got to act as grand marshal for the season finale at Homestead (he's English so he might have had some fairly hefty travel costs paid for him too.  The swine).  If he's having any input at all into the way the cars behave in game, then it's in very safe hands.

Hands on Preview (http://www.racesimcentral.com/news/2011/03/hands-on-preview-nascar-the-game-2011/) from RaceSimCentral.

Here's a new video clip too:

NASCAR The Game 2011 Gameplay Auto Club Speedway (Richard Towler) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvEyPMZW4es#ws)

Amazon just upped the pre-order credit to $25 for this too. My copy just shipped and I received confirmation of my $25 credit!!!

Enjoying this one so far. Great graphics, excellent controls (even with the controller) and absolutely no slowdown at all. This is the first NASCAR game that gives a good sense of speed too. I've heard online is a little buggy right now, but I'm enjoying the offline so far. This was one of my most-anticipated games and it hasn't disappointed so far.

Apparently the offline is quite a lot buggy too, Jason.  I'm not going to go into depth because you've probably seen that feedback too and I'm not going to make you go looking for things if not, but are you seeing any odd behaviour anywhere?  I have been told, in very strong terms, not to bother importing this one, so any further input would be greatly appreciated.

I haven't played it enough to give any credible feedback, but I can say that the car handling is excellent, even with a controller. I plan on trying it out with my Microsoft wheel this weekend and have high hopes. The good news is that Eutechnyx is planning to fix any outstanding issues: NASCAR The Game - Moving Forward (http://forums.eutechnyx.com/threads/8139-NASCAR-The-Game-2011-Moving-Forward)

Bloody Hell.  That's quite a list of issues.  Someone, somewhere during the playtesting process must have noticed AI cars bunching on corner exit and slowing down for no reason.  Someone, somewhere at Eutechnyx or, more likely, Activision must have said "Release it like that, we'll sort it later..."

Terry Crouch has shelved the game until it's patched, which is alarming because Terry has found at least some reason to keep playing every racing game you could possibly name.  From what I can make out, though, it sounds like there's a very, very good game in there, though it might be hidden for the time being.

Here's what they plan on fixing in patch #2:

Bugs:

   
• Fix lack of Caution Flags - To Be Fixed
• Fix issues with the A.I. exiting the pits and then pulling straight up the track - To Be Fixed
• Reconfigure the damage to improve the look and add more debris on impact - To Be Fixed
• Fix Cautions Lights being illuminated all of the time - To Be Fixed
• Improve the PS3 voice comms - To Be Fixed
• Fix the Rolling Starts Online/Offline so the cars begin in the correct formation and together - To Be Fixed
• Fix the instant wrecking during Online Rolling Starts - To Be Fixed
• Fix the Lobby Race Start Counter freezing - To Be Fixed
• Fix Spotter saying “Clear” too often - To Be Fixed
• Improve general stability and freezing issues - To Be Fixed

Improvements:

   
• Change the Gas indicator so it defaults to full in the pit stop interface - To Be Fixed
• Draft effect both on the car and visual to be tweaked - To Be Fixed
• In Private games, the host will start the timer when they are ready - To Be Fixed
• Add support for the  Porsche GT2 wheel - To Be Added
• Add support for the T500 wheel - To Be Added
• Allow the HUD to be completely turned off - To Be Added
• Free up the A.I. cars so that when they are hit by a player they will get loose - To Be Fixed
• Ensure only Carl Edwards performs a back flip - To Be Fixed
• Add the ability to change your Online Car - To Be Added

Investigating:

   
• A.I. being overly aggressive when bump drafting the player
• A.I. difficulty being too easy when qualifying
• A.I. pitting problems causing them to collide in to each other
• A.I. bunching on certain tracks
• A.I. slamming their brakes on for no reason
• Hitting the wall often turns the car ending up with the player facing the wrong way
  

I got a chance to try it out with my Microsoft wheel and came away impressed even though it didn't support rumble or force feedback. I had forgotten how much better NASCAR games play with a wheel and this game is no exception. I was able to hold my lines around turns and love the addition of a real, analog gas pedal. I'm looking forward to playing some more this weekend and hope all the issues mentioned above get fixed, because this game has a lot of potential.

This game may be loaded with bugs, but damn is it fun to play. If Eutechnyx fixes all the issues listed above, we'll have one hell of a good NASCAR racer.

You can keep track of the patch status here: Eutechnyx Forum (http://forums.eutechnyx.com/threads/8137-Patch-2-Fix-List-and-Status?p=125586&viewfull=1#post125586)

They have been updating the bullet list with what is done and what they are currently working on. More companies should doe this.

This was the one game I missed while on vacation. Eutechnyx is making a lot of progress on the patch and have even added some things to the list. This was just posted on their forum too:NOTE: We've now submitted Patch #2 for initial testing and we'll update the community with the results as and when we receive them.

How's the career mode, Jason?  Is it just one year, like I've read in some user reviews?

Do you work your way up from the truck series, to Nationwide, to the Sprint Cup, or anything like that?

Thanks,

Kevin

Kevin, I've been holding off on starting a career until the patch is released, but I've also heard that it's one year only. I'll post more details when I finally start my career.

The way Eutechnyx has kept people informed of the patch status has been fantastic. It's a shame other companies don't handle it the same way.

UPDATE 04/21/11: Patch #2 is now 100% Complete and has now gone into Full Test with Activision. Once testing has been completed it will then be submitted to Microsoft and Sony for Approval, Approximately 1-2 weeks.

Via Twitter:

"Testing should be completed on Patch #2 for 360 this week. PS3 is subject to PSN. Microsoft can take 2 weeks to approve the patch"

Update on Patch #2 05/03/11    

Currently the Xbox 360 patch is still in testing with Activision and we hope to have it submitted to Microsoft by this Friday 6th May. The reason for this is to ensure that the patch is released bug free and doesn't cause any other issues. Although this is probably not what you wanted to hear, it would be pointless to rush Patch #2 through testing only for us to then have to work on another patch due to this one not fixing what it was meant to.

NOTE: Submission normally takes up to 2 weeks

The PS3 patch is stuck in limbo at the moment due to the fact that PSN has been down since the patch was completed. Due to a large proportion of the fixes directly relating to the online aspect of the game, it's simply been impossible to fully test the PS3 patch. So at this time we have no news regarding the PS3 patch, besides it's been delayed.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but I think it's important that Patch #2 works and fixes issues without causing new problems. </blockquote>   

Update on Patch #2 05/09/11   

I've been given an update on the progress of Patch #2

The Xbox 360 version is still being extensively tested to ensure that it's released as bug free as possible. Although we hoped to have submitted to Microsoft on Friday 6th May, a handful of issues that needed to be resolved have been found and we're working with Activision to get these addressed as quickly as possible.

Still no change on the PS3 version of Patch #2 due to the ongoing PSN issues. Activision cannot fully test the patch whilst PSN is offline.

Update on Patch #2 05/19/11   

Patch #2 for Xbox 360 is very close to submission and as soon as it has been submitted to Microsoft we'll update everybody. We understand that Xbox 360 players have been waiting a while for the patch now but as mentioned in my previous update we want to make sure that Patch #2 is as bug free as possible before we submit it.

The good news for PS3 players is that now PSN is back up and running, we've been able to begin testing the PS3 version of Patch #2. We're hoping that testing of the PS3 version won't take as long as on 360 because any bugs found on the 360 that apply to the PS3 version should now be easily identified.

As soon as we have a further update I'll update everybody. Thanks again for all your patience.   

That news is somewhat disappointing as I thought the patch would be available by now. Hopefully the patch and DLC are both available within the next 2-3 weeks. I just hope they did a good job on the patch because I have a game with a ton of potential just sitting around collecting dust.

Update on Patch #2 05/26/11

I've been getting a lot of complaints from people saying that we promised Patch #2 on May 9th so I'd like to clear up this misunderstanding first.

The date we gave as May 9th was a date that was realistic if during test no new issues were found. Unfortunately, as some have stated in other threads, when you add so many new features to a patch, as well as fixing the bugs, it can sometimes cause new previously unseen bugs to be identified during test. This is in fact what has happened with Patch #2. Whenever a new bug was identified during the test process we made sure that we addressed it and then submitted a new build of the patch for testing. This is the reason that we missed the estimated release date but I feel that this decision to ensure the integrity of Patch #2 was the right decision.

With the Xbox 360 version it's looking like we'll be submitting the final build of the patch to Activision tomorrow for a final quick check. Then it will be submitted to Microsoft who will then take 1-2 weeks to approve it and then release it.

For the PS3 patch there was a delay at the beginning of the testing process due to the PSN outage and testing could only begin at the start of last week 05/16/11. Despite this many of the bugs that were identified on the 360 version also applied to the PS3 version so this has saved us some time. Because of this we're on track to complete work on the PS3 patch at the end of next week. As with the 360 patch once the final build has been sent to Activision for a final check it will then be submitted to Sony for approval and release which normally takes 1-2 weeks.

I'm confident that you'll be satisfied with the results of Patch #2 because I managed to play an early build of it, from the beginning of last week, and I noticed big improvements in that version and the latest build is even better.

A complete race of the new Daytona from NASCAR The Game 2011 DLC:

NASCAR The Game 2011 - Kasey Kahne Races The New Daytona (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMKM3xaRPyg#ws)

Update on Patch #2 06/03/11   

Last week we submitted the Xbox 360 Patch #2 to Activision for final testing and during the final testing around 15 new bugs showed up that needed to be fixed.

We expect to deliver a new final build on Monday and then a final round of testing will begin. We simply can't ignore these 15 issues, regardless of how long it has taken to finish the patch, they just need to be fixed.

As mentioned in the last update the PS3 Patch #2 testing was delayed due to the PSN outage and has was only able to commence when PSN was restored. We're hoping to submit the PS3 Patch #2 for final testing shortly after the Xbox 360 Patch #2.

We'll update everybody on the status of Patch #2 toward the end of next week.

Their commitment to keeping us updated is laudable, but the longer this goes on, the more you wonder whether the developers really know what they're doing on this one.

Quote from: GB_Simo on June 04, 2011 @ 01:43 PM
Their commitment to keeping us updated is laudable, but the longer this goes on, the more you wonder whether the developers really know what they're doing on this one.

I agree. I think they already missed their window-of-opportunity and it doesn't help that they won't release any DLC until the 2nd patch is out.

Should have listened to me way back when.  ;)

http://www.sportsgamingnation.com/sgnforums/forum_posts.asp?TID=2615&KW=nascar&title=activision-acquires-nascar-license (http://www.sportsgamingnation.com/sgnforums/forum_posts.asp?TID=2615&KW=nascar&title=activision-acquires-nascar-license)

Quote from: A wise EnglishmanThey've made some crap, Eutechnyx, certainly.  They're also responsible for the two F1 World Grand Prix games on PSOne, the PSOne version of Le Mans 24 Hours/Test Drive Le Mans, and more recently, Ferrari Challenge and Supercar Challenge on PS3, both of which are flawed but fundamentally very solid games.

The main problem with both of those games is the AI, which is ever so slightly worrying when you consider how many AI cars a NASCAR game needs.

Quoting selectively?  Me?  NEVER!

A lap around the new Pocono:

http://www.xboxgamingnation.com/xgnblog/2011/06/09/nascar-2011-a-lap-around-the-new-pocono/ (http://www.xboxgamingnation.com/xgnblog/2011/06/09/nascar-2011-a-lap-around-the-new-pocono/)

It would be nice if they'd release the patch so we can finally get our hands on all the new DLC they're working on.

Update on Patch #2 06/11/11

Xbox 360
Testing of Patch #2 will be continuing over the weekend and unless there's is a complete disaster Patch #2 on Xbox 360 should be submitted to Microsoft on Monday or Tuesday. Once the patch has been submitted it will take Microsoft 1-2 weeks to approve and release it.

PlayStation 3
The PS3 Patch #2 is currently around 1 week behind the Xbox 360 version, we've managed to catch up most of the time lost due to the PSN outage, so we're estimating that submission to Sony of the PS3 Patch #2 will take place during the week beginning 06/20/11.

Sony will take 1-2 week to approve Patch #2 but there is some good news, Sony have been known to regularly approve patches in 1 week and under these circumstances there's the possibility that both versions of Patch #2 will be released roughly at the same time.

We will of course update everybody should something unplanned happen that will cause a further delay.

Game is on sale at Amazon today;http://www.amazon.com/gp/goldbox/ (http://www.amazon.com/gp/goldbox/)

We've just been informed that the NASCAR The Game 2011 Patch #2 for Xbox 360 has passed testing at Activision QA and submission to Microsoft for approval is imminent. Microsoft will take 1-2 weeks to approve the patch. Part of the testing process that Activision QA have been carrying out is to make sure the patch meets submission requirements.

The PS3 version of the Patch is approximately 1 week behind the Xbox 360 version, although many of the fixes are transferable so we're confident that the PS3 version of the patch will also pass testing.

The patch and DLC have finally been submitted to Microsoft. Hopefully we'll see both in 7-10 days.

Too bad 360 users will have to pay 160 MS points for the DLC. :(

It's only $2 but I'm pissed off about it because it was supposed to be free. Eutechnyx is saying Microsoft that won't let them offer it for free.

Just checked this morning...still no patch.

Per Dave On Twitter:

I am pleased to announce the approval of the patch by Microsoft. It will be released 23rd July at 2am PDT. Thank you for your patience

The patch is finally OUT!!!

Love to hear some post-patch thoughts...

I'm taking out my wheel and hitting the track once the kids are in bed.

Downloaded the DLC this morning. I know it was supposed to be free, but $2 is not a lot of money to pay for the additions.

The offline game has improved a lot. The online game still has issues, but that doesn't bother me at all since I don't play online much anymore.

Quote from: Jason on July 26, 2011 @ 09:54 AMThe offline game has improved a lot.

Do please continue.  I'm still thinking of importing this if the patch has fixed the great many flaws it had.  I'd be particularly interested to know if the yellow flags are now better implemented, how the AI is (both on-track and deciding when to pit under caution) and if you're seeing any catch-up logic at all.

I'm sending NCAA12 back to Gamefly, so now that she's all patched up I'm a-gonna give this game a whirl.     

Yellow flags are now much better implemented. That's the one thing that seems to work perfectly with the new patch. The AI has improved but there is still some rubber-banding. Also, the AI will sometimes makes bad pitting decisions like not pitting under caution and then pitting two laps later during green. I haven't played enough long races to see if it happens all the time, but I have seen it happen on occasion. Some people are saying that the DLC improved the game some more, but I haven't played enough to confirm that.

Quote from: Brad Company on July 26, 2011 @ 05:50 PM
I'm sending NCAA12 back to Gamefly, so now that she's all patched up I'm a-gonna give this game a whirl.   

That didn't take long.  Is NCAA12 not your fancy?

Quote from: Ted on July 27, 2011 @ 03:00 PM

Quote from: Brad Company on July 26, 2011 @ 05:50 PM
I'm sending NCAA12 back to Gamefly, so now that she's all patched up I'm a-gonna give this game a whirl.   

That didn't take long.  Is NCAA12 not your fancy?

It's not a bad game,just not enough of an upgrade to keep,especially with the roster glitch.
The CPU still cannot accurately run Option,Spread Option,or Air Raid defenses and can't run with the QB at all, which really kills the realism.
I still have NCAA11 and Playmakers' Alumni rosters(which are excellent) and a very good set for this season if I feel the urge.

Brad, what's your thoughts on NASCAR 2011?

I've been really enjoying the game since the patch. I haven't run too many long races due to some quirky AI pitting issues, but I'm having fun running 20-30 lap races. The graphics and controls have always been great, but the racing AI is much improved now, which makes racing really fun again.

I just got it (for PS3) and like it so far. I've cloned the controls so they're like GT5 and it's fun for what I want to do, which is hot laps and quick races. The driving model is pretty good as well as the graphics and sound.
I like having both 2010 and 2011 seasons and all of the car and livery choices.

I haven't done anything with Career or Online yet and may not bother.

I have no interest in online at this point, but I plan on starting a career this week. Right now I'm having a hard time picking a difficulty to use because I can win consistently on "Medium" but can't really compete on "Hard". I may run a long race on both difficulties and see what happens.

Quote from: Jason on August 10, 2011 @ 08:18 AM
I have no interest in online at this point, but I plan on starting a career this week. Right now I'm having a hard time picking a difficulty to use because I can win consistently on "Medium" but can't really compete on "Hard". I may run a long race on both difficulties and see what happens.

I've customized the difficulty level somewhat between the two.

I've decided to stick with hard because I was winning on intermediate tracks too easily on medium. I also switched from Chevy (Jeff Gordon) to Toyota (Denny Hamlin) and like the way the Toyota's handle. I thought I might have been imagining things, but apparently the different car makes handle differently. In any case, I'm having a lot of fun with this game right now and haven't really played anything else.

Possible third patch coming for NTG 2011. From Dave's Twitter:

davet_etx Dave Thompson
"@GUARDAMP88: hey is there going to be another update for @nascarthegame?" Quite possibly

I don't think so, about the Toyotas but we're looking at extra DLC. Trying to figure out how to get another patch out first

It's been confirmed on the NASCAR forum (http://forums.eutechnyx.com/threads/21387-Patch-3) that a third patch will be released. No exact details on what it will fix yet.

I'll give Euctechnyx credit for trying to make things right with this game, but I'm sure they're also looking for some positive press before the probable February release of NTG 2012.

They dug a pretty big hole with 2011...some folks won't come back.

Patch #3 has been confirmed. Full details coming next week.

Some big announcement is planned for Friday.

 NASCAR The Game 2011 Patch #3

We’re pleased to announce that we will soon be releasing Patch #3 for NASCAR The Game 2011. The patch has already successfully passed our internal testing procedure and has now gone into full test with Activision. Once this is completed the patch will be submitted to Microsoft & Sony for approval. 

You can find complete lists of the Fixes and Improvements included in Patch 3 below. Most noticeable amongst these fixes are the Loose Glitch & Online Surging, as they’ve come to be known. 

Fixes

   
• Xbox 360 - The car randomly loses rear end grip whilst playing online (Loose Glitch).
• After a severe spin, the car lacks rear end grip and makes it feel very loose.
• During online races, particularly on the Superspeedways, player’s cars can surge backward and forward making it impossible to bump draft. (Online Surging)
• Online - On the initial rolling start, the formation can be incorrectly spaced.
• During an online caution when the ‘NASCAR Sprint Cup’ transition screen is displayed sometimes your car can get damaged.
• Caution lights can be inversed for Texas, Talladega and Watkins Glen i.e. yellow when there isn’t a Caution and green when there is a Caution.
• Under Caution players cars drive through the Pace Car
• Xbox 360 - Incompatible NAT types will not be allowed in to the same lobbies. Players will be given a message informing them that there is a problem and detail their NAT type. This will stop the players being booted from the game when the lobby count reaches zero. The PS3 handles this already.
• Under certain conditions, super quick lap times are posted to the leaderboard.
• Leaderboard times are not shown correctly in the Lobby.
• The game sometime freezes on the loading screen when launching an online game.
• ‘Players Still Racing’ message can sometimes be seen in the Lobby even though all players have finished racing.
• PS3 Paint Booth freezes.
• In a Lobby, when muting and un-muting players, the cursor can be out of sync with who gets muted.
• When pitting during an online game, the windscreen tear off doesn’t work.
• The car should not go in to reverse gear now unless it is stationary.
• Xbox 360 - Race Invites stop working under certain conditions.
• After leaving a lobby and then selecting Quick Race the game can sometimes soft lock.
• Veto track shows incorrect amount of players in the lobby.
• Online â€" Sometimes players can be racing on a different track to others in the game due to a veto issue.
• Online, cars sometimes don’t appear in the Proximity Radar.
• Changing Race Pins stopped working with the 2011 Season Update DLC.
• PS3 â€" Online, the game will not start until all paint scheme data has been transferred to all players. When the lobby count reaches zero, the game informs the players this is happening using the lobby status message next to the lobby count.

Improvements

   
• A.I. Bunching up and brake checking, which can result in collisions between the A.I. cars, has been improved.
• Lobby counter will no longer add time whenever a player joins the lobby.
• When searching for an online game, the status text reads “Loading”. There are now three different states “Searching”, “Joining” and “Creating”.
• Quick Race default race length setting changed from 2% to 5%.

Source: nascarthegame.com (http://nascarthegame.com/news/the-nascar-the-game-2011-patch-3)

Wow!!! I'm shocked that they would put out such a comprehensive patch this late in the game's cycle. Can't wait to try it out in a few weeks.

Via Twitter:

davet_etx Dave Thompson
Activision's testing of NTG11 Patch 3 has been completed. We have some minor issues to fix and then a final test sweep will be made

Via Twitter:

Patch #3 for NASCAR The Game 2011 has been submitted to both Microsoft and Sony for approval. Will Tweet an update when it passes. Please RT

Link (https://twitter.com/#%21/davet_etx/status/146720624923000832)

We've just been informed by Activision that the NASCAR The Game 2011 Patch 3 has been submitted to Sony and Microsoft for approval. As soon as we've been given a release date for Patch 3 we'll update everybody.

I've noticed that a few people are saying "I hope this and that is fixed" so rather than have a link to the fix list I've now copied the fix list to this thread rather than linking to the news item on the website, hopefully this will make it clearer for everybody.

Fixes

   
• Xbox 360 - The car randomly loses rear end grip whilst playing online (Loose Glitch).
• After a severe spin, the car lacks rear end grip and makes it feel very loose.
• During online races, particularly on the Super speedways, player’s cars can surge backward and forward making it impossible to bump draft. (Online Surging)
• Online - On the initial rolling start, the formation can be incorrectly spaced.
• During an online caution when the ‘NASCAR Sprint Cup’ transition screen is displayed sometimes the player’s car can get damaged.
• Caution lights can be inversed for Texas, Talladega and Watkins Glen i.e. yellow when there isn’t a Caution and green when there is a Caution.
• Under Caution players cars drive through the Pace Car
• Xbox 360 - Incompatible NAT (Network Address Translation) types will not be allowed in to the same lobbies. Players will be given a message informing them that there is a problem and detail their NAT type. This will stop the players being removed from the game when the lobby counter reaches zero. The PS3 handles this already.
• Under certain conditions, super quick lap times are posted to the leaderboard.
• Leaderboard times are not shown correctly in the Lobby.
• The game sometimes freezes on the loading screen when launching an online game.
• ‘Players Still Racing’ message can sometimes be seen in the Lobby even though all players have finished racing.
• PS3 Paint Booth freezes.
• In a Lobby, when muting and un-muting players, the cursor can be out of sync with who gets muted.
• When pitting during an online game, the windscreen tear off doesn’t work.
• The car should not go in to reverse gear now unless it is stationary.
• Xbox 360 - Race invitations stop working under certain conditions.
• After leaving a lobby and then selecting ‘Quick Race’ the game can sometimes soft lock.
• Veto track shows incorrect amount of players in the lobby.
• Online â€" Sometimes players can be racing on a different track to others in the game due to a veto issue.
• Online, cars sometimes don’t appear in the Proximity Radar.
• Changing Race Pins stopped working with the 2011 Season Update Downloadable Content (DLC).
• PS3 â€" Online, the game will not start until all paint scheme data has been transferred to all players. When the lobby counter reaches zero, the game informs the players this is happening using the lobby status message next to the lobby counter.

Improvements

   
• Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) Bunching up and brake checking, which can result in collisions between the A.I. cars, has been improved.
• Lobby counter will no longer add time whenever a player joins the lobby.
• When searching for an online game, the status text reads “Loading”. There are now three different states “Searching”, “Joining” and “Creating”.
• Quick Race default race length setting changed from 2% to 5%.

Patch #3 is out for PS3 and should be out soon for XB360.

Still waiting on the patch for XB360  >:( .

You must have the patience of Job, waiting for them to fix that mess.

Finally came out this morning for XB360. Can't wait to try it out.