La Moon Byte Studios ha annunciato con un comunicato che il loro nuovo ed interessante Crashday è stato posticipato alla fine del 2004, anche perchè non è ancora stato trovato un publisher per il gioco.

Crashday is not yet near release at all, it is still heavily in development. As you maybe already expected, Crashday will be shifted again, to the second quarter of 2004 and we seriously apologize for it. However Moon Byte will very soon increase its team size essentially and with strengthened power it will be a much faster and intensified development. There is still no publisher for Crashday meaning not that we are incapable in finding one. Indeed several publishers are interested in the title but the team is still working on an preview version for presentation issues.

Il nostro Stefano Casillo sta lavorando moltissimo in questi ultimi tempi sul suo simulatore netKar, tanto che sarà presto disponibile una nuova release 0.9.9b denominata "Kanariya"; ecco una prima lista delle novità implementate:

At the time of the release nK source code will, for the first time, split in 2, the "latest" version and the "public" version. I will be working on new features for in the "latest" source code branch and keep the "public" branch for bug fixes. Of course, if a new feature could go into the "public" branch without braking the compatibility and create the need for a 5mb+ download I will try to include it.

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v0.9.9b's role will be to check for bugs and get ready for the release of v1.0.
At the same time, nK is moving into what is, actually a v2.0 of the game.. considering the amount of new feature I am including of plainning to include.

Let's move to the facts.. this is a rough list of what will be included into v0.9.9b:
- Improved physics for all veichles
- Experimental rain. The rain in v0.9.9b will be static (not changing through the session and global to the track) and working only offline (not available in multiplayer). Tyres are not expected to work correctly temperature-wise in relation to water. it is a very rough implementation but a good preview and a good chance to get feedbacks.
- Multiple tyres per model. Not only the obvious slick/rain selection for the race cars, but different brands with different behaviour for the road cars, around 4-5 tyre models per road car ATM.. more to come as separate download later.
- Some bug fixes, such as replay names with spaces crashing, tyres clipping the body of the supra and the MG and so on.
- Multiplayer bug fixes, such as the "stuck in Sync", general stability and so on.
- Multiplayer race list working.
- Driver's helmet movement (3D model, not all the cars yet)
- GTO now has a live axle at the rear instead of an indipendent suspension.
- Cars do not sink when flipped anymore
- ActLabs Shifter Support

Things I am working to add in v0.9.9b:
- New sound engine based on DX9 and not on QMDX library. Support for crossfade samples (for better engine sound).
- DX Shader support (80% done).

Things to come after v1.0:
- AI, still too heavy for the processors and too slow on the track.
- Body damage model (50% done)
- More physic "gadgets" to be used with nK|dK, such as stability control (Mercedes style), progressive springs, coil overs, variable rate dampers, active suspensions.

Dave Kaemmer, noto responsabile del team Papyrus, è intervenuto in una discussione sul forum Sierra per spiegare che, purtroppo, considerato che la Electronic Arts detiene i diritti esclusivi sulla serie Nascar fino al 2009, non sarà possibile vedere un nuovo capitolo della loro saga Nascar Racing prima dell'anno 2010...

I've been following your posts on the General Discussion forum regarding a release of NASCAR Racing 2004 Season. We here at Papyrus would like nothing more than to continue making NASCAR games. Originally we had planned to do so, but unfortunately our parent company, Sierra, no longer has the licensing rights that would allow us to do so.

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We had many new graphic and physics features planned and finished that would have made it into the release, such as fully viewable opponent pit crews, brake wear, tire blowouts, a nighttime rendering engine, and seamless multiplayer integration of 3rd party mods as was viewable in the NASCAR Racing 3 series.

While we share your eagerness for a further continuation of our flagship product, practical realities dictate that this scenario will not come to fruition. The immediate future has us locked out of obtaining the NASCAR license as we would like, but who knows, a NASCAR Racing 2010 release could always be on the way. Or maybe even sooner, if circumstances change regarding the status of the current NASCAR licensing. In the meantime, we appreciate your interest and purchase of our game. Without your patronage, we would have never made it this far.
Sincerely, Dave Kaemmer

Il portale di Gamesradar ha pubblicato una interessante anteprima, corredata di alcuni nuovi screenshots, dedicata al prossimo Flat Out della Empire: per visionare l'intero articolo correte qui.

In structural terms, Flat-Out may sound like any other driving game: eight competing drivers in any one race, three distinctly different locations each with 15 track variations (making a total of 45 courses altogether), weather effects, day and night racing and realtime damage. As soon as Edge gets into the driving seat of one of the game's vehicles the world comes to life.

Se siete degli accaniti piloti dell'ultimo Nascar Racing 2003 Season targato Papyrus, vorrete certamente sfruttare al massimo anche le possibilità di paint editing personalizzato offerte dal gioco: può esservi molto utile allora il nuovo Paint Updater.

Paint updater is a tool that helps you download paint jobs and keeps them up to date. You just define the leagues you participate in and where to look for paints for them and the tool does the rest.

Il portale di Racesim Central ha pubblicato una lunga e dettagliata recensione dedicata al recente Need for Speed Underground della Electronic Arts. Ecco un estratto del commento conclusivo dell'articolo:

In the end, I think the fun gameplay and wonderful car customization make this a worthwhile game in spite of its flaws. If you aren't put off by the style of cars and racing, and if you don't need instant access to multiplayer to enjoy a game, this will likely be a fun diversion for you. It might not be a landmark for the industry, but it will certainly having you chomping at the bit to win that next race…..

E' disponibile per il Grand Prix 4 di Crammond la nuova versione 1.045 della comodissima utility GP4 Tweaker, che offre le seguenti possibilità di editing:

New tweaks on this release:

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Updated tweaks on this release: