BumbleKast
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POLL: BumbleKast Racing! A fun idea for all?
🕑 Added 2021-05-07 08:30:57 +0000 UTCHey BumblePatrons, Kyle here! I've been mulling over a way that we could do something fun together that doesn't involve all of us having to own a specific game or be in the same place at the same time, and I came up with what I think could be a really fun idea. As you all know, racing games are my jam, and one of the really cool things that I love about many of them is their extendability through car and track mods. My thought was this: What if we had a field full of custom-painted cars and drivers submitted by you, the patrons, turned them all loose in AI-simulated races against each other, then recapped each race with video commentary by Ian and I? Sounds pretty cool, right? Think of it being something like the 3dbotmaker diecast races on YouTube, except done in a video game instead of with Hot Wheels cars.
SO WHAT DO I NEED TO DO?
The first order of business: are you even interested? There is a poll below for you to let me know if this is something you'd like to see and participate in.
OKAY, SO I DON'T NEED TO ACTUALLY OWN AND/OR PLAY THE GAME?
Nope! I will be simulating the races by letting the in-game AI drive against each other. I will not be driving in the races myself, so there will be no player influence, only the luck of the AI.
WHAT GAME ARE YOU USING?
A PC racing sim called NASCAR Racing 2003 Season by Papyrus. The game may be almost 20 years old, but it has been extended with hundreds of custom-made tracks (both fictional and real-life recreations of world circuits) and is kept up to date by a community that still thrives almost 2 decades later. The mods are so extensive that everything from small town dirt track racing all the way up through IndyCar are simulated. We'll be sticking with NASCAR-esque stock cars for this since they are the most supported and easiest to create paint schemes for, but there will be some different car body options that we can decide on later if there's enough interest.
WILL I NEED TO PAINT MY OWN CAR?
Nope! When you submit your car and driver details, you will be able to give me ideas for colors, designs, numbers, sponsor logos, and anything else you'd like. You can be as detailed or as open-ended as you want. Keep in mind that BumbleKast is a family-friendly affair, so I will probably say no to explicit adult themes.
WHAT IF I WANT TO PAINT MY OWN CAR?
Awesome! You will need some form of graphics editing software that can open and work with pre-made templates in PSD format, and follow certain guidelines as far as the car number and logo placement.
CAN I SUBMIT A FICTIONAL DRIVER?
Yep! If you don't want yourself to be the driver, you can instead be a car owner, "hiring" a driver to race your car for you. You can make up the driver yourself, and even create a backstory or some art of them if you want. Go crazy and get creative!
DO MY CAR SPONSORS NEED TO BE REAL? DO I NEED A SPONSOR AT ALL?
No to both! If you want your car to be blank/sponsorless or just use your team name as the sponsor, that's fine. You can also make up your own or use a fictional one from another game, so long as high resolution logos exist.
WILL OUR CARS JUST BE DRIVING ON BORING OVALS LIKE REAL STOCK CAR RACING?
I'm planning on a wide variety of awesome tracks, from short ovals to races through city streets. Don't worry, I assure you that even the oval races will have plenty of excitement and carnage!
WHAT'S THE CATCH?
Only a maximum of 42 participants will be allowed, per in-game limitations. To keep things fair, I will be limiting submissions to only one car/driver combo per person.
I think that covers most of the basics to start. If enough of you want to do this, I'll be opening up the form for you to submit your cars and drivers soon!
