Which driving program is better, Stunts 1.1 or 4D Driving 1.1? These are slightly different versions of the same program, and therefor driving times can be compared using the same cars and tracks. The driving speed of two cars on two different tracks using both Stunts and 4D Driving were compared in this study. Results where not completely conclusive, but the two programs are roughly equivalent, for most uses.
There are four version of the program in question, Stunts 1.1 and 1.0, and 4D Sports Driving 1.1 and 1.0. A question that has been raised, mostly in high score competitions is, "Are there any differences between the handling between the two programs"? Since access was only available to Stunts 1.1 and 4D Sports Driving 1.1, this study only concerns itself with those two programs. It is hoped that most people have upgraded to the latest version of there respect program, one way or another.
The speed issue is a complex question tha would require many tests to truely determine for all cars and conditions. The goal of this study is not to do so, but instead to deterime if such studys are needed.
Two tracks where created for use in this study.
Track one is a large (one track editing screen full) banked circle, with no stunts. This track was driven with the Prsche / March Indy car, at full speed for the entire track.
Track two is a small track, with 4 large size, unbanked turns, making a almost perfect circle. This track was driven with the Corvette ZR1, attempting to drive the car as fast as possible, without spinning off the track.
In both cases the games were run on a 60Mhz Zeos Pantera, using the keyboard as driving input, and SBOS providing Sound Blaster emulation for sound. No simulation engine bugs where exploited to attain higher speeds.
Average Diff: 0.167 |
Average Diff: 1.217 |
Track one results are faster for 4D Driving, but not by more than the experimental error. Track two results show Shunts ahead by a significant amount.
In the first test there was very little experimental error, because the car was made to drive as fast as it could, ie the accelerator was floored the entire time. While the experimental error is very small, the difference between the two speeds is just as small, suggesting that if there is any difference between the Indy top speed for the two programs, it is insignificant.
The second track implies fairly strongly that cars (or at least the Corvette ZR1) in Stunts 1.1 have higher top turning speeds then they do in 4D 1.1. However, due to the fact that these scores rely purely on the skill of the driver, and his luck, they have high experimental error. Even so they imply pretty strongly that Stunts cars are faster.
There does appear to be some difference between the two programs, at least for the Corvette ZR1. More cars, tracks, and stunts need to be tested before any definite conclusions can be drawn, but it looks like all 4D driving users should update to Stunts 1.1. In any case, competitions, while slightly less valid when competing between different versions, should not be a problem unless the driving time between first and second place is less than a few seconds.
So, what sort of person would write a scientific paper about the speeds of cars in two 6 year old driving games? Go here to find out! Then Email me!