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PC Racing Sims Thread

I'm pretty close to just abandoning this game and go back to SCE, Rfactor2 and even Race07.

What this PCars does that I really like is the scripted wet to dry and dry to wet transitions during races.

Among the many things I hate is the braindead AI. They will dive bomb the hell out of you as they pit and just in general drive like it's a destruction derby. I forget how many times someone has shunted me off the track as I go to brake into a corner.

Another is the way too forgiving car handling. You can get away with so many things that if you tried it in SCE or Rfactor2 you would be spinning until next year. Way too much traction off kerbs and the AI can drive offroad as if it was a fully rubbered in track.

Just a final point, is the tire model broken? I drove for at least 8 laps with wet tires on a dry track going flat out and there was no noticeable wear at all (pretty sure they should be molten at that point). Tire wear was definitely on in options.

Am I being too hard on this game? I wanted to like it so much but it just annoys the hell out of me.

Off topic, but I'm looking at Reiza's crowdfunding page. I'm liking the level 5 tier, just for the Steam copy for next game including eventual DLCs. Seems like good value, supporting the team and getting the new game in return. Have many around here put money in?
 

AxeMan

Member
^^
All of this just confirms in my mind to stay away from AI races
From GT on the PS3 to F1 on the PS3 I've hated playing against AI

I was interested in PCars but I don't think I'll get it now. I've just re-subbed back into iRacing and ordered a Thrustmaster wheel.

I reckon the best racing is done against humans and that I'm going to stick to that
 

LilJoka

Member
I'm pretty close to just abandoning this game and go back to SCE, Rfactor2 and even Race07.

What this PCars does that I really like is the scripted wet to dry and dry to wet transitions during races.

Among the many things I hate is the braindead AI. They will dive bomb the hell out of you as they pit and just in general drive like it's a destruction derby. I forget how many times someone has shunted me off the track as I go to brake into a corner.

Another is the way too forgiving car handling. You can get away with so many things that if you tried it in SCE or Rfactor2 you would be spinning until next year. Way too much traction off kerbs and the AI can drive offroad as if it was a fully rubbered in track.

Just a final point, is the tire model broken? I drove for at least 8 laps with wet tires on a dry track going flat out and there was no noticeable wear at all (pretty sure they should be molten at that point). Tire wear was definitely on in options.

Am I being too hard on this game? I wanted to like it so much but it just annoys the hell out of me.

Off topic, but I'm looking at Reiza's crowdfunding page. I'm liking the level 5 tier, just for the Steam copy for next game including eventual DLCs. Seems like good value, supporting the team and getting the new game in return. Have many around here put money in?

Im still surprised its taken people this long to work out the embarrassing state of PCars.

As you say, GSCE is good, rFactor 2 and Assetto Corsa. R3E also!

On a side note, heres Assetto Corsas console UI (also optional for PC).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXfKtRG9TR0&feature=youtu.be
 

LilJoka

Member
Believe me, I've known about the state of PCars since I got it on release date. I just hoped that patches would make the game a lot better. They didn't :/

They didnt and i still expect them not too. The development was sugar coated to the n'th degree by bull shots, everyone knew this before the game arrived, the amount of bugs at release and the relative pace of bug fixes was one step forward 2 steps back. I feel sorry for anyone who purchased it especially on console.

The game still has invisible wall glitches from NFS Shift 2.
 

Mascot

Member
They didnt and i still expect them not too. The development was sugar coated to the n'th degree by bull shots, everyone knew this before the game arrived, the amount of bugs at release and the relative pace of bug fixes was one step forward 2 steps back. I feel sorry for anyone who purchased it especially on console.

Don't waste your tears on me, I'm having a high-octane blast on PS4 and it's quite easily my all-time favourite motorsports sim on consoles. Sure it still has some annoying bugs, but they don't really affect my core experience with the game.
 

DD

Member
Reiza Simracing Bonanza! | SuperV8 Sound Teaser

"While our crowdfunding campaign is still in progress, we have already been able to confirm some new upcoming content for Stock Car Extreme - one of which the much antecipated SuperV8. Listen to it roar!"

"As per previous information, backers of the campaign will have access to beta builds to try out the new content before official release. Should not be long now!"

"Want to join in, get early access and help us go further? Learn all about our campaign and how you can participate here:
http://igg.me/at/reizabonanza"
 

Shaneus

Member
Off topic, but I'm looking at Reiza's crowdfunding page. I'm liking the level 5 tier, just for the Steam copy for next game including eventual DLCs. Seems like good value, supporting the team and getting the new game in return. Have many around here put money in?
Yeah, I like that idea too... I'm almost tempted to go in for the $100 tier just to have a copy of GSC and FT to give away (to a PCRST GAFfer?). But even though I'm not in yet, I'll definitely be in for at least the $75 tier.
 

TJP

Member
Am I being too hard on this game? I wanted to like it so much but it just annoys the hell out of me.
No.

You paid for pCARS and you have a valid opinion based on your experience. Some will argue that no sim has been blemish free and whilst I agree, no sim was as broken as pCARS at launch either.

That said, I believe pCARS is worth sticking with ;)

Off topic, but I'm looking at Reiza's crowdfunding page. I'm liking the level 5 tier, just for the Steam copy for next game including eventual DLCs. Seems like good value, supporting the team and getting the new game in return. Have many around here put money in?
Yes. $100 from me - I believe the 5th tier (AKA $75 USD) is the sweet spot and the average per person remains near the same level.
 

Effect

Member
So I bought Project Cars and then refunded it on steam but kinda regretting it. I did like the game but at the same time wasn't sure if I was really ready for how it played. Having so many options open without any real explanation was overwhelming as well. Been reading up more on sim racers and would like to try again. Honestly the Forza series was pushing me toward and Xbox One but that's silly since I have a fully capable PC so that is where I should be looking. However don't know if I should just go with Project Cars again or if I should go for Assetto Corsa. I've seen people talking positive about that over PC but again limited experience here. I would like something that is going to look nice in general (have a GTX 960) but at the same time something that will work well with an Xbox 360 controller. Something that isn't going to completely overwhelm me from the start.

Any suggestions on what someone new should put their money down on?
 
So I bought Project Cars and then refunded it on steam but kinda regretting it. I did like the game but at the same time wasn't sure if I was really ready for how it played. Having so many options open without any real explanation was overwhelming as well. Been reading up more on sim racers and would like to try again. Honestly the Forza series was pushing me toward and Xbox One but that's silly since I have a fully capable PC so that is where I should be looking. However don't know if I should just go with Project Cars again or if I should go for Assetto Corsa. I've seen people talking positive about that over PC but again limited experience here. I would like something that is going to look nice in general (have a GTX 960) but at the same time something that will work will with an Xbox 360 controller. Something that isn't going to completely overwhelm me from the start.

Any suggestions on what someone new should put their money down on?

Being a 360 pad user myself I found both games to be equally playable.

My own opinion would push you towards AC if you want a game with some eye candy (you can see my reasons against pCARS a few posts earlier). Others will disagree but that's the nature with issues like this. The only positive I would give pCARS is it has much more forgiving handling with a pad than AC in my opinion.

I wouldn't discount R3E though. Give the free demo a try. It plays quite well with a pad and looks nice.

If you do choose AC, have a look at the guide "xBox 360 & x1 controller settings by Kubro" in the Steam community. The out of the box settings were not good when I last played it.

If you weren't looking for eye candy then GSCE would be top of my list for a 360 pad once the settings are dialled in properly.

I don't know if that is much help to you, just my opinions as a pad user.
 

Mascot

Member
...However don't know if I should just go with Project Cars again or if I should go for Assetto Corsa. I've seen people talking positive about that over PC but again limited experience here. I would like something that is going to look nice in general (have a GTX 960) but at the same time something that will work will with an Xbox 360 controller. Something that isn't going to completely overwhelm me from the start.

Any suggestions on what someone new should put their money down on?

There's no doubt SMS have lost a lot of fans with how godawful pCARS plays with the default pad settings. The good thing is the settings are very tuneable and the forums are full of great recommendations, but the bounce rate based on first impressions must be colossal. It really does feel like an uncontrollable mess right out of the box. How SMS managed to mess this up so badly after the similar Shift 2 clusterfuck is staggering.

The game is definitely worth the tweaking time though. Or sim the fuck up and buy a wheel..!
:p
 

TJP

Member
However don't know if I should just go with Project Cars again or if I should go for Assetto Corsa. I've seen people talking positive about that over PC but again limited experience here. I would like something that is going to look nice in general (have a GTX 960) but at the same time something that will work will with an Xbox 360 controller. Something that isn't going to completely overwhelm me from the start.

Any suggestions on what someone new should put their money down on?
Be warned that Assetto Corsa isn't as feature rich as pCARS - right now it's pretty much a hot lapping sim. pCARS will provide the 'race day' experience where AC is a bare bones sim..

RaceRoom Race Experience is available for download via Steam; there are free cars and tracks and you can test drive any car in the sim. Works perfectly with a controller too. The pricing model is shite and there is no weather or night racing (as yet).

Larger grids are coming to R3E too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK9dtkgoZH8

Then there is this - turning NFS: Shift 2 Unleashed into Gran Turismo for the PC. Whilst modding the core game may seem daunting, it isn't at all. The basis of both Shift games is ISI's isiMotor 2 (rFactor) with a new graphics engine and a half finished tyre model

Having 100% completed Shift 2 on the Xbox 360, I bought, modded (using the exact mods listed in the linked article) and finished Shift 2 on the PC. The modded PC version of Shift 2 shits all over the console version.

FWIW, you can use just the tyre mod and have a great time using the Xbox 360 controller:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFeg5O8Y3qg

Cheers!
 

Patrick S.

Banned
Be warned that Assetto Corsa isn't as feature rich as pCARS - right now it's pretty much a hot lapping sim. pCARS will provide the 'race day' experience where AC is a bare bones sim..

I disagree. What does pCARS offer that Assetto Corsa does not? The career mode in AC reminds me of earlier Gran Turismo games, I began a career a few days ago, and Iquite like it, and I feel motivated to get all the gold medals and advance to the end.

AC offers the same track day experience as pCARS, with your typical practice, qualifying and race sessions. The AI isn't great in either game.

I've raced online and in AC it didn't feel better or worse than in pCARS.

Both games are very good, and I find myself hopping back and forth between them.
 

Patrick S.

Banned
Weather, 24hr cycle, in-depth career mode. I'd also say the AI is considerably better.

I give you the AI. Weather and night racing is a nice thing to have, sure, and having it in Assetto Corsa would be cool, but in reality night races represents what, 1% of racing going on? And racing in the rain is a nice test for your skills, but, for me at last, I enjoy racing in the dry a lot more, so to me it's not really important to have. I also don't care much about fake twitter and fake racing contracts. If you value those things, sure you'll prefer pCARS, but I am happy with a Gran Turismo style career myself. The important thing is having nice cars and tracks to race on, and both games do.
 

TJP

Member
Looks like I was a little slow in replying..
I disagree. What does pCARS offer that Assetto Corsa does not?
Racing in all weather conditions for one and a full 24 hour cycle. The AI in AC makes the pCARS AI look sublime (rF2 trumps them all IMO) and the career mode in AC is VERY basic.

I've been a supporter of Kunos for a long time - I owned both nKP and FVA a good while before AC was announced and jumped on AC as soon as it was greenlit on Steam. The fact is AC is a long way from being feature rich and I'm not alone in thinking this.
 
They didnt and i still expect them not too. The development was sugar coated to the n'th degree by bull shots, everyone knew this before the game arrived, the amount of bugs at release and the relative pace of bug fixes was one step forward 2 steps back. I feel sorry for anyone who purchased it especially on console.

After patch 2.0, I'm having a blast on PS4. Easily the best spent money on racing game of my gaming life.
 

Patrick S.

Banned
The AI in pCARS is "better" in the sense that AI cars overtake each other and sometimes drive off track and kick off a cloud of dust, which looks nice, and that instead of having the 95% probability of being rammed in turn one you get in Assetto Corsa, you only have an 85% probability in pCARS. That's not a significant difference for me. I've restarted races ten times in a row in both games because the AI wouldn't let me get through the first bend in Spa without spinning me around or damaging my car.

Both games are ideal for me as an audience; I look to dedicate the game half an hour or an hour per session, in which I want to do two or three races, for which I may want or not want to do practice and qualifying, depending on my mood or the time I have available, and I want to have a good time and just focus on those few races I can squeeze in. In that scenario, it really doesn't matter to me if there are flag rules or if there are pit stops etc.

If, however, you are a total sim nut and are totally serious about stuff like tire deformation and want to play a lot and following rules and regulations as close to the real deal as possible, I think probably neither game is the one to play for you.
 
my awesome parents and grand parents were super nice and chipped in and got me the 3 day Skip Barber racing school at Watkins Glen.
Oh boy, what a wonderful experience racing school is. I attended an 8 day course at Silverstone in 2002 and I still recall every second of it to this day. One particular memory that often comes to mind was my first time to experience slipstreaming... the noise of the wind subsiding and the revs climbing, was a huge moment for me. Anyway, I had a great battle in the graduation races and still keep the Autosport clipping to this day.

wXK7PVw.jpg


Playing racing sims prior helped a ton
Indeed. I'd been playing Grand Prix Legends every night for 3 years prior to racing school. Of course I was going to win lol

An Outlon Park story relevant to GAF
My first ever time on a race track was at the highly challenging Oulton Park. Quite possibly the worst place for beginners to start, with it's weirdly cambered corners. Anyway, for those of you who've driven it in sims (and IRL), you'll know that after the first turn and before the second at the bottom of the hill, there's a slight kink to the right after the pit exit. When I walked the track in the morning at 4mph and exited the pits on my first run, I failed to notice this kink and thought the run down to turn two was straight. So, I exit turn one on my first proper lap and begin to position for my car for the left turn... only to suddenly find the track dropping away to the right. I panicked, span 180 (which threw out my rear windscreen) and went flying towards the armco barrier in my wonderful Ginetta G4...

dcMMHwW.jpg


To this day, I can still remember the exact thought that popped into my head as I flew towards the barrier. Most normal people would probably think something along the lines of "I'm going to die!" "I'm going to be injured!" "This is going to cost a lot!" but not me. Here's what went through me head:
I won't be able to drive this car home > I will have ride a train for 3 hours > Oh no, I don't have my Gameboy Color!!!! Whatever will I do on the train????
This was this day I realised how much I loved gaming. My worry of boredom trumping mortality.

Luckily I managed to miss the barrier, pick up my rear windscreen, pop it back in and continue on with the trackday without any more Gameboy Color worries.
 
rF2
R3E
ST:E
pCARS
AC

That's how I'd rate them on AI, and that's how something like R3E becomes more fun to play despite not matching up on physics and ffb. If SMS could keep the AI on track, teach the them how to back out of closing holes instead of taking to the grass, and brought the difficulty up to 120% they'd have a much better single player game.

ahahaha@marvel Great story!
 
Speaking of rF2 AI, modders have discovered a path technique that makes the AI try and keep their tyres warm when behind the safety car. Annoyingly, this isn't a global setting and the paths have to be painstakingly redrawn for each track.

Trigger warning: low quality graphic settings are being used (and in 720p to boot) https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=36&v=vldlv5lOepo

It looks very convincing! Too bad about all the work involved, but at least going forward it could be used. Hopefully we'll see a lot of ovals being built, and that feature would be great there.
 
Holy shit, my eyes. I had no idea rf2 could look that bad.
Certainly one of the worst rF2 (if not sim racing in general) videos I've seen, and as you can imagine, that's up against some pretty stiff competition.

It looks very convincing! Too bad about all the work involved, but at least going forward it could be used. Hopefully we'll see a lot of ovals being built, and that feature would be great there.
Proper weaving AI is something I've dreamed of since Indy 500. One of these days BT, one of these days.
 
Just about to post the iRacing Le Mans news. Damn, this is going to be a hell of a year for iRacing... assuming any of this stuff is released in 2015.
 

Patrick S.

Banned
Just tried Raceroom. Very cool looking game. Can't select my desired screen resolution though, no idea what's happening? But this game looks like a huge money sink if you want all the content. I'm not saying it's unreasonable, but out of my league right now.
 

Mascot

Member
Just tried Raceroom. Very cool looking game. Can't select my desired screen resolution though, no idea what's happening? But this game looks like a huge money sink if you want all the content. I'm not saying it's unreasonable, but out of my league right now.
How much to buy game and all content?
 
Buy yourself some content here and there, and go off and enjoy what you get. Don't approach the piecemeal sims like RR or iRacing with a boxed copy mentality. "How much does it cost to buy it all?" is the wrong way of looking at them. You don't need it all, nor do you actually want it all.
 

Zeth

Member
So I bought the R32 - only a matter of time before I get the full pack though. Can only race against them for so long before I feel the need to drive them myself. And damn it, the Calsonic livery not being the default is cruel.

I think I've finally seen the light re: Stock Car Extreme/GSC/GSCE/etc. That game is incredible and it's becoming my new daily driver. Learning the unfamiliar tracks is super rewarding too. It's not something I'm used to doing in other sims. And the AI is much better than I'm used to, so that's fun. Running it at ~3K 90fps without my 970 breaking a sweat is great too. I'm going in for $75-$100 on the Indiegogo. Hope others are procrastinators like me (lol), and they can pull through with a decent budget infusion.
 

DD

Member
I haven't played that yet... as far as physics and controls go, is it as complete as GSC?

I've only played the demo of GSCE, but as far as I know, yes, it is. But if you already own GSCE, you'll probably won't need it. Didn't Reiza included all CPdM cars on GSCE? The tracks are all also there too.
 
I think I've finally seen the light re: Stock Car Extreme/GSC/GSCE/etc. That game is incredible and it's becoming my new daily driver. Learning the unfamiliar tracks is super rewarding too. It's not something I'm used to doing in other sims. And the AI is much better than I'm used to, so that's fun. Running it at ~3K 90fps without my 970 breaking a sweat is great too.

Enlightenment achieved.

dMRxlbg.gif
 

Patrick S.

Banned
How much to buy game and all content?

If I bought 2-3 car packs and a track pack, I'm already looking at 35 Euros, which is more than I paid for pCARS during the Steam sale...

But if you wanted, for example, to buy the BMW E30 M3, you can buy the car for a fiver, or a car pack for around 15 Euro IIRC, or the hillclimbing series which will give you the that car plus other cars, and a track for around the same money. So if you compare prices for packages you can get additional value for relatively little extrta money. But I know I'd be itching to buy more more more all the time, and I'd end up paying 100 Euro quickly. I know you don't have to, but it's hard to put away the boxed copy mentality Big Takeover mentioned.

But my impression of the game was really good. It feels like Asseto Corsa Plus. I tried the hillclimb with the E30 M3, and man does that car sound great in this game. What I didn't like is that the game doesn't show all the resolutions available, so I can't play in 1080p, because the largest resolution offered is 1400x900 and that looks really bad on my screen. I've googled around, but couldn't find a solution for that. If I did, I'd probably play this game a lot.
 
What I didn't like is that the game doesn't show all the resolutions available, so I can't play in 1080p, because the largest resolution offered is 1400x900 and that looks really bad on my screen.
Maybe try validating the local files or reinstalling? Or maybe you need to make some custom resolutions? The only resolution options I see in R3E are 'Native 1080p' and the two custom resolutions I use (3k and 4k). However, nothing else is available, no 900p, 720p, 480p or whatever.
 

Ark

Member
The Le Mans news is so exciting! Hopefully it won't take that long given that most of the surrounding is just trees and car parks ;)
 

TJP

Member
What I didn't like is that the game doesn't show all the resolutions available, so I can't play in 1080p, because the largest resolution offered is 1400x900 and that looks really bad on my screen. I've googled around, but couldn't find a solution for that. If I did, I'd probably play this game a lot.
That's odd as the game uses the desktop resolution by default. That said, you can change the "graphics_options.xml" manually to set your resolution correctly. The file can be found at \Documents\My Games\SimBin\RaceRoom Racing Experience\UserData

Open the file with a text editor (or notepad); change to your desired resolution and edit the following lines:

<custom type="uint32">1920</custom> X-resolution
<custom type="uint32">1080</custom> Y-resolution
<custom type="int32">32</custom> Colour bit depth
<custom type="int32">60</custom> Refresh rate
<custom type="bool">true</custom> Fullscreen
 

Patrick S.

Banned
Maybe try validating the local files or reinstalling? Or maybe you need to make some custom resolutions? The only resolution options I see in R3E are 'Native 1080p' and the two custom resolutions I use (3k and 4k). However, nothing else is available, no 900p, 720p, 480p or whatever.

There's a config file in the game's folder that lists all the supported resolutions, and 1080p plus larger resolutions are listed in there. One thing I suspect could be happening is that since I replaced the R9 with a GTX 970 graphics card, many games show me a refresh rate of 59.9 Hz when I select resolutions, and not 60 Hz. Maybe that prevents other resolutions from showing up in Raceroom?
 

Patrick S.

Banned
That's odd as the game uses the desktop resolution by default. That said, you can change the "graphics_options.xml" manually to set your resolution correctly. The file can be found at \Documents\My Games\SimBin\RaceRoom Racing Experience\UserData

Open the file with a text editor (or notepad); change to your desired resolution and edit the following lines:

<custom type="uint32">1920</custom> X-resolution
<custom type="uint32">1080</custom> Y-resolution
<custom type="int32">32</custom> Colour bit depth
<custom type="int32">60</custom> Refresh rate
<custom type="bool">true</custom> Fullscreen

Thank you for your suggestion. I just tried editing the file, and it always gets reverted to this:

<game__GraphicsOptions ID="/options/graphics">
<latestVersion type="uint32">14</latestVersion>
<custom type="uint32">1024</custom>
<custom type="uint32">768</custom>
<custom type="int32">22</custom>
<custom type="int32">60</custom>
<custom type="bool">false</custom>
<custom type="bool">true</custom>
<custom type="uint32">2</custom>
<custom type="uint32">2</custom>
<custom type="uint32">2</custom>
<custom type="uint32">2</custom>
<custom type="bool">true</custom>
<custom type="bool">true</custom>
<custom type="bool">true</custom>
<custom type="bool">true</custom>
<custom type="float32">1.00000000</custom>
<custom type="bool">false</custom>
<custom type="int8">2</custom>
<custom type="bool">true</custom>
<custom type="bool">true</custom>
<custom type="bool">false</custom>
<custom type="bool">true</custom>
<custom type="bool">true</custom>
<custom type="bool">true</custom>
<custom type="int32">6</custom>
<custom type="int32">4</custom>
<custom type="float32">-1.00000000</custom>
<custom type="bool">true</custom>
<custom type="int32">1</custom>
<custom type="bool">true</custom>
<custom type="int32">1</custom>
<custom type="bool">false</custom>
<custom type="int32">0</custom>
<custom type="uint8">0</custom>
<custom type="uint8">0</custom>
<custom type="int32">1</custom>
<custom type="int32">2</custom>
<custom type="bool">false</custom>
<custom type="float32">0.00000000</custom>
<custom type="float32">0.00000000</custom>
<custom type="bool">true</custom>
<custom type="int32">36</custom>
<custom type="int32">36</custom>

There isn't even an entry for fullscreen display in my file.
 

Patrick S.

Banned
Tried it, when I make the changes and edit the config to 59 Hz, the game crashes at launch, if I put it on 60 Hz it gives me a file error, which I can dismiss, when starting the game, and then the game is still at 1024x768 windowed :(
 
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