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PC Racing Sims

D

DD

Member
Since when Simbin stuff got so overpriced? The whole Race Room package (which, honestly, is not that much of content) costs more than 140 dollars, and I'm not even counting the DTM Experience, that costs plus 55 dollars.

They're not as bad as Codemasters, that releases games with half the tracks and then sells the rest via DLC, but I'm starting to dislike that company too...
 
M

marvelharvey

Member
DD said:
Since when Simbin stuff got so overpriced? The whole Race Room package (which, honestly, is not that much of content) costs more than 140 dollars, and I'm not even counting the DTM Experience, that costs plus 55 dollars.

They're not as bad as Codemasters, that releases games with half the tracks and then sells the rest via DLC, but I'm starting to dislike that company too...
Click to expand...
Didn't someone buy them 6-7 years ago? That's when the rot set in.
 
B

Big Takeover

Member
marvelharvey said:
Didn't someone buy them 6-7 years ago? That's when the rot set in.
Click to expand...

It's been a long, confusing road.

Ian Bell co-founded Simbin, and then shortly afterwards started Blimey games which co-developed the GTRs and GTL. Blimey (est 25 people) left to go it alone. That didn't last long, and they were then turned into SMS (NFS:Shift/pCARS). Simbin went on to do 800 variants of RACE, and now seem to be looking to do the same with this new engine.

So yeah, it's old news now, but there were a lot of changes several years ago.
 
K

Kyleoty

Neo Member
Hello GAF. I am working on something at a Racing Gaming Club im in. Is their any way any of you with Racing Wheel and Peddles can take a measurement for me?

Please respond with the Name of the Wheel and the measurement illustrated in the Picture below.

Thank you so much in advance. The Club Thanks You.
peddles.jpg
 
TJP

TJP

Member
marvelharvey said:
Didn't someone buy them 6-7 years ago? That's when the rot set in.
Click to expand...
Things haven't quite happened like that. SimBin co-founder Henrik Roos departed in 2012 and long time shareholder Klaus Wohlfarth (owner of KW Automotive) took over as CEO - SimBin has been his project ever since.

I think the 'rot' was the fallout from the failure of Race Pro & Lizard Engine which saw Peter Wallenberg pull his money out of SimBin and not releasing GTR 3 to an eager sim racing community. I recall the launch of GTR3.com and people going wild for the engine sounds...years later this became RaceRoom.
 
Z

Zeona

Neo Member
I have a question regarding FFB wheels: Is it normal that it feels like you are moving all the "cogs" behind the wheel when turning it? I bought a Thrustmaster F430 FFB wheel and when I turn it left or right it feels like I am actually fighting the mechanical pieces on the inside, which goes along with a rather loud noise which sounds like you are moving a lot of cogs. This has nothing to do with FFB being applied. The TM software has a bunch of sample FFB effects you can try, and when those move the wheel around the aforementioned noise and "friction" are not present. I can also change the FFB sliders any way I want, this "weird" friction and noise do not change.

I had been using an old MS wheel without FFB for nearly 10 years until it broke a few years back and I tried a Logitech MOMO FFB wheel some years ago which, if I remember it right, felt just like this F430 as long as it was unplugged. Once the power was on though it was smooth, while the F430 feels the same no matter if plugged in or not.

Can someone please tell me if this is normal for FFB wheels?
 
D

drugstore_cowboy

Member
Gear driven wheels can be noisy especially when there's a lot of plastic involved.

Does the wheel's driver control panel have damper settings? They add extra resistance.
 
B

Big Takeover

Member
I got my Basher brake bushings kit yesterday for the T500 (Microcenter *fist pump*). For $20 it really does salvage the brake on what is otherwise a nice set of pedals.

I thought the included stiff brake contraption was lousy as could be. Worse than stock. The Basher bushings really do bring it right up to the doorstep of load cell. The urethane resistance feels nothing like a spring, and makes you forget you're still controlling a potentiometer. It really does make braking a muscle memory affair. OK, pedal travel is cut by probably half, but that's something I can get used to. Half brake pressure is little more than a brush, but it doesn't really need to be more than that anyway.

At least it'll hold me over until I get the itch for some clubsports.

4mFdpyN.jpg
Click to expand...

http://www.basherboards.com/T500RS-BMK
http://youtu.be/GZPE_Oo6BwQ

So yeah, I'm pleased. It's so nice to finally be able to run inverted pedals as well, and it doesn't disappoint. Very comfortable, very intuitive. Super stoked on that.

The wheel; there's nothing more that I can add that you probably don't already know. Torquey, accurate, smooth, quiet, no more obvious clipping, no more Logitech oscillations. The torque is a big attraction however. Instead of the ffb providing suggestions, the forces really load up in what feels like something closer to real life. It's certainly no kart, or no p.s. Indy car, but it's `pretty good. A lot better than anything I've previously tried that's for sure.

Yeah, yeah, it's all old news. I know, but hey it's new to me!
 
S

Spookie

Member
Is Thrustmaster ever eventually going to put a load cell on their brakes? For the 400 quid price tag it should be a given. I'd buy it in a heart beat too. :(
 
B

Big Takeover

Member
Spookie said:
Is Thrustmaster ever eventually going to put a load cell on their brakes? For the 400 quid price tag it should be a given. I'd buy it in a heart beat too. :(
Click to expand...

You can get an aftermarket one if you want, but yeah, I'm expecting the T500 to get refreshed fairly soon at which point we'll probably see a load cell.
 
S

Shaneus

Member
Big Takeover said:
I got my Basher brake bushings kit yesterday for the T500 (Microcenter *fist pump*). For $20 it really does salvage the brake on what is otherwise a nice set of pedals.

I thought the included stiff brake contraption was lousy as could be. Worse than stock. The Basher bushings really do bring it right up to the doorstep of load cell. The urethane resistance feels nothing like a spring, and makes you forget you're still controlling a potentiometer. It really does make braking a muscle memory affair. OK, pedal travel is cut by probably half, but that's something I can get used to. Half brake pressure is little more than a brush, but it doesn't really need to be more than that anyway.

At least it'll hold me over until I get the itch for some clubsports.



http://www.basherboards.com/T500RS-BMK
http://youtu.be/GZPE_Oo6BwQ

So yeah, I'm pleased. It's so nice to finally be able to run inverted pedals as well, and it doesn't disappoint. Very comfortable, very intuitive. Super stoked on that.
Click to expand...
Is there something like that available for the G27 pedals?
 
TJP

TJP

Member
Spookie said:
Is Thrustmaster ever eventually going to put a load cell on their brakes? For the 400 quid price tag it should be a given. I'd buy it in a heart beat too. :(
Click to expand...
There was a rumour floating around the internet that Thrustmaster had a load cell ready to ship...and they never did. Apparently it has 35kg of force (same as the currently unavailable Bodin mod).

Leaked pdf here: http://www.mediafire.com/view/?1gaus9sio77izdg (taken from Race Department)

Leaked pictures:
tmloadcell.jpg

loadcellhanging.jpg

loadcell.jpg
Click to expand...

Pictures taken from here: http://cmsracing.com/champion/forums/content/new-load-cell-brake-coming-thrustmaster-t500-526/
 
TJP

TJP

Member
Several performance tips regarding Game Stock Car 2013:

Better FPS when racing at night:

Reiza Studios said:
Look up the "Max Headlights="256" setting on your PLR file. You can turn that way down to even single digits, it should be a big performance saver. Do expect a performance hit relative to daylight racing in any case.
Click to expand...

Reason: Nightlight performance is largely defined by the CPU. The PLR file is in GSC2013\Userdata\(Your player Name)\Your Player Name.PLR

Apparently dust (ISI thought to include everything) is a frame rate killer, even for the latest GPU's from Nvidia and ATI. One can open the .tdf file using notepad found at \GSC2013\GameData\Locations\terrain.tdf and delete the dust lines. I'm waiting on confirmation for which lines are to be deleted.

I found that running GSC 2013 with the old rFactor '+fullproc' command to boost the frame rate caused graphics issues (e.g. missing skybox at Brasilia 1 & 2). Since deleting the command, the skybox has returned to normal.

New GSC 2013 FAQ here: http://www.racedepartment.com/forum/threads/gsc2013-faq.78951/
 
P

Polishin8r

Member
Kyleoty said:
Hello GAF. I am working on something at a Racing Gaming Club im in. Is their any way any of you with Racing Wheel and Peddles can take a measurement for me?

Please respond with the Name of the Wheel and the measurement illustrated in the Picture below.

Thank you so much in advance. The Club Thanks You.
peddles.jpg
Click to expand...

about 17 inches with Logitech G27
 
M

marvelharvey

Member
Big Takeover said:
You can get an aftermarket one if you want, but yeah, I'm expecting the T500 to get refreshed fairly soon at which point we'll probably see a load cell.
Click to expand...
Considering how much time I put into this hobby, I really should upgrade from the DFGT. I would get the T500 in a heartbeat the moment an official load cell was added. Fanatec's pedals are also high up my christmas list, but seeing as they've no official release date here in Japan and the Euro/US shop won't ship outside their area, it may be a long time before my feet are set upon them :(
 
S

Shaneus

Member
TJP said:
Several performance tips regarding Game Stock Car 2013:

Better FPS when racing at night:



Reason: Nightlight performance is largely defined by the CPU. The PLR file is in GSC2013Userdata(Your player Name)Your Player Name.PLR

Apparently dust (ISI thought to include everything) is a frame rate killer, even for the latest GPU's from Nvidia and ATI. One can open the .tdf file using notepad found at GSC2013GameDataLocationsterrain.tdf and delete the dust lines. I'm waiting on confirmation for which lines are to be deleted.

I found that running GSC 2013 with the old rFactor '+fullproc' command to boost the frame rate caused graphics issues (e.g. missing skybox at Brasilia 1 & 2). Since deleting the command, the skybox has returned to normal.

New GSC 2013 FAQ here: http://www.racedepartment.com/forum/threads/gsc2013-faq.78951/
Click to expand...
God damn, I love Reiza. Continually offering tips on how to get better performance out of their games and not just shoving it out the door a la Codies.
 
TJP

TJP

Member
Shaneus said:
God damn, I love Reiza. Continually offering tips on how to get better performance out of their games and not just shoving it out the door a la Codies.
Click to expand...
Indeed Shaneus. The support Reiza provide to their sims is fantastic and ongoing.

I hope the support for GSC 2013 extends to tracks. The ripped tracks from SimBin titles are almost universally shite; most look fine but almost all have too little grip - press the A key when it the pits and watch the AI struggle to keep the car on the tarmac. There are a few ripped tracks that are the exception and the scratch build Nordschleife hosted by Race Department is great but that's about it.
 
S

Shaneus

Member
They said they were putting in new tracks, didn't they? I'm sure I read that somewhere.

Unless I'm thinking of AC. But I'm sure you posted something when I mentioned V8 Supercars about additional tracks and cars.
 
TJP

TJP

Member
Shaneus said:
They said they were putting in new tracks, didn't they? I'm sure I read that somewhere.
Click to expand...
Yep, Reiza said that. Missing from my post was world tracks as that's what GSC 2013 needs. I do hope Reiza add a lot of new tracks to race their sublime crafted vehicles around.

I can imagine Reiza adding cars and tracks - or silhouette versions - from various world championships. Imagine having DTM cars from early to mid 90's (Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI DTM - yummy) complete with tracks or all the generations of the Group 5 series - the list of wants is endless. With the sim Reiza have created with GSC, any additions will be sensational.
 
D

DD

Member
TJP said:
Yep, Reiza said that. Missing from my post was world tracks as that's what GSC 2013 needs. I do hope Reiza add a lot of new tracks to race their sublime crafted vehicles around.

I can imagine Reiza adding cars and tracks - or silhouette versions - from various world championships. Imagine having DTM cars from early to mid 90's (Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI DTM - yummy) complete with tracks or all the generations of the Group 5 series - the list of wants is endless. With the sim Reiza have created with GSC, any additions will be sensational.
Click to expand...

Yes, please.
 
B

Big Takeover

Member
marvelharvey said:
Considering how much time I put into this hobby, I really should upgrade from the DFGT. I would get the T500 in a heartbeat the moment an official load cell was added. Fanatec's pedals are also high up my christmas list, but seeing as they've no official release date here in Japan and the Euro/US shop won't ship outside their area, it may be a long time before my feet are set upon them :(
Click to expand...

RE: T500. I certainly have no inside knowledge of a load cell, but with all the overlap in their product line now, if they even keep the T500 at all, I'd expect it to go further upscale. I do seriously wonder if they'll keep it however.

RE: Fanatec. Oh, that's too bad. I see now that they have a jp website and everything, but nothing for sale. Well that sucks! I see they're willing to send a shifter to Japan for the winner of their FB contest. Maybe it's worth an email if you haven't sent them one already.
 
TJP

TJP

Member
Xmas_feature1-670x376.jpg
Click to expand...

SimBin said:
Save big on your favorite tracks, cars and liveries this holiday season with 50%-70% discounts from RaceRoom and SimBin.

Now through this weekend RaceRoom Racing Experience content is up to 70% off, but act fast because the sale ends Monday. Visit the store to see the special holiday pricing.
Click to expand...

RaceRoom store link

Test Drive Weekend

A selection of test drive challenges featuring R3E’s hottest content will begin at 1500 CET / 1400 GMT on Thursday. Set your fastest lap and see how you stack up against RaceRoom’s worldwide racing community.


  • RUF RT12R at Bathurst starting on Thursday, 12 December
  • Audi R8 LMS Ultra at Suzuka starting on Friday, 13 December
  • Zakspeed Capri at RR Hillclimb starting on Saturday, 14 December
 
M

markao

Member
TJP said:
The discounted prices are what they should have been from the beginning.
Click to expand...
No, that's not how selling something works. ;)

People have a tendency to buy stuff when it is discounted, so your base price needs to be higher, that when you drop your price to attract customers (sales/discounts), it does not fall to low (you make decent profit). Over time this also allows you to slightly drop your price, without it getting to low to fast.
 
TJP

TJP

Member
Spookie said:
Next to AC or Project CARS, GSC2013 is really looking ropey.
Click to expand...
Watch any of Reiza Studio's Niels Heusinkveld Talk and Drive YT videos? It's all about the underlying physics for him and right now ISI rFactor works for him and Reiza. I agree that GSC isn't the greatest looking sim - it certainly is the best rFactor based sim ever created - so let us hope ISI get their shit together so that 3rd parties can use rFactor 2 sometime soon.

Either that or Reiza do what SimBin (and SMS before them) have done and create their own graphics engine and stick with the rFactor physics.
 
S

Shaneus

Member
TJP said:
Watch any of Reiza Studio's Niels Heusinkveld Talk and Drive YT videos? It's all about the underlying physics for him and right now ISI rFactor works for him and Reiza. I agree that GSC isn't the greatest looking sim - it certainly is the best rFactor based sim ever created - so let us hope ISI get their shit together so that 3rd parties can use rFactor 2 sometime soon.

Either that or Reiza do what SimBin (and SMS before them) have done and create their own graphics engine and stick with the rFactor physics.
Click to expand...
Reckon we could see a shift for Reiza to move from an rF engine to, say, AC (which seems far more modder-friendly, at least in terms of being available to them *and* newer) rather than wait for the rF2 engine?

Surely rF2 for studios like Reiza can't be that far off... but then again, how long have we been waiting for final release for?
 
S

Spookie

Member
Shaneus said:
Surely rF2 for studios like Reiza can't be that far off... but then again, how long have we been waiting for final release for?
Click to expand...

According to ISI it's finished and they are in a post release cycle now. At least that's what they said on the dev forums. It doesn't look it as the lighting engine is atrocious.

TJP said:
Watch any of Reiza Studio's Niels Heusinkveld Talk and Drive YT videos? It's all about the underlying physics for him and right now ISI rFactor works for him and Reiza. I agree that GSC isn't the greatest looking sim - it certainly is the best rFactor based sim ever created - so let us hope ISI get their shit together so that 3rd parties can use rFactor 2 sometime soon.
Click to expand...

I understand that but it would be nice if they moved on to a, well, less ancient engine like AC. There must be a limit to what they can gain from an engine that old.
 
TJP

TJP

Member
Shaneus said:
Reckon we could see a shift for Reiza to move from an rF engine to, say, AC (which seems far more modder-friendly, at least in terms of being available to them *and* newer) rather than wait for the rF2 engine?
Click to expand...
Given Niels has tested AC and came away impressed, I could see a future where Reiza use AC as a base for their future sims; who knows Reiza may even be 'published' by Kunos and added to Steam as an extension of AC*

*I can dream this might happen ;)
 
Neo 007

Neo 007

Member
If you can afford it I'd go a G27,that way your future proofing yourself encase you decide to take sim racing up more seriously.
 
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