[mclaren777]

Here's a great read about the complexities of accurate tire modeling in racing sims...

The next time you read that "real tire data was used", take that with a bucket of salt.

Link to PDF

[paskowitz]

http://www.911wheel.de/?q=node/8005#comment-20798

Community testing for the Fanatec Club Sport Wheel has begun. Sign up now if you are a member of an online sim racing community.

Also, I think those active on NeoGAF should voice love for this website and mention that it should be added to the list of community test websites. While not the biggest sim racing community, it is one of the biggest gaming communities on the web.

Community test for Clubsport Wheel: Round 1 - UPDATE Submitted by Thomas on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 15:49. The pre-production of the ClubSport Wheel (CSW) is about to start and we are looking for testers from the simracing community to give this wheel a decent workout. I am talking about the CSW base the BMW GT rim and the Formula rim. Due to the big suceess of the CSR E community review I would like to do that again because the results are totally unbiased and professional reviews directly made by the people who know most about the product because they are the target group. ROUND 1: I would like to have as little influence as possible about the selection of testers so in round 1 we will look for community test managers (ctm). ROUND 2: The task of the ctm will be to open a thread in your community and ask who wants to participate in the community review of the CSW. The ctm will then pick 10 people which he thinks are most qualified. Reviewers of the CSR E cannot participate as reviewers this time but as crm. ROUND 3: The ctm will create another thread with poll so that the community can choose their favourite reviewers. We will provide one wheel per community. In some cases maybe more. ROUND 4: About 2 weeks after the last reviewers have received their products, the embargo will end and all reviews can be published. More details will follow so let's start with ROUND 1: Below is a selection of international simracing communities. If you are part of one (or more) of those communities and would like to become a community test manager you just need to post the following information: Name and link to the community of choice (you can make multiple posts if you want to apply for multiple communities) Member since: Amount of posts in this community: Link to a previous review or to a good post you made to show your qualification One short sentence to describe your qualification If the community of choice is not listed you are welcome to suggest it but the following criteria is preferred: Playstation 3 or PC related Active and popular forum F1 or BMW related Here is a selection of forums which would be great to get covered. As compensation for your efforts you also get a CSW with the 50% discount of the reviewers. You are welcome to make a review as well although this is not mandatory. German http://www.virtualracing.org/ http://www.gtrp.de/ http://www.konsolenracer.de/ http://www.playstationfront.de/ http://games.reveur.de http://community.eu.playstation.com/...emein/bd-p/196 http://www.bockbierbude.de/component...Itemid,99/lang... http://www.psx-racing.de/wp-phpbb/ http://www.racersleague.com/index.ph...iew=wrapper&It... http://simracing-deutschland.de/forum/forum.php http://www.f1-2010-forum.de/forum.php ->sol@tux.ch English http://www.racedepartment.com/ http://www.nogripracing.com/ http://community.codemasters.com/forum/ http://community.us.playstation.com/ www.iracing.com http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.ph...m_summary.html http://f-wheel.com/ http://www.gtplanet.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=163 Italian http://www.drivingitalia.net/ http://www.slipangle.it/forum/index.php French http://www.gearcompetition.com/63-ha...ckpit-etc.html http://www.racingfr.com/forum/ Polish http://f1liga.pl/forum.html Spanish http://www.speedinlive.co/index.php?...3ed4dcc03fea7c Portuguese http://www.simracingportugal.net/forum/ UPDATE As soon as a ctm is selected, I will list the name of the user behind the link so that you know that this forum is no longer available.

[mclaren777]

Would you guys be interested in having scheduled sim racing weeks?

We could race together online using either the full games or the demos. We could also play individually and share our experiences (must-play mods, settings tweaks, funny videos, etc) with each other.

Logical Choices:

• rFactor
• rFactor 2
• iRacing
• netKar Pro
• Richard Burns Rally
• Live for Speed
• Project CARS
• SimBin games
• SimRaceWay

(example of a possible schedule)

[HephalumpsAndWoozles]

Help me out Sim racers. Should I get rF1 or rF2? Or something else.

Im currently limited to RBRvanilla and Forza4.

Ive got the CSR xbox wheel.

[mclaren777]

Should I get rF1 or rF2?

That's the question to end all questions. I'm probably best-prepared to tackle it but even I don't have a clear answer. rF1 has far more content, but rF2 has better graphics and physics.

I could also recommend RACE Injection but it doesn't have the content of rF1 or the physics of rF2, but it does fall somewhere in the middle.

Let me think about it some more and get back to you.

[Shaneus]

That's the question to end all questions. I'm probably best-prepared to tackle it but even I don't have a clear answer. rF1 has far more content, but rF2 has better graphics and physics. I could also recommend RACE Injection but it doesn't have the content of rF1 or the physics of rF2, but it does fall somewhere in the middle. Let me think about it some more and get back to you.

rF2 is getting most stuff from rF1 "ported" or it's compatible or something, isn't it?

Like you said, you're by far the most qualified, but that's the impression I've gotten.

[HephalumpsAndWoozles]

That's the question to end all questions. I'm probably best-prepared to tackle it but even I don't have a clear answer. rF1 has far more content, but rF2 has better graphics and physics. I could also recommend RACE Injection but it doesn't have the content of rF1 or the physics of rF2, but it does fall somewhere in the middle. Let me think about it some more and get back to you.

My current rig is a Core2 Quad Q9550, 8GB ram and a 8800GTS512. Dont know if that limits me in any ways.

[mclaren777]

rF2 is getting most stuff from rF1 "ported" or it's compatible or something, isn't it?

A lot of rF1 content will surely be ported, but I'm not convinced that's a good thing. I'd almost rather see each dev team make content from scratch using all of rF2's new features.

My current rig is a Core2 Quad Q9550, 8GB ram and a 8800GTS512. Dont know if that limits me in any ways.

rF1 will definitely run better on your system than rF2.

[1-D_FTW]

My current rig is a Core2 Quad Q9550, 8GB ram and a 8800GTS512. Dont know if that limits me in any ways.

rF1 will definitely run better on your system than rF2.

It's the GPU that'll prevent things from being maxed. I have a Q9400 @3.4Ghz and I don't think a single core ever goes above 50 percent utilization. So it can handle the game with everything maxed with zero issues.

At 1080P@60fps (maxed), I'd assume some things would need to be dialed down from max. For comparison's sake, my GTX 460 stays at about 78 percent utilization with those settings.

EDIT: I need to get off my butt today and install the update and edit the 60fps limiter you posted in the other thread.

[HephalumpsAndWoozles]

A lot of rF1 content will surely be ported, but I'm not convinced that's a good thing. I'd almost rather see each dev team make content from scratch using all of rF2's new features. rF1 will definitely run better on your system than rF2.

Im willing to sacrifice graphics for better physics and FFB. And which has the better online racing community? Appreciate any input on these points.

[1-D_FTW]

Im willing to sacrifice graphics for better physics and FFB. And which has the better online racing community? Appreciate any input on these points.

Points? Plural? Are you asking questions about the first two? Because rF2 is significantly superior in the physics and FFB category. Haven't played either online, so couldn't answer that one.

[mclaren777]

And which has the better online racing community?

The general online community for most racing sims is rather poor so you're encouraged to join a structured league because you'll have a much better experience.

[amar212]

Community testing for the Fanatec Club Sport Wheel has begun. Sign up now if you are a member of an online sim racing community. Also, I think those active on NeoGAF should voice love for this website and mention that it should be added to the list of community test websites. While not the biggest sim racing community, it is one of the biggest gaming communities on the web.

I agree - and since GTP is pretty much covered, I am ready to carry over my voice here on NeoGaf.

So you have one vote already Pask ;)

[mclaren777]

And update on the Zonda in GTR3...

[isamu]

The general online community for most racing sims is rather poor....

This can't be empasized enough. Compared to communities like CoD, Minecraft, etc, sims are practically dead. It really makes me wish big franchises such as Gran Turismo and Forza were exclusive to PC. Perhaps CARS will save the day. :(

[1-D_FTW]

This can't be empasized enough. Compared to communities like CoD, Minecraft, etc, sims are practically dead. It really makes me wish big franchises such as Gran Turismo and Forza were exclusive to PC. Perhaps CARS will save the day. :(

I really don't see why this would be the case. From what I can see, it's still not a real sim. It's basically a self-published version of Shift. And if Shift, with the might of EA behind it, couldn't generate that, I can't see how SMS by themselves can possibly do that.

If you don't want to do the organized league route, iRacing really is the place to be for online action.

[marvelharvey]

Well gentlemen, I discovered the brilliance of the Grand daddy of all sims....GRAND PRIX LEGENDS! Holy SHIT what a sim!!! Drifting in open wheelers, H-Pattern shifting, tracks with long flowing sweeping turns = ORGASMIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you guys haven't tried GPL yet, get it ASAP!!!

<3 I think I've got about 2500-3000 hours out of GPL, 2499-2999 of which were in the Ferrari. An hour's drive in the Lotus proved it was the quicker, but it can't beat the Ferrari's engine sound.

I know I'm in a tiny minority, but I get my driving game pleasure from learning a vehicle's handling characteristics and idiosyncrasies, not from unlocks (Forza/GT etc)

[1-D_FTW]

<3 I think I've got about 2500-3000 hours out of GPL, 2499-2999 of which were in the Ferrari. An hour's drive in the Lotus proved it was the quicker, but it can't beat the Ferrari's engine sound. I know I'm in a tiny minority, but I get my driving game pleasure from learning a vehicle's handling characteristics and idiosyncrasies, not from unlocks (Forza/GT etc)

With you on both points.

It's funny, because F1 Gaf hates Ferrari with a passion. But the Ferrari engines. are. just. so. good. I don't care about the politics of how they've traditionally won by outspending other competitors. Those are the cars I wanna drive. Its sound is one of a kind. When you made race car sounds as a child, you made sounds like a Ferrari. Because that's what a race car should sound like.

[drugstore_cowboy]

There's nothing stopping you sticking to a couple of cars in GT or Forza, I tend to leave the cars stock and untuned as I like the way a lot of them drive and sound that way.

Probably why I suck so much online.

[isamu]

I really don't see why this would be the case. From what I can see, it's still not a real sim. It's basically a self-published version of Shift. And if Shift, with the might of EA behind it, couldn't generate that, I can't see how SMS by themselves can possibly do that. If you don't want to do the organized league route, iRacing really is the place to be for online action.

I should have re-worded my post and replaced the word "sims" with "racing games in general" on the PC. Whether it's Shift, Dirt series, GRID, Trackmania, etc, or pcars, ALL of them have a dangerously small online community compared to Call of Duty/Starcraft/etc. Why do the FPS/Strategy/RPG genres dwarf the racing genre so much on PC? What happened to the days where racing games were THE genre everybody talked about as being their favorite on the PC? It really just makes me sad. I guess you're right in saying that it's either leagues or iracing for the best online communities.

I don't do leagues unfortunately, because my work/personal schedule is all over the place and time commitment is the LAST thing I'm known for lol.

[Agent Icebeezy]

I forgot about this thread after I built my PC, I'm going to check out some of them tonight.

[1-D_FTW]

I should have re-worded my post and replaced the word "sims" with "racing games in general" on the PC. Whether it's Shift, Dirt series, GRID, Trackmania, etc, or pcars, ALL of them have a dangerously small online community compared to Call of Duty/Starcraft/etc. Why do the FPS/Strategy/RPG genres dwarf the racing genre so much on PC? What happened to the days where racing games were THE genre everybody talked about as being their favorite on the PC? It really just makes me sad. I guess you're right in saying that it's either leagues or iracing for the best online communities. I don't do leagues unfortunately, because my work/personal schedule is all over the place and time commitment is the LAST thing I'm known for lol.

Nah. I got what you meant. I just made the distinction because IMO true sims have the better chance of having a dedicated community that avoids being a bandwagon community (there at launch, gone in 3 weeks).

I agree it would be nice if all racing games had a huge community. But outside of monster games like Forza or GT, I'm not sure any console game even has a robust community. So that's why I feel being a niche sim is probably a plus. Maybe you can get a small, hardcore band that won't abandon it.

[mclaren777]

Why do the FPS/Strategy/RPG genres dwarf the racing genre so much on PC? What happened to the days where racing games were THE genre everybody talked about as being their favorite on the PC?

It's not really a mystery, is it?

What you need to play FPS/Strategy/RPG games...


What you need to play hardcore racing sims...

[isamu]

Nah. I got what you meant. I just made the distinction because IMO true sims have the better chance of having a dedicated community that avoids being a bandwagon community (there at launch, gone in 3 weeks). I agree it would be nice if all racing games had a huge community. But outside of monster games like Forza or GT, I'm not sure any console game even has a robust community. So that's why I feel being a niche sim is probably a plus. Maybe you can get a small, hardcore band that won't abandon it.

Yeah, I guess you've got a point there.

It's not really a mystery, is it? What you need to play FPS/Strategy/RPG games... What you need to play hardcore racing sims...

Heh, the funny thing is that if you combine the cost of a decent gaming mouse and keyboard, a wheel such as the DFGT can be had for less if you look around online lol. Perhaps it's a space issue as well.

[mclaren777]

I'm thinking about getting this brake pedal mod for my G27. It has a 3-stage progressive rate that increases stiffness by 80% at the top end. And it's only $29.95 with free shipping so it sounds like a no-brainer.

[SmokyDave]

I'm thinking about getting this brake pedal mod for my G27. It has a 3-stage progressive rate that increases stiffness by 80% at the top end. And it's only $29.95 with free shipping so it sounds like a no-brainer.

Sure beats the squash ball stuck behind my pedal!

[mclaren777]

‎13 years ago I designed a race track on paper in English class. Today, with the aid of some handy software, I finally made that 2D dream into a 3D reality and ran my first race on it using rFactor. This is truly a momentous day! :)

[Arucardo]

Discovered something interesting tonight while reading around on forums about fanatec and rFactor. Someone on the HistoriX forums mentioned that you can use the G25 drivers on a fanatec (using a PWTS myself) for better FFB. You just need to use the wheel in PS3 mode.

I tried it out since I still have the drivers from my old G25 and it's a billion times better! This translated to every game I tried so far, huge improvement in ffb. I had a way easier time in rF2 with the Megane and could catch slides with both the Megane and the old F1 that I couldn't before with the Fanatec drivers.

Project CARS felt alot better too. I need to try this with original rF and RealFeel next. Basically I recommend anyone with a Fanatec to try this out, not sure how it works on a CSR Elite though.

[1-D_FTW]

Nevermind. Figured it out.

[mclaren777]

That's a fantastic tip, Arucardo. Thanks for sharing!


First in-game screenshots of GTR3...

[Juicy Bob]

WHY HAVE I ONLY JUST FOUND OUT THIS THREAD EXISTS?

Sim racing has always been a passion of mine, but these days I just don't have the money, patience or time to play around with hardware specs and game mods like I used to. Maybe someday after my studies I'll be able to get back into it.

[Edvardelis]

Already have a G27 thanks to GT5 and Spec 2.0 but my PC is more than capable of running the stuff in this thread. Will check a few of them out. :)

[dubc35]

Any word on specs suggested for GTR3? I'm thinking about building a PC and want it to easily run rf2 and GTR3.

[Shaneus]

Damn, GTR3's looking *good*. What are the chances of rFactor2 coming close to that?

[Arucardo]

Had something weird happen last night as I was trying out the CSR H-shifter out. Basically I lost my sense of speed completely, driving at 270km/h in the new rF2 GT cars felt like I was doing 100km/h, started missing my breaking points because of it too. Have to try again today to see if it's still happening, heh. I tried different games and different cars too to make sure it wasn't the GT car. rF2 felt like it was in slow motion :o .

Anyways, if anyone has a fanatec wheel and uses those two rods for the shifter you can improve the stiffness (the shifters tend to have a bit of vertical movement or roll because of the rods) by adding a bolt with some wider washers between the rods. I had some trouble going from 4th to 5th last night because of the shifter movement. The bolt I put there seems to have improved it a bunch, need to test it out in practice now.

[Arucardo]

Test Drive Ferrari Racing Legends beta/preview build footage got released today

http://www.virtualr.net/test-drive-f...meplay-footage

[amar212]

First in-game screenshots of GTR3...

Accuracy of modelling and details is beyond acceptable for AAA production in 2012. Those are rear-lights housings of Zonda R? Really?

[mclaren777]

Test Drive Ferrari Racing Legends beta/preview build footage got released today http://www.virtualr.net/test-drive-f...meplay-footage

I'm having a hard time seeing that game as a sim.

[Arucardo]

Accuracy of modelling and details is beyond acceptable for AAA production in 2012. Those are rear-lights housings of Zonda R? Really?

Umm, there's nothing really wrong with it, granted they could use higher poly models but it's still probably far off from how it's going to look finished.

here's a comparison:

I'm having a hard time seeing that game as a sim.

Eh, you're probably right.

[TJP]

I'm having a hard time seeing that game as a sim.

Ian Bell posted his thoughts regarding the handling in FRL:http://forum.wmdportal.com/showthrea...ll=1#post72378 For those who cannot access the WMD forums, here is Ian's post:

"We're making a game with the Test Drive logo on. Take a wild guess how it's going to handle.

IMO it's a great semi sim. Anything more hardcore (or as publishers refer to it, 'less accessible') and we wouldn't have gotten acceptance."

In other news, SimBin are looking for beta testers: http://insider.simbin.com/a-call-for-beta-testers/

Cheers.

[Orgun]

If I had the space to put one of these (let alone make one) i'd probably do this

DIY Sim Racing Righ for under $100

[TJP]

SimBin co-founder Henrik Roos is stepping down from his CEO position: http://insider.simbin.com/simbin-stu...-moving-ahead/

KW Automotive owner Klaus Wohlfarth, who is SimBin's largest shareholder, is now CEO.

SimBin also announced a free-to-play game is being developed; I wonder if this is the WTCC 2012 game SimBin announced on March 20th.

[1-D_FTW]

If I had the space to put one of these (let alone make one) i'd probably do this DIY Sim Racing Righ for under $100

Still my favorite DIY:

For you DIY'ers. Ordinary ottoman, right? Flip that thang over and... http://www.autoblog.com/2010/12/06/h...eep-your-wife/

[dubc35]

Still my favorite DIY:

Wow, that is full of win!

[spicy cho]

Yeah, I think it's the pinnacle of diy cockpits for the closet nerds among us.

[Shaneus]

In case most of you hadn't noticed, rFactor2 is now up to build 69 with a few extras and a tonne of bugfixes over (at least) the last version I had of build 60.

There's probably an OT for rF2 but I can't be arsed looking.

Ian Bell posted his thoughts regarding the handling in FRL:http://forum.wmdportal.com/showthrea...ll=1#post72378 For those who cannot access the WMD forums, here is Ian's post: "We're making a game with the Test Drive logo on. Take a wild guess how it's going to handle. IMO it's a great semi sim. Anything more hardcore (or as publishers refer to it, 'less accessible') and we wouldn't have gotten acceptance."

Wait... SMS are doing it? Though I'm not their biggest fan, that makes me a little more confident about it, especially with how pCARS is progressing.

[sneaky77]

In case most of you hadn't noticed, rFactor2 is now up to build 69 with a few extras and a tonne of bugfixes over (at least) the last version I had of build 60. There's probably an OT for rF2 but I can't be arsed looking. .

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=458440

[TJP]

Wait... SMS are doing it? Though I'm not their biggest fan, that makes me a little more confident about it, especially with how pCARS is progressing.

I don't know how you would have missed that SMS are making TD: FRL but yes, this is the Ferrari game Ian Bell talked about being in development when Blimey! Games were still around.

[mclaren777]

SimBin also announced a free-to-play game is being developed.

What if GTR3 was that free-to-play game?

[Shaneus]

I don't know how you would have missed that SMS are making TD: FRL but yes, this is the Ferrari game Ian Bell talked about being in development when Blimey! Games were still around.

I didn't even know there *was* a Ferrari game in development, so there ya go.