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PC Racing Sims Thread

So is the fanatec PS4 wheel the current best wheel to get for PS4/PC?
Dam thing cost so much and the pedals don't got clutch :(
Yes. The cheaper option (and still decent) would be the T300. The GT Edition seems to be the cheapest way to get that wheelbase with T3PA pedals.

Does this Gear Shifter Mount V2 work with the gear shifter from the Logitech G29? It says it's compatible with G25 and G27 but nothing about G29.
Yes, it has the same clamp design and hard mount points.
 

Effect

Member
Think I'm done with trying to play Project Cars. This is the 3rd time this damn game has decided to just toss away my save file. I'm not starting over again. Every time I tried to get invested the game decides to do this. All I see on the forums is post from 2015 saying this will be addressed or patch and then post from people in 2016 reporting the same thing and now I'm going through my 3rd run. This time last longer the others but still. I was actually starting to pay attention to what was being done with Project Cars 2 but nope. Not going to bother.

Thinking I might finally buy Assetto Corsa now that the steam sale is live. Unless that has a similar issue of just dumping game progress?
 

TJP

Member
Think I'm done with trying to play Project Cars. This is the 3rd time this damn game has decided to just toss away my save file. I'm not starting over again. Every time I tried to get invested the game decides to do this. All I see on the forums is post from 2015 saying this will be addressed or patch and then post from people in 2016 reporting the same thing and now I'm going through my 3rd run. This time last longer the others but still. I was actually started to pay attention to what was being done with Project Cars 2 but nope. Not going to bother.
And its exactly why some people are wary of pcars 2..SMS has a history of not fixing bugs. That said, Ian Bell admitted QA for pcars was lacking and its been apparently addressed this time.

Thinking I might finally buy Assetto Corsa now that the steam sale is live. Unless that has a similar issue of just dumping game progress?
The career mode is lame but it doesn't dump your progression.
 
Going to buy pCars2 come September, thinking of getting either Dirt Rally or Assetto Corsa in the meantime while they're on pretty decent discounts. Any thoughts between the two? (I obviously know they're completely different games and should maybe just get both)
 
Going to buy pCars2 come September, thinking of getting either Dirt Rally or Assetto Corsa in the meantime while they're on pretty decent discounts. Any thoughts between the two? (I obviously know they're completely different games and should maybe just get both)
Without all the amazing DLC cars, Assetto Corsa might feel a little empty (tracks aren't a problem, hard to find a game with more and better mod tracks). I'd say go with DiRT Rally.
Assuming you want pCARS2 because you really liked pCARS1, it is a little sad that you won't find out how much better cars feel and behave in AC when compared to pCARS1(in my and most peoples' opinion), but pCARS2 seems to be a major improvement in that aspect, so you you'll be fine.
 

komaruR

Member
Yes. The cheaper option (and still decent) would be the T300. The GT Edition seems to be the cheapest way to get that wheelbase with T3PA pedals.


Yes, it has the same clamp design and hard mount points.
Thanks. Guess I'll probably get the t300 gt Ed and the h shifter.
The fanatec wheel looks so nice, just too bad it's so expensive now. Unless they make a even more cheaper combo
 
I'm not sure where to post this, but I have a question.

I currently have a GTDF Logitech wheel that has worked well, it's time to upgrade and I'm looking at either the thrust master tx leather or the fanatec csl elite Xbox combo. Definitely leaning towards the fanatec and will upgrade the pedals and get a shifter at a later date.

What it comes down to though is right now I'm just running the wheel on a desk/ironing board which is fine, but I'm wondering if it would be better to just forget the wheel upgrade for now and get a racing seat, probably the open wheel version. Any idea what would have the best impact on racing since currently I can only race on pc and would like to race on the Xbox also?
Is there possibly a better seat also for <$400?
 
Think I'm done with trying to play Project Cars. This is the 3rd time this damn game has decided to just toss away my save file. I'm not starting over again. Every time I tried to get invested the game decides to do this. All I see on the forums is post from 2015 saying this will be addressed or patch and then post from people in 2016 reporting the same thing and now I'm going through my 3rd run. This time last longer the others but still. I was actually starting to pay attention to what was being done with Project Cars 2 but nope. Not going to bother.
I'm amazed that this is still happening. I had the same thing (twice), and then I heard it was fixed... I guess not. :/

I'm not sure where to post this, but I have a question.

I currently have a GTDF Logitech wheel that has worked well, it's time to upgrade and I'm looking at either the thrust master tx leather or the fanatec csl elite Xbox combo. Definitely leaning towards the fanatec and will upgrade the pedals and get a shifter at a later date.

What it comes down to though is right now I'm just running the wheel on a desk/ironing board which is fine, but I'm wondering if it would be better to just forget the wheel upgrade for now and get a racing seat, probably the open wheel version. Any idea what would have the best impact on racing since currently I can only race on pc and would like to race on the Xbox also?
Is there possibly a better seat also for <$400?
The CSL range is definitely beyond the point where you would significantly benefit from a rig. It is still possible to clamp the wheel base temporarily to a surface, and have the pedals braced against a wall or something, but you won't be getting the most out this significant investment in hardware. I think the priority should be to get a rig first. I wrote an article recently that might help, although it is VR-focused and attempts to cover a broad spectrum of sim hardware.
 
I'm just running the wheel on a ironing board which is fine
giphy-1copy3nsszc.gif
 

TheBear

Member
I now own every current major sim racing game. I really should play them lol

Also what are the R3E "experiences" like? Is it worthwhile SP content? Which is the best?
 

TJP

Member
I now own every current major sim racing game. I really should play them lol

Also what are the R3E "experiences" like? Is it worthwhile SP content? Which is the best?
ADAC if you like GT3 cars (physics and tyre model worked on & approved by Kelvin van der Linde) or DTM if you like German Touring Cars (physics and tyre model worked on & approved by Bruno Spengler).

ADAC offers more cars and less tracks but is the better all-round buy for me.
 

Mascot

Member
PC sim gurus of GAF! Can I get your opinion on this second-hand set-up being sold locally for £1,000 (or best offer)?
Does it represent value for money? Whay would be a good price?
How capable would it be for sim racing and FPSes at 1080p/60?
Any obvious weak or odd areas? Limitations for upgrading? Suitable cooling?
Anything other advice you can add?
I think it was a pre-built.
Many thanks.

---------------------

Case
BitFenix Prodigy Mini-ITX Case (Black)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-6600K (3.5GHz) 6MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® Z170I PRO GAMING: Mini-ITX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB HyperX FURY DDR4 2133MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 980 Ti - DVI, HDMI, 3x DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
1st Hard Disk
240GB KINGSTON UV400 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (550MB/R, 490MB/W)
2nd Hard Disk
2TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W VS SERIES™ VS-550 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Noctua NH-L9i Low Profile, Super Quiet CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
&#8234;10/100/1000&#8236; GIGABIT LAN PORT + WIRELESS 802.11 A/B/G/N/AC
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
 
Mascot, never buy old-gen graphic cards and for 1080p/60 a 1060 would be good enough, I'd buy a 1070 though.
The last-gen i5 is a good compromise, but get something faster, no other gaming genre needs CPU clck speed as sim racing. Not saying it's not good enough, but you want the CPU to last at least 2 gpu cycles. Have you looked at AMD's new CPU's they offer the most bang for your buck, but haven't looked at sim-racing performance.

Edit: And build it yourself. It's so much easier than it used to [except that the case you seem to want is not exactly spacious, which I personally hate... for coolong as well]
 

TJP

Member
PC sim gurus of GAF! Can I get your opinion on this second-hand set-up being sold locally for £1,000 (or best offer)?
tbt.gif

980Ti is still a very damn good card...5% less or often equal to a 1070 and will run almost everything you throw at it at well above 60fps. You can look at some fps graphs on Guru3D and judge 980ti vs 1070 for yourself: http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/gigabyte_geforce_gtx_1080_aorus_11_gbps_review,13.html

As for CPU's the i5 is a solid performer; most sims won't cause it an issue and sims like rF2 require strong single core performance which is often an Intel strong point. As for buying new, remember nothing is 'future proof' so even todays latest & greatest will be tomorrow's also-ran (or so the reviews will lead one to believe). Everything I've read enough about Intel's latest CPU's shows Intel pushed their CPU's out way to early and most enthuisasts are stating to wait for the next Intel release or at least for heavy revisions to the firmware. The Ryzen chips have issues too however they are the bang for buck kings right now.

As always, do your homework and take your time as there are plenty of websites and YT channels that will assist you to spec, price and build a gaming PC. Given you are in the UK, try sites such as https://www.overclock3d.net/ and bit-tech.net as the prices are in pounds and the website offers decent opinions i.e. http://www.bit-tech.net/guides/pc-hardware-buyer-s-guide-q2-2017/3/
 

Mascot

Member
Mascot, never buy old-gen graphic cards and for 1080p/60 a 1060 would be good enough, I'd buy a 1070 though.
The last-gen i5 is a good compromise, but get something faster, no other gaming genre needs CPU clck speed as sim racing. Not saying it's not good enough, but you want the CPU to last at least 2 gpu cycles. Have you looked at AMD's new CPU's they offer the most bang for your buck, but haven't looked at sim-racing performance.

Mascot finally jumping in?
Hallelujah!


Lol..! I'm edging closer and closer to the precipice, that's for sure.

This PC popped up in a local 'items for sale' Facebook group so I'm just canvassing opinion. if it's up to snuff with handling 1080p/60 with ease on highish settings, and if I could get it for a lot less than a grand it might be worth a punt. I don't know much at all about PC specs but I've heard new cards are incoming soon and current cards are inflated due to datamining. This might be a good test bed to see if I get on with PC sims with relatively low (ha!) risk.
 

TJP

Member
Lol..! I'm edging closer and closer to the precipice, that's for sure.

This PC popped up in a local 'items for sale' Facebook group so I'm just canvassing opinion. if it's up to snuff with handling 1080p/60 with ease on highish settings, and if I could get it for a lot less than a grand it might be worth a punt. I don't know much at all about PC specs but I've heard new cards are incoming soon and current cards are inflated due to datamining. This might be a good test bed to see if I get on with PC sims with relatively low (ha!) risk.
II think it's a solid buy with a further 10% knocked off; just pricing up a new build and it's looking very hard to match the specs just make sure everything works as intended!

Also look at NeoGAF's own ideas on a new build: http://www.neogaf.com/forum//showthread.php?t=1352338
 

TJP

Member
Thanks - the buyer said he won't go lower than £900. Might go and take a look at it tomorrow.
His/her pc is filled with quality gear so I'm not surprised at the £900 floor for the price. With that setup, you'd play any sim at 1080/60 (probably at double the required frame rate) and all of the FPS too. It all comes back to optimisation by the dev team.

GOW 4 runs like a dream on reasonably modern hardware; Forza Horizon ran like a 2 legged dog on release and pretty solid now. Forza Apex was apparently excellent.

Expect triple digit frame rate for pcars in the dry and half of that in the wet! Ive always found rain in pcars incredibly taxing on hardware. Codemasters do it better for far less drag on system performance.

If you dont like what you see, overclockers uk have demo PC's for a similar price:
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/ex-d...core-6600k-980ti-gaming-system-fs-184-ep.html

As always, the initial costs on pc gaming are high but the hardware can be used for ages dpending on the genre and efforts of the dev team to optimise for PC. A lot of the extra visual fluff can be turned down or off for way better frame rates. For example pcars has water pools that reflect the car and the surrounds; turning it off boosts the frame rate for no change to the gameplay. It is useful for wanky screenshots!

Plus a pc is useful for a whole load more...and there is a huge cataloge of great games to enjoy.
 

Mascot

Member
His/her pc is filled with quality gear so I'm not surprised at the £900 floor for the price. With that setup, you'd play any sim at 1080/60 (probably at double the required frame rate) and all of the FPS too. It all comes back to optimisation by the dev team.

GOW 4 runs like a dream on reasonably modern hardware; Forza Horizon ran like a 2 legged dog on release and pretty solid now. Forza Apex was apparently excellent.

Expect triple digit frame rate for pcars in the dry and half of that in the wet! Ive always found rain in pcars incredibly taxing on hardware. Codemasters do it better for far less drag on system performance.

If you dont like what you see, overclockers uk have demo PC's for a similar price:
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/ex-d...core-6600k-980ti-gaming-system-fs-184-ep.html

As always, the initial costs on pc gaming are high but the hardware can be used for ages dpending on the genre and efforts of the dev team to optimise for PC. A lot of the extra visual fluff can be turned down or off for way better frame rates. For example pcars has water pools that reflect the car and the surrounds; turning it off boosts the frame rate for no change to the gameplay. It is useful for wanky screenshots!

Plus a pc is useful for a whole load more...and there is a huge cataloge of great games to enjoy.

I can have it for £800. Very tempted...
 

Mascot

Member
So much for £900 being the lowest possible price. At £800 I'd say go for it! The 980ti is no slouch.

Bought it this morning. Eek! Down the rabbit hole I go! :p

OK, now I need some racing game/sim recommendations with the Steam sale in full flow.

I should check out Grid Autosport for shits & giggles at some point, shouldn't I?
 
Bought it this morning. Eek! Down the rabbit hole I go! :p

OK, now I need some racing game/sim recommendations with the Steam sale in full flow.

I should check out Grid Autosport for shits & giggles at some point, shouldn't I?

- first, try RaceRoom, think about what little content here and there to get (or wait till Black Friday, get everything at the price of console AAA game)

- look at mods for Assetto Corsa at Racedepartment: http://www.racedepartment.com/downloads/categories/assetto-corsa.1/
(installing is as easy as downloading and extracting to the Assetto Corsa folder, ["...\Steam\steamapps\common\assettocorsa\content\..." and then either into "cars" or "tracks" folder, unless you're getting apps, shaders, skins or so]
Then think about re-buying Assetto Corsa on Steam

- and now, Automobilista + Season Pass << absolute most important thing, mandatory, by all means necessary
(first thing to try suggestion: A Caterham at Oulton Park, but 80% of the stuff in this game blows it out of the park, it's all really really good)

- last thing you really need to check is rFactor 2
in Steam, right-click on "rFactor 2" in your library after buying, then "properties" and opt into the newest Beta version for DX11 graphics. Get all the Steam Workshop content from Studio 397 (the official stuff). Try the Corvette for sound(track suggestion: Sebring?!), then drive the USF2000 at Lime Rock for a sublime driving experience all around.
 
OK, now I need some racing game/sim recommendations with the Steam sale in full flow.
For the £100 you saved, you can get yourself:

- Assetto Corsa + Dream packs + Porsche packs
- Automobilista + Season pass
- Dirt Rally
- PCars (GOTY edition)
- rFactor 2
- F1 2016
- Euro Truck Simulator
- 1 month of iRacing
 

TJP

Member
Bought it this morning. Eek! Down the rabbit hole I go! :p

OK, now I need some racing game/sim recommendations with the Steam sale in full flow.
Congrats! PC gaming can be a bit daunting at first however there are quite a few of us here so we can assist with any issues you may have. 800 pounds is a good purchase price for what you have - 980ti's are a damn good GPU and still sell for 300+ pounds on eBay.

I should check out Grid Autosport for shits & giggles at some point, shouldn't I?
Despite what you may read, Autosport was a bloody good game from Codies and is worth buying.

Check out my post earlier in the thread for the sims currently on sale (http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=241612191&postcount=5710)

AMS, Assetto Corsa & rF2 are must-buys; try R3E when time allows (the current sale isn't all that special even though the sim is really damn good) and download the demo of pCARS to see how it compares to the console version.

I'd love to read what you think of Shift and Unleashed with the Community Mods + tyre model update installed as they are so very different experiences to the vanilla game.
 

Watevaman

Member
Bought it this morning. Eek! Down the rabbit hole I go! :p

OK, now I need some racing game/sim recommendations with the Steam sale in full flow.

I should check out Grid Autosport for shits & giggles at some point, shouldn't I?

It wouldn't be for shits and giggles, Autosport is a legit great game. Probably the closest thing to TOCA 3 that we have.

edit: As for my recs to you finally getting a PC (congrats :) ), I love both Assetto Corsa and Raceroom Racing Experience right now. If you have good speakers/headphones, Raceroom is hands down the best sounding sim out there right now, so crank it up. The physics also don't feel artificially hard like some of the sims of yesteryear did to me. Dirt Rally is great if you want to do some offroading. I used to do Euro Truck Sim bu switched to American Truck Sim since I live in the states and it's a bit more akin to what I see each day, but both are great if you want to just drive around and listen to some music. If you want an older sim, GTR 2 was, and still is in many regards, my favorite sim for the longest time.
 

Mascot

Member
Thanks for the tips and recommendations everyone - I'll be sure to check those suggestions out. I already have Assetto installed on an old laptop, just need to work out how to transfer it to the new PC.

Oh, got a free DS4 with the PC too, which was a nice little bonus. Maybe I'll play all these sims with it.
 

terrible

Banned
Thanks for the tips and recommendations everyone - I'll be sure to check those suggestions out. I already have Assetto installed on an old laptop, just need to work out how to transfer it to the new PC.

Oh, got a free DS4 with the PC too, which was a nice little bonus. Maybe I'll play all these sims with it.

Why do you have to hurt me like this.
 

Mascot

Member
Why do you have to hurt me like this.

I thought you'd like that. :p

Re-downloading AC to new PC on Steam now - seems curiously easy and seamless.
Just bought pCARS GOTY for around £12 from CD Keys.
Sod's law obviously decided to give me 20% of my normal internet speed this afternoon.
 

TJP

Member
Do any of the formula one games have a good turtorial and will teach me how not to suck?
I dont believe so. Perhaps using a ghost car in time trial mode (its been a while since I played a CM F1 game) or a YT channel might be a good start.
 

Mascot

Member
Congrats Mascot! Welcome to the club!

Thanks!

OK, first question (of many, no doubt):

Why the hell does Project CARS think my clutch is the accelerator when calibrating the pedals (CSPs)? I selected the Fanatec CSR Elite wheel profile.

Pedal mapping is fine in Assetto Corsa (apart from having to tick a box in the setup so that pedals are not fully depressed without them being touched, and actually decrease input the harder you press them).

Also, it was pretty horrible being faced with a clean slate in Project CARS. I'd forgotten what a lengthy ball-ache it initially is getting FFB set up and cars tuned. I guess being PC I can import some profiles from somewhere?

All in all it was a pretty frustrating first day. Lots to learn (like why the menus in AC are so tiny and why the image only occupies 1/4 of my screen when I start driving). I suppose I invited this vampire in so I better stock up on crucifixes.
 

TJP

Member
You may grow to understand why pCARS is a love/hate proposition for many of us 8)

For Assetto, make sure the in game screen resolution matches your monitor resolution. A quarter of the screen reads like its set to 600x800. No auto detect in AC from memory.
 
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