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PC Racing Sims

TJP

Member
Where's the best place to download tracks for GSC?

Official add-on tracks can be downloaded from Race Department here: http://www.racedepartment.com/forum/microdownloads/4/viewcat (need to be a RD member which is free). Also vote for GSC for the sim GOTY 2012 while you are logged in...

Track 'conversions' from other ISI based games can be found here: http://m3challenge.webs.com/stockcar.html Quality ranges from excellent to shite; I have approximately 55 tracks installed 8) As I own valid copies off all the games the tracks have been copied from so I don't have an issue using them in GSC. The Bathurst version appears to be modelled from NFS: Shift as its quite a bit wider than the SimBin version.

Cheers.
 

Megasoum

Banned
Cool thanks.

Since GSC is basically a rf1 mod I always wondered what it actually required to convert a rf1 track to GSC. Is it only file structure stuff or it's actually modelling/texturing and all that?

Mosport, one of my favorite track, never gets enough love lol. They made version for bigger games (like rf or GTR2 for example) but rarely for smaller releases.
 
So i have been enjoying pCars quite a bit lately but i'm starting to get burnt out on the lack of content. I have hade some fun with GT5 earlier so now i'm wondering how Shift 2 stacks up with the community patch. Is it comparable to GT5 in terms of drivning feel? I know it's not a sim but as long as it's not too far off and still fun i'm considering giving it a try.
 

TJP

Member
So i have been enjoying pCars quite a bit lately but i'm starting to get burnt out on the lack of content. I have hade some fun with GT5 earlier so now i'm wondering how Shift 2 stacks up with the community patch. Is it comparable to GT5 in terms of drivning feel? I know it's not a sim but as long as it's not too far off and still fun i'm considering giving it a try.
I feel the same about CARS at the moment too; part of the enjoyment of being a member is testing all of the content but the downside is we'll have played the game to death by the time it is released.

Regarding NFS: Unleashed, when modded using with the unofficial community mod plus the latest PTMu tyre mod from NoGrip, you'll get a very solid experience. I'm not going to state that Unleashed is transformed into a simulation but it does become a far more believable experience than the vanilla version. Reading through both community patch threads on NoGrip is a real eye opener as some of the fixed errors were the same found in GTR 2 and handling fudges are hilarious such as the location of each vehicles fuel tank in the vanilla game is situated outside of and well behind each car rather than being inside the vehicle! This may partly explain the interesting handling model 8)

Playing modded versions of NFS: Unleashed and NFS: Shift is time well spent in my humble opinion.
 
I feel the same about CARS at the moment too; part of the enjoyment of being a member is testing all of the content but the downside is we'll have played the game to death by the time it is released.

Regarding NFS: Unleashed, when modded using with the unofficial community mod plus the latest PTMu tyre mod from NoGrip, you'll get a very solid experience. I'm not going to state that Unleashed is transformed into a simulation but it does become a far more believable experience than the vanilla version. Reading through both community patch threads on NoGrip is a real eye opener as some of the fixed errors were the same found in GTR 2 and handling fudges are hilarious such as the location of each vehicles fuel tank in the vanilla game is situated outside of and well behind each car rather than being inside the vehicle! This may partly explain the interesting handling model 8)

Playing modded versions of NFS: Unleashed and NFS: Shift is time well spent in my humble opinion.

Ok, now i'm intrigued to give it a shot. Anywhere i can get it for cheap online (download)?

About something else, am i missing something or are there no individual track records for each car in p&g 3? When i browse the tracks i only see my best time for it. Kind of breaks time trials for me :(
 

1-D_FTW

Member
I feel the same about CARS at the moment too; part of the enjoyment of being a member is testing all of the content but the downside is we'll have played the game to death by the time it is released.

Regarding NFS: Unleashed, when modded using with the unofficial community mod plus the latest PTMu tyre mod from NoGrip, you'll get a very solid experience. I'm not going to state that Unleashed is transformed into a simulation but it does become a far more believable experience than the vanilla version. Reading through both community patch threads on NoGrip is a real eye opener as some of the fixed errors were the same found in GTR 2 and handling fudges are hilarious such as the location of each vehicles fuel tank in the vanilla game is situated outside of and well behind each car rather than being inside the vehicle! This may partly explain the interesting handling model 8)

Playing modded versions of NFS: Unleashed and NFS: Shift is time well spent in my humble opinion.

Was it bouncing cars? Because I love the 70's 911 cars in P&G 3.0. And playing modded tracks I had no issue. But I loaded up a couple official tracks from GTR2 (including Donnington) and the 911 began bouncing around like a mofu on springs. Happened on two tracks in a row. Worried my new Thrustmaster 500 might be defective, I quit and loaded RF2. Worked like a charm there. Also reminded me that, for my money, rF2 has the best physics of any game out there (at least with a belt FFB wheel).

EDIT: For clarity, I know bouncing cars was an issue with Shift, but I didn't realize it was ever a recognized issue with GTR2.

Ok, now i'm intrigued to give it a shot. Anywhere i can get it for cheap online (download)?

About something else, am i missing something or are there no individual track records for each car in p&g 3? When i browse the tracks i only see my best time for it. Kind of breaks time trials for me :(

They're currently 50 percent off on Steam. They've been marked down to 75 percent (5 dollars) before, and since Valve seems to be constantly recycling deals, it's possible they'll hit 75 percent again before the sale ends on the 5th.
 

Shaneus

Member
Ahaha YES. That's incredible.

Still no date for rFactor 2 then? If there's nothing soon I'm just going to see if I can get a refund as well.
 

Arucardo

Member
Ahaha YES. That's incredible.

Still no date for rFactor 2 then? If there's nothing soon I'm just going to see if I can get a refund as well.

Don't do it man! :p

I don't even remember how much it cost but I see no reason to ask for a refund myself, I'm sure it'll ramp up a little with the holidays over and all.

Played a bunch of Race07 (with all the addons) and playing the open wheel cars in that is awesome when combined with 3D and TrackIr.

By default you have a helmet on in the open wheelers and headtracking+3d really make it work, it's incredibly immersive. You'll also get bugs and dirt on your visor and you can clean it off with a "tearoff" from your visor, but you have a limited number of them. SimBin seem to be above some other developers when it comes to immersion in general, there's a bunch of cool stuff like the sound of an occasional rock hitting your helmet or bonnet when behind another car.

Also, there's a hefty amount of content, I bought the SimBin pack on steam (literally has everything from GTR (1) to every single addon to Race07). It was interesting to see SimBin's own version of Mid-Ohio (one of my all time favorites). The track seems to be a little wider in some places and more forgiving than the Virtua_LM version.
 

1-D_FTW

Member
Meh. I'm entirely happy with rfactor 2. Best racing game out there currently. And they have added a lot of content to the beta the past year.

The whole video annointing AC as the savior is kind of funny. Cause it's no different than any of the other sims in that regard. Constantly delayed (just with no beta out there). And isn't the first revision not even going to have pit stops? Such is the nature of the genre. And yet, it's still never been better IMO.
 

Three60

Member
New licence for RaceRoom Racing Experience >

McLaren MP4-12C GT3
CHNZy.jpg


http://insider.simbin.com/licensing-mclaren-mp4-12c-gt3/

Great news, hopefully pCars gets McLaren(s) also :)
 

TJP

Member
Also, there's a hefty amount of content, I bought the SimBin pack on steam (literally has everything from GTR (1) to every single addon to Race07). It was interesting to see SimBin's own version of Mid-Ohio (one of my all time favorites). The track seems to be a little wider in some places and more forgiving than the Virtua_LM version.
The Virtua_LM tracks aren't flawless recreations either but they sure look fantastic. There is a lot of great content for all gMotor based SimBin games which is partly why their games remain popular. I believe there won't be any modding allowed in RaceRoom RE.

Meh. I'm entirely happy with rfactor 2. Best racing game out there currently. And they have added a lot of content to the beta the past year.

The whole video annointing AC as the savior is kind of funny. Cause it's no different than any of the other sims in that regard. Constantly delayed (just with no beta out there). And isn't the first revision not even going to have pit stops? Such is the nature of the genre. And yet, it's still never been better IMO.
The video was fun jab at many of the upcoming sims and wasn't made with malicious intent. It does highlight that only two of the sim development teams are open modding platforms which is rather sad.

I wouldn't ask for a refund from rF2 either as the content coming from ISI should be fantastic. The Corvette will be a sensational drive along with the F1 car given how brilliant the other cars are, especially the F2 cars. Skip Barber at Lime Rock is a fantastic sim racing experience too. The only aspect of rF2 that I'm a little disappointed in is the trackside graphics which are a step above rF but woeful compared to other sims however rF2 is still in beta and there is much time left to improve all aspects of rF2's graphics.
 

Watevaman

Member
How is rFactor 2 for singleplayer use?

To be honest that's where most of my playtime is and I've always seen rFactor as more of an online game.
 

1-D_FTW

Member
How is rFactor 2 for singleplayer use?

To be honest that's where most of my playtime is and I've always seen rFactor as more of an online game.

I've never played either game once online. It's not a videogame, if that's what you're asking. No career modes or anything. But the single-player racing is terrific.
 

Watevaman

Member
Oh yeah, I know it's not a career racer. I have the first one but wasn't really interested in playing it by the time I installed it, so I just fooled around for a bit. The interface didn't help, either.

One of my favorite things to do in GTR2 is just fill a 30+ car grid and do a quick 5 lap race around a track. The AI is competent enough and being a shorter race, the action never really fades like it would in the middle of a longer enduro. If rFactor 2 1) has a better interface than 1 and 2) has enough in terms of AI to keep me coming back, I might rethink it as a game to add to my collection.
 

Arucardo

Member
Oh yeah, I know it's not a career racer. I have the first one but wasn't really interested in playing it by the time I installed it, so I just fooled around for a bit. The interface didn't help, either.

One of my favorite things to do in GTR2 is just fill a 30+ car grid and do a quick 5 lap race around a track. The AI is competent enough and being a shorter race, the action never really fades like it would in the middle of a longer enduro. If rFactor 2 1) has a better interface than 1 and 2) has enough in terms of AI to keep me coming back, I might rethink it as a game to add to my collection.

I hope you have Power and Glory 3.0 by now since you own GTR 2 :p .

I love doing races in PnG3 where I have all the cars from all classes selected as possible opponents, usually with about 30 cars on the grid. I tend to start the races around 5 or 6pm and have the time progression set so that it gets dark during the race. I've had some pretty amazing moments racing against the AI.

Also, speaking of rFactor I implore you to try out the DRM Revival mod for it, the cars are completely bonkers in the best of ways.
 

Shaneus

Member
Well, shit.
eJW3X.png

I had no idea they were shooting for 2012.


So, what do we have coming up (and is already out) and who is it by? This is the best I can work out:
rFactor 2: Not out, no ETA, by the guys from rFactor (duh).
pCARS: Not out, ETA end of this year IIRC, from SMS who worked on the Shift titles and FRL
Assetto Corsa: From the guys who did... Netkar Pro? No ETA.

Is that it? I'm not counting iRacing because even though it's a sim, it's not really one I consider amongst those above because it's already established and doesn't really lend itself to community involvement as far as contributions/modding are concerned (if you know what I mean).
 

Megasoum

Banned
Well, shit.
eJW3X.png

I had no idea they were shooting for 2012.


So, what do we have coming up (and is already out) and who is it by? This is the best I can work out:
rFactor 2: Not out, no ETA, by the guys from rFactor (duh).
pCARS: Not out, ETA end of this year IIRC, from SMS who worked on the Shift titles and FRL
Assetto Corsa: From the guys who did... Netkar Pro? No ETA.

Is that it? I'm not counting iRacing because even though it's a sim, it's not really one I consider amongst those above because it's already established and doesn't really lend itself to community involvement as far as contributions/modding are concerned (if you know what I mean).

Simbin with Raceroom Experience and GTR3.

They were supposed to have a new release for Raceroom I think? No idea what's up with that. And also no idea what's up with GTR3.
 

TJP

Member
Simbin with Raceroom Experience and GTR3.

They were supposed to have a new release for Raceroom I think? No idea what's up with that. And also no idea what's up with GTR3.
RaceRoom RE is the new game from SimBin; the old RaceRoom and forums are now closed. SimBin have a lot more content to announce and sim racers will be happy with what they've got for us. What was revealed recently is a tiny amount of a very nice car roster that'll make nearly everyone happy.

rFactor 2: Not out, no ETA, by the guys from rFactor (duh).
pCARS: Not out, ETA end of this year IIRC, from SMS who worked on the Shift titles and FRL
Assetto Corsa: From the guys who did... Netkar Pro? No ETA.
Assetto Corsa from the Kunos who made netKar Pro and Ferrari Virtual Academy 8)

These games were all bound to miss their stated release windows. RaceRoom RE, rF2 and AC are being made by very small development teams compared to many other sim developers. I'd rather SimBin, ISI and Kunos take their time to create something special than follow the Codemasters route of shitting out a game that requires endless patching and after 6 months, all support for the game ceases and the devs piss off.
 

Megasoum

Banned
RaceRoom RE is the new game from SimBin; the old RaceRoom and forums are now closed. SimBin have a lot more content to announce and sim racers will be happy with what they've got for us. What was revealed recently is a tiny amount of a very nice car roster that'll make nearly everyone happy.

Yeah that's what I was talking about. Wasn't even aware that there was an other "Raceroom" before lol.

Haven't really kept up with the developpement for that game. I played the first tech demo they released on steam with all the driving aids. It was all right I guess but I'm on a "wait and see" approach for now.

Something I don't understand is what's the difference exactly between RR:RE and GTR3? I imagine they plan on doing a more traditional "retail" game with GTR3 (I was about to say "boxed" but you know...) while Raceroom is more in the "F2P" format?

I don't necessarly have a problem with either of those format (Autoclub Revolution came out as a F2P game last year and it was great) but I'm wondering if they are not flooding the market a bit with those two games that will end up running on the same engine and come out probably very close to each other.
 

TJP

Member
The status of GTR 3 is unknown from what SimBin team members posted on the now defunct RaceRoom forum. SimBin are putting all their efforts into RaceRoom RE however no one outside of SimBin really knows if GTR 3 will be released or if its content was rolled into RR-RE.
 

1-D_FTW

Member
I certainly don't recommend watching the 30 minute video review Inside Sim Racing did of Test Drive Ferrari (if you're looking to be talked into it).
 

TJP

Member
To be fair, FRL is a solid yet unspectacular racing game with a few novel ideas (e.g. arm cramp causing you to be unable to change gears). Outside of the Ferrari licence, I found there is very little that hasn't been seen or done before in other games.

In fact I became so bored of the career mode in FRL that I un-installed the game and fired up my copy of the NoGrip community modded Shift with the Ferrari DLC installed and played it instead.
 
Wow, Shift 2 was MUCH better then i thought it would be. Installed the nogrip mod and som tyre mod right away so i never tried the game unmodded. One thing that is bugging me about the campaign is that it has the same problem GT5 has, just put some upgrades on your car and you pretty much cannot lose the race. Especially puttning new tires on, the most expensive ones make it close tog impossible to lose grip on the cars i have tried so far.

You can of course just not upgrade your car but knowing that you can easily shave off 20% on your lap times make it hard to resist.
 

Shaneus

Member
Yeah, FRL is for all intents and purposes "finished" but there's so much stuff that needs to be patched it's clear it's not yet optimised for PC. Playing with a controller, if you hit the A button to resume when paused (which also happens to be the button to shift up) it shifts up AND resumes the game. SMH.
 

TJP

Member
Yeah, FRL is for all intents and purposes "finished" but there's so much stuff that needs to be patched it's clear it's not yet optimised for PC. Playing with a controller, if you hit the A button to resume when paused (which also happens to be the button to shift up) it shifts up AND resumes the game. SMH.
Another quality Atari gaming release 8)

SimBin announced via their insider page that the Nissan GTR in GT1 spec has been added to Raceroom RE:

Nissan_02-670x428.jpg
 

Three60

Member
Another quality Atari gaming release 8)

SimBin announced via their insider page that the Nissan GTR in GT1 spec has been added to Raceroom RE:

Nissan_02-670x428.jpg

Niceee :) That one is in rF2 right? It'll be interesting to compare SimBin's Nissan and Mclaren to rF and iR versions, especially the sounds :D

So pretty much this is what a perfect sim would look like >

Graphics > pCars
Sounds > RaceRoom RE
Physics and FFB > netkar Pro
Online > iR
Car list > Forza (4)
Track list > ?
Career > ?
?
 

Shaneus

Member
Track list would probably be Shift or Shift 2, yes? I can't remember the listings off the top of my head, but I'm sure their selections are fairly highly praised around here.
 
Know what game they could/should reboot the fuck out of?
256px-Hard_Drivin_arcade_flyer.jpg

Can't believe there's been no attempt to recreate the stunt track in rFactor or whatever, had a go at it myself in Bob's track builder but lacked the skill/patience to carry on.

Played it recently in MAME but it's not the same without force feedback.
 

Shaneus

Member
Can't believe there's been no attempt to recreate the stunt track in rFactor or whatever, had a go at it myself in Bob's track builder but lacked the skill/patience to carry on.

Played it recently in MAME but it's not the same without force feedback.
I didn't realise the original had some kind of FFB... surely MAME emulates that? I know other emulators (like M2 emulator) does it, so I see no reason why MAME wouldn't.

I suppose if you're stuck, you can always recreate it in Stunts or Trackmania* ;)



*Boy did THAT game fall off the radar quickly.
 

1-D_FTW

Member
I didn't realise the original had some kind of FFB... surely MAME emulates that? I know other emulators (like M2 emulator) does it, so I see no reason why MAME wouldn't.

I suppose if you're stuck, you can always recreate it in Stunts or Trackmania* ;)



*Boy did THAT game fall off the radar quickly.

The controls are the only reason I even remember that game. I just remember it having a clutch (which none of the other arcade racers had).
 

Watevaman

Member
Since the pCARS thread hasn't had any replies in awhile, I'll post this here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wer4f6zLXl0

It's amazing how good this looks. I tried to replicate a bumper cam but the main thing bringing it back to virtual is the sound I'd say. Not enough rocks, variations, and with my camera manipulation the game is still using the sound as if I'm in a standard third person view.
 

amar212

Member
Know what game they could/should reboot the fuck out of?

418-F-355.jpg


Edited for truth.

Niceee :)
So pretty much this is what a perfect sim would look like >

Graphics > pCars
Sounds > RaceRoom RE
Physics and FFB > netkar Pro
Online > iR
Car list > Forza (4)
Track list > ?
Career > ?
?

There will never be "perfect simulation", once you realise that life becomes easier :p :)

For Tracks, only one game comes to mind, TOCA: Race Driver 3. Simply unbelievable track list. Also, any F1 game would also do as honourable addition to that list.

Track list would probably be Shift or Shift 2, yes? I can't remember the listings off the top of my head, but I'm sure their selections are fairly highly praised around here.

I agree, both Shifts combined have gorgeous track selection, mostly due to great fictional tracks that SMS produced. Their fictional tracks are among the best in business, they and Polyphony Digital really know how to produce them convincingly.


Since the pCARS thread hasn't had any replies in awhile, I'll post this here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wer4f6zLXl0.

Stunning. I hope next-gen consoles release will happen ASAP, this game deserves all sales it can get.
 

disap.ed

Member
I agree, both Shifts combined have gorgeous track selection, mostly due to great fictional tracks that SMS produced. Their fictional tracks are among the best in business, they and Polyphony Digital really know how to produce them convincingly.

I never played the Shifts, but "Misty Loch" in TD:FRL is also GREAT so I second your point :)
 

TJP

Member
Niceee :) That one is in rF2 right? It'll be interesting to compare SimBin's Nissan and Mclaren to rF and iR versions, especially the sounds :D
Some of us already have been lucky enough to be able to compare the Nissan in RR-RE to the rF2 version. I think sim racers will be happy with both versions for different reasons. I expect others will be able to do their own head-to-head comparisons very soon.

Track list would probably be Shift or Shift 2, yes? I can't remember the listings off the top of my head, but I'm sure their selections are fairly highly praised around here.
Shift Unleashed wins hands down. NFS: Unleashed for all it's flaws has one hell of a fantasic selection of tracks:

Alpental
Ambush Canyon
Autopolis
Bathurst
Brands Hatch
BRNO
Circuit de Catalunya
Dakota
Dijon-Prenois
Donington
Dubai Autodrome
Ebisu
Enna Pergusa
Glendale
Hazyview
Hockenheim
Irwindale Speedway
Laguna Seca
London
Miami
Miyatomi
Monza
Nevada Freight Depot
Nordschleife
Nürburgring
Oschersleben
Riviera
Road America
Rustle Creek
Shanghai
Silverstone
Spa
Suzuka Circuit
Tokio
Willow Springs
Zolder

Unleashed is also one of my favourite racers on the 360 and PC. Fellowe NeoGAF poster and ForzaCentral mod Jamesways even got me a Dr Pepper codes for the Xbox version which I couldn't obtain here in Oz. I managed to set WR times for the Dr Pepper time trials back in the day.
 

disap.ed

Member
Some of us already have been lucky enough to be able to compare the Nissan in RR-RE to the rF2 version. I think sim racers will be happy with both versions for different reasons. I expect others will be able to do their own head-to-head comparisons very soon.

Shift Unleashed wins hands down. NFS: Unleashed for all it's flaws has one hell of a fantasic selection of tracks:

*List*

Unleashed is also one of my favourite racers on the 360 and PC. Fellowe NeoGAF poster and ForzaCentral mod Jamesways even got me a Dr Pepper codes for the Xbox version which I couldn't obtain here in Oz. I managed to set WR times for the Dr Pepper time trials back in the day.

Well it seems pCARS will have all the real tracks (missing the fictional and city tracks) + rather rarely seen tracks like Macau and Solitude, so this will probably the way to go.
What worries me more is the car selection, not that more cars are not announced (these announcements will come sooner or later) but the actual ressources for modelling them.
<Optimism>Maybe they are just holding them back in the dark. </Optimism>
 

1-D_FTW

Member
I'll take rfactor over those games any day. Maybe official tracks are a little prettier, but when it comes to available tracks, no game can touch rfactor. Plus, I'm not even sure that rfactor's modded tracks aren't more accurate than Simbin's Shift official tracks.
 

amar212

Member
What worries me more is the car selection, not that more cars are not announced (these announcements will come sooner or later) but the actual ressources for modelling them.<Optimism>Maybe they are just holding them back in the dark. </Optimism>

IMO Cars are absolutely irrelevant, tracks are what counts.

F355 Challenge remains game with greatest car-to-track ratio ever, with only 1 car and 10 tracks (11 with test-track) and there was no single problem with that.

As long as car selection covers all basic variations of configuration/drive-type/power, there is no problem. And approx. 20-30 cars are more then enough for that IMO

Of course, cars - especially particular models/marquees - are *important* to marketing for mainstream audience, as we have learned through time. However, even the current pCARS selection of vehicles is more then enough to satisfy all basic types of cars today. For me personally the tracks (courses) are the single greatest fundament of pCARS and I am glad how SMS is so focused on their development.
 
I would argue that cars are the most important, in terms of getting them feeling right, and having true depth to their handling characteristics that you can explore and become familiar with over time (as you do when owning one car for many years). So it's about the quality of the cars, not the quantity. PCARS has more than enough already, but none of them feel right to me, so I dunno what's going on there. Limited track selection and track inaccuracies can be forgiven to some extent if the car feels right. If the car feels right, I basically only need one car and one track to have fun.
 
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