Good racing sim?

[JediOfDarkness]

Hey all. I've been looking around for a good racing simulator that has good detail levels, realistic driving simulation and a lot of choices for vehicles. A good career mode is also good. I love all the Gran Turismo games for PSX/PS2, but I hate consoles, so I want one for my PC. The game doesn't HAVE to have a ton of cars, as long as there's a multitude of mods to add them. I've been looking at Ford Racing 3, as it looks like a good game, and I like most all Fords, especially the GT40 and GT90, but it's ONLU Fords, so I wouldn't be able to use something like a Farrari F2004 or Viper GTS. I've also downloaded the demo of GTR, and it seems OK, but doesn't look like it will have too many cars, but I could be wrong. Any other ideas?

[Strawbs]

"NFS Underground" for the Customisation aspect & "ToCa Race Driver 2" (similar to GT3 in looks) for the sheer variety of cars on offer.

[MJCfromCT]

I remember Jakk saying this game was quite realistic if you are into rally type games:

http://www.gamershell.com/download_7164.shtml

[JediOfDarkness]

Well, I've played NFS Underground, and I hate it, totaly unrealistic driving, but I might try Underground 2 when it comes out. I'll try that Richard Burns Rally Demo and I'll look for ToCa Race Driver 2 and see if I like that. I'm also gonna try Colin McRae Rally 04. Thanks, guys. Any other suggestions?

[SantiClaws]

Grand Prix Legends--50s-era racing. Think of 400HP coffins riding on skinny, hard tires. A classic game that still has a devoted following which fervently believes (probably correctly) that this is the best racing sim ever made.

EA F1 Challenge '99-'02. Another game with a vibrant community which has created a mess of superb mods for the game (including updates making it '99-'04).

Both GPL and Richard Burns are meant for hardcore sim fans-- both have a very steep learning curve because both are brutally hard.

F1C is only a tad easier at the "realistic" settings, but has a bunch of "assist" settings to make the car a lot more easy to drive.

If you are looking for realism, Colin McRae ain't it.

[dragflameson]

Originally posted by JediOfDarkness
Well, I've played NFS Underground, and I hate it, totaly unrealistic driving, but I might try Underground 2 when it comes out. It's not supposed to be realistic!!! I thought it was a great game! That was another game I couldnt wait for to come out and had to reserve myself a copy so I could get it the day it came out ;)

[JediOfDarkness]

Originally posted by dragflameson
It's not supposed to be realistic!!!

Exactly, and that's why it's not a sim. It's arcade. I don't want an arcade racing game. Sure they can be fun every now and then, like Grand Theft Auto was a blast to play. But when it comes to competing with other players online, it's all about who can control their car better, come straight off the corners and know when to hit the pedal to the metal and when to ride the brake. If you've played MotoGP2, that's the type of game I'm wanting, just with four wheels and not two :p I don't care about a steep learning curve, either, as long as it's realistic, because I'm pretty good at racing sims and I'll get the hang of it eventually. But an easier driving game is always fun too, cause then when ya have friends come over that haven't played it before, it doesn't frustrate them.

[dragflameson]

Originally posted by JediOfDarkness
But when it comes to competing with other players online, it's all about who can control their car better, come straight off the corners and know when to hit the pedal to the metal and when to ride the brake. and when to hit the NOS!!! :r

[JediOfDarkness]

lol, OK, I'll give ya that DFS, being able to hit your NOS at just the perfect time to take the lead coming 'round the bend has it's fun moments.

Let me ask you guys another question:
What's a good Steering Wheel / Pedals combo that's not too expensive? I've been needing to get one, as for now I've just been using a Logitech Wingman for all my simulating needs. Which it doesn't do a horrible job, but I'd just rather race with a wheel.

[dragflameson]

Originally posted by JediOfDarkness
lol, OK, I'll give ya that DFS, being able to hit your NOS at just the perfect time to take the lead coming 'round the bend has it's fun moments. LOL - Also, purging it at the starting line, before the race begins, is also very cool/fun!!! ;)

[SantiClaws]

Originally posted by JediOfDarkness


Let me ask you guys another question:
What's a good Steering Wheel / Pedals combo that's not too expensive?

The Logitech Momo Force (the red one) is head and shoulders above everything else--the big problem is that you will have a tough time finding one, they've been out of production for a while. If not, the Logitech Momo Racing (black) is supposed to be pretty good, although I haven't used it myself.

[ShadeZeRO]

Originally posted by dragflameson
LOL - Also, purging it at the starting line, before the race begins, is also very cool/fun!!! ;)

You've watched 2fast 2furious 2many times lol....

And i agree with you that its not realistic....i've been in my share of street races and what not...but still i love this game...mainly because of the customizing options and its creative playing options...

[RamonGTP]

Unfortunatly there is no game that even come close to the GranTurismo series as far as simulation is concerned for the PC. Unless you want rally racing, there are a few deceng ones that have been mentioned already. I just reciently purchased Colin McRae 04 last week and its a lot of fun. Good graphics too.

[dragflameson]

Originally posted by ShadeZeRO
You've watched 2fast 2furious 2many times lol....
Hahah howd you know?! I actually loved it when it first came out, but I cant stand it anymore.

[otaku]

The best driving SIMULATORS are Live for Speed (not Need, Live) and Netkar, by far...

:t

[DocEvi1]

Gran Turismo simulator? Rollocks!

Simulators are much harder than arcade games and should be almost impossible to play without a wheel!

For uber realism check out Richard Burns Rally, Live For Speed, Grand Prix Legends & the soon to be released GTR from SimBin (it's a mod for EA's F1 Challenge 99-02 made into a full game).

I've not played RBR - it won't work on my PC but:

GPL is impossible to play :) it's just that hard! Where most games have a 4 point physics model, GPL has a 6 point and is much more realistic in it's execution. The updated graphics can make even a top-of-the range current PC sweat!

Live For Speed is a sim, but's it online and IMO not that great to look at. It might have been updated but I prefer offline games.

GTR demo is incredible and seriously realistic! The full game aint out yet mind.


Having said that, I think the major flaw with all these games is in teh controllers - without the surrounding feel, the sound coming from all around you, the vibration through your seat/feet/hands... it's impossible to drive properly - I have a little sporty car and can drive it well on the roads, put me in a Sim and I'm all over the place simply as I don't have all the info.

For that reason I prefer Arcade games with some realism such as Race Driver 2 (on pro-sim it's fairly difficult to grasp) and Colin McRae 4. NFS:U was a "fun" game, but got fairly boring and I hated having to upgrade the looks of my car to progress - where is the Q Car goodness :D

[Bogowan]

Try Nascar Racing 2003. Papyrus and Sierra discontinued the game after this release and you can pick it up for under $15.00.

There are many mods for this sim; Indy cars, Trans-Am, Truck and Busch series, Sprint Cars and many more. There are numerous tracks for the game also. If you're looking for realism in a racing sim, you can't go wrong with this one.

Bogowan :)

[crazyCol]

for a good driving sim I still play Live For Speed with a force feedback wheel and pedals, but you really need pedels that have seperate signals on the pedals, ie the M$ wheel/pedals don't and if you try to use "left foot bracking" the PC see's it as a reduction in the throttol/gas not weight shifting/balancing. Live for speed can be set for each type but seperate is an advantage in LFS.

Also I think the AI is well made, have seen the AI in LFS try and get 3 cars into a corner that only has room for 2 with the perdictable result! (yes they bumped me off the track, but they came off worse) you can even force it into making errors, and the car setup options are massive (the only cosmetic changes are colours and number plate).