Racing Sim Thread, Part II

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Re: Racing Sim Thread, Part II

Post by AcemanPR »

I think you guys are going to be very impressed.

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Re: Racing Sim Thread, Part II

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AcemanPR wrote:I think you guys are going to be very impressed.
I'm really looking forward to it. Bummed I didn't get the edition that unlocked early.
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Re: Racing Sim Thread, Part II

Post by dbdynsty25 »

After about an hour and a half of play, I'm in love. I think I just appreciate the driving model more than the Dirt Rally series. It's a little tighter, a little weightier and a little more forgiving. I mean I like both games, don't get me wrong, I just like WR8 better. It's brilliant.

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Re: Racing Sim Thread, Part II

Post by Wilk5280 »

I haven't been able to spend much time with it, but ran a few stages in Sweden. One thing that's bothering me early is that there is a lot of pop-in with trees and shadows that I'm apparently sensitive to. It was pretty distracting.
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Re: Racing Sim Thread, Part II

Post by Wilk5280 »

Going to go on a little rant here, but only because I was anticipating WRC8 so much.

Much like Dirt Rally 2.0 when it came out, Kylotonn Games really likes to show off its new inclement / dynamic weather engine as the majority of the rallies are in s*** weather. I started out on easy running through a season quick just to get a feel for the game, the new driving mechanics, and to get used to and familiarize myself with the stages before starting my career on medium difficulty.

Once I got into Career mode the weather engine was compounded because early on your weatherman apparently can't forecast the weather for s***. There's nothing worse than setting up your car for a sunny day with dry, hard asphalt tires and showing up to s*** storm with hurricane-like conditions. It's not fun at all fighting the car for 9km because your weatherman is a clown.

On top of all of the rain there's also a lot of fog in these stages and it just seems like an artificial way of making the game more difficult. I do think there's a lot to like here, but right now I think a patch is in order to tone done the frequency of running bad weather stages. The graphics are improved, but definitely not on par with Rally 2.0. Handling is pretty twitchy early on until you get to the WRC cars, but I think I remember that being the same in WRC 7 as well.
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Re: Racing Sim Thread, Part II

Post by TCrouch »

I did notice that weird "Extreme Weather" stuff, and the crazy fog. I'm with you there. I just thought the handling model and camera were both light years ahead of WRC 7 (which I couldn't even finish the 1st stage in Career Mode in) that I didn't have as big a problem with it.

However, I don't set the car up at all, even like 6 or 7 rallies deep in career mode. It sounds like I probably should be? :lol:

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Re: Racing Sim Thread, Part II

Post by pk500 »

Isle of Man TT is $21.50 for XBL Gold members this week.

The best sense of speed in any racing sim I've ever played. And this is the most enjoyable motorcycle racing game I've played since MotoGP 2 on the original Xbox in 2003.

There is no greater challenge in motorsport than learning the 37-mile Snaefell Mountain Circuit on a motorcycle. It makes remembering the 13-mile Nurburgring full circuit feel about as easy as learning a quarter-mile dragstrip.
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Re: Racing Sim Thread, Part II

Post by GB_Simo »

Project Cars 2 is currently £12.99 on the Playstation Store. I've been playing the demo again and have had a fairly enjoyable time, but...

At launch I said the XB1 edition was brilliant when it worked, catastrophic when it didn't and had too much of the latter for me to justify hanging on to it. Question for those who own it: before SMS dropped it like a hot potato, did the patching process make a massive difference to the product?
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Re: Racing Sim Thread, Part II

Post by pk500 »

F1 2019 free this weekend on Xbox Free Play.
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Re: Racing Sim Thread, Part II

Post by pk500 »

Big news in PC and console sim racing community:

https://www.teamvvv.com/news/codemaster ... d-studios/
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Re: Racing Sim Thread, Part II

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pk500 wrote:Big news in PC and console sim racing community:

https://www.teamvvv.com/news/codemaster ... d-studios/
All I want out of this are 2 things:
1) Codies takes the IP from the PC franchise and used it to implement VR in the F1 series
2) The deal better not affect the development and release of Automobilista 2. The guys at Reid's did wonderful things with the Rfsctor engine for AMS (and a mix of cars/tracks you don't see elsewhere), and I am really looking forward to AMS2.

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Re: Racing Sim Thread, Part II

Post by TCrouch »

For those who had their eye on it, iRacing's "soft launch" of AI cars was yesterday. It's only the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car and 7 tracks, but after toying with it for a couple of hours last night, I'm seriously impressed. You can set up an entire season, customize the AI strength, determine time of day and session/race lengths, and even fully customize the AI grid (names, car colors, etc.). They are perhaps a bit TOO timid, giving up their position if you get anywhere near them, but they respect your space on the track in remarkably human-like ways. They have a tough time getting moving at the start of a race, though. Overall, I found a pretty good difficulty spread (you set a low percentage and high percentage, giving you a large range of cars to run against) that had me struggling to get into the top 5 for most of the race.

The fact that you can finally practice full fuel runs in race trim in "dirty" air is a massive leap forward. Not to mention it will likely bring in new drivers who aren't into multiplayer once it fully releases. They "accidentally" released Oval AI yesterday, too, but took it back down shortly thereafter.

In any case, it's worth checking it out, since you can fire up AI races and start/restart them whenever you want--closer to a single player sim.

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Re: Racing Sim Thread, Part II

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TCrouch wrote:For those who had their eye on it, iRacing's "soft launch" of AI cars was yesterday. It's only the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car and 7 tracks, but after toying with it for a couple of hours last night, I'm seriously impressed.
Have you tried ACC? Granted not many tracks available, but a few more than 7, and it also has the Porsche GT3. And of course, online is nowhere as popular, but the AI and physics are both top shelf.

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Re: Racing Sim Thread, Part II

Post by TCrouch »

Yes, but ACC has given me fits the last 2 times I raced it. I go through a full 40 minute race, and I come to the last 1/3 of a lap...and the car dies? Apparently they don't fill it up with fuel enough? I've got to micromanage that?

Plus getting into the pit box (into JUST the right spot) is maddening. ACC is still a patch or two away from the quality of life improvements I'd like to see. No "finish session" if I don't want to sit through the rest of a practice session if I'm already up on the leaderboard and ready to go? I don't know...on the track, it's a great time, until something bizarre happens that just makes me want to throw something.

Plus, iRacing is only doing a single car right now, but all of the series (Dirt Oval, RallyCross, Stadium Trucks, Open Wheel Road, Tin top road) will have it eventually. All of the "other" stuff is so much better in iRacing to me. Force feedback, variety of cars to drive, physics, etc.

ACC definitely nails the feel of GT3 cars, though. If only the experience AROUND it was polished up.

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Re: Racing Sim Thread, Part II

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TCrouch wrote:For those who had their eye on it, iRacing's "soft launch" of AI cars was yesterday. It's only the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car and 7 tracks, but after toying with it for a couple of hours last night, I'm seriously impressed. You can set up an entire season, customize the AI strength, determine time of day and session/race lengths, and even fully customize the AI grid (names, car colors, etc.). They are perhaps a bit TOO timid, giving up their position if you get anywhere near them, but they respect your space on the track in remarkably human-like ways. They have a tough time getting moving at the start of a race, though. Overall, I found a pretty good difficulty spread (you set a low percentage and high percentage, giving you a large range of cars to run against) that had me struggling to get into the top 5 for most of the race.

The fact that you can finally practice full fuel runs in race trim in "dirty" air is a massive leap forward. Not to mention it will likely bring in new drivers who aren't into multiplayer once it fully releases. They "accidentally" released Oval AI yesterday, too, but took it back down shortly thereafter.

In any case, it's worth checking it out, since you can fire up AI races and start/restart them whenever you want--closer to a single player sim.
Wow Terry, thanks so much for pointing this out. I almost let my iRacing subscription lapse, but renewed it at the last moment of their Black Friday sale and I still missed that AI had been given a soft launch with the most recent build. Yes, it is limited now, but this is going to be HUGE if they get this implemented for all car/track combinations! I had no idea how robust this is going to be. Now, of course it is all in the implementation and does it really work and do what it says it does, but there has never been a racing sim on console or PC with the customization to AI as what seems to be in the works. There are two pretty detailed FAQ's that lay it all out, but basically once all cars and tracks are implemented, you could have user created and shared complete Nascar championship seasons for every year and every series with detailed AI per each real world driver, their real world paint scheme, etc. Likewise, even better, you will be able to create AI series championships for Indycar, World of Outlaws, Late Models, Endurance Racing, etc. The skies the limit and with what the sim racing community has come up with before, I can only imagine how cool this could be. Now granted, iRacing has only 1 Indycar model and one F1, and one old Lotus F1, etc. so you would not be FULLY creating a season with different car, aero, engine combinations, but this still could be really cool. Can't wait to try it out! This may be what actually gets me back into iRacing. Who would have thought that 11 years into my subscription I would be stoked about single player AI! :)
iRacing AI FAQ

https://www.iracing.com/how-to-use-iracing-ai/

iRacing AI comes equipped with a pre-set AI driver roster that allows you to get on track immediately—no additional work needed! However, you can also randomly generate a driver roster if you’re looking for a new challenge.

If you’re feeling adventurous, you can create your own roster of up to 60 AI drivers to compete against. Custom AI rosters include custom paint jobs, adjustable driver personalities, customizable racing skills, and much more. Please note that using over 40 AI Drivers may have an impact on frame rates as well as cause some quirky AI behavior. Visit our AI Roster page for more information on how to adjust AI roster parameters.

Can I share my user-generated iRacing AI seasons and rosters?
Yes! User-Created AI content (AI Rosters and AI Seasons) can be shared with other iRacers.

To share AI Rosters, go to My Documents\iRacing\airosters and copy the directory with the name of the roster you’d like to share. That directory contains all the information on the roster as well as any specified TGA files.

To share AI Seasons, go to My Documents\iRacing\aiseasons and copy the JSON file with the name of the season you’d like to share. This will contain any results from races you’ve run in the season. If you would like to share the season without results, simply Copy the season in the BUI.

AI Rosters

Here’s a quick FAQ on how to successfully adjust your own AI driver roster for the best possible user experience.
https://www.iracing.com/airoster/

iRacing AI doesn’t just include next-level artificial intelligence (AI) competition—it also includes fully adjustable and customizable AI rosters! Now, your opposition is in your hands: you can create custom driver rosters where you race against legendary real-world drivers, your own friends and family, or just about anybody else that you can think of. The possibilities are endless!


Overall Field Parameters affect each AI driver roster as a whole, and will have the greatest affect on your iRacing AI experience. The general settings set through Overall Field Parameters are later refined through Per-Driver Parameters to give each individual vehicle more of its own driving personality.

In addition to Overall Field Parameters, there are a number of Per-Driver Parameters that more greatly affect how each individual cars perform. These are split into Driver and Crew Parameters. Driver Parameters affect how each individual AI car behaves while it’s on the track, while Crew Parameters affect both a car’s pit strategy, and how successfully it spends its time in the pits.
Again, I realize the devil is in the details and how well all this customization actually works, but it sounds really, really cool!

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Re: Racing Sim Thread, Part II

Post by pk500 »

Gameplay trailer for TT Isle of Man 2: Ride on the Edge, which is EASILY my most anticipated game of 2020:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEnQLY2R5fE

The first game had flaws but was the most visceral, enjoyable racing game I've played in probably 20 years. Can't wait for the sequel!
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Re: Racing Sim Thread, Part II

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DChaps wrote:Wow Terry, thanks so much for pointing this out.
And today, they included the MX-5 in the AI lineup. A car almost everybody can drive, so I'm greatly looking forward to giving that one a spin later!

Encouraging that they've already added a new car. I was worried it wouldn't be expanded until Week 13 next season.

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Re: Racing Sim Thread, Part II

Post by pk500 »

TCrouch wrote:
DChaps wrote:Wow Terry, thanks so much for pointing this out.
And today, they included the MX-5 in the AI lineup. A car almost everybody can drive, so I'm greatly looking forward to giving that one a spin later!

Encouraging that they've already added a new car. I was worried it wouldn't be expanded until Week 13 next season.
The MX-5 was my favorite car in iRacing, by far, when I was a subscriber/member. Probably because it was the easiest to drive! :)
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Re: Racing Sim Thread, Part II

Post by pk500 »

Isle of Man TT 2 confirmed for March release: https://www.teamvvv.com/news/tt-isle-of ... h-release/

Day One purchase for me. STOKED!
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Re: Racing Sim Thread, Part II

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pk500 wrote:Isle of Man TT 2 confirmed for March release: https://www.teamvvv.com/news/tt-isle-of ... h-release/

Day One purchase for me. STOKED!
I like that the developer has tried to make the game even more realistic with bike wobble and an updated physics engine. It’s a definite purchase but not sure if i’ll get it day 1. Probably when it does go on sale.

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Re: Racing Sim Thread, Part II

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TCrouch wrote:And today, they included the MX-5 in the AI lineup. A car almost everybody can drive, so I'm greatly looking forward to giving that one a spin later!

Encouraging that they've already added a new car. I was worried it wouldn't be expanded until Week 13 next season.
Just saw that the most recent iRacing season patch added more AI and more tracks!
- The Skip Barber Formula 2000 has been enabled for AI Races!

- The following track configurations have been enabled for AI Races!
- - Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course - Full Course
- - Road Atlanta - Full Course

- AI Drivers have received additional training with the following vehicles:
- - Global Mazda MX-5 Cup
- - Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car (991)

- AI Drivers have received additional training at the following tracks:
- - Barber Motorsports Park - Full Course

- AI Driver behavior for a variety of activities has been upgraded, including:
- - Throttle control
- - Drafting
- - Braking in braking zones
- - Brake locking
- - Passing behaviors
- - Three-wide strategies
- - Low fuel driving
- - Low-speed hazard assessment
- - Hazard avoidance driving
- - Caution lap spacing
- - Pit lane driving
- - Pit stall entry

- Fixed a variety of issues with AI Driver behavior, including:
- - AI Drivers could sometimes drive through the pace car when a lap down.
- - AI Drivers who got physically stuck failed to reset themselves.
- - AI Drivers should no longer forget to pit on the first Caution lap, if needed.
- - AI Drivers should no longer attempt to continue racing with severe engine damage

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Re: Racing Sim Thread, Part II

Post by DChaps »

WRC 8 2020 esports season has started!

Just realized that the WRC 8 2020 esports season has started to go along with the Rally of Monte Carlo in the real world. It's just two stages and you get 5 attempts, but there is less than 24 hours left!

https://www.esportswrc.com/

Image

Image

Image

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Re: Racing Sim Thread, Part II

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Isle of Man TT: Ride on the Edge is one of the free Games with Gold in February. GET IT! Great game that's a real challenge.
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Re: Racing Sim Thread, Part II

Post by pk500 »

OK, this is an odd post, about the resurrection for me of a racing game released in 2017. But here goes.

I'm head-over-heels in love with Project Cars 2 after quickly tossing the game to the curb upon release in 2017. This is the best pure "racing" experience across multiple types of cars of any console game I've played. I repurchased the game for $8 between Christmas and New Year's during the Microsoft holiday sale, and PCars 2 has become the true spiritual successor to TOCA 3 that I wished it would have been upon release.

The reasons? I think the patches to the game since its release in 2017 have absolved it of many of its numerous sins. But the biggest reason is that I FINALLY found Xbox controller settings that work for this game.

Slightly Mad Studios clearly designed the first edition of this game, released in 2015, for use with a wheel on PC or console. I tried endless Xbox controller configurations for the first game, yet driving felt consistent, predictable and realistic only with selected GT3 cars and the Formula 3 cars. Everything else was a mess.

SMS developers said better compatibility with controllers was a priority with Project Cars 2, but putting rubber to the road and fingers on a gamepad at release sure didn't confirm that. The sequel was just as much of a mess with a controller as the first one.

Now it's different. I don't know if it's the patches or the settings I've found, which aren't that different from the default. But this game is transformed. I can't get enough of it. I've found close to 10 cars across a variety of classes that are a BLAST to drive and race, and I still have many more cars to try.

No console racing game I've played simulates tire wear, suspension load and weight transfer quite like PCars 2 when your controller is set up right. Now I have the sensation that all of you wheel owners have enjoyed for the last two-plus years. It's brilliant, better than Forza, F1 or Assetto Corsa on the Xbox with a controller.

I'm giddy. Racing games were getting a bit stale for me, as Isle of Man TT, DIRT Rally 2.0 and F1 2019 are the only sims in my collection that either aren't feeling tired or consistently still deliver. Now everything feels fresh with PCars 2, and I can't wait to drive and race nearly every night.

So. Much. Fun.
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Re: Racing Sim Thread, Part II

Post by Rodster »

I've been waiting for a Steam sale to pickup PCR2. I still play the original PCR and for all the negative reviews about it's faults regarding this or that and the crappy AI, I will say this. I have yet to find a racing game where I can actually race the AI and challenge it and it challenges me. I have yet to find a racing AI that takes its braking points in a realistic manner. There isn't any of that go fast on the straights and slow down in the corners where you can predictably pass the AI in the corners.

The AI has superb and natural braking points where you can gauge it in circuits like Spa. I still have fond memories of racing the AI in a Porsche or Corvette field just trying to stay with the AI and not having to worry about rear ending them or getting rear ended myself. So for me PCR still lives on because of the AI.

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