Racing Sim Thread, Part II

[pk500]

I already have fine racing titles in F1 2017, WRC 7, Forza 7 and NASCAR Heat 2, with Isle of Man TT releasing next week.

How does Nascar Heat 2 look on the XONE? I've been debating getting this for the PS4, thinking it might look better.

It's like the average-looking girl in high school who performs when and where it's really needed.

Seriously, NH 2 will win no prizes for graphics on any system. It's built on the Unity platform, an engine developed for mobile gaming more than 10 years ago.

But NH 2 is a sizable upgrade from NH: Evolution in terms of beauty and framerate. And the racing and physics are sublime.

[Dave]

But NH 2 is a sizable upgrade from NH: Evolution in terms of beauty and framerate. And the racing and physics are sublime.

After a Truck race at Bristol, I'm more impressed than ever by the AI. Probably more passing/re-passing in that race than any other I can remember on a console, easily moved up into the top 20 but then had a hell of a time getting into the top 10 since some other fast trucks were moving up.

[Rodster]

I already have fine racing titles in F1 2017, WRC 7, Forza 7 and NASCAR Heat 2, with Isle of Man TT releasing next week.

How does Nascar Heat 2 look on the XONE? I've been debating getting this for the PS4, thinking it might look better.

It's like the average-looking girl in high school who performs when and where it's really needed.

A PK-ism at it's finest

[Rodster]

I picked up Nascar Heat 2 on Steam when I noticed the developer dropped the price to $29.99 and you guys were right, it’s one of the better Nascar games in a long time. I can’t remember playing a Nascar game where I can drive 3 wide and not hit or get hit by another car. They also are pretty racy and pass each other and draft one another for a pass.

It also looks pretty decent and runs well on my 5 year old gaming rig with everything maxed out. I even purchased the 2018 season update for $10. I had to set the AI at 105 because it was somewhat easy to make my way up the field. Now at 105 it’s a lot tougher as i’m currently dead last in a race at Chicagoland on lap 26 of 150.

[pk500]

Nice purchase, Rod! Glad you're digging it. I think it has the best AI and physics of any NASCAR game since the venerable NASCAR Racing 2003 by Papyrus for PC.

[TCrouch]

I'd say the AI is actually better than Papy's efforts. The fields spread out, take different lines, etc. I really dig that game, and have since release.

Project Cars 2 is damned fun with a wheel, FWIW

[Rodster]

Project Cars 2 is definitely on my list once they drop the price on the Deluxe version to $40 and looking forward to F1 2018.

[Dave]

I'll eventually get Project Cars 2 once it is cheap enough, plenty of cool tracks and cars. Been playing enough NASCAR to justify keeping my wheel set up in the basement.

Any suggestions for qualifying in NH2? I can run towards the front of the field in the race but rarely crack the top 20 in qualifying. I've been adding tape to the grill and shortening 4th gear a little, but that hasn't been enough.

iRacing launching the 2018 IndyCar makes me want to jump back into that, but there isn't enough time in the day for me to put the time needed into something that intense.

[pk500]

I reinstalled Project Cars on my original Xbox One and took it for a spin with the controller settings I found and liked with a variety of cars in that game. Very fun.

Then I tried those same settings in a last-ditch attempt to salvage Project Cars 2 on my Xbox One. Still pure sh*t.

Project Cars 2 has slightly better graphics than its older brother. Slightly better AI. A few more cars and tracks. A cleaned-up menu system. But where it really counts, in the cockpit, Project Cars is superior with a controller on the Xbox One.

It's not even close.

[GB_Simo]

I've since sold my XB1 so can't go back and see whether they've made this worse, but v1.0 of PCARS 2 was entirely playable with a pad on that console. No, I'll rephrase: the issues it had weren't controller-driven. What did they do to it?

One thing I did see - on one of David Land's videos, I think - is that the issue with being unable to run a full IndyCar field at Indianapolis is actually worse on XB1 since patching, but apparently not an issue elsewhere. I'd like to jump back in myself on PS4 and find out at some point but the price will need to be right first.

NASCAR Heat 2 is awesome. Had the same experience as Dave with some of those early truck races in Career, watching trucks go by me in practice like I wasn't moving at first, but even then, scrapping for a place in the top 15 felt brilliant. I haven't ran any longer races (or, now I think on it, any stage races) so I've no idea if there are any wrinkles there, but there's barely a thing to fault in shorter races. Favourite moment so far has been catching Jimmie Johnson in the challenge at Bristol, then needing to spend a few laps working out how to pass him and another few side by side with him before i made one stick. Or going three-wide for a lap at Dover. Or the entire XFinity race at Mid-Ohio. Or...

[pk500]

I've since sold my XB1 so can't go back and see whether they've made this worse, but v1.0 of PCARS 2 was entirely playable with a pad on that console. No, I'll rephrase: the issues it had weren't controller-driven. What did they do to it?

It's playable but not even close to fun. PC 1 had better fidelity and precise feedback with a controller than PC 2. It also had a greater sense of weight and front-end grip to the cars.

All of the cars in PC 2 just feel too light and dead. There's not enough feedback about the friction curve of the tires with a controller, even when FFB is set to 100 percent in the menus.

NASCAR Heat 2 is awesome. Had the same experience as Dave with some of those early truck races in Career, watching trucks go by me in practice like I wasn't moving at first, but even then, scrapping for a place in the top 15 felt brilliant. I haven't ran any longer races (or, now I think on it, any stage races) so I've no idea if there are any wrinkles there, but there's barely a thing to fault in shorter races. Favourite moment so far has been catching Jimmie Johnson in the challenge at Bristol, then needing to spend a few laps working out how to pass him and another few side by side with him before i made one stick. Or going three-wide for a lap at Dover. Or the entire XFinity race at Mid-Ohio. Or...

Damn straight. I've had some Cup races at Kentucky, Texas, Atlanta and a few other cookie-cutter 1.5-mile ovals in which ferocious fights for seventh were among the most thrilling, compelling, retina-burning racing experiences I've enjoyed on a console.

Speaking of stage races, I wouldn't recommend running them unless your race length is at least 25 percent. Shorter races lack enough laps to slice into three segments, with caution flags eating as much as half of a segment.

[J_Cauthen]

Upon further review and tweaking, I've all but given up finding Xbox One controller settings for Project Cars 2 that work with a wide variety of cars. Some work with GT and prototype cars but don't work with open-wheel cars, and vice-versa.

I think I'm done with this game. This hobby is supposed to be fun, and finding solid, universal PC 2 controller settings requires far too many headaches and far too much time to get even close to right. The game was made for a wheel. Period.

Thanks, and I can understand where you're coming from with this. My own experience with PC 1 on my XBox One and PC showed me how difficult it was to get wheel settings that were consistent. When the settings are right, they're jam-up, but they vary so much from car to car that I surrendered in frustration.

I won't get a chance to try your controller settings recommended in your post prior to this one until Sunday night, or Monday. I will give them a go out of curiosity and comment on it in this thread.

[pk500]

Looking forward to your feedback, John. Hope they help you. I hoisted the white flag and traded in PC 2 last night, earning enough credit to snag Metal Gear Solid: The Phantom Pain for $2.

[pk500]

Pre-ordered Isle of Man TT for the XB1 last night. Can't remember the last time I was this jazzed for a new racing franchise to be released.

[Rodster]

Looking forward to PK's impressions on Isle of Man bike game, will get it if it turns out good.

So despite all the negative comments regarding Nascar Heat 2 on the Steam message boards, i'm having a blast. I can't recall doing a 100% distance race in a racing game outside of Codie's F1 games in a long ass time. It was at Chicagoland Speedway in the truck series with 100% AI and auto shifting. I purposely started at the back of the grid.

I worked my way up the field and was 22nd around lap 45 of 150. As I got further up the field it got tougher with the AI which made it even more fun. I used Joe Nemechek and found myself battling grandson Nemechek for 13th place which took around 20 laps or so. Late cautions and pitstops put me mid-pack 3/4 of the race complete.

At one point late in the race I found myself going three wide for an entire lap and the AI never slammed me and I didn't hit either truck on either side which made it even more fun. I finished 14th in the race as late in the race it took more concentration to hit consistent laps and I started touching the walls which broke my rhythm. In the end it was a helluva race.

One thing to mention, the AI in the game races hard but clean which in turn makes you respect them while racing and allows for close battles. Unlike EA's Nascar games which turns into someone hitting you or you hitting another car on any lap.

[pk500]

The Steamers are nuts: NASCAR Heat 2 has the best physics and AI of any NASCAR game -- PC or sim -- since the venerable NASCAR Racing 2003 Season on PC.

Enjoy it, Rod. That sounded like a hell of a race, man!

[Dave]

Wow, that's an impressive feat, Rod! I can't imagine ever doing more than a 25% race, especially at the Cup level. They really are onto something with this game, looking forward to see what is added this year.

Has anyone else had the problem during green flag pitstops where you slow down, the AI hits you from behind and you get a penalty for speeding? In general, I suck at slowing the car down for stops (can never see the cones/figure out where I need to be under the limit) and get plenty of penalties on my own, so it really made me mad to take it easy and still end up with a penalty.

[pk500]

Haven't encountered that problem, Dave. But I'm usually running some BS, out-of-sequence pit strategy, too. Always scheming.

[DChaps]

So far I am finding Isle of Man TT quite a challenge. I am just using the semi-amateur settings and I can still barely make a lap on some of the short course without losing my bike. This is the first motorcycle game that I can't see myself using anything but the cockpit camera. It gives such a rush and so far it seems like I can race better in that view. The curbs, stone walls, houses, trees, jumps, etc. are quite well done. You really have to pay attention to your jumps and getting any air. Will be interested to get everyone else's take, but so far so good. Can't find any way to modify setups, at least in Time Trial mode, but that is not too big a deal to me. Check out some of my first time trial events.

[pk500]

Thanks for the feedback, Don!

F*cking Best Buy didn't get the game on release date despite promised arrival and my pre-order. Won't arrive in store for pickup until Friday. Not the first time this has happened with an obscure title from a small publisher.

[TCrouch]

PS - Can you no longer embed youtube videos in these forums?

just take the "s" out of "https://www.." when inserting it into the Youtube tags.

[pk500]

The Donald: How are the grip and physics models for Isle of Man?

The host at VVV said it reminded him of Driveclub Bikes, which I never played but was well regarded by players and reviewers. All I want are grip and physics models with good tactile feel, weight and friction in which the rear tire slides around. Something like the first two MotoGP games by Climax back in the early 2000s or even the venerable MotoRacer series from the original PlayStation.

The biggest problem with the Ride series of bike games from Milestone is dead bike feel. The force feedback sucked. The feel of the limit sucked. The weight of the bikes sucked. It all was far too light and dead.

I love racing games accessible to get the vehicle near the limit without too much trouble but where it's a b*tch to keep the machine at the limit for an extended period of time. Easy to learn, hard to master. WRC 7, F1 2017, NASCAR Heat 2 and Forza 7 did that brilliantly last year.

[vader29]

PS - Can you no longer embed youtube videos in these forums?

just take the "s" out of "https://www.." when inserting it into the Youtube tags.

For some reason on DSP you now also have to change the www to m for it to work on desktop browsers.

[DChaps]

I am not a great judge of motorcycle games. I have always sucked at them with a controller. I would say physics/force feedback wise it is ok so far. Better than MXGP3 and Monster Energy Supercross, which are both games I liked well enough. Weight and force feedback could be stronger, but it's not terrible. I am on semi-amateur settings that may not give me the full feel yet. Definitely a challenge to be fast, and definitely a b*tch to keep the machine at the limit for an extended period of time. The jumps are really cool in that you have to be at the correct speed (sometimes not too fast, other times not too slow), and the correct trajectory, otherwise you are done. Puckering to say the least.

[vader29]

I am not a great judge of motorcycle games. I have always sucked at them with a controller. I would say physics/force feedback wise it is ok so far. Better than MXGP3 and Monster Energy Supercross, which are both games I liked well enough. Weight and force feedback could be stronger, but it's not terrible. I am on semi-amateur settings that may not give me the full feel yet. Definitely a challenge to be fast, and definitely a b*tch to keep the machine at the limit for an extended period of time. The jumps are really cool in that you have to be at the correct speed (sometimes not too fast, other times not too slow), and the correct trajectory, otherwise you are done. Puckering to say the least.

PS - there is no www in my url? How did you get it to work?

http://youtu.be/xEI92rvGwt0

Don't click the share button below the video on youtube, copy and paste the address in the top of your browser.