Racing Sim Thread, Part II

[GB_Simo]

Rod, I know you've been interested in this one - there's a 7 car beta version of the F1 1985 mod for rFactor:

http://www.rfactorcentral.com/detail.cfm?ID=F1%201985

[pk500]

A new prototype mod -- featuring LMP 1 and LMP 2 cars -- is out. A bit of controversy surrounding this one, as the modders are forcing you to join their racing league to get the full mod, which includes GT 1, GT 2 and GT 3 cars.

Much ado about nothing, as far as I'm concerned. I only want the prototypes, anyways! rFactor already has Aston Martin, Corvette and Porsche GT mods.

http://www.rfactorcentral.com/detail.cf ... 0Du%20Mans

Take care,
PK

[WPatrick]

I ran in a few multi class league races with Virtual Online Racers in a GT2 Ferrari. They are a friendly group of guys, and their mod is outstanding.

The league itself is hardcore and has many great drivers. I ran hundreds of practice laps before each race, tuned my car and still usually finished 38th out of a field of 41. If I had wanted to be competitive in their league it would have occupied all of my gaming time. This is a hobby and practicing that much would feel a lot more like a job.

[Rodster]

Rod, I know you've been interested in this one - there's a 7 car beta version of the F1 1985 mod for rFactor:

http://www.rfactorcentral.com/detail.cfm?ID=F1%201985

Yes I am interested in that mod although i'll wait for the proper release. Btw speaking of F1 mods. I have 8 tracks for the stellar 1988 F1 mod. Am I missing any? I think the modder included 7 tracks in the trackpack and recently released an 8th track for the mod.

How many tracks do you guys have for the 1988 mod?

[pk500]

Rod, I know you've been interested in this one - there's a 7 car beta version of the F1 1985 mod for rFactor:

http://www.rfactorcentral.com/detail.cfm?ID=F1%201985

Yes I am interested in that mod although i'll wait for the proper release.

You're going to be waiting a while. From VirtualR.net:

"So much for the good news, rather bad news is that this will be the last patch for quite some time. While Valiante will be taking a well-deserved summer break, Markus will be giving up the project for now due to starting his own family. Good luck!"

Take care,
PK

[pk500]

It appears the BMW Sauber series has become a trilogy: A version of this year's car is available for rFactor. Can't wait to grab this one!

http://www.virtualr.net/rfactor-special ... /#comments

Take care,
PK

[pk500]

Interesting comments from an iRacing subscriber when I asked in a VirtualR.net post if iRacing is struggling for subscribers since it just offered a $15 credit to all customers:

>>>No idea, I’m a subscriber & I’m signed up until the end of July 09 so I’ll be getting this bonus credit.
All I can say is that iRacing needs to get more people in, I’m sure the situation is better than it was than with just the beta testers but people are afraid to move away from the Solstice or Legends (or can’t afford too).
People are dropping out, out of 5 others I know 3 aren’t likely to extend their 1 month subscription because of the missing basic features. Making a 50% drop out rate. So the races are getting emptier.
5 days ago in the evening I could see 150 people for a session, it’s now about 80-90.<<<

Can't say I'm surprised. I just hope Dave Kaemmer doesn't disappear from the PC sim racing scene if iRacing fails. He's staked quite a bit of his reputation on this project.

Take care,
PK

[Rodster]

Thanks for the tip on the 2008 BMW Sauber.

I don't understand how someone's arrogance can allow them to think they will not be able to live with his product. Even in a sizzling hot economy some might balk at his pricing structure.

That's like ISI selling rFactor Lite and charging for every mod, track and cars, it's nuts. If iRacing does take off then there are more people with money than sense.

[GB_Simo]

It appears the BMW Sauber series has become a trilogy: A version of this year's car is available for rFactor. Can't wait to grab this one!

And since it's an MMG car, you can also look forward to BMW Sauber 2008 Server Edition, BMW Sauber 2008 Sound Fix and BMW Sauber 2008 .ini overwrites, released to the soundtrack of a thousand fanboys.

I haven't played MMG 2007 for a while, I'm still waiting for the new version they were meant to be releasing and I'm still a bit agitated about being able to make a Spyker go as quickly as a Ferrari, but MMG's physics model is fundamentally solid so this new car should be worth trying.

[GB_Simo]

A new prototype mod -- featuring LMP 1 and LMP 2 cars -- is out.

http://www.rfactorcentral.com/detail.cf ... 0Du%20Mans

Did you download this one, mate? I've just gone to get it from that link, and it's currently unavailable due to a mod dispute of some kind.

[pk500]

A new prototype mod -- featuring LMP 1 and LMP 2 cars -- is out.

http://www.rfactorcentral.com/detail.cf ... 0Du%20Mans

Did you download this one, mate? I've just gone to get it from that link, and it's currently unavailable due to a mod dispute of some kind.

Here's a backdoor for you, mate. Still available:

http://www.bsim-racing.com/?p=4180

P.S.: 2008 BMW Sauber now available through rFactor Central.

Take care,
PK

[pk500]

Man, new or updated mods flowing like government pork just before election season. An updated version of Race X, the, ahem, illegal conversion of RACE 07 to rFactor. I'm a touring car junkie, so I'll probably grab it:

http://www.virtualr.net/race-x-125-released/

Is it any wonder why iRacing could be doomed to fail? Just today, a 1985 F1 mod, an LMP 1 and LMP 2 mod, a WTCC mod and a 2008 BMW Sauber F1 car have been released for rFactor, all for free.

rFactor and its community of modders is almost too good to be true.

Take care,
PK

[GB_Simo]

Anyone else given the 2008 BMW Sauber a go yet? I ran them for the first time just now, using Silverstone (Northamptonshire) and Interlagos as my test tracks, and they're not bad at all.

If you've used MMG's F1 2007 mod, you'll recognise certain handling characteristics straight away. That's a bit odd, since I'm under the impression the physics are ISI's and broadly the same as the 2007 mod, but there it is. The cars ship with a mild but noticeable turn-in understeer, are generally happy to accept plenty of power on corner exit and are a stable, predictable drive on the whole. That understeer is a little frustrating into the slower corners, Vale and Abbey at Silverstone in particular being exercises in patience, but breeds confidence into the quick stuff because the back of the car is so planted. Copse needs only a lift in top gear, and the double-apex right Ferradura at Interlagos is a joy.

Under braking the cars aren't as tricky as the last BMW and especially the last MMG mod - I've not yet managed to lose the rear under braking, and it's easy to avoid locking the fronts as long as you're being sensible. Compared to the 2007 BMW, the cars seem easier to handle and might perhaps be a little better for our online races.

As far as laptimes go, I can't for the life of me remember the times I normally run in the 2007 BMW, but further back in this thread are some of my laptimes at Interlagos with MMG 2007. My times with the 2008 BMW are consistently between 2-2.5 seconds per lap faster, which seems a fair and reasonable step year on year. Edit: I know, if the physics are still ISI, then me comparing to last year's MMG is a waste of time. The thing is, though, that there are enough similarities between the two mods for me to be happy with that comparison for my own use for now. Your mileage will vary...



I did try the 1985 beta release briefly but I've not got so much to report there. I ran at Silverstone '88, which isn't a difficult track at the best of times but is a very, very easy drive in the 1985 Renault. It's possible to run with the AI straight away, the car is easy to drive through all stages of a corner, and the only difficulty (one I still have with every turbo F1 mod) is getting the cars off the line on the same day as the AI. That was true of the 1988 mod too, and at other tracks those cars were a far trickier drive, so I want to play that some more before I reach any conclusions on the beta.

[Rodster]

I downloaded the McLaren 3.5 mod just released for rFactor. I'll try it out later tonight. It looks real good.

[pk500]

Adam:

Very good impressions, mate.

I drove the BMW Sauber F1 2008 and F1 1985 mods just before we left on vacation. My impressions of the BMW Sauber F1 2008 are very similar to yours -- they're easier to drive than the 2007 version.

But frankly, that ease of driving makes them less fun. The 2007's feel like the bastard offspring of a rocket ship and a rodeo bull. They're challenging as hell to drive, and completing a lap is very rewarding. They're not insane like Grand Prix Legends cars, but they beg to be pushed to the limit.

The 2008 cars don't have that same feeling. You don't need to grab them by the scruff of the neck and hang on like you do the 2007's. You're right: The 2008's will be better for online racing, but I sure as hell like driving the 2007's better offline.

Your skill with high-powered open-wheel cars is evident in your comments about the F1 1985 cars. They are hairy beasts to drive for me, especially in the first two laps or so before the tires get warm. The creator of this mod warns in the readme that warming the tires is a must before pushing this car, and he's not kidding.

But I do enjoy the 1985 F1 cars. Not as much as the awesome 1979 cars, arguably the best open-wheel mod in rFactor, but they're fun.

That Series Internationale Du Mans mod featuring open-top LMP 1 and LMP 2 mods is fantastic. The cars are a bit too planted in the rear and have unreal turn-in, but they keep your attention and are really fun to drive. I really enjoyed the Penske Porsche LMP 2 car.

Sadly, that mod was pulled from rFactor Central due to the modder possibly using unauthorized car models from another sim or mod. But it's still out there on Megaupload or Rapidshare, and I think someone posted a direct link to those files in this thread.

I highly recommend that mod. Big fun.

Take care,
PK

[GB_Simo]

I drove the BMW Sauber F1 2008 and F1 1985 mods just before we left on vacation. My impressions of the BMW Sauber F1 2008 are very similar to yours -- they're easier to drive than the 2007 version.

But frankly, that ease of driving makes them less fun. The 2007's feel like the bastard offspring of a rocket ship and a rodeo bull. They're challenging as hell to drive, and completing a lap is very rewarding. They're not insane like Grand Prix Legends cars, but they beg to be pushed to the limit.

The 2008 cars don't have that same feeling. You don't need to grab them by the scruff of the neck and hang on like you do the 2007's. You're right: The 2008's will be better for online racing, but I sure as hell like driving the 2007's better offline.

Yeah, I'm with you on that. It's a blessing as far as the online goes, for here is an open-wheel mod that I really think could produce some decent racing for us, but offline, it could get fairly dull fairly quickly. The 2007 BMW spends a few laps making me feel like an F1 driver and then spits me off the road the instant I remember I'm not one. Grand Prix Legends makes me look like Jim Clark one minute and Dick Clark the next. The 2008 BMW doesn't do anything like that; I sat watching a replay of my first run in them last night, and by my fourth lap I was flat-chat everywhere on the circuit without anything like the kind of skill needed in last year's mod.

As far as the 1985 cars go, I'm expecting to find them a bit trickier once I go to a track that's got some corners and braking zones on it - at Silverstone '88 I only go below 5th gear twice.

[pk500]

Pathetic, I know, Adam, but I was thinking about this very thread while out for a run on the Maine beach this afternoon.

The BMW Sauber 2008 F1 mod is pretty redundant because it feels a lot like the Champ Car or IRL mods. It's seriously quick and keeps your attention, but it doesn't scare the sh*t out of me and make me look like a rank amateur twice per lap like the 2007 BMW Sauber does.

The 2007 car never will leave my rFactor install because there's no other car like it. It has unbelievable braking and incredible downforce, yet is an absolute beast. As you have said, the challenge is finding the limit, not exceeding it, because the car just demands to be pushed to the absolute limit.

I'll hang on to the 2008 car to see if it gains any traction -- pun intended! -- in online racing here at DSP. If it doesn't, it's gone. I'd rather drive the Champ Cars or IRL cars.

Take care,
PK

[pk500]

virtualR.net turned 1 year old today. There is no finer blog on the Web for sim racing, and Montoya, the creator of the blog, is a really nice guy who is very devoted to the sim racing community.

I highly recommend that you check out the site if you haven't already!

http://www.virtualr.net

Take care,
PK

[pk500]

1967 Monza (pre-chicanes) available now for rFactor:

http://www.rfactorcentral.com/detail.cf ... nza%201967

AWESOME. All I can think of is Eva-Marie Saint yelling: "JEAN PIERRE, JEAN PIERRE, JEAN PIERRE!"

The new Amaroo and Jops Grand Prix tracks are fun, too.

Amaroo has some nice elevation change, and every corner that offers a good overtaking opportunity is off-camber, so it's a lunge and a prayer trying to pass someone.

Jops is a fictional track set in Switzerland as a tribute to Jo Siffert, and it's fast, fast, fast, with a mix of fifth-gear corners and a couple of tight ones. Really fun for slipstreaming -- definitely not a Tilkedrome!

I also tried the updated McLaren F1 Challenge sports car, and I'm not impressed. Snap oversteer during downshifts, gobs of downforce in corner exit and hideous-looking cockpits. Somehow I imagined this car to be tougher yet more predictable to drive. It's already off my hard drive.

The alternative Aussie V8 Supercar mod, FVRV8_08, also isn't that great. Pretty easy to drive, but at least the modders admitted that. It's also gone from my C: drive. ETCC 2003 still is the king of touring car mods for rFactor.

Take care,
PK

[GB_Simo]

I've been waiting for an excuse to coat my hands in tomato ketchup and stand in front of the PC yelling, "IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT?" and my first rFactor Monza 1967 accident seems as good an excuse as any. Should be great fun with some of the period mods.

[pk500]

I've been waiting for an excuse to coat my hands in tomato ketchup and stand in front of the PC yelling, "IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT?" and my first rFactor Monza 1967 accident seems as good an excuse as any. Should be great fun with some of the period mods.

LOLOLOLOL!

"Adam, I am tired ... "

I'm VERY eager to run 1967 Monza with the 1955 F1 cars. That fictional Jops track also should be fantastic with those cars.

Take care,
PK

[pk500]

I've taken the last few nights to weed out mods and tracks from my rFactor install that get little use and try a bunch of mods and tracks that look interesting. During that process, I think I may have found the most underrated rFactor mod -- the R8 Gordini:

http://www.rfactorcentral.com/detail.cf ... %20Gordini

These little babies are from the late 1960s. Renault passenger cars souped up with a bigger engine and better suspension.

The Gordinis are total momentum cars, as their engines only have 100 hp. You'll rarely exceed 100-110 mph in these things. But these cars are rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicles, so it's really hard to get heat in the front tires, much like the famed U.S. deathtrap of the 1960s, the Corvair.

These cars pose a driving challenge unlike any other I've experienced in rFactor. You really need a deft touch, as momentum is vital in a car that lacks a ton of top end. But since all the weight and drive are in back and there's almost no downforce, once you lose these things, they're gone. Plus the cars are a bit top-heavy, so there's a really unique feel to driving these cars.

Gordinis require a type of precision I haven't experienced in this game, but once you get into a rhythm with them and understand them -- which doesn't take long -- they're massive fun, especially in tight racing on a small track like Brands Hatch Indy. You won't gain gobs of time because everything is so momentum-based with these cars, but it's very gratifying to shave a few tenths here and there per lap, slowly catching and overtaking cars in front.

Give these cars a go. Keep an open mind, because they won't overwhelm you with power and downforce. But they are a unique treat to drive.

Take care,
PK

[pk500]

Downloaded and installed the much-ballyhooed Historic GT and Touring mod this morning for rFactor. Eager to try it tonight. It better be good -- the damn mod is a 2.6 GB install!

Took a look at the interface and car models, and they're gorgeous. If the thing drives as well as it looks, it should be a treat.

Take care,
PK

[pk500]

OK, I need to clear my gullet and stomach since I'm about to eat an Old Country Buffet-sized plate of crow.

I have spent the last two nights driving the Historic Touring & GT mod, and I'm officially in hot, jizz-welling lust. I'm trying to avoid hyperbole, but it's impossible: This is the best mod I've ever driven in rFactor. Period.

Everything about this mod just oozes quality. The new user interface, while a bit confusing at first, is gorgeous and intuitive once you get used to it. The car models are absolutely sublime, with tons of details and multiple liveries.

But the two areas where this mod are a lap ahead of others are the sound and the physics.

The sound is PHENOMENAL. Every car has seemingly accurate sound, from the high-whining rev of an old Ferrari to the throaty moan of a big-block V8 inside a Corvette Stingray.

And I've never heard such accurate tire squeal sounds from a mod EVER in rFactor -- it's not even close. If you start to scrub the tires, you'll hear a scrub. If you start to slide, you'll hear a big squeal. The feedback you get from the tire sound is more than ambient -- it really lets you know just how far you're pushing the tire.

I have no idea where to start with the driving model. The developers hit the bull's eye on every count. The feel of each car is so distinct, so different. You get the body roll of the bigger, heavier cars. You get the lurid sliding with rear-wheel drive cars with a ton of power. You get the feel of a higher center of gravity with some of the more upright touring cars.

The AI also is excellent for offline racing. AI cars will collide, make solo mistakes, rally to pass you if you make a mistake after an overtaking move, etc.

My biggest serving of crow must be served in regards to the custom RealFeel and controller.ini settings. The settings that come with this mod work in a way I've never felt with any other rFactor mod. If RealFeel worked this well with other mods, I'd never drive a mod without it.

The cars slide predictably, as you'd expect a car from the 1960s and 70s to behave, but you can catch them and powerslide without the snap spins that plague so many rFactor mods. The suspension feedback is so precise, yet different with every car. Some touring cars feel like couches, while the little Austin Healey's are all rattle and shake, for example.

The modding group has provided RealFeel settings for every one of the types of cars in this mod, and there are a lot of them. It was easy to use the controller.ini file created by the modders, too. I just took my stock RealFeel controller.ini file and replaced the Force Feedback section with that provided by the Historix modding group, and then renamed that controller.ini with a Historics name. When I run this mod, I simply load that profile from the in-game Settings section of rFactor.

I will drive this mod any time, any place, with anyone. It's that good. It has rendered obsolete nearly every historic GT and touring mod I already have on my hard drive -- BMW 320, CSGT, 60s Legends and Gordini are all history.

This is a big mod, at more than 2.5 GB. But it's way more than a mod. It's pretty much a separate game on your rFactor install, with tons of different cars. I've never played GT Legends, but nearly everyone who has calls this mod GTL 2, and an improvement in every way.

Installation was easy. I grabbed a disc image of GTL on the torrents and only placed it in my Daemon Tools virtual drive when installing the mod. That was good enough -- I never had to install GTL and risk Starforce. Once the mod was installed, I removed the GTL disc image from my virtual drive and checked for Starforce. Nothing. Perfect.

So, if you're a skeptic about this mod, its pre-set RealFeel and controller.ini files and the installation process, toss all those doubts into the trash. This is a MUST-drive experience for rFactor.

I can't gush enough about this mod. It has set a new benchmark for rFactor.

Take care,
PK

[GB_Simo]

I wish I had the time to download and try that Historic Touring and GT mod. It's certainly next on my to-do list.

Somewhere on here, confirmation that the two people behind the rather lovely F1 1985 beta are now part of MMG. Take your hopes for that mod, and kiss them goodbye:

http://www.makmodgroup.com/devblog/

Having Googled 'Yanden' trying to find that blog, I happened upon a couple of other bits which paint him as a fantasist of the highest order, which would explain an awful lot about this whole MMG business.

What's really annoying is that their 2007 mod was within an ace of being really good, and what's still more annoying is that the forthcoming improved version of that mod will contain features like this:

The new Public Edition will house different engines for each car with accurate HP and RPM made to give each car the performance it had in 2007. In addition to this each car will have its own unique physic making it even more challenging for the players to be consistently quick in every car. No two cars are the same physics wise. That doesn’t mean Raikkonen’s Ferrari and Massa’s will defer greatly, but they will have noticeable differences when driving. This is done to reflect the cars handing for each driver in each GP.

Quite apart from the issue of how they can possibly get this right, I am neither Kimi Raikkonen nor Felipe Massa, and I sure as Hell don't drive like them either. The game has a setup menu, which allows me to tweak the handling to my liking, not whatever MMG think Kimi would like. The mod needs different physics for each team, yes, but concentrate on getting those right and then leave the player to sort out the rest.