rec.autos.simulators

I've heard lots of great stuff about this sim.  Any complaints about it?
How's the AI?

Mike

Just got it. All I can say is the graphics are literally "beautiful". There
is a F1RS website that has a lot of utilities, car setups, carsets etc. It
looks as if this game is going to be supported like GP2 was.

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For me, the sense of speed just isn't there. Maybe because I'm used to CPR
which seems much faster. It also seems too easy to handle the cars, and too
easy in general. People say the AI is good, but I've found it fairly easy to
beat with very little time with the sim, so I can't agree.

Dave

Hands down the best...if you have the hardware. That is at least until we see
the full version of Grand Prix Legends.

don

Oh yeah, I should mention that the menus are the worst of any sim I've come
across yet. Anyone know of a poorer design?

don

1) The frame rate is slow. Make sure you have a fast machine first.
2) The steering is stupidly sensitive. Even at the least sensitive
   setting, you either plough into the inside of the corner or miss it
   altogether. In my car, or on GP2, I instinctively know how far to
   turn the wheel for a corner. There's no such feeling with F1RS.
   Something must be wrong when the hairpin at Interlagos is just
   a fractional nudge on the wheel, when in GP2 it's full lock.
3) Changing down gears appears to be a complete lottery. Sometimes
   pressing the button does nothing, sometimes it changes down, and
   sometimes it changes twice!
4) The menu system is really annoying. Even on full install it takes
   ages to do anything.
5) I don't like the in-car view. For some reason, which I can't put
   my finger on, I just prefer the view of GP2. I think the view is
   just too flat, and the corners just seem to appear from nowhere.

Having said that, there are some nice aspects to it as well. The starts
are much better than GP2, as all the cars get away much quicker. The
tracks are nicely done, especially things like run-off areas. I do
think that GP2 captures the hilliness of some courses better. I haven't
given up on the game altogether yet (I must have done 30 practice laps on
Interlagos last night) but if I don't start getting the hang of it soon
I'm going back to GP2.

Huw

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On Wed, 8 Apr 1998 13:55:52 -0400, "Michael J. Gentile"

 - some rather dodgy (or even non-existent) gradients on some circuits
(e.g. Imola, Suzuka). But that's offset by having some of the best yet
modelled (e.g. Monaco, Monza)

 - AI is generally too much of a push over and will concede the corner
most times and *every* time at some corners. They will rarely attempt to
pass unless you make a major mistake. At the starts though they are
suicidal and it can be very difficult to get through the first corner if
starting on pole with a lesser powered car. They do look very realistic
when racing amongst themselves though.

 - the mirrors don't show the car behind until it is right on top of you
which means that it rarely feels like you are racing the car behind

 - many people dislike the engine sound although I quite like it. Some of
the other sounds are pretty sub-standard and let the product down IMHO.

 - graphics are well detailed but look a little too cartoonish IMHO

 - very dodgy approach to modelling off track excursions. It basically
just applies a huge amount of drag which means that you can't run natural
lines at the exit of some corners as if you put a wheel off the track it
tends to spin the car in the wrong direction to what happens in real life

 - actual car physics are pretty good but it's too easy to drive
consistently IMHO (for many people this is obviously a plus point though
<g>)

 - poor multiplayer capabilities. Lots of warping (and handled badly by
the program) over the 'net and lack of synchronisation between the
various PCs. This occurs even over a LAN so it's a fundamental weakness
of the program and not just due to latency problems.

Ultimately I found that it didn't offer enough to keep me interested for
more than a couple of months. But that's no so much due to any failing
with F1RS but more due to my getting on TEN and losing interest in
offline racing ;-)

Cheers,
Richard

I think the game doesn't just like your controller setup, because it
is fine here. Have you tried the new patch, which many said helped to
make their steering more precise?

I agree, there must be something wrong, because I don't see that
problem.

Ditto above. I have never seen this problem, works great for me.

True, but for me this is not a killer, even though I'm using the
minimum install. Takes a few seconds to go from one menu screen to
another.

The most common complaints are:

1) When you drive on the grass, your car slows down very fast, a bit
like you were actually driving on soft sand. For me this is not a
killer, because I seldom drive on the grass. ;-)

2) Game menus are slow, which is irritating.

3) Direct3D version is buggier and somewhat slower than the 3Dfx
version, so for maximum enjoyment you would want to play it with a
3Dfx card.

4) Some of the tracks don't have the elevations of their real life
counterparts.

5) The engine sound is said to be horrible, but there are already
several different replacement sounds at www.f1racingsim.com .

Complaints about "how GP2 is more realistic" you can pass, because
these people are just so familiar with GP2 that they think it is.

It's great, with lots of nice little touches. The computer drivers are
very competitive trying to find that hole to pass you, yet don't
mindlessly crash on you. One example of those nice little touches is
how this is the only racing sim or game to date where I've seen a
computer driver actually go reverse and pass from the other side,
if his way is totally blocked because of a crash or something like
that. I was floored when I saw that happening, it felt so real.
The computer drivers feel very human, almost like driving against real
people.

It is also claimed that the computer drivers have different AIs that
are trying to represent their real life counterparts (Schumacher
etc.), but I can't say anything about that really.

Hi!

about f1rs: I agree 100%.

1) Steering resembles go-kart(those outdoors kart, not slow indoors)
   Much too direct, and too much power on front wheels, instead of gp2.
2) Tracks are terribly inacurate. The Tunnel in Monaco is twice as wide.
   San Marino is too bad to mention :-(  Japan is allmost flat.
   Most of these thing are noticable by "non-F1-nuts"
   For real "f1-nuts" is even 10 times worse.
3) Cars have same shapes, and incorrect.
4)***pits are arcade-like
5) in-cockpit times/standing/etc are too small. I allways crash when
reading this.
6) you can only gain fps when decreasing no. of cars. and not textures
:-(
7) Impossible to brake late.
8) If you count the years between GP2 and f1rs, they haven't improved
much since     then, graphics are not crucial for a racing sim!
9) The "Go To Garage" option while on the track is the dumbest ever
seen. It takes    ages to adjust little things :-(((
10)AI is not better then any other racing game.
11)It's $15 more expensive than other games.
12)It uses 197MB disk space and 100MB swap
13)Too many NOT working patches
14)The working (older) patches are nowere to be found.

Hope this is enough :-)

Bart

Is this a troll?

THe elevation at japan are not accurate. But the rest of the tracks
are good. Again... Is this a troll?

Shirley you gest.

Haha! Oh stop allready!!!

Haha. Good for you. I somehow don't crash whil reading them.
I guess I kick serious ass and you suck.

With a P5-200MMX and a 3dfx card this is not an issue. But while
running the 3dfx version this is correct.

Huh.

You are totaly full of shit. What is it with you Bart people anyway?

Uh huh.

Right.. It is just the best available. I think this right here shows
you don't know much about what you are talking about.

This is certainly a biggie. Sheesh. It is the same price as any
other game I have gotten ($49).

Oh that is terrible. F-15 uses 670MB for a full install and a 50MB
swap file. What exactly is your point?

Agreed. The last good one was 1.05

I still have 1.05 :-)

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    test..................................................................

This may be true, no doubt.  But one thing I'm disappointed with is the
multiplay.  You really need to have a good connection between racers in
order for the thing to work tolerably well.  Two player is fine, for the
most part-- anything more gets to be kind of difficult.  In this day and
age to release a product that only supports IPX play and not TCP/IP is
unconscionable.

Why can't we have a racing simulator that works good over the net?
Ultimate Racing Pro is about the best there is for netplay: S.O.D.A. is
also good.

F1RS and Nascar 2 are bad for netplay.

Alanb

Alan Bernardo wrote

PFFFFFHAHAHHAHAHAHA !!

Lol you all read this... (I didn't hallucinated).

"Nascar 2 (is) bad for netplay."

PFFFFFFFFAHAHAHAHAHHAHA !!

And you say U.R.Pro (***arcade game IMHO) is better on the Internet than
N2.

Have you ever heard of TEN ? And the NROS ?

Take a peek at http://www.racesimcentral.net/://www.nros.com/

LOL the guy is very funny !!! Tee hee.

Fran?ois Mnard <ymenard> Sponsored by http://www.racesimcentral.net/
Good race at the Brickyard, (-o-)

Official Mentally retarded guy of r.a.s.
Excuse me for my English (I'm French speaking)
Excuse me for being provocative (I'm dumb speaking)

--"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realise
how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."--