rec.autos.simulators

There comes a point in every mans life when he must make life altering
decisions.

This is not one of those times, but it certainly comes close.

I'm at a junction and need just a little nudge in the right direction.

I've been quite the fan of TOCA Touring Cars 2 since it was first released,
but until now have not had a system to truly appreciate it on, so I have
only been using the very (limited in all aspects) demo. I now have a flash
new PC which can run TOCA 2 beautifully, in even the highest of resolutions.

But here's the problem:

I also tried the demo of Rally Championship, and whilst I know all the
details of TOCA 2, I know very little about Rally Championship. From what
I've played in the demo, this appears to one of the most realistic racing
titles I've raced to date - and I've raced them ALL!

I'm trying to decide which to buy; TOCA 2 or Rally Championship. Both of
which run perfectly on my PC.

I'd like a little info on Rally Championship, so please answer all questions
if you can:

1st:
  Are there options to change the weather effects? Or even tracks with
different weather conditions, such as rain, night or snow?

2nd:
  Is there a good garage in R.C., to tweak all the usual car aspects?

3rd:
  Are there any 4wd cars in R.C., as the 2wd car in the demo is so horrible
to drive it's frightening. I've never seen a car with such understeer!

4th:
  There doesn't appear to be any damage modelling in the demo. Have they
included this as an option in the retail version?

5th:
  Are all tracks as thin and long as the one in the demo. There are some
places on that track which leaves barely enough room for the car to ease
through, let alone race along at 100mph and above.

6th:
  What other features are included which would encourage me to buy it,
despite the obvious extraordinary graphics and car physics.

7th:
  If I do buy R.C., what the heck am I going to do with Colin McRae Rally?
It seems as primitive as the apes from 2001 A Space Odyssey now. I hope that
CMR2 will be at least as good as R.C?

8th:
  Do all the cars in R.C. handle differently? There's a noticeable
difference between each car in SCGT, GPL and the rest, so I hope that
there's the same feeling among R.C racers here?

9th:
  Are there any new cars, tracks, patches, utilities or add-ons available,
or will be available in the foreseeable future?

10:
  What's the force feedback like? Rally Championship has some VERY rough
terrain - can you feel it well, or is it as week as CMR?

Anything else you can think of, please let me know.

Best regards,

The Phoenix

The Phoenix

Go Rally!

I'll try :-)

Each stage had it's own weather conditions. It can be dry, it can rain, snow
etc. But, you cannot change the weather yourselve.

There's one, but not a very good one.

Yep, all the main 4wd cars are in the game except the Ford Focus.

As a standard :-)
In the newest patch you can even adjust the amount of damage. So you can set
weather you want your car to be wrecked if you crash against a tree, or that
it has only got a little scratch.

Thats why it is a sim :-) It is like that in real live. There are also some
wide roads.

Everyone loves it :-)

Nothin'.

Don't count on it.

I don't really feal any difference.

Some new car-skins are available. Also, as sad above, there's a patch. The
patch alows yo to set your own gripp levels, damage levels etc.

It's ok. Nothing more, nothing less.

Euh, it's just a great game.

Jarno

Sound advice. Thanks for all the tips!

I intend to buy it tomorrow.

Any chance of multiplayer capability?

Don't you just HATE that?

I like to be able to start a sim and select any car or track I desire. A
career option is fair enough I suppose, as it encourages it makes it a
little more realistic (but I'm still not happy with even that idea, and
rarely use it), but unlocking new cars by completing tasks like finishing a
stage in the quickest time possible is an awful way to play. More arcade
than simulator.

Best regards,

The Phoenix

One last question I forgot to ask in my previous post. Any chance of a
handbrake in R.C? There isn't one in the demo, which makes sliding around
those hairpins a bit tricky.

Real rally cars have them, so should we.

Best regards,

The Phoenix

I've got both TOCA2 and RC, they are both good, but are also very
different. Toca2  is definately more arcade than sim, but multiplayer
races are awesome (haven't found any good RC on-line races yet?) And
obviously they depict different forms of racing.

You cannot change the weather yourself, but there is different weather
effects on the stages.

Its ok, but I've seen better, and worse! All the important bits are
there, gear ratios, brakes, suspension, tyres, steering, etc.

Yes, lots.

It is modelled (badly IMHO) but the new patch lets you alter the damage,
as well as many other things, grip, brakes, etc.

Most of em are thin yes, cos that is wot the real thing is like, there
are some wider parts though in places.

Multiplay, (not tried it yet) via lan or internet, time trials, plenty
of game options, etc.

Carry on using it if you like it, no need to throw it just cos you got
summit new?

They are supposed to, but I don't notice *that* much difference, main
difference is in the class of cars, rather than each car in any one
class?

Yep, check the website for more info (The RC website, or see my website,
(the simulation section).

Don't know, I haven't got FF.

You could buy them both?

8-)

*Peter* -  http://www.cix.co.uk/~peterpc/home.html

8-)

*Peter* -  http://www.cix.co.uk/~peterpc/home.html

The Phoenix

Yep, Split-screen or trough network.

Jarno

The Phoenix

Off course we also have a handbrake :-)

Jarno

Simulates the real thing almost perfectly and the force feedback is second
to none (better than even GPL FF!)

Not entirely sure if I'll want to keep it or not yet, as there are some
parts which just don't feel good enough and other which are excellent.

I like the idea of racing against AI opponents in the arcade mode
especially. Getting past them can be real tricky!

Best regards,

The Phoenix

1.Each stage in a rally has different weather, but you can't change it. Rain,
snow, fog, day, night, etc. Snow is very well done.
2. You can tweak the setup, but not much: brake bias, steering speed, suspension
height and stiffness.
3. You can get 4wd cars by winning the champ or via cheat codes
4. Damage modeling is there, but see other posts for issues with that
5. Tracks vary from 5 miles to 26 miles and they're all pretty thin
6. It's fun and almost as ***ive as GPL, once you get used to its flaws
7. Dunno
8. I haven't noticed much difference between cars in a class. Between classes
the power differs noticeably
9. Lots of cars and sounds at www.simracing.com
10. Force feedback is pretty basic - just rumbling on rough roads.

BTW, I love it - when you get over 100mph in the dark on a narrow rough road and
you don't know when the next corner is coming because you missed your spotter's
warning, you get a feel for the real thing.

Phone: (250) 952-2447
Fax:   (250) 952-2072

Joe McGinn
_________________________
GA-Sports Writer
http://www.ga-sports.com/