rec.autos.simulators

LFS is out because the AI is shockingly poor. GT Evo has failed to grow on me even
though it probably offers the best rendition of the 'Ring so far. The AI's good,
but the driving leaves me unsatisfied.

So I found myself back at rfactor for the first time since getting my triplehead
setup working, and actually had some fun messing about it in the Sauber F1 car...
on a superspeedway, then the 'Ring. So I thought I'd go exploring RSC and assorted
sites in search of mod recommendations. But with so many to choose from (and they
can't all be great!) I wondered if anyone here had trawled through a lot of mods
and found anything particularly satisfying to drive recently.

Andrew McP

GP

I also added one of the recent Nordschleife tracks and was very impressed indeed!
http://rfactorcentral.com/detail.cfm?ID=Nordschleife%202007
That seems in some ways better than the Evo version, which had definitely become my
favourite until now. I need to learn the new part of the circuit though... I got
completely confused. :-)

Ah, you see now you've gone and made me wonder whether I can trust you. ;-)

I disliked the Race07 demo. Again there was no connection to the tarmac for me. So
I only bought it in order to add GTR Evo, which I hoped would inject some life into
the experience. Sadly, although I enjoy the overall product as a racing experience,
and enjoy their version of the 'Ring a lot, I struggle to feel how the cars I'm sat
in are connected to the track.

How to explain this? In iRacing I can very easily suspend my disbelief... I simply
feel like I'm driving a real vehicle. In other sims I always feel like I'm driving
by remote control. The vehicles behave realistically, but I don't feel I'm in the
seat in anything like the same way iRacing manages to convey.

Again I return to my boring theme... iRacing has ruined me. :-) I can have the
driving experience I long for in an online sim experience I don't care for, or the
offline sim experience I want without the driving experience I now demand!

Life is, as ever, cruel. :-) I started off the Skip Barber Liberation Front as a
joke on iRacing to wrap around my recent movie. But I think I'm serious now... I
won't be happy until the Skip Barber is liberated from iRacing and put into a sim I
can enjoy offline as well as on.

I may be in for a very, very, very long wait indeed!

Andrew McP

PS I should start a Paypal collection site. I reckon I could get enough small
contributions from you lot to keep me subscribed to iRacing forever. At least then
you'd be spared my repeated public whining. I could whinge there instead. But
that's no fun. In iRacing space, no-one else can hear you scream! ;-)

Try the BMW E21 320 sometime, these cars are a blast and provide some
good, close online racing (ok offline, too). Come join us on our
"Screamers Open Practise" server sometime so that we can begin the
recruiting process ;-) We currently run the Watkins Glen 70years
Historical track, should be an interesting race.

Has anyone tried running 15-18 drivers on this track online? It looks
like the pitlane is a bit short of pitboxes...

All the best, Uwe

--

Andrew McP

You obviously won't be happy until you do..

As for Race 07, I should have been more specific. The feel of my
Logitech wheel was just right without messing with anything, the game
itself is just ok.. rFactor has the best online play IMO, and seems to
have tte most cars and tracks available.

Now you can trust me again.. ;-)

GP

Besides the pound has tanked against the dollar. This is no time to be spending
more than absolutely necessary in the USA.

Ok, but only a little bit. :-)

Andrew McP

You obviously won't be happy until you do..

As for Race 07, I should have been more specific. The feel of my
Logitech wheel was just right without messing with anything, the game
itself is just ok.. rFactor has the best online play IMO, and seems to
have tte most cars and tracks available.

Now you can trust me again.. ;-)

GP

AP, do you know of a sport over there called Trials, or Observed trials?  It
is a sport done with Motorcycles...   (to be frank Im not sure where 'over
there' is, as I conjure up to many assumptions when you say pounds when I
say dollars, LOL.  and tanked as in how much?  (ok I can Google and check
myself, but tell me...)    As it was just over 2 dollars to a pound when I
ordered my motorcycle that comes from Spain, 3 months ago.

The Lotus Elan from the Historic GT & Touring cars mod is my current (i
mean, this week's) favourite. Great on tracks such as Varano, Livet
Glen, Barber Motorsports, Oulton Park, Eastern Creek Laser or Mid-Ohio.
I recently rediscovered a version of the 'ring which seems really good
graphically and fps-wise (Nordschleife The Ring 2007 2.20a on rFC).

Regards
Mr. Sylvestre.

BTW, I hate your iRacing movies. My credit card is getting dangerously
close to a first iRacing subscription despite the fact that I am not
much into online racing and I am not too enthusiastic about their
business model either.

In the mean time though (and not a million miles away) I stumbled across a Huttu
vid on hughtoob of him driving a GTL Porsche 906 at the 'Ring. It motivated me to
put some time into GTL again, and after installing the latest GTL version of the
Nordschleife (similar to the rFactor one you mention) I found myself having a
rather good time. Well, I would be having a good time if I could work out how to
consistently stop the Porsche's tail beating its nose into corners. :->

It's a challenge anyway, which is what I needed. While GTL doesn't give me quite
the same feeling of being in control of real metal & *** on real tarmac, it's a
lot better -- sadly -- than the Race07/Evo engine.

I used to say everyone should try it. Now I'm increasingly inclined to say STAY
AWAY. iRacing f*cks you up! :-)

Hello, my name's Andrew and I haven't had an iRace for eight days. But I know I'm
going to need another fix of that amazing driving model soon. iRacing... can't live
with it, can't live without it! Maybe I should suggest that to them as a marketing
slogan?

It does sound like you might end up in a similar position to myself, very impressed
by the cars & tracks, but less impressed by the strict limitations on how we can
use them. If I write down a rational list of likes/dislikes about iRacing I would
never spend another penny with them. I am just nowhere near serious enough about my
racing as iRacing demands 12 weeks out of 13. But... the b*stards happen to have
written the best damned sim code on the planet. It's a *** I tell you!

Oh, hang on... I did tell you, didn't I. Repeatedly. :->

Andrew McP... currently distracting himself with GTL, the gruesome & rather 'Arghhh,
don't panic!!!!' Left4Dead demo, and a 21 day trial of Eve Online... it's a science
fiction nerd's paradise, with a mere 18,000-21,000 online every time I've logged on
so far. They may charge you every month like iRacing, but at least they don't tell
you where and when you can drive your spacecraft! :-)

I don't rent iRacing, but I've read that Greger Huttu, has won 45 road races out
of 46 starts, and the one loss was due to him letting someone by because of
an ealier incident (this from a post at RSC).

Regarding the rFactor mods, I also like the Porsche (PCC) 2007 mod. I still
like the CTDP 2005 F1 mod as sell. The in game Panoz is also fun (I like the
sound of the engine).

Andrew McP