Could someone advise a somewhat "easy" racing sim for me?

Basically, I'd like to purchase a racing sim and a force feedback racing wheel for my stepfather for his birthday. In his youth, he used to race sports cars for fun quite a bit. He's always been into car racing and never misses any major racing event anywhere, either in person or on tv if he can't make it. Anyway, my wife recently purchased for me a MOMO Racing Force and a few games (NFS:HS2, Rallisport Challance, Total Immersion Racing). I'm pretty new to the racing sim field (been an RPG'er mostly) but I am having an absolute blast and I figured he'd get a big kick out of this. (Especially since my mother won't let him buy a Ferrari! This'll be about as close as he's like to get to racing again...) Now, while I was playing these 3 titles above, I can see that if I put my stepfather behind the wheel of these games, he would have some fun but would likely be kind of frustrated. It has taken me a while to get used to the feel of the games and to keep from weaving ALL over the road and careening off of the edges, guard rails, etc. Once I had that was down I've been having a blast. But I can't imagine my stepdad having that kind of patience for the very FIRST racing sim game he would ever play. I figure, I'd like to give him something easy, that will be a lot of fun, hopefully show off some decent Force Feedback, and bring back the racing memories. Once he gets the hang of using a computer racing wheel to drive a virtual car, he'd probably be happy to graduate up to the more serious racing sims and have a real good time. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks in advance. Jeffrey

Do him a real favor and replace the TIR selection with F1-2002, and then install the GTR2002 mod for him. "Jeffrey" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

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> Basically, I'd like to purchase a racing sim and a force feedback > racing wheel for my stepfather for his birthday. > > In his youth, he used to race sports cars for fun quite a bit. He's > always been into car racing and never misses any major racing event > anywhere, either in person or on tv if he can't make it. > > Anyway, my wife recently purchased for me a MOMO Racing Force and a > few games (NFS:HS2, Rallisport Challance, Total Immersion Racing). > I'm pretty new to the racing sim field (been an RPG'er mostly) but I > am having an absolute blast and I figured he'd get a big kick out of > this. (Especially since my mother won't let him buy a Ferrari! > This'll be about as close as he's like to get to racing again...) > > Now, while I was playing these 3 titles above, I can see that if I put > my stepfather behind the wheel of these games, he would have some fun > but would likely be kind of frustrated. It has taken me a while to > get used to the feel of the games and to keep from weaving ALL over > the road and careening off of the edges, guard rails, etc. Once I had > that was down I've been having a blast. > > But I can't imagine my stepdad having that kind of patience for the > very FIRST racing sim game he would ever play. > > I figure, I'd like to give him something easy, that will be a lot of > fun, hopefully show off some decent Force Feedback, and bring back the > racing memories. Once he gets the hang of using a computer racing > wheel to drive a virtual car, he'd probably be happy to graduate up to > the more serious racing sims and have a real good time. > > Does anyone have any suggestions? > > Thanks in advance. > Jeffrey

Sports Car GT (EA) comes to mind. It has FF, you can greatly change the AI cars speed, and relatively easy to drive. I'm sure there are others, but this is the first one I thought of..... Rich. I'm sure there's a demo version you can download.

>Jeffrey" <[email hidden]> wrote > Does anyone have any suggestions? Rally Trophy. It's Gamespot' racing sim of the year. -- -- Fran�ois M�nard <ymenard> -- http://ymenard.cjb.net/ -- This announcement is brought to you by the Shimago-Dominguez Corporation - helping America into the New World...

I'd second that choice for an easy to learn sim with good feel and graphics. If he like stock cars then Papy's NASCAR Racing 2002 is a good choice, basically only sim I use. "ymenard" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:9sNO9.10728$%[email hidden]...

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> >Jeffrey" <[email hidden]> wrote > > Does anyone have any suggestions? > > > Rally Trophy. > > > It's Gamespot' racing sim of the year. > > > > > > > > > -- > -- Fran�ois M�nard <ymenard> > -- http://ymenard.cjb.net/ > -- This announcement is brought to you by the Shimago-Dominguez > Corporation - helping America into the New World... > >

1st sim should always be SCGT...no question When he grows to like that let him try GTR 2002...if he has the desire deep within you will know if he wants to give it a go.. Talking from experience with almost the same situation...:) AD

I would recommend Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed. It has sports cars, it is easy to learn, but it is much more realistic than the other Need for Speed games. "Jeffrey" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

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> Basically, I'd like to purchase a racing sim and a force feedback > racing wheel for my stepfather for his birthday. > > In his youth, he used to race sports cars for fun quite a bit. He's > always been into car racing and never misses any major racing event > anywhere, either in person or on tv if he can't make it. > > Anyway, my wife recently purchased for me a MOMO Racing Force and a > few games (NFS:HS2, Rallisport Challance, Total Immersion Racing). > I'm pretty new to the racing sim field (been an RPG'er mostly) but I > am having an absolute blast and I figured he'd get a big kick out of > this. (Especially since my mother won't let him buy a Ferrari! > This'll be about as close as he's like to get to racing again...) > > Now, while I was playing these 3 titles above, I can see that if I put > my stepfather behind the wheel of these games, he would have some fun > but would likely be kind of frustrated. It has taken me a while to > get used to the feel of the games and to keep from weaving ALL over > the road and careening off of the edges, guard rails, etc. Once I had > that was down I've been having a blast. > > But I can't imagine my stepdad having that kind of patience for the > very FIRST racing sim game he would ever play. > > I figure, I'd like to give him something easy, that will be a lot of > fun, hopefully show off some decent Force Feedback, and bring back the > racing memories. Once he gets the hang of using a computer racing > wheel to drive a virtual car, he'd probably be happy to graduate up to > the more serious racing sims and have a real good time. > > Does anyone have any suggestions? > > Thanks in advance. > Jeffrey

In addition to the fine suggestions already made above, I'd add Viper Racing. Good FF, modest system requirements, and you can jump right in. Jeffrey wrote:

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> Basically, I'd like to purchase a racing sim and a force feedback > racing wheel for my stepfather for his birthday. > > In his youth, he used to race sports cars for fun quite a bit. He's > always been into car racing and never misses any major racing event > anywhere, either in person or on tv if he can't make it. > > Anyway, my wife recently purchased for me a MOMO Racing Force and a > few games (NFS:HS2, Rallisport Challance, Total Immersion Racing). > I'm pretty new to the racing sim field (been an RPG'er mostly) but I > am having an absolute blast and I figured he'd get a big kick out of > this. (Especially since my mother won't let him buy a Ferrari! > This'll be about as close as he's like to get to racing again...) > > Now, while I was playing these 3 titles above, I can see that if I put > my stepfather behind the wheel of these games, he would have some fun > but would likely be kind of frustrated. It has taken me a while to > get used to the feel of the games and to keep from weaving ALL over > the road and careening off of the edges, guard rails, etc. Once I had > that was down I've been having a blast. > > But I can't imagine my stepdad having that kind of patience for the > very FIRST racing sim game he would ever play. > > I figure, I'd like to give him something easy, that will be a lot of > fun, hopefully show off some decent Force Feedback, and bring back the > racing memories. Once he gets the hang of using a computer racing > wheel to drive a virtual car, he'd probably be happy to graduate up to > the more serious racing sims and have a real good time. > > Does anyone have any suggestions? > > Thanks in advance. > Jeffrey

In addition to the fine suggestions already made above, I'd add Viper Racing. Good FF, modest system requirements, and you can jump right in.

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> Basically, I'd like to purchase a racing sim and a force feedback > racing wheel for my stepfather for his birthday. > In his youth, he used to race sports cars for fun quite a bit. He's > always been into car racing and never misses any major racing event > anywhere, either in person or on tv if he can't make it. > Anyway, my wife recently purchased for me a MOMO Racing Force and a > few games (NFS:HS2, Rallisport Challance, Total Immersion Racing). > I'm pretty new to the racing sim field (been an RPG'er mostly) but I > am having an absolute blast and I figured he'd get a big kick out of > this. (Especially since my mother won't let him buy a Ferrari! > This'll be about as close as he's like to get to racing again...) > Now, while I was playing these 3 titles above, I can see that if I put > my stepfather behind the wheel of these games, he would have some fun > but would likely be kind of frustrated. It has taken me a while to > get used to the feel of the games and to keep from weaving ALL over > the road and careening off of the edges, guard rails, etc. Once I had > that was down I've been having a blast. > But I can't imagine my stepdad having that kind of patience for the > very FIRST racing sim game he would ever play. > I figure, I'd like to give him something easy, that will be a lot of > fun, hopefully show off some decent Force Feedback, and bring back the > racing memories. Once he gets the hang of using a computer racing > wheel to drive a virtual car, he'd probably be happy to graduate up to > the more serious racing sims and have a real good time. > Does anyone have any suggestions? > Thanks in advance. > Jeffrey

"Haqsau" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:augk1l$73rso$[email hidden]... > I would recommend Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed. It has sports > cars, it is easy to learn, but it is much more realistic than the other > Need for Speed games. > Ditto. Not *my* first choice but I own it and it's good fun when GPL gets too much like work. SCGT seems to have some framerate issues on modern systems. I never could track down the cause but the graphics just aren't as fluid as they should be. D.

Need for Speed: Porsche It's safe to say that NFS Porsche will appeal to alot different gamers and nongamers. It was the first racing game I bought on my PC in a long time and really got me into racing with a wheel. I haven't gotten deep into the career mode because I have mostly been doing the quick races. Sports Car GT is also a good choice.

"e f" <[email hidden]> wrote:

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> Need for Speed: Porsche > > It's safe to say that NFS Porsche will appeal to alot different > gamers and nongamers. It was the first racing game I bought on my PC > in a long time and really got me into racing with a wheel. I haven't > gotten deep into the career mode because I have mostly been doing the > quick races.

I'll second that. NFS Porsche should appeal to older folks, for the fact that you can have races with cars from the fifties, which are real easy to drive. Load up Normandy, and it's like taking a nice drive in the countryside! You can gradually work your way up to the faster cars. The graphics are great too. I'd say it has all the ingredients to get a newbie interested in sim-racing. Ice D

I would aldo suggest Sports Car GT...it is easy to start out on...(check Speedsims.com for a demo)...it is cheap if you can find it it the bargain bin or Ebay...and has LOTS of cars and tracks you can add for FREE so you almost never run out of new tracks.... Kevin (aka tlgtr) **** "A GOOD friend will come bail you out of jail... but, a TRUE friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn we screwed up!!!!."

"Jeffrey" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... I would add Dirt Track Racing 1, 2 and Sprint Cars. They are completely entertaining and not as demanding as GPL or N 2002. Tim

I'll 3rd that :) I'm a teenager, so of course my friends dont have the patience for games like GPL or Rally Trophy, but they all love NFS PU. It feels realistic, yet it's easy to control, and the cars are cool :) Thanks, Alex "Ice D" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:cTYO9.50355$[email hidden]...

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> > "e f" <[email hidden]> wrote: > > > Need for Speed: Porsche > > > > It's safe to say that NFS Porsche will appeal to alot different > > gamers and nongamers. It was the first racing game I bought on my PC > > in a long time and really got me into racing with a wheel. I haven't > > gotten deep into the career mode because I have mostly been doing the > > quick races. > > I'll second that. NFS Porsche should appeal to older folks, for the fact > that you can have races with cars from the fifties, which are real easy to > drive. Load up Normandy, and it's like taking a nice drive in the > countryside! You can gradually work your way up to the faster cars. The > graphics are great too. I'd say it has all the ingredients to get a newbie > interested in sim-racing. > > Ice D > >

TIR is an updated SCGT-type game with much better graphics, more challenging AI, more realistic feel (with tweaks), and superior FF. It has the potential to be more of a sim but as it stands now I find it better than SCGT and a distant second to GTR 2002. -- Joe M. "Aidee" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:augcks$slh$[email hidden]... > 1st sim should always be SCGT...no question > > When he grows to like that let him try GTR 2002...if he has the desire deep > within you will know if he wants to give it a go.. > > Talking from experience with almost the same situation...:) > > AD > >

It really depends on the style of racing you like. I prefer NASCAR and have little use for TIR or GTR. Tried both and honestly I don't see why people make them out to be so great other than we all like different things. "Joe M." <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > TIR is an updated SCGT-type game with much better graphics, morechallenging

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> AI, more realistic feel (with tweaks), and superior FF. It has the > potential to be more of a sim but as it stands now I find it better than > SCGT and a distant second to GTR 2002. > > -- > Joe M. > > > "Aidee" <[email hidden]> wrote in message > news:augcks$slh$[email hidden]... > > 1st sim should always be SCGT...no question > > > > When he grows to like that let him try GTR 2002...if he has the desire > deep > > within you will know if he wants to give it a go.. > > > > Talking from experience with almost the same situation...:) > > > > AD > > > > > >

Thanks everyone for your input! I'll be able to get him started and hooked for sure! Jeffrey

TlgtrProd wrote: > I would aldo suggest Sports Car GT...it is easy to start out on...(check > Speedsims.com for a demo)...it is cheap if you can find it it the bargain bin SCGT gets my vote too, especially with all the extra tracks/cars including the new Nurburgring Nordschleife - great fun and very good to learn this track's 174 curves for GPL. Also get the Advanced Options Edtitor (AOE) though, that's what turns this game into a (reasonable) sim. And look for the PlusPatch to avoid installing 2234 other patches... Regards, Ruud

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>In his youth, he used to race sports cars for fun quite a bit. He's >always been into car racing and never misses any major racing event >anywhere, either in person or on tv if he can't make it. > >Now, while I was playing these 3 titles above, I can see that if I put >my stepfather behind the wheel of these games, he would have some fun >but would likely be kind of frustrated. It has taken me a while to >get used to the feel of the games and to keep from weaving ALL over >the road and careening off of the edges, guard rails, etc. Once I had >that was down I've been having a blast. > >But I can't imagine my stepdad having that kind of patience for the >very FIRST racing sim game he would ever play. > >I figure, I'd like to give him something easy, that will be a lot of >fun, hopefully show off some decent Force Feedback, and bring back the >racing memories. Once he gets the hang of using a computer racing >wheel to drive a virtual car, he'd probably be happy to graduate up to >the more serious racing sims and have a real good time. >

I have a way different viewpoint here. Credentials: I'm 56 and I raced sports cars from 1975-1985. GPL. The cars drive more like old time racing. None of the fantastic brakes and cornering abilities of modern sims like GTR. Simple but effective setup routine, instead of complicated high tech setups. In 79-80 I raced a Formula Ford with _no_ external shock damping adjustments. Many others did, also. Your worries about frustration: Give a guy who used to race some credit here. Going real racing is _hard_ and takes perseverence. And give him the maturity to work up through F3-F2-F1 (after you point that out to him), which minimizes the problems of control that you had. 2nd choice (if he is into NASCAR) - N2002. Anything like NFS, IMHO, would be much less interesting to a serious race fan and former racer. Trust him. He can handle it. bob

Viper Racing would be a great choice. Larry "Bob G" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:Z5NO9.37409$[email hidden]...

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> Do him a real favor and replace the TIR selection with F1-2002, and then > install the GTR2002 mod for him. > > > "Jeffrey" <[email hidden]> wrote in message > news:[email hidden]... > > Basically, I'd like to purchase a racing sim and a force feedback > > racing wheel for my stepfather for his birthday. > > > > In his youth, he used to race sports cars for fun quite a bit. He's > > always been into car racing and never misses any major racing event > > anywhere, either in person or on tv if he can't make it. > > > > Anyway, my wife recently purchased for me a MOMO Racing Force and a > > few games (NFS:HS2, Rallisport Challance, Total Immersion Racing). > > I'm pretty new to the racing sim field (been an RPG'er mostly) but I > > am having an absolute blast and I figured he'd get a big kick out of > > this. (Especially since my mother won't let him buy a Ferrari! > > This'll be about as close as he's like to get to racing again...) > > > > Now, while I was playing these 3 titles above, I can see that if I put > > my stepfather behind the wheel of these games, he would have some fun > > but would likely be kind of frustrated. It has taken me a while to > > get used to the feel of the games and to keep from weaving ALL over > > the road and careening off of the edges, guard rails, etc. Once I had > > that was down I've been having a blast. > > > > But I can't imagine my stepdad having that kind of patience for the > > very FIRST racing sim game he would ever play. > > > > I figure, I'd like to give him something easy, that will be a lot of > > fun, hopefully show off some decent Force Feedback, and bring back the > > racing memories. Once he gets the hang of using a computer racing > > wheel to drive a virtual car, he'd probably be happy to graduate up to > > the more serious racing sims and have a real good time. > > > > Does anyone have any suggestions? > > > > Thanks in advance. > > Jeffrey > >