Sim racing

[RedRider]

Anybody big into sim racing as well? I'm considering getting into it, but before I dump money into peripherals, was curious if any of you had experiances, positive or negative, to share.

 

Seems like the racing community is much more robust. Lots more support from hardware/software developers. I suppose that's due partially to cars being less complicated than military aircraft. I'm kind of on the wall regarding triple monitors vs a 50"+ 4k tv, and from what I've read, sim racing does better with triple monitors, which is sort of making me lean that ways.

 

Thoughts?

[Abburo]

Not big in sim racing, but I do own Assetto Corsa and Rfactor2, also I played a lot of other titles before.

3 monitors are a clear winner for racing, however I am happy with my single 4k monitor as well.

A Logitech Gwhatever or a Thrustmaster force feedback are also part of "wanted" equipments. Without FF everything is just flat. Pedals are also mandatory while a H shifter is a nice to have.

 

Racing sim are less complex then aviation for sure. If you have the basic knowledge of car setup parameters (toe angles, weight distribution, power distribution, drag forces, etc). then you will be able to feel that a half degree of toe angles affects your car performance. When this will happen then you can really say you are mastering sim racing.

 

Now, regarding the titles on the market, besides the 2 I mention in the beginning, all the rest could be considered arcadish... including the so marketed Project CARS (developed by the former team that was behind Need for Speed).

Assetto and Rfactor2 are on a real dispute. Both have good dynamics, but both have some weakneses:

- Assetto dynamic is slightly inferior

- Rfactor2 has an old graphic engine

- AI for Assetto is arguable

 

Best feeling on driving is given by Rfactor2. You really know before what to do due to the almost perfect force feedback integration.

Asseto graphics however compensate the wheel feeling making a very realistic look landscapes/cars and so.

 

I strongly recommended having both if is possible for you.

 

BTW: not racing, but a very nice driving feeling in Euro Trucks Simulator. This is a real time killer game actually, a very good sleep starter for me in the late night :D. 5 minutes of big wheel simulator and I found myself in a deep sleep on the armchair :D

Edited September 15, 2015 by Abburo

[RedRider]

Not big in sim racing, but I do own Assetto Corsa and Rfactor2, also I played a lot of other titles before.

3 monitors are a clear winner for racing, however I am happy with my single 4k monitor as well.

A Logitech Gwhatever or a Thrustmaster force feedback are also part of "wanted" equipments. Without FF everything is just flat. Pedals are also mandatory while a H shifter is a nice to have.

 

Racing sim are less complex then aviation for sure. If you have the basic knowledge of car setup parameters (toe angles, weight distribution, power distribution, drag forces, etc). then you will be able to feel that a half degree of toe angles affects your car performance. When this will happen then you can really say you are mastering sim racing.

 

Now, regarding the titles on the market, besides the 2 I mention in the beginning, all the rest could be considered arcadish... including the so marketed Project CARS (developed by the former team that was behind Need for Speed).

Assetto and Rfactor2 are on a real dispute. Both have good dynamics, but both have some weakneses:

- Assetto dynamic is slightly inferior

- Rfactor2 has an old graphic engine

- AI for Assetto is arguable

 

Best feeling on driving is given by Rfactor2. You really know before what to do due to the almost perfect force feedback integration.

Asseto graphics however compensate the wheel feeling making a very realistic look landscapes/cars and so.

 

I strongly recommended having both if is possible for you.

 

BTW: not racing, but a very nice driving feeling in Euro Trucks Simulator. This is a real time killer game actually, a very good sleep starter for me in the late night :D. 5 minutes of big wheel simulator and I found myself in a deep sleep on the armchair :D

What size is your 4k monitor? I figured a 4k monitor would be best for DCS, but that a really big screen size would be necessary to take advantage of the extra pixel density. TrackIR with a 50"+ curved screen TV sounds like it would be perfect for DCS. Just wish the input lag would come down some more on the TVs...

 

Thanks for your input. I'm interested in iRacing as well... I know it's subscription, but the idea of scheduled/managed race events appeals to me.

 

I have to admit, the truck simulator strikes me as a boring idea. But I can't knock it if I've never tried it!

[Abburo]

Rfactor2 have some nice online races too... did not participate myself but I read about them. iRacing is not as good on simulation, kind of arcadish too, but now it is a matter of personal tastes after all.

 

I have a 28" 4k Gsync monitor - Acer - http://us.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/model/UM.PB0AA.001

 

Cons: small size for 4K - I have compensate this by keeping it quite close to me (very close), so that it will occupy me same field of view as my former 42" TV

 

Pros: gaming monitor - 4K:60Hz, G-Sync, TN technology with the smallest response time. Pixel density on small size creates a kind of retina display feel.

4K in DCS is very effective, making spotting enemy airplanes much more better. Spotting however will be improved in next engine.

 

A very good monitor option is also the Acer 34" : http://www.144hzmonitors.com/monitors/acer-xr341cka-34-inch-ultrawide-curved-g-sync-ips-gaming-monitor/

It have the perfect resolution for its size and it has G-sync/Freesync (there are two physical models). Not cheap at all, but with a good reason in my opinion.

[Strix]

I would recommend Project CARS for racing sim. Best sim racing for now.

Assetto is good to, but P-Cars is a lot more cars and tracks.

IRacing is for pro's that want clean racing online. Takes ages to get your license upgraded with a lot of hours practicing for it. Make mistake and u lose points on license...

All other is a mess online if you do not join a league.

F1 2015 is a mess for now, released to early with a lot of problems online and offline. TX wheel have almost no FFB in that game and make it impossible to drive fast.

 

A good start is: TX Racing Wheel Servo Base, http://www.thrustmaster.com/en_US/products/tx-racing-wheel-servo-base and then a wheel add-on of your choice from Thrustmaster!, for pedals, T3PA-PRO ADD-ON, http://www.thrustmaster.com/en_US/products/t3pa-pro-add quite good with conical add-on brake mod.

Maybe a H-shifter from Thrustmaster if you got the money.

 

Or go for pro wheels like Fanatec, a lot better, but you have to pay lots of money for it.

 

My experience of TX Racing Wheel Ferrari 458 Italia Edition is good. I use it with a F1 add-on for open wheels racing and 458 wheel for all other racing. Before I did have the T500RS, almost same as TX, but TX use brush-less motor! Makes it more smooth when driving.

 

I use a 40" 4K Philips and it is great with a big monitor.

 

Everything comes down to money, the more you can spend, the better hardware you get. And probably better driving experience with it.

Edited September 15, 2015 by Strix

[SkateZilla]

I was A Class within a week on iRacing.

[RedRider]

I would recommend Project CARS for racing sim. Best sim racing for now.

Assetto is good to, but P-Cars is a lot more cars and tracks.

IRacing is for pro's that want clean racing online. Takes ages to get your license upgraded with a lot of hours practicing for it. Make mistake and u lose points on license...

All other is a mess online if you do not join a league.

F1 2015 is a mess for now, released to early with a lot of problems online and offline. TX wheel have almost no FFB in that game and make it impossible to drive fast.

 

A good start is: TX Racing Wheel Servo Base, http://www.thrustmaster.com/en_US/products/tx-racing-wheel-servo-base and then a wheel add-on of your choice from Thrustmaster!, for pedals, T3PA-PRO ADD-ON, http://www.thrustmaster.com/en_US/products/t3pa-pro-add quite good with conical add-on brake mod.

Maybe a H-shifter from Thrustmaster if you got the money.

 

Or go for pro wheels like Fanatec, a lot better, but you have to pay lots of money for it.

 

My experience of TX Racing Wheel Ferrari 458 Italia Edition is good. I use it with a F1 add-on for open wheels racing and 458 wheel for all other racing. Before I did have the T500RS, almost same as TX, but TX use brush-less motor! Makes it more smooth when driving.

 

I use a 40" 4K Philips and it is great with a big monitor.

 

Everything comes down to money, the more you can spend, the better hardware you get. And probably better driving experience with it.

I hear ya on the money part. And I thought flight sims had some expensive hardware... man, the sky is the limit with racing.

 

Part of my problem is I'm a big proponent of buy once, cry once. I just bought the warthog HOTAS after using x52 for 2 years, and I'm kicking myself for not just getting the warthog from the beginning. I didn't save money in the long run.

 

Unfortunately, it looks like the Open Sim Wheel is the warthog of the racing world. But cheapest I can find people building them for is about $1k. And that's not including pedals. I read you definitely get your money's worth, but I'm worried I'll find out I prefer flight sims to racing. I'm a pilot by trade, but I also like fast cars. Can't drive mine fast legally, just like I can't fly my airplane like I can in DCS... LEGALLY.

 

Hrm... priorities, priorities. Sims sure ain't cheap!

[fargone]

I've taken to sim racing over the last 6 months.

 

Do it.. its a blast!

 

Assetto Corsa would appear to be the DCS of racing. Might not have the most features but seemingly has the best physics and feel.

 

I bought a 2nd hand G25 set, its brilliant. Been having a blast while i await DCS2.

[QuiGon]

Are you more into road/circuit racing or rally/offroad racing?

 

Since no one has mentioned rally racing yet I will recommend Dirt Rally, which is at the end of it's Early Access phase now and is much to my suprise pretty good and realistic. The last good rally game was Richard Burns Rally from 2004, so I'm happy to have something new to race, since Project Cars dropped the rally part.

[Art-J]

Unfortunately, it looks like the Open Sim Wheel is the warthog of the racing world. But cheapest I can find people building them for is about $1k. And that's not including pedals. I read you definitely get your money's worth, but I'm worried I'll find out I prefer flight sims to racing.

 

You might consider Thrustmaster T500RS wheel and pedal combo +TH8RS shifter then. That's what I'd actually call a "HOTAS Warthog" equivalent of racing gear, which means "top of the line amongst mass produced units", with only some Small-Production-and-Outrageous-Prices gear above it (true, most probably better, but also not recommended for someone who's not sure if he'll like the new hobby or not).

[NineLine]

I love racing, haven't done much of it as of late, but rFactor, iRacing, I was big into both. I even was in a session with Dale Earnhardt junior and TJ Majors, got brake checked by TJ Majors cuz I was to slow in one section and I guess I pissed him off lol....

 

Some of the best MP experiences I have had were running in a pack at a Super Speedway in iRacing.

[MTFDarkEagle]

Oh man in my years I've done aaaall race sims...

At the moment still runing my trusty G25 which I got when it was first released, in combination with a TH8RS shifter.

 

Looking to upgrade eventually, but doubting between the T500RS setup vs a Fanatec set.. Anyone with hands on experience on both?

[PureEvil]

i'd say first get yourself Logitech G27 and start sim racing, see how it goes. who knows, maybe racing is not your thing, so why all this waste of money on triple screens high-end shifters, pedals, hand brake, rev meter and so on?

[agrasyuk]

...

 

I have to admit, the truck simulator strikes me as a boring idea. But I can't knock it if I've never tried it!

 

It is in a way boring, no adrenalin of a race, but yet it is very fun in a completely different way. Can't really explain. :music_whistling: I do have quite a few hours clocked in the eurotruck sim , yet to get the expansion maps. find it very playable even with just keyboard. Tuning in to inet-radio station of country I'm driving through really sets the mood. It is understandable of its not your cup of tea, but judjing by steam rating I'm not alone in this madness.

[cichlidfan]

Tuning in to inet-radio station of country I'm driving through really sets the mood. It is understandable of its not your cup of tea, but judjing by steam rating I'm not alone in this madness.

 

I have sunk a few hours into it myself, but my brother, who used to play nothing but racing sims/games, was addicted to the truck sim for quite a while.

[GeorgeLKMT]

Euro Truck.. yup :lol: Still haven't found my house though.

 

[cichlidfan]

This is a real time killer game actually, a very good sleep starter for me in the late night :D. 5 minutes of big wheel simulator and I found myself in a deep sleep on the armchair :D

 

I trust that you don't drive for a living! :P

[RedRider]

Thanks guys. Yup, probably will start with G27. Fairly inexpensive way to figure out if I like racing. If I do, then I'll spend the money on upgrades.

[Art-J]

Mind You, all of the sims (and I mean ALL of them, really), which do not provide some developer-organized servers with safety ratings (that would be iRacing only If I'm not wrong) suffer from the same major online problems:

 

a) pickup races with unknown people are full of idiots who think they can win a race at first turn, causing massive crashes and wiping out half of the field; then they rage-quit when realize they're not as good as they thought they were;

 

b) safe and clean online racing can be done on closed servers, in organized leagues. Not everyone has time or will for such a scheduled commitment, though.

 

iRacing is a different animal, seems to have this aspect more or less under control, but subscription-based sim is not for everyone.

 

Then there's an offline racing, but it has a fair share of issues as well, since programming good racing AI is at least as difficult as programming a good flying AI and sadly, today's racing sim developers do a mediocre job at best.

[NineLine]

Its like any sim/game, you MP experience will vary depending on where you hang out and who you hang out with.

 

 

Mind You, all of the sims (and I mean ALL of them, really), which do not provide some developer-organized servers with safety ratings (that would be iRacing only If I'm not wrong) suffer from the same major online problems:

 

a) pickup races with unknown people are full of idiots who think they can win a race at first turn, causing massive crashes and wiping out half of the field; then they rage-quit when realize they're not as good as they thought they were.

 

b) safe and clean online racing can be done on closed servers, in organized leagues. Not everyone has time or will for such a scheduled commitment, though

 

iRacing seems to have this aspect more or less under control, but subscription-based sim is not for everyone.

 

Then there's an offline racing, but it has a fair share of issues as well, since programming good racing AI is at least as difficult as programming a good flying AI and sadly, today's racing sim developers do a mediocre job at best.

[SkateZilla]

i keep my iRacing account active simply because its the only racing title I go to nowadays.

 

Forza went downhill And I refuse to drop another 500 for a decent wheel for Xbox One.

 

Single Player mode AI cars drive me nuts, lol.

[sydost]

About the wheels I think Thrustmaster T300 wheels are quite good. A slightly newer force feedback technology than T500 and quite a bit cheaper too. Biggest drawback is that it has only a two pedal system so if you want clutch you need to buy separate pedals.

[SMan]

Go the triple screen, the peripheral view will really help in close quarters. G27 wheel or better & throw in a button box. I've spent a fair bit of money & time on iRacing. The safety penalty system is a pain, but would never race AI again.

[PFunk1606688187]

Stock Car Extreme is my favourite. No other sim gives me a sense of control and feel for what the car is doing like that sim.

[agrasyuk]

Finally got to setup my G27 properly. It's much more comfortable to play when wheel securely fastened to the surface and chair doesn't roll away on hard pedal presses. it was some time ago that i bought Assetto Corsa , only now got it installed . for past few days i been busy burning out transmission boxes in that poor little fiat :lol: