PC Driving/Racing Games

[Maty]

Hi,

Ok so I have decided to take the plunge and buy a PC to be used purely for games. I've spent a couple of weeks working out the kind of spec I need etc and I'm just about ready to get the thing ordered (once the credit card to pay for it arrives that is!). So next thing is games............

I'm mainly into racing/driving games and also things like GTA etc. Now I've been looking at videos on you tube of GT Legends and RFactor. What strikes me about these videos is that the graphics don't exactly look very impressive in terms of in car views and scenery etc. Therefore I am presuming that the game play is far more realistic than anything provided on a console system, is that a correct assumption??

What other advantages are there over buying a PC for games rather than either a 360 or PS3 (I already have a 360 but I'm always waiting for the RROD)??

Also iRacing, how much is the monthly subscription?? Is it worth it??

What other PC racing games are worth a look??

[craste]

http://www.onlive.com/

check this before buying a big spec pc - could save you a fortune.

iracing is good but feels a bit cold and a bit too proffesional.

I have a PS3 and Gran turismo 5 Prologue - its great with a logitech Steering wheel and when the full game comes out hopefully christmas it will be a petrol heads wet dream.

[Maty]

Thanks for the reply....but that site is still in beta testing and will be released initially in America??

http://www.onlive.com/service/faq.html

Thought about a PS3 but I'm after something more realistic, simulation type stuff, hence the PC question. Watched a few vids of GT5, graphics look very good but the handling looks a bit crap.

[Holst]

rFactor is quite an old game now so its not as beautiful as some. GTL is even older than rFactor.
But the avalability of cars and tracks is excelent, as are the physics and online racing (especially if you join the PH league)

Iracing is a strange one. Personally I didnt get on with it at all, but other people on the forum think its great.

[Maty]

Is there anything more up to date that can compete with Forza or GT??

[FourWheelDrift]

Maty said:

Is there anything more up to date that can compete with Forza or GT??

Depends if you want a flashy arcade game or a simulator?

[Holst]

FourWheelDrift said:

Maty said:

Is there anything more up to date that can compete with Forza or GT??

Depends if you want a flashy arcade game or a simulator?

You could have just said no

Rfactor2 will probably be better looking, but im not sure on a release date. Plus I wont be able to play it as my PC is too slow.. Dobbo and MJ will have to race in there own series with there mega PC's.

Rfactor is pretty good to look at with the right car models and a high detail track.. some are much better than others.

Its not all about the looks, any game you can play on a joypad wont be as realistic as a propper sim.

[SlipStream77]

Try GTR Evo, it's very similar to rFactor in the way the cars handle/feel but the graphics have been improved. There are frequently fields of around 25 drivers in GT/Touring cars doing 3 laps races at the Nordschleife, and at the front the driving standards are very high making for close and clean racing.

Having said that, some of the mods for rFactor are extremely good graphically as well as in terms of physics. Virtua LM tracks are excellent such as Mid Ohio, Le Mans and Rouen, and cars such as the Porsche Carrera Cup and Epsilon Euskadi are very professionally finished.

HTH

[Maty]

FourWheelDrift said:

Maty said:

Is there anything more up to date that can compete with Forza or GT??

Depends if you want a flashy arcade game or a simulator?

This was my point in the original post! Are PC racing games aimed more at being realistic rather than flashy graphics? Given that I am spending iro 600 quid on a PC I was kind of expecting the best of both worlds, stunning graphics and realism.

Had a look at GTR Evo, looks ok.

What other games would people recommend?

[Altrezia]

Maty said:

FourWheelDrift said:

Maty said:

Is there anything more up to date that can compete with Forza or GT??

Depends if you want a flashy arcade game or a simulator?

This was my point in the original post! Are PC racing games aimed more at being realistic rather than flashy graphics? Given that I am spending iro 600 quid on a PC I was kind of expecting the best of both worlds, stunning graphics and realism.

Had a look at GTR Evo, looks ok.

What other games would people recommend?

Other than rFactor/GTL/GTR2/GTRevo:

iRacing
Live for Speed
Netkar Pro

[Mr_Yogi]

I think as a general rule any game which is avaiable across Consoles and PCs (Grid, Dirt, GTR etc.) should look equally as good on a decent PC if not better.

Console exclusives such as Gran Turismo and Forza are 1st Party games financed by Sony and MS respectively so have large budgets for art assets, PC only sims can only dream of such budgets so just don't have the same quality and qantity of assets.

Also the closed box nature of consoles and games targeted purely to a particular consoles strengths are going to extract much more from the hardware than a PC games written to DirectX which has to support thousands of CPU/ Memory/ GPU/ OS configurations.

That said, as has been said PC sims are not bad looking and some of the rFactor mods do look great, inparticular some of the Virtual LM tracks. In addition, decent PC GPU's can apply high levels of AA and AF which can make a big difference to image qualtiy.

[Altrezia]

Mr_Yogi said:

I think as a general rule any game which is avaiable across Consoles and PCs (Grid, Dirt, GTR etc.) should look equally as good on a decent PC if not better.

Console exclusives such as Gran Turismo and Forza are 1st Party games financed by Sony and MS respectively so have large budgets for art assets, PC only sims can only dream of such budgets so just don't have the same quality and qantity of assets.

Also the closed box nature of consoles and games targeted purely to a particular consoles strengths are going to extract much more from the hardware than a PC games written to DirectX which has to support thousands of CPU/ Memory/ GPU/ OS configurations.

That said, as has been said PC sims are not bad looking and some of the rFactor mods do look great, inparticular some of the Virtual LM tracks. In addition, decent PC GPU's can apply high levels of AA and AF which can make a big difference to image qualtiy.

And the framerates are 10x better on a PC - so much smoother - really makes me get frustrated when I go back to Forza/GT5/RacePro now.

[peterh2]

I'm a big iRacing fan. IMO the graphics are very good and you know the tracks are accurate as they have been laser scanned. There isn't the massive selection of cars and tracks that some games offer but a lot of this is due to the time it takes them to laser scan each car and track and then integrate them flawlessly. It really is a very high quality product.

The safety rating ensures good clean racing and the iRating (basically a score showing how good you are at it) means that you get entered into races with people of similar ability when possible which results in close races which are excellent fun.

I'm currently in the Skip Barber Formula 2000 series and don't think I will move up to the Formula Mazda for a while as I'm having so much fun learning the tracks and getting faster!

PS I would highly recommend a Logitech G25 wheel and pedals.

[Maty]

Thanks for the replies guys, I see what you mean about the big companies and the console games. I watched a video of GTA on YouTube in HD for the PC and that looked pretty impressive compared to the 360.

How much is the iRacing subscription per month?

[peterh2]

Maty said:

Thanks for the replies guys, I see what you mean about the big companies and the console games. I watched a video of GTA on YouTube in HD for the PC and that looked pretty impressive compared to the 360.

How much is the iRacing subscription per month?

Depends how long you subscribe for. Prices are listed here

[tim-b]

TBH, I wouldn't recommend iRacing as a first point of call - as good as it is, you will probably find it very frustrating for quite a while as it's very difficult to get into. I'd say GTR-evo is a better bet, it's far more manageable (although still a world away from console games) and would be a decent starting point for launching a sim-racing addiction! I think iRacing is just too intense even for many seasoned sim-fans, it's great but requires a big commitment in time to get anything out of it IMHO, and might scare you off!

[FourWheelDrift]

Also a lot of the videos on Youtube are dependant on the graphics settings the originating PC is running, they might not have all the details up. Some people still post videos and even screenshots on the RfactorCentral site and don't even have shadows turned on.

This is a nice video to watch - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xphQ08xA16M watch in HQ or download the full HD video from the description link.

You also have to remember that simulation games use tracks if they are real with the same level of objects that the real track has. They are now laser GPS'd both track levels and objects around them.

And if you want to race online you aren't restricted by the number of drivers taking part, if the circuit can physically allow 50+ you can have over 50 people racing.

[timbob]

Live for Speed for me - it's the only game I've played since GPL where the tyres feel just right.

[FourWheelDrift]

But the tyres were never right in GPL in the first place. That was one of the things they made great efforts to change for the 1965 and 1966 Mods.

[timbob]

FourWheelDrift said:

But the tyres were never right in GPL in the first place. That was one of the things they made great efforts to change for the 1965 and 1966 Mods.

Indeed - and the 65 mod (not driven the 66 mod) feels fantastic. But even though the tyres were wrong in GPL, they just felt right. It felt like you were actually driving something real.

LFS is a whole world better, it's kept the feeling of GPL, but done the realism thing properly as well.

All IMO - and I do love rFactor as well incidentaly.