10 reasons why Ferrari Challenge is better than GT5P

  • Thread starter Biggles
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I never had a problem with the FFB in GT4 at the time, but after discovering the FFB in FC, the FFB in GT5P seems weak & "under-informative". Others seem to think the FFB in GTR/2 is very good - I can't judge as I have never played PC sims, as I have always been a MAC user. Have you tried FC?

I know there are people who like GTR and GTR2 and I really tried to like them, well I paid for them after all, but in the end I never felt comfortable with them. Both games have a lot going for them in terms of the real feeling of a race weekend and I love Spa, but they just didn't hit the spot for feeling right.

Obviously this is a personal thing and while I've driven loads of cars over twenty years I haven't driven the cars in GTR in real life so perhaps that is the "real' feel, I don't know. I tried GT legends but again a Mini Cooper just doesn't feel like that, in my opinion. On the other hand I enjoyed Legends more.

All of this is not to say the GT5P is the best, as previous posters have said you need to use your ears and you can end up having to learn how fast to go and when to turn rather than feel it.

I've a friend who's just bought the latest in the GTR series (can't remember the name) and a new wheel so I hope to try it soon :-)

As for FC: I'd love to try it but I'm reluctant until they bring out the latest patch in Europe.
 
As for FC: I'd love to try it but I'm reluctant until they bring out the latest patch in Europe.

Unfortunately, it seems like development on Ferrari Challenge has come to a standstill as System 3 & Eutechnyx put all their efforts behind their new title, Super Car Challenge (which builds on the FC engine). So it's tough to say when or even if a new patch with the revised FFB code will ever be released for PAL users.

But the game can be had pretty cheaply now-a-days. I think this place was offering free worldwide shipping for $29.

Give it a try. The game does have many short comings but most people who play it with an open mind seem to really enjoy it. And the more 'quick' players on line the better. :)
 
No, assuming you're using the PAL version, there were three patches which should install automatically with your European PSN ID. You just won't have the latest FFB patch that NTSC users received with our one and only update last November. Honestly I don't think there was too much difference in the FFB after the patch but it did help to eliminate a big on-center dead zone.
 
Will I need a US PSN account in order to get the updates?

That's a good question! Has any EU user tried to get the NTSC update?

On the whole, EU users don't seem to have a problem without the V3 update, but I don't know if anyone has actually been able to directly compare the two versions.
 
Well, I've checked and I registered a US PSN account some time ago. So, in a couple of days we'll find out :-)

I'll let you know.
 
I think it doesn't work that way, the problem isn't your PSN account's region (because the upgrade isn't downloadable through the PSN Store), it is your game's version (PAL or NTSC).

I even thought about buying a NTSC game just to check what's the difference (and to get the 599) but in the end it would be foolish to do it.

EDIT: btw, I have a US PSN account also :dopey:
 
Can someone explain to me how to get the599. I'm on NTSC and even have the collector trophy for having all cars but I have never seen the 599???
 
Can someone explain to me how to get the599. I'm on NTSC and even have the collector trophy for having all cars but I have never seen the 599???

Yes, the link provided by Hun200kmh is correct. For further clarification, from the main screen, after you hit the START and then X button use the arrow keys:

UP UP DOWN DOWN LEFT LEFT RIGHT RIGHT UP UP DOWN DOWN LEFT LEFT RIGHT RIGHT. If done correctly, you immediately hear the engine sound like you do at the beginning of the game and there should be a black 599 in the showroom available to you.

But you have to be very precise when you enter the code. If you don't hit it exactly right, it doesn't work. When I first heard of this, I must have tried it 4-5 times and it never worked. I thought I had been fooled by some silly online prank. I then tired it using the buttons on my steering wheel and hit it the first time. (But I always said I was ham fisted with the Sixaxis.) :)

When all is said and done, you're not missing much. The 599 is a larger, heavier version of the 575M. It's faster in a straight line compared to the 430 Challenge but it's extra weight means MUCH longer braking distances and disappointing handling. People complain about the 599 in GT5P but IMO the Gamestop 599 in FC:TP is just plain...:ill::yuck: I don't care for it at all.
 
I will take the pledge and say this, FC isn't Gran Turismo or vice-versa. Totally different games, different physics and such. FC does something better than GT at least for now, physics and A.I playability. Also FFB is way better if you have a G25 playing FC, no dead zone unlike Gran Turismo 5. Yes graphics aren't that great but who's to say that GT is that good either?? I love both games and I will today start playing again. Hun has told me not to sell the game, I didn't played yesterday and I felt in love with the game all over again...maybe I am getting bored playing over and over the Prologue. The new events didn't do anything good for me, boring except for Eiger. Oh well...Hun I will text you later buddy and such. Let me know what's going on the on FC world! :P
 
One thing I'd like to mention is that Ferrari Challenge just happens to be one game, GT is a whole SERIES as such. So for starters, GT is a lot bigger. Second, you're comparing a demo to a game, which is not really supposed. When GT5 comes out, you'd better find out which is better THEN compare them.
 
@C-Zeta: We are not "taking sides" here, all FC players (at least in GTPlanet) are also devoted GT5P players, many of them Registry members.


EDIT: LR-PR-Protox, glad you didn't sell, currently people is mostly having fun with the "oldies". And I'm beggining to be a "wet" races addict :)
 
I'm sold. Since I'm not a very great driver and not a twitch gamer, a primary reason I play racing games is the feel of the car through my wheel. Since the consensus is that FC has some unusually good factors at work in the physics model as sensed through the wheel, I'm all over that and I'm buying a copy of FC today.

Here's to Polyphony politely panicking and making sure the real GT5 is just as good- sounds like it needs to happen, it's not like they're not taking the time over it ;)

I want a Yellowbird or better yet, Caterham Seven Fire Blade, on Nurburgring, with the type of feedback they talk about in FC.

...in the RAIN. No, make that the snow :D
 
I want a Yellowbird or better yet, Caterham Seven Fire Blade

You may have to settle for the '58 Testa Rossa 250 (or the '62 GTO) in FC. :drool:

It's amazing to have a "slow" car to drive, that just happens to be one of the most beautiful, rare & expensive cars ever built. :cheers:
(As you'll discover: it's definitely NOT a "twitch" car - you'll have to think about your braking point & racing line a couple of minutes in advance. ;))

Sure beats a Cappuchino... ;)
 
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hi :) you can have my PAL 100% save if it's of any use to you. will it work for you if you're in Brazil?
 

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I seem to be the only g25 user that thinks that the force feedback sucks, this I don't get

I don't know what to make of that. As I've said, I have no experience of PC sims to compare it to, but the FFB is way more "descriptive" than in GT5P, which makes all the difference to the driving feel. It does however, feel "weird" at first, if you're used to GT5P.

Even after the last (NTSC) update there is still a little bit of a "deadzone" in FC. This reduces the precision of the steering somewhat, but I don't mind it: it adds an element of extra difficulty in balancing the car around corners which gives the driving experience a bit of a raw edge.

Are you playing FC Timppaq? It would be interesting to see what times you can put down compared to the fastest FC racers...

Seems the dead zone feel greatly depends on the car your in,some are quite entertaining.

Testa Rossa FTW! I'm totally in love with driving this car...
 
I seem to be the only g25 user that thinks that the force feedback sucks, this I don't get :confused:

I run a G25 with FC and while I don't think the FFB sucks in fact like many here it's somewhat superior to PD's implementation of FFB in Prologue. However, nor am I convinced that it's better than Prologue.
FC does provide better weight transfer especially in relation to the front and rear wheel while braking. And the FFB itself is much stronger which makes the steering feels somewhat more convincing. What I do find missing in FFB and the steering is the actual weight of the car. Compared to Prologue, the F430 in FC feels lightweight and you don't feel the weight difference between the different Ferraris in FC. If you were to over shoot a turn in Prologue, the weight and the momentum of the car in GT Prologue provide a narrower window for correction. In FC, the window is seemingly much wider as I can pull the car out of trouble (note: I usually use S1 and S2 tires for Prologue).
 
If you were to over shoot a turn in Prologue, the weight and the momentum of the car in GT Prologue provide a narrower window for correction. In FC, the window is seemingly much wider as I can pull the car out of trouble (note: I usually use S1 and S2 tires for Prologue).

This is at the heart of the difference between the physics of the two games IMO
. When you're cornering in FC, I agree it seems like there is a wider "window of correction", but I think that the reason for that, is that you can more easily feel where your momentum is going to take you, because the FFB is giving your more information.

In FC, when you take a corner you can more easily make corrections: if you're going too fast you can sense through the FFB where your momentum is going to take you & back off the throttle. Alternatively, you can sense through the FFB if you have room to go faster & you can apply more throttle through & out of the apex.

Yes, it's true that once you get used to it, it is easier to drive consistently fast in FC, but the reason for that is the FFB is providing the information you need to make the constant adjustments necessary to maximize your speed. I believe this corresponds more closely to the way driving is IRL. (Please note: this does not mean that the actual physics of FC are necessarily more realistic than GT5P's.)

In contrast, GT5P provides much less FFB information so that the driver is more dependent on experience & less on feel. The best drivers in GT5P are able to put up very fast & consistent lap times, but it requires many, many laps of repetition to achieve that. In GT5P, typically people will run the same track over & over again in a session, while in FC, because of the online functionality, people typically race a whole series of tracks one after another in a session.

I suspect people would struggle much harder to achieve consistent performance in GT5P if they were racing across a range of tracks one after another. This is not so much because the physics are so much more difficult than FC's (although it is possible that they are somewhat more difficult), but more because the lack of feel that GT5P provides.
 
I picked it up for 19 GBP and Delivery is about 5 GPB,total is $50 brand new from the UK on ebay,sick of looking at it sitting on the shelves here in oz for over $100.
 
Block Busters m8. I would of sold you my copy as it was just gavering dust, but I gave it to my m8's nipper. They also have Prolouge for £7.99
 
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