Assetto Corsa or Project Cars

Assetto Corsa or Project Cars

  • Assetto Corsa

    Votes: 85 85.0%
  • Project Cars

    Votes: 15 15.0%

  • Total voters
    100
After playing PCars for some months i have to say.

The game would be good if wasn't so many bugs! I was playing a endurance online championship right now and it was so many bugs with so many people in the race that it had to be canceled.

Aside from the fact that the physics isn't that great as the internet foruns before the game was launched said. I'm really frustraded with the game right now, and the only reason i still play it now is the online championship and my money invested on a wheel, pedals, shiffter etc...
 
I hear you on the bugs. We have races with points and endurance races stopped by bugs all the time. A few people have need a period away from playing PCARS because they were so frustrated. We all still keep coming back.
 
I have really no options on PS4 right now. So yes, i have to go back to it. Thinking in take a PS3 and get back to GT6(wich is so freaking fun to me).
 
Depends on what you want. PCars has absolutely gorgeous weather effects and in many way is more complete than AC. AC has, however, far, far better FFB and physics.

What we really need is Project Gran Assetto Corsa Turismo Cars, with the car and track selection and career mode, types of events (dirt, snow, city, town, real, fantasy, etc.) overall completeness of one of the better GT versions (maybe 4), the graphics and weather system and a few other features from PCars, and the FFB and Physics and amazing track scanning/rendering from AC.

Until then we are going to be left choosing one product for x, another for y and a third for reason z...

Overall I usually drive AC, because the FFB and Physics are just so much better than the other two (in GT and Pcars, unfortunately, I can't drive cars I know how to drive IRL because the physics/inputs/FFB are simply all wrong, while in AC I can climb in and my RL experience translates properly into the game and vice-versa).
 
Added AC a week ago because I needed to learn some tracks for upcoming track days.
Tracks that are not present in PCars.
It takes some time to get used to the different approach (menu's - controls - setups).
First impressions are not really overwhelming...
People say FFB and physics in AC are better than in PCars.
Is that because they think that higher difficulty equals more realism ?
It's not.
Race cars are not as difficult to drive as sims want you to believe.
But that is probably another discussion.

Compared to PCars, AC:

- has no dynamic weather
- tracks look lifeless
- AI are worse
- graphics are not really good
- feels slow with correct FOV
- only 14 tracks/layouts ! (I know about mods, but...come on...!)
- poor car choice
- poor "career" mode
- too little controls can be mapped to a button box
- sounds are not bad, but certainly not as good as I have been reading about
- no support for rev lights and gear indicators on Fanatec CSW wheel (even after installing Fanaleds, I only get gear indicator, rev lights only work in the pitlane)
- joysticks on the wheel are not recognized.

The good things:
- triple screen support
- ability to change settings while in game
- ....? .....
Maybe I'll find some more, but nothing comes to mind right now.

I'll keep using AC for hotlapping on some tracks that PCars lacks, but that is about it. Pretty dissapointed in AC so far, but hey, it was on sale on Steam...

So: Project Cars has my vote...
 
Added AC a week ago because I needed to learn some tracks for upcoming track days.
Tracks that are not present in PCars.
It takes some time to get used to the different approach (menu's - controls - setups).
First impressions are not really overwhelming...
People say FFB and physics in AC are better than in PCars.
Is that because they think that higher difficulty equals more realism ?

It's not.
Race cars are not as difficult to drive as sims want you to believe.
But that is probably another discussion.

[SNIP]

Are there really people who say "Game X is more realistic because it's harder to drive a good lap time compared to Game Y"? I've never heard/read anyone say that. Perhaps you have...because I've seen others make the same comment, but I still have yet to see it made by anyone myself.

I've never played pCars, so I can't make the comparison. I have spent a million hours in GT6, so I could compare Assetto Corsa to GT6. Personally, I think GT6 has damn good physics and FFB. I just think Assetto Corsa's are even better and more realistic. Do I also happen to think it's harder to set good, consistent lap times in AC compared to GT6? You bet I do! But, that isn't why I think AC is "better" or "more realistic". I think it's better and more realistic because cars feel like they behave more like what real cars tend to do under throttle input and braking input. Grip levels feel more realistic in AC (I always drive on Green grip setting). Suspension feels more realistic to me. When you hit a compression area on a track, you feel it through your wheel so beautifully. Sounds are definitely better, but sounds are probably GT6's weakest attribute.

I really should purchase pCars, just to support the developers and keep competition going between the software houses. Who knows? Maybe I'll love pCars and it'll become my go-to driving game...I think I'll probably wait until pCars 2.0 though.
 
Added AC a week ago because I needed to learn some tracks for upcoming track days.
Tracks that are not present in PCars.
It takes some time to get used to the different approach (menu's - controls - setups).
First impressions are not really overwhelming...
People say FFB and physics in AC are better than in PCars.
Is that because they think that higher difficulty equals more realism ?
It's not.
Race cars are not as difficult to drive as sims want you to believe.
But that is probably another discussion.

Compared to PCars, AC:

- has no dynamic weather
- tracks look lifeless
- AI are worse
- graphics are not really good
- feels slow with correct FOV
- only 14 tracks/layouts ! (I know about mods, but...come on...!)
- poor car choice
- poor "career" mode
- too little controls can be mapped to a button box
- sounds are not bad, but certainly not as good as I have been reading about
- no support for rev lights and gear indicators on Fanatec CSW wheel (even after installing Fanaleds, I only get gear indicator, rev lights only work in the pitlane)
- joysticks on the wheel are not recognized.

The good things:
- triple screen support
- ability to change settings while in game
- ....? .....
Maybe I'll find some more, but nothing comes to mind right now.

I'll keep using AC for hotlapping on some tracks that PCars lacks, but that is about it. Pretty dissapointed in AC so far, but hey, it was on sale on Steam...

So: Project Cars has my vote...
I'm not sure how you can compare these 2 games and completely leave out the game breaking bugs in Pcars.
 
I'm not sure how you can compare these 2 games and completely leave out the game breaking bugs in Pcars.
Well, maybe because for some reason they don't affect me ?
I already wrote this a dozen times: I''m still to encounter my first landmine. I may have had one in Le Mans while pitting, but it was really AI hitting the wall. That's all, and it was on console (PS4). Op PC I have some 370 hrs (all in career mode) while I had approximately the same driving time on PS4.
So I don't leave out anything at all...

I own AC for only a week now, but enough time to spot the weaknesses I'm aware of.
What I did leave out is that AC crashed on me yesterday while I was changing screen resolution. Had to back out using CTRL-ALT-DEL.
 
AC vs. PCars from a very gentleman driver who knows nothing about physics and such.

I own both games, I have about 150h on Assetto Corsa and about 4 or 5h on PCars (I know it's not much for both games, but I had a shakedown in almost every car) and I round up some conclusions:

FFB: The FFB from PCars is pretty much frenetic. I drove the Caterham R500 around Cadwell Park and the thing required super quick reactions and strength to hold the wheel in place. It was a mini F1 car. But that's not the only one. The FFB in AC is much, much more balanced, the delivery is much smoother, you can really feel the road and the tires through the steering. PCars doesn't offer that, you roughly feel somthing and sometimes it feel like your racing in a rally stage of so much I have to shuffle the wheel.

Physics: First off, I can't drift or barely control a slide and that brings me to this: in PCars I sort of can, at least, hold a massive slide, before I ran out of skill or just luck. In AC, in such situations is 98% certain that I'll crash. AC challanges me to be consistent, lay down rubber in the right lines, dose the pedals properly. PCars on the other hand is like GT6. It challenges me to be the fastest right on the limit before anything goes horribly wrong. I believe AC wins in this department as well, because it feels so balanced, the behavior of the cars is more predictable because you can understand what it will do to you once you screw up. AC feels much more polished, the cars behave like they're supposed to, everything feels much better.

Note: I used the pre set tuning in each car, in each game.

GT3 cars: The GT3 cars on PCars can basically drive themselves. You point the car through your line and it goes round, no trouble at all, almost full throttle everywhere. Magical LSDs and very strong aero. The only thig it gets right it's the moment you brake too late and lift off right before you turn in and you spin. AC makes me work hard. Once you warmed up the cars they can go and turn and even there, you have to be carful not to over do your pedals input.

Audi R8 Plus: For a 4WD car, in PCars, the R8 was everything but 4WD. The thing just wanted to slide, either with your steering input, or braking, or accelarating. AC version gives it 10-0 easily. The AC version feels much more composed, less loose, a lot more like, you know, a 4WD. If you want to go full hooligan with the AC R8, you can, it behaves like a hooligan, not like the PCars R8.

There's a few other cars they share, but since I'm in the middle of my finals, I can't play as often. But I'll make a list of differences

As for the other aspects of the games:

AC feels quite hollow. Very shallow career mode, and lack of an extensive car/track list (if they keep what they promised, this is about to change because I counted 38 new cars (without Stages) this year and they promised 42 for 2016, they'll reach the 50 car mark easily). I haven't played with AI since 1.2 I believe, and it's said to be much better now in 1.4. The UI is very simple. The lack of weather effects and very simple graphically speaking and also drawbacks. But not having these features (yet) is making them foucus on further polishing the physics engine and so forth and adding new content. I haven't gone much online in AC because I have next to no skill driving, so I can't comment on that. And it happened to crash a couple of time, but nothing serious, unlike PCars.

PCars is much more beautiful. Beautiful graphics, effects, beautiful weather, beautiful career, beautiful UI, beautiful car/track selection, beautiful flags and pit stops, everything is beautiful in that Wonderland, which is not. The AI is dumb as a rock, I think they don't know the meaning of a brake pedal, or other times the throttle and they don't actually know the rule of contact. The game is what? 2 years now, since it was first drivable by a restrict group of people? And already want to pull the plug and build another one? PCars is a true diamond in the rough, it really is, but it has been victim of very bad decisions by the devs. There's still so much they can do with it. It feels very Shift sometimes, more times that it should. But the worst is the bugs. I haven't played much, but I had one that the scritp just blew and I had to reboot my laptop altogether, and I have 4h into it, imagine futher along the hours. Oh, one last thing, it's frustrating, very, very frustrating. It's either the bugs of stupid dumb AI that crashes into you, just because they can, it's idiotic.


In conclusion, they are both, marvelous games in their own way, PCars is all about racing, the experience of being faster than everybody else. If you want to actually learn how to drive through a racing game, AC is for you. It teaches you to be consistent, fast and how each car behaves in each circumstance.
 
There is no right or wrong answer here, but the fact is that AC has a huge and loyal following, with unprecedented sales numbers on Steam for a racing sim, around 300,000 was the last number I heard. For some reason, in spite of the bare environments, lack of weather/time change, small track selection etc., the game has struck a cord with many sim racing enthusiasts and I think it's mainly because of you feel when driving. The best way to put it is, for me anyway, you feel connected, you feel like you are part of the car, something I haven't felt in any other game including PCars. I don't know why that is, I can't explain the combination of factors between sound, FFB, physics, graphics etc. that makes it feel that way, it just does.
Added AC a week ago because I needed to learn some tracks for upcoming track days.
Tracks that are not present in PCars.
It takes some time to get used to the different approach (menu's - controls - setups).
First impressions are not really overwhelming...
People say FFB and physics in AC are better than in PCars.
Is that because they think that higher difficulty equals more realism ?
It's not.
Race cars are not as difficult to drive as sims want you to believe.
But that is probably another discussion.

Compared to PCars, AC:

- has no dynamic weather
- tracks look lifeless
- AI are worse
- graphics are not really good
- feels slow with correct FOV
- only 14 tracks/layouts ! (I know about mods, but...come on...!)
- poor car choice
- poor "career" mode
- too little controls can be mapped to a button box
- sounds are not bad, but certainly not as good as I have been reading about
- no support for rev lights and gear indicators on Fanatec CSW wheel (even after installing Fanaleds, I only get gear indicator, rev lights only work in the pitlane)
- joysticks on the wheel are not recognized.

The good things:
- triple screen support
- ability to change settings while in game
- ....? .....
Maybe I'll find some more, but nothing comes to mind right now.

I'll keep using AC for hotlapping on some tracks that PCars lacks, but that is about it. Pretty dissapointed in AC so far, but hey, it was on sale on Steam...

So: Project Cars has my vote...
Most of this is personal opinion or preference but it's funny you seem to suggest that cars are more difficult to drive in AC (higher difficulty equals more realism ?)because I find the overwhelming majority of critics of AC say that it's the easiest of sims to drive and they think that's why people like it. The most credible thing I've seen racecar drivers say, and I've heard it numerous times, is that modern race cars are fairly easy to get to 98-99% of the limit, it's the last 1-2% that's difficult and to me, that's how AC is. I can cruise around doing 1:33 all day long but if I want to get to 1:32 or into the 1:31's you really have to up your precision and timing to the point where you're going to make many mistakes in pursuit of that perfect lap.
 
Most of this is personal opinion or preference but it's funny you seem to suggest that cars are more difficult to drive in AC (higher difficulty equals more realism ?)because I find the overwhelming majority of critics of AC say that it's the easiest of sims to drive and they think that's why people like it.
It is just something I read on several forums. That was another reason why I wanted to try AC (other than tracks I needed to learn).
I was pretty surprised to find it not difficult at all. I only tried a few cars and can set pretty consistent lap times at Donington and the Ring.
Just had a friend over to set some laps on Abbeville (mod) with the Nissan GTR. (He owns a GTR and drives Abbeville on a regular base. His reaction was that his GTR was much more stable and did not slide around that much (assists off).
Maybe it is the car (no tuning yet) or the surface of the modded track, but I'll take his word that something is wrong there (compared to real life).

I will find out in a couple of months... :)

Edit: I should add that he is used to sim too, be it that he has GT5, playseat and G27
 
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after having the opportunity to try almost all SIM/racing games out there, except Forza and that is only because I never had an Xbox, or I would have been glad to drive in Forza, one thing I have found out is that way too many people behave as if any of the available SIM are anywhere near what driving a car on the road or on track is.
The only valid question is which one makes me feel more like I am driving, keeping in mind it is nowhere close.
So anyone with little experience in driving in a SiM will find it difficult, just because it is totally different. Particularly if not driving with a decent wheel and using an unrealistic FOV.
All we have to worry about is which one is or are the one that makes it more believable, it appears, like it is for me , that Assetto Corsa has found a way to convey the driving experience that a lot of us, particularly with road and track experience, as the closest to the real thing, even if we still are millions miles away.
The beauty is that, once you have invested in a decent PC, wheel, rig and screen(s) setup, the cost of software is minimal, so no reason not to decide by our self what floats our boat.
Funny how the one who are supposed to be the closest are also the less popular, in my opinion not because they are more difficult, but because instead of trying to make you feel like you are driving, they are trying to apply a mathematical formula in an attempt to replicate the reality and fail because our computers and general set up are to limited to duplicate the driving experience in our living room at this point in time.
The only choices today are between different interpretation of reality from different developers, none of them is close enough to be more or less real.
So everybody should relax and enjoy your preferred SIM without any after though, it is all good.
 
There is no right or wrong answer here, but the fact is that AC has a huge and loyal following, with unprecedented sales numbers on Steam for a racing sim, around 300,000 was the last number I heard. For some reason, in spite of the bare environments, lack of weather/time change, small track selection etc., the game has struck a cord with many sim racing enthusiasts and I think it's mainly because of you feel when driving. The best way to put it is, for me anyway, you feel connected, you feel like you are part of the car, something I haven't felt in any other game including PCars. I don't know why that is, I can't explain the combination of factors between sound, FFB, physics, graphics etc. that makes it feel that way, it just does.
Most of this is personal opinion or preference but it's funny you seem to suggest that cars are more difficult to drive in AC (higher difficulty equals more realism ?)because I find the overwhelming majority of critics of AC say that it's the easiest of sims to drive and they think that's why people like it. The most credible thing I've seen racecar drivers say, and I've heard it numerous times, is that modern race cars are fairly easy to get to 98-99% of the limit, it's the last 1-2% that's difficult and to me, that's how AC is. I can cruise around doing 1:33 all day long but if I want to get to 1:32 or into the 1:31's you really have to up your precision and timing to the point where you're going to make many mistakes in pursuit of that perfect lap.
I own PCars, and I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of AC for my PS4. It will be interesting to see which of the two becomes my preference. I'm sure that I will keep using both and will enjoy each for what it offers, but I don't doubt that one will become my go to sim over the other and that sooner or later, when my 500gb hdd gets full I will have to decide between them when I have to delete games to make room for others. It will be interesting, and I like what I see and hear so far about AC. With Dirt Rally and GT Sport on their way also to PS4 it is an exciting time to be a virtual racer.
 
@Fanapryde what grip level do you drive on? I suggest GREEN, but of course, use whatever you feel comfortable with. I just can't recommend OPTIMUM or whatever the "best" grip level is. That's way unrealistic - too grippy, in my opinion. It would be nice if the grip levels could fluctuate a bit...Just a little bit here or there.
 
@Fanapryde what grip level do you drive on? I suggest GREEN, but of course, use whatever you feel comfortable with. I just can't recommend OPTIMUM or whatever the "best" grip level is. That's way unrealistic - too grippy, in my opinion. It would be nice if the grip levels could fluctuate a bit...Just a little bit here or there.
Don't know, default I guess, since I have not changed it. I'll check tomorrow.
Whatever it is now, I can say that the Abbeville track was surely not too grippy...:scared:

Edit: setting was OPTIMUM. TBH that is NOT too grippy compared to my IRL experience. It depends on what tires you use, but slicks do provide huge grip, probably more than you might expect.
 
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@Fanapryde what grip level do you drive on? I suggest GREEN, but of course, use whatever you feel comfortable with. I just can't recommend OPTIMUM or whatever the "best" grip level is. That's way unrealistic - too grippy, in my opinion. It would be nice if the grip levels could fluctuate a bit...Just a little bit here or there.

The only setting that is correct is the one you prefer, less grip may or may not be more or less realistic, it is for everyone to decide what makes them smile. I prefer the fast setting myself.
 
Don't know, default I guess, since I have not changed it. I'll check tomorrow.
Whatever it is now, I can say that the Abbeville track was surely not too grippy...:scared:
Track grip varies dramatically with the different track conditions settings. Green track, dusty, optimum etc. It also varies with time of day and air temperature. A green track at 10 am and 5 pm will have less grip than a green track at 1pm etc. I think default is probably pretty ideal, with optimum track grip and 26C and probably around 14:00 hours. Obviously this is multiplied by the various compounds available on cars.

If you want to see what times are possible under ideal conditions, this is a good place to start. Not all the boards are busy, there are a couple of thousand combinations, but if you poke around enough you start to see some of the same names pop up so you know a decent effort was put into whatever times are posted.

http://www.radiators-champ.com/RSRLiveTiming/
 
All we have to worry about is which one is or are the one that makes it more believable, it appears, like it is for me , that Assetto Corsa has found a way to convey the driving experience that a lot of us, particularly with road and track experience, as the closest to the real thing, even if we still are millions miles away.

That's very well put. My RL experience is in autocross, ice-racing, and enduro karting. My primary skill is in "having a great butt" - I feel every motion of the chassis and wheel as if it's part of my body (sure wish I knew this when I was young enough to get into professional racing!). I exclusively drive RR cars (well, occasionally I guest drive something else). Two of these cars share a chassis and suspension essentially identical to the RUF Yellowbird (and similar vintage RUFs). This gives me excellent RL car-control at the edge (I'm the guy who hopes for rain at events...)

In AC, other than the additional care I need with the throttle due to the YB's power, everything I use IRL translates directly and properly to how the YB handles in the game. It's downright amazing (interestingly, GT4 is also very good at a this, but not GT5 or 6). The feedback and road feel in AC are, again, incredibly close to what I feel IRL in similar chassis. AC communicates to me, properly, what the car is doing, and responds to my inputs properly. To me, that says "great physics and FFB". Does this make AC easier to drive? Well, for me, knowing those cars, it makes the YB much easier for me to drive in AC, because I know how that car should handle, and it does in-fact, handle that way in game. It's almost impossible for me to drive the YB well in Pcars because the car simply doesn't behave like it should, at all. Same in GT5/6. So my RL experience translates to in-game experience (and vice-verse), making it easier for me to drive the YB in AC than in PCars or GT5/6.

In AC the YB feels what I would describe as "eerily and beautifully perfect."

In GT5/6 and PCars the YB feel what I can only describe as "utterly and completely wrong". It's as if none of the people working on the physics and ffb of those games has ever driven a classic RR chassis Porsche (or RUF).

On a scale of 1 to 10 in this RL comparison of physics/FFB, I give:

AC: 9
GT4: 7
GT5/6: 3 (a major disappointment)
Pcars: 1 (a HUGE disappointment)

I actually had to stop driving any RR car in GT5/6 because it was starting to cause improper reactions in my RL motorsports. Not kidding. Muscle-memory is a powerful thing. And PCars is even worse (or, maybe my disappointment is simply higher due to all the physics-hype surrounding Pcars).

If that's any help. It would be interesting to see other RL comparisons from people who drive RL equivalents in RL motorsports...
 
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I didn't buy Assetto Corsa because it had the smoothest menu, the best music soundtrack or the prettiest graphics. There are a LOT of things AS gets wrong. But physics isn't one of them. Yea I can (and sometimes) complain about lack of content, poor multiplayer, no weather but those are the last things on my mind when blasting around Silverstone in a 458 Italia. What I am thinking is just what an amazing car the 458 is. All the sensations and feelings that car reviewers try to explain when driving it... I can feel them; but I'm sitting in a chair, at home, staring at three monitors. That is the magic of Assetto Corsa. Never, on console or PC have I experienced physics so accurate and realistic that I can feel and enjoy the character of a car without even sitting in it.

Just imagine what it will be like using the newly released Rift CV1 :bowdown:
 
On a scale of 1 to 10 in this RL comparison of physics/FFB, I give:

AC: 9
GT4: 7
GT5/6: 3 (a major disappointment)
Pcars: 1 (a HUGE disappointment)

And PCars is even worse (or, maybe my disappointment is simply higher due to all the physics-hype surrounding Pcars).

I was reading your post with great attention (I think you are absolutely right about the YB - not that I have driven one myself), until I came to your comparison. Not even commenting on the AC score, nor the GT4 (which I never had), but your PCars score is, sorry to say, simply ridiculous.
So you are certainly right about your statement in the last scentence I quoted...👍

Edit: see post #55 (wrong interpretation from my side)
 
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People say FFB and physics in AC are better than in PCars.
Is that because they think that higher difficulty equals more realism ?
It's not.
Race cars are not as difficult to drive as sims want you to believe.
Agree 100%.

I want to add though that it's very hard/difficult to drive a race car on the limit, to get the best lap time possible.
 
I was reading your post with great attention (I think you are absolutely right about the YB - not that I have driven one myself), until I came to your comparison. Not even commenting on the AC score, nor the GT4 (which I never had), but your PCars score is, sorry to say, simply ridiculous.
So you are certainly right about your statement in the last scentence I quoted...👍

Sorry, but I'll take the opinion of someone who has intimate knowledge of driving the real car (and/or it's close cousins) over someone who hasn't. If he's spent many laps driving the real thing under race/autoX conditions and says the PCars version doesn't even come close, I'm going to side with his conclusion. I'm not sure how much more accurate of a comparison you could ask for.
 
AFAIK there is at least one physic's flaw in AC. In AC when you stop a car downhill, put the car in neutral or disengage the clutch, the car doesn't roll downhill, it stays stationary. pCars has got this right.

I mentioned this on the AC forum and other members told me that it is the slow speed physics that is a bit off in AC.
I'm just repeating what they said.

I still prefer AC over pCars. I'm not someone who clames to know which physics engine is more correct but AC feels so much real than pCars. MPHO (my personal humble opinion).

Whatever experience I have in real life, I can't say it AC has a better physics engine than pCars or vice versa.
 
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Sorry, but I'll take the opinion of someone who has intimate knowledge of driving the real car (and/or it's close cousins) over someone who hasn't. If he's spent many laps driving the real thing under race/autoX conditions and says the PCars version doesn't even come close, I'm going to side with his conclusion. I'm not sure how much more accurate of a comparison you could ask for.
I stated clearly that I agreed about the YB. In my comment I was ONLY referring to his "comparison" where he gave PCars a score of 1.

Edit: my bad... re-reading his post, I noticed this comparison was not in General, missed that...:embarrassed:
I have not even tried the YB in AC...
So, apologies to @panjandrum. Not going to argue with that...
 
I stated clearly that I agreed about the YB. In my comment I was ONLY referring to his "comparison" where he gave PCars a score of 1.

Edit: my bad... re-reading his post, I noticed this comparison was not in General, missed that...:embarrassed:
I have not even tried the YB in AC...
So, apologies to @panjandrum. Not going to argue with that...

There ya go. 👍
 
If you are a sim racing fan with a decent PC and you don't own AC, pCARS, Raceroom content, rFactor 2 and haven't at least tried a trial month of iRacing, then you should do so as soon as possible.

Each sim has good and bad points. None of them are perfect. And they all tend to give a slightly different feel, so it takes a small amount of time to adjust (and to setup FFB to your liking in each sim, this is often the big differentiator).


That said:
  • AC is my favourite sim for just driving because to me it communicates so well, if only the AI were a bit better...
  • Raceroom I love because of the great track selection and excellent AI. And the FFB is getting very decent now.
  • rFactor 2 is a good game, but just like rFactor 1 before it I end up disliking the amount of clunkiness in getting every individual experience right (too little plug & play, even with Steam Workshop).
  • pCARS sits in between AC and Raceroom, offering a broader experience than either (especially the weather) but slightly less communicative driving experience than AC and slightly less good AI than Raceroom. Still, pCARS looks stunning and is the real "eye candy" choice.
  • iRacing does many things right (and the traditionally "ice-Racing" tyre model is also getting better with time), but it's a big time commitment to do properly. At some point....
 
AFAIK there is at least one physic's flaw in AC. In AC when you stop a car downhill, put the car in neutral or disengage the clutch, the car doesn't roll downhill, it stays stationay. pCars has got this right.

I mentioned this on the AC forum and other members told me that it is the slow speed physics that is a bit off in AC.
I'm just repeating what they said.

I still prefer AC over pCars. I'm not someone who clames to know which physics engine is more correct but AC feels so much real than pCars. MPHO (my personal humble opinion).

Whatever experience I have in real life, I can't say it AC has a better physics engine than pCars or vice versa.
Speaking of downhill, in PCars, if you stall a car and can get it rolling downhill, you can put it in second gear and release the clutch when you get up a bit of speed and bump start the car.:)
 
Isn't it so that it is difficult to compare a car IRL with its AC counterpart?
There are so many things IRL that is different in AC. For instance, you don't know what the track conditions are, both IRL and in AC. You don't know what the setup of the car is. You don't know if the tires you're using are the same. IRL there is wind to take in consideration. We don't have wind in AC.
It is possible to compare the basic handling/feeling of a car IRL and AC. If the handling of a certain car is different in AC, doesn't mean that the physics are wrong. As I said, it all depends on a lot of parameters.
The only way to say for sure that a car IRL and its AC counterpart reacts the same is by having the exact track, weather, car and what not, conditions.
Right? :P

I'm using AC because I stopped playing pCars. For some reason, pCars doesn't feel right. There's something missing how cars handle.
 
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