First impressions PC2
- Thread starter jonyvf
- 267 comments
- 23,385 views
- 132
- Brazil
- 2,708
- United Kingdom
- Rikki_GTR
- IamValhalla
First impressions are really good. Physics are incredible and the sound is borderline pornography.
I feel very inconsistent though; getting great laps down in loads of car/track combinations, while feeling like a total beginner in others.
I love that all the options and settings (especially regarding FFB) are actually explained now rather than being presented with the bloated and utterly baffling document that was in PC1.
I currently hold the world record for LMP1 cars @ Sonoma (PC version).
I appear to be the only person who has posted a time so far in that class though, but still... I'm number one
I feel very inconsistent though; getting great laps down in loads of car/track combinations, while feeling like a total beginner in others.
I love that all the options and settings (especially regarding FFB) are actually explained now rather than being presented with the bloated and utterly baffling document that was in PC1.
I currently hold the world record for LMP1 cars @ Sonoma (PC version).
I appear to be the only person who has posted a time so far in that class though, but still... I'm number one
- 4
- Germany
I'm probably being really stupid here, but how do I select different tyres? Like rain tyres when it starts to rain for example. So it starts to rain and I request a pitstop, and come in, and then? How do my box crew know which tyres I want?
The_American
Premium
- 362
- United States
You can leave it on Auto by Weather and the game should handle it.
If you want to do it more manually you'll need to learn to use Pit Strategies and the ICM
If you want to do it more manually you'll need to learn to use Pit Strategies and the ICM
- 4
- Germany
Thankyou! 👍
- 16,457
- Melbourne
- ScottPuss20
- CheetahsMeow
BEST.GAME.EVER
Where do I even start? Handling on the controller straight out of the box is EXCELLENT, much much better than the previous game. You can actually drift cars now, and you can clobber curbs without crashing. Every aspect of the physics just feels right - the realism is unlike anything I've ever played. Cars react as you'd expect them to! The feedback from the tyres is great, you know when you're car is about to go over the limit - and like Ben Collins described, there's this grey area between having grip and having no grip. This is great because cars don't spin around instantly when you go too fast, unlike the previous game. It's no longer a knife edge which is fantastic. I could rave for days about how awesome this game is. The level of involvement is insane, much like DiRT Rally, and the sounds are brilliant. It feels far less exaggerated to me and much more realistic, contributing to the extremely deep level of involvement. You can feel the track rubber in as more cars do lap times, and driving in the wet isn't stupidly hard. Still difficult though, and the puddles don't help! Graphics are better than I expected, not far off GT Sport if I'm honest. Overall, this game is extremely enjoyable, you'd be dumb to pass up such a great experience. Trust me when I say it's like nothing else I've ever played.
Where do I even start? Handling on the controller straight out of the box is EXCELLENT, much much better than the previous game. You can actually drift cars now, and you can clobber curbs without crashing. Every aspect of the physics just feels right - the realism is unlike anything I've ever played. Cars react as you'd expect them to! The feedback from the tyres is great, you know when you're car is about to go over the limit - and like Ben Collins described, there's this grey area between having grip and having no grip. This is great because cars don't spin around instantly when you go too fast, unlike the previous game. It's no longer a knife edge which is fantastic. I could rave for days about how awesome this game is. The level of involvement is insane, much like DiRT Rally, and the sounds are brilliant. It feels far less exaggerated to me and much more realistic, contributing to the extremely deep level of involvement. You can feel the track rubber in as more cars do lap times, and driving in the wet isn't stupidly hard. Still difficult though, and the puddles don't help! Graphics are better than I expected, not far off GT Sport if I'm honest. Overall, this game is extremely enjoyable, you'd be dumb to pass up such a great experience. Trust me when I say it's like nothing else I've ever played.
- 338
- United States
I just left my review on Metacritic playstation. After just a few hours of the game i'm very impressed with project cars2.
- 4,440
- zr1chris
- zr1chris
That was a huge thing I noticed. Going over curbs is so realistic. Way more than any other game I played. It still upsets the car and makes it hop it a bit which imo is as realistic as it gets but doesn't make your car practically flip over or send you into the wall or grass like other games. It doesn't completely kill your momentum but does just enough to make you be careful going over them.
zzz_pt
Premium
- 8,188
- Porto living in Hamburg
- zzz_pt
I'll leave a small list of first impressions:
- UI is great. UX almost as good - controller required for the HUD settings, for example. Also, the R1 L1 and R2 L2 buttons on some menus, make it weird to navigate using the wheel. I guess it's better to have the controller close by.
- the weather mechanics is amazing.
- great soundtrack.
- great to race in so many new tracks! It's quite an experience to get to know each corner of a new track, even if it's a small one.
- pretty hard to catch some cars car if they snap oversteer (even the Ginetta GT5). I have restarted quite a few races just because of this. I never had this problem with AC for example. Hope it's just a settings / setup thing and my lack of practice (I didn't play pC1).
- some graphical issues here and there, especially when racing at night or dust with 32 cars on track.
I'm sure I'll have more to say soon. For now, I'm going to bed. Tomorrow, fun awaits!
- UI is great. UX almost as good - controller required for the HUD settings, for example. Also, the R1 L1 and R2 L2 buttons on some menus, make it weird to navigate using the wheel. I guess it's better to have the controller close by.
- the weather mechanics is amazing.
- great soundtrack.
- great to race in so many new tracks! It's quite an experience to get to know each corner of a new track, even if it's a small one.
- pretty hard to catch some cars car if they snap oversteer (even the Ginetta GT5). I have restarted quite a few races just because of this. I never had this problem with AC for example. Hope it's just a settings / setup thing and my lack of practice (I didn't play pC1).
- some graphical issues here and there, especially when racing at night or dust with 32 cars on track.
I'm sure I'll have more to say soon. For now, I'm going to bed. Tomorrow, fun awaits!
- 4,803
- Dearborn, MI
- MotorCtyHamilton
I absolutely love this game. Jumping right into tuning. The race engineer gives some good tips, but they are so minor. There is much more speed to gain by learning the tune settings. I will be working on a new tuning guide for this game.
- 6,318
- West Virginia
- HBR-Roadhog
- HBR Roadhog
I am a bit under whelmed at this point. Was expecting something a bit better than PCars 1 and got something a bit worse instead.
Some of the cars feel ok others terrible. Lots of dead zone in my wheel on some cars. The F Type Jag was hard to even get to go straight wanting to wander all over the road. The downshift protection they added ruins some of the cars and some of them the brakes seem to do almost nothing.
Also really hate the way the cars behave when they loose grip. A slight loss no big deal but if grip is really lost the behavior is totally unrealistic and very frustrating to try and regain control of. How can it be that you loose grip on the rear tires and suddenly the front tires don't do anything then suddenly they grip all at once and throw the car into a tank slapper. Of course PCars 1 had the same issue as does some other racing games I have played but it is really beyond my comprehension how anyone can say that is good physics. So long as you have grip and you are driving one of the better cars it drives well aside from the downshifting issue but when you get one that has 2 inches of dead zone, wanders around in the road and easily looses grip it is maybe the worse driving experience I have had since shift 2.
Some of the cars feel ok others terrible. Lots of dead zone in my wheel on some cars. The F Type Jag was hard to even get to go straight wanting to wander all over the road. The downshift protection they added ruins some of the cars and some of them the brakes seem to do almost nothing.
Also really hate the way the cars behave when they loose grip. A slight loss no big deal but if grip is really lost the behavior is totally unrealistic and very frustrating to try and regain control of. How can it be that you loose grip on the rear tires and suddenly the front tires don't do anything then suddenly they grip all at once and throw the car into a tank slapper. Of course PCars 1 had the same issue as does some other racing games I have played but it is really beyond my comprehension how anyone can say that is good physics. So long as you have grip and you are driving one of the better cars it drives well aside from the downshifting issue but when you get one that has 2 inches of dead zone, wanders around in the road and easily looses grip it is maybe the worse driving experience I have had since shift 2.
- 28,470
- Windsor, Ontario, Canada
- Johnnypenso
Glad to hear. Looking forward to the tuning guide and some tunes!!
- 2,442
- freedomland of freedomness
- ELmarctuff
- mightymufffin95
The rally cross cars are giving me a hard time getting used to, I know it's not DiRT4 but jesus
- 24,628
- Anoka, MN
I had difficulty with them as well, hopefully it's just the fact I haven't spent much time with them as there is a pretty good variety of tracks.
Also, taking the Joker route invalidates you lap for some reason.
Playing on PC in Oculus VR. Have about 8 hours in the game between today and yesterday. WOW! This game is awesome! My only trouble has been the AI during career races, they are super fast at some tracks during Practice and Qualy, but will level out for the race. I think it may have to do with "Skipping to the End of Session", because while driving, the AI aren't super fast during those sessions. I know SMS said they are working on AI for a future patch, so hopefully that will fix it.
I have a G27 wheel and it feels right with the stock game settings, I didn't mess with those at all. I could properly turn up the FFB slightly to suit myself a little better, but I am enjoying the feel of it as is. The VR in pCars2 is much better then its predecessor, as SMS said it would be. Live Track 3.0 and weather is really neat, I was doing the Historic Lotus Invitational event as Monza and it started with light rain, track was slippery, not too intense. As the race progressed rain intensified, spray got bigger off the cars, the track got very slick in spots with the exception of the preferred driving line, where it was slightly dry. Another one was in Qualy for a race where it was raining at the beginning, then by the end of the session the track began to dry out and times really picked up. Really cool to see the weather and track change. I have been very impressed, and honestly is the most impressive racing VR experience I have played. iRacing, AC, Pcars1, this beats all of them as far as immersion goes.
I have a G27 wheel and it feels right with the stock game settings, I didn't mess with those at all. I could properly turn up the FFB slightly to suit myself a little better, but I am enjoying the feel of it as is. The VR in pCars2 is much better then its predecessor, as SMS said it would be. Live Track 3.0 and weather is really neat, I was doing the Historic Lotus Invitational event as Monza and it started with light rain, track was slippery, not too intense. As the race progressed rain intensified, spray got bigger off the cars, the track got very slick in spots with the exception of the preferred driving line, where it was slightly dry. Another one was in Qualy for a race where it was raining at the beginning, then by the end of the session the track began to dry out and times really picked up. Really cool to see the weather and track change. I have been very impressed, and honestly is the most impressive racing VR experience I have played. iRacing, AC, Pcars1, this beats all of them as far as immersion goes.
- 5,764
- USA
- TPC_Raccooon23
- CRaccoon23
So I decided to start off by driving the Lancer Evo VI at Azure Coast Stage 1 and then the Jaguar XJ220 at Silverstone. Coming from using a wheel with Forza and GT titles in the past, my mind was blown by how much more detailed the FFB and feel of the cars is in PC2. I was expecting it to better to begin with, but man. Don't think I'm going to bother using my wheel with FM7 at this point.
- 2,442
- freedomland of freedomness
- ELmarctuff
- mightymufffin95
Because the joker lap isn't a normal lap, it's ment to slow you down or speed you up.I had difficulty with them as well, hopefully it's just the fact I haven't spent much time with them as there is a pretty good variety of tracks.
Also, taking the Joker route invalidates you lap for some reason.
- 24,628
- Anoka, MN
I know that, but it seems odd that it counts it as a track limit violation instead of considering it a practice joker lap.
IMO the standard handling of some cars are not very good recreated. Overall I think that differences of handling among some cars is too much exagerated, but changing some settings that's not a big problem, they become more balanced, drivable and fun 
For the moment, my mayor problem is with the braking phase, it's quite exagerated instable with standard settings but I'm optimistic and think it can be more natural with some settings changes.
Huge improvements and great content additions from PCars1. A long and fun learning curve that will keep me bussy till GTS arrives... and also after GTS, for sure.
Maybe you have change some things at force feed back settings. Try "informative flavour" and 50,50,50,50. I've tested "inmersive flavour" and I didn't like it because there is no FFB (like dead zone) in too many situations to give "inmersion" of I don't what... it seemed weird to me.
With "informative flavour" I'm quite happy for now, I have to drive more time and try some settings to know how physics work.
For the moment, my mayor problem is with the braking phase, it's quite exagerated instable with standard settings but I'm optimistic and think it can be more natural with some settings changes.
Huge improvements and great content additions from PCars1. A long and fun learning curve that will keep me bussy till GTS arrives... and also after GTS, for sure.
Maybe you have change some things at force feed back settings. Try "informative flavour" and 50,50,50,50. I've tested "inmersive flavour" and I didn't like it because there is no FFB (like dead zone) in too many situations to give "inmersion" of I don't what... it seemed weird to me.
With "informative flavour" I'm quite happy for now, I have to drive more time and try some settings to know how physics work.
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- 28,470
- Windsor, Ontario, Canada
- Johnnypenso
It's quite a step up from the GT series that's for sure. My first pc racing adventure was with Assetto Corsa a couple of years ago and I was blown away. So much sensory input from the wheel, the sound and the visual in PCARs and AC it's like a blind man learning to see
You should give that a spin as well if you haven't tried it yet.- 1
- Australia
I just started playing the game yesterday (on PS4, not pro), the day it came out. First impressions for me seem to be similar to everyone else; great sound, nice graphics, lots of options, everything else. First of all, I had a 9gb update file. Needless to say, I chose to play without network features. I noticed that you have to break really early and there is so much understeer when braking. Also I changed the keybinding for my G29, and there is still a bug that has come across from PC1, which is that the handbrake doesn't work.
Anyway it's an awesome game and for the most part lives up to what it's been hyped up to be.
Now I just need to see if it's different after the whopping update.
Anyway it's an awesome game and for the most part lives up to what it's been hyped up to be.
Now I just need to see if it's different after the whopping update.
- 25
- New Zealand
It is my (perhaps incorrect) impression this is unrealistically pronounced with the '72 Ford Escort. Moderately straight stretch of track. Make a minor correction. Bam! Snap oversteer. Instantly spun around. Whether this happens or not seems almost too random to learn to avoid.
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First impression for me using my cheapo Logitec Pro is WOW. I tried the Ford mk1 around Long Beach and I loved it. The road cars feel more like real cars on real tires to me. It's the way the car slides. And the sounds are gorgeous. I'm a little overwhelmed trying everything out. I wasn't expecting the game to be so different.
I also have i7+1080ti combo in VR. What's your supersampling setting? I tried 1.2.
I also have i7+1080ti combo in VR. What's your supersampling setting? I tried 1.2.
- 1,302
- So. California
- UnkaD
I'm absolutely over the moon that I get to drive both the 1998 and 1999 Toyota TS020, and they're both modeled correctly. Looking amazing. Been playing around on Spa, and I have to admit that I don't remember the AI being so challenging in the first game. I only have them at 60%, but they're pulling through some curves about 20mph faster than I can manage. They seem to be able to brake in half the distance as my car as well. It's really fishy. I'll keep looking for a good level that matches them to my pace, but I don't recall any class in PC1 that I couldn't at least compete with under 80% difficulty.
- 385
- Hawkes Bay
- davidb_165
I have had a few sessions now (PS4 and T300) and I am starting to see the real advances this game has made.
In particular, I was driving my second career race - Formula Rookie at Watkins Glen short course in the rain. The first thing I noted is the default car setup is pretty good. The second thing I noticed is that wet weather doesn't mean instant death like it did in Pcars1. But the best thing was the live track 3. I love the way the puddles build up and that they actually affect the car. I drove through one that was on the apex of the corner. Again, it wasn't instant spin out, but it was enough to rotate the car and stuff up my lap time. I had to remember to avoid it next time around.
I have a few niggles with the game design. Things like I find it hard to see what menu item is highlighted as it seems the selected item is dusty blue and the non selected items are white. It feels to me like the white is bolder and should be the selected item. Also, this rule isn't universally applied, e.g sometimes you just have to hit X no matter where you are on the screen to 'click' the button that's at the bottom of the screen.
Similarly, I find it too easy to change the wrong setting (e.g. in car tuning) because it's not really clear what I have higlighted. e.g. I keep trying to right click to move from the left hand settings to the centre settings when I should be using R2, and in the meantime I am accidentally changing my tyre pressure, etc.
I have also encountered a number of bugs, but I'll put them in the bug thread. I don't see them as show stoppers as long as they are addressed via patches.
This game definitely has a lot of potential, and as long as the bugs are addressed I think it will be the new benchmark.
In particular, I was driving my second career race - Formula Rookie at Watkins Glen short course in the rain. The first thing I noted is the default car setup is pretty good. The second thing I noticed is that wet weather doesn't mean instant death like it did in Pcars1. But the best thing was the live track 3. I love the way the puddles build up and that they actually affect the car. I drove through one that was on the apex of the corner. Again, it wasn't instant spin out, but it was enough to rotate the car and stuff up my lap time. I had to remember to avoid it next time around.
I have a few niggles with the game design. Things like I find it hard to see what menu item is highlighted as it seems the selected item is dusty blue and the non selected items are white. It feels to me like the white is bolder and should be the selected item. Also, this rule isn't universally applied, e.g sometimes you just have to hit X no matter where you are on the screen to 'click' the button that's at the bottom of the screen.
Similarly, I find it too easy to change the wrong setting (e.g. in car tuning) because it's not really clear what I have higlighted. e.g. I keep trying to right click to move from the left hand settings to the centre settings when I should be using R2, and in the meantime I am accidentally changing my tyre pressure, etc.
I have also encountered a number of bugs, but I'll put them in the bug thread. I don't see them as show stoppers as long as they are addressed via patches.
This game definitely has a lot of potential, and as long as the bugs are addressed I think it will be the new benchmark.
Silver Arrows
(Banned)
- 4,715
- Brandon, MB
- Silver-Arrows21
Certainly, I don't think I've been this enamored with weather in a racing game since playing PGR 4 for the first time. The fact that I can basically play god and have a race turn from thunder, to snow, and to a clear day is fun in a stupid way.
That being said, the controller set up right out of the box is sublime. Granted, I'm playing with traction control on low and stability as well, but playing with the Formula Rookie cars, it is seriously a lot of fun. I don't know if it's because of the tracks I chose in the beginning of the career mode (American) but I find that I am driving a lot more aggressively then I remember in PCARS 1, taking some corners flat out at the limit, etc.
I think the more open ended nature of the career mode, giving you more options to start with certainly helps as well.
Though I have noticed that the engine sounds, even at 100 volume, feel a bit nerfed compared to PCARS 1. I drove the Trans Am Camaro, which I expected to be this absolutely raw, snarling beast, and it kind of felt muted compared to other V8's in PCARS 1. But aside from that, I haven't run into too many issues playing the career mode.
Really, I think this is probably the best *overall* package for sim racing available on consoles at the moment. Assetto Corsa might have the better handling model and FFB, but AC absolutely wishes it could compete with the amount of single player content PCARS 2 has out of the box.
That being said, the controller set up right out of the box is sublime. Granted, I'm playing with traction control on low and stability as well, but playing with the Formula Rookie cars, it is seriously a lot of fun. I don't know if it's because of the tracks I chose in the beginning of the career mode (American) but I find that I am driving a lot more aggressively then I remember in PCARS 1, taking some corners flat out at the limit, etc.
I think the more open ended nature of the career mode, giving you more options to start with certainly helps as well.
Though I have noticed that the engine sounds, even at 100 volume, feel a bit nerfed compared to PCARS 1. I drove the Trans Am Camaro, which I expected to be this absolutely raw, snarling beast, and it kind of felt muted compared to other V8's in PCARS 1. But aside from that, I haven't run into too many issues playing the career mode.
Really, I think this is probably the best *overall* package for sim racing available on consoles at the moment. Assetto Corsa might have the better handling model and FFB, but AC absolutely wishes it could compete with the amount of single player content PCARS 2 has out of the box.
- 6,318
- West Virginia
- HBR-Roadhog
- HBR Roadhog
I've tried all of the FFB presets as well as my own custom and and other customs. Finally I was able to get it to tighten up on some of the most troublesome cars but then of course it is to tight on others. IMO the changes to the FFB from PCars1 is a major step backwards. Yes PCars1 was tricky to figure out and configure but it worked well when set properly and gave you more options.
I was excited for PCars 2 after playing PCars 1 but now that I have had a chance to drive it I am looking forward to FM7 next week. I'll likely play PCars 2 on and off over the next few days then move to Forza. Probably come back to PCars at some point hopefully they get a few things ironed out by then.
