New to PCARS 2 -Any tips on what should I know?PS4

[PacNW_GT_64]

I saw PCARS 2 Deluxe Edition on the Playstation Store for 13 bucks and I just couldn't pass it up despite all the negative press I had heard about it in the past. I figured for less than 15 dollars I could risk it.

I usually play AC, ACC, DiRT Rally 2.0, WRC 8 & GT Sport on PS4 and I know I am WAY late to the game on PCARS 2. I was around during the days of the Simbin Forums so I am aware of the history of Ian Bell etc.

But what would you say I need to know from all of your experiences with PC2 since launch to enjoy the game, or is it a sim (graphic settings, car setups, etc)?

I'm using a TM T300 RS GT wheel & pedal set if you have any FFB setting tips too.

Thanks in advance.

 

[slthree]

Obviously, there will be thousands of posts on this game. Maybe you read them all but I would suggest you read the ones from just the last year or so because patches have changed this game in a positive way.

You will find varying opinions but there likely be one thing that everybody agrees on: It is most definitely a sim.

the tracklist is second to none and the car list is gigantic as well.

Outside of a few anomalies, you pretty much know what to expect based on the car you choose.

GT3 should be fairly planted and not give you much trouble.

But, try a vintage gar with no assists and it will require a lot of practice, patience, and skillful throttle control to keep it on the road. Almost everybody I know who plays this game seems to do that better than I do.

The multi-class racing is a huge plus for this game and if you like to set up custom races the world is your oyster.

Some do not like the career mode but I absolutely love it. I mostly play offline and it keeps me highly engaged.

There is kind of a quirky thing where depending on the cars and the tracks, the AI has to be adjusted differently because they seem to be better or worse given the situation.

I won't compare the game to ACC on PS4 because I love the physics but I've had to delete it because the jutteriness hurts my eyes.

In terms of comparing it to AC, I might lean toward AC having better sound and possibly better handling. The problem is that it is not as customizable and I always go back to PC2.

It might be a little thing but I find it hard to play any racing game without a spotter to occasionally interact with me. In terms of console PC2 is the best I've found.

Customizable HUD and customizable seat position and customizable FOV for every single camera is unmatched.

I'M SURE THERE ARE MANY THINGS I HAVEN'T TOUCHED ON YET

 

[PacNW_GT_64]

Obviously, there will be thousands of posts on this game. Maybe you read them all but I would suggest you read the ones from just the last year or so because patches have changed this game in a positive way.

You will find varying opinions but there likely be one thing that everybody agrees on: It is most definitely a sim.

the tracklist is second to none and the car list is gigantic as well.

Outside of a few anomalies, you pretty much know what to expect based on the car you choose.

GT3 should be fairly planted and not give you much trouble.

But, try a vintage gar with no assists and it will require a lot of practice, patience, and skillful throttle control to keep it on the road. Almost everybody I know who plays this game seems to do that better than I do.

The multi-class racing is a huge plus for this game and if you like to set up custom races the world is your oyster.

Some do not like the career mode but I absolutely love it. I mostly play offline and it keeps me highly engaged.

There is kind of a quirky thing where depending on the cars and the tracks, the AI has to be adjusted differently because they seem to be better or worse given the situation.

I won't compare the game to ACC on PS4 because I love the physics but I've had to delete it because the jutteriness hurts my eyes.

In terms of comparing it to AC, I might lean toward AC having better sound and possibly better handling. The problem is that it is not as customizable and I always go back to PC2.

It might be a little thing but I find it hard to play any racing game without a spotter to occasionally interact with me. In terms of console PC2 is the best I've found.

Customizable HUD and customizable seat position and customizable FOV for every single camera is unmatched.

I'M SURE THERE ARE MANY THINGS I HAVEN'T TOUCHED ON YET

Thanks for that. I read a lot of the posts here but I wanted to get a take on the current state of PC2 as it seemed there have been a ton of updates and some posts, even from not too long ago, might not be accurate anymore.

I'm still trying to figure out where everything is in the menus and such. This is the first sim I've had on PS4 that I wished I had more buttons on my wheel for. It seems like some things such as FOV and seat adjustment could be better handled with on-screen sliders rather than having to have a wheel button assigned to everything, or am I missing a way to do that without using wheel buttons?

So far, I've just been exploring it a little bit, the California HWY 1 courses were unexpected, I've driven these very roads in real life so that was kinda cool.

I'm looking forward to digging into PC2 more this weekend.

 

[IfAndOr]

@PacNW_GT_64 - Attach any usb keyboard or keypad to your PS4 and PC2 will allow you map all the buttons you like to them. Very useful.

 

[PacNW_GT_64]

@PacNW_GT_64 - Attach any usb keyboard or keypad to you PS4 and PC2 will allow you map all the buttons you like to them. Very useful.

Thank you! I had no idea you could do this on a PS4 actually, that will be useful. No drivers or app needed?

 

[killerjimbag]

Thank you! I had no idea you could do this on a PS4 actually, that will be useful. No drivers or app needed?

Get a 4 port USB hub. $10 at Walmart. Get a name brand one though.You can plug in your keyboard,headset,charging cable etc. No you don't need drivers or an App. I see your from the US. There are a bunch of Canadians and Americans that race nightly. All in the same age bracket as you. Send me a friend request. We can help you out with anything you need. Add me on PS4. Remember bring your own beer. The Canadian stuff gets you Americans pretty messed up. It's usually a PG 18 room.
I'm online now. Just jumping in the shower.

 

[Mr Grumpy]

Just enjoy it

 

[greenlightning]

There are two default set-up choices for most cars and some have 3 or more. My personal choice is stable compared to the other default.
Getting your FOV (field of view) best for your personal choice adds a lot to sense of speed and immersion. Beginners should probably turn off or down world moment, camera lean, high speed shake and maybe a few other settings. As others have said slower cars to start with are best and use A.I. settings for your current skill level and build up. For faster cars GTLE class is good to use in begging. GT4 and GT3 also.

3 years of having the game and still learning.

 

[Mr_D]

@PacNW_GT_64 - Attach any usb keyboard or keypad to your PS4 and PC2 will allow you map all the buttons you like to them. Very useful.

Nice! Did not know this. That's massively helpfull in this game

 

[Mr_D]

I saw PCARS 2 Deluxe Edition on the Playstation Store for 13 bucks and I just couldn't pass it up despite all the negative press I had heard about it in the past. I figured for less than 15 dollars I could risk it.

I usually play AC, ACC, DiRT Rally 2.0, WRC 8 & GT Sport on PS4 and I know I am WAY late to the game on PCARS 2. I was around during the days of the Simbin Forums so I am aware of the history of Ian Bell etc.

But what would you say I need to know from all of your experiences with PC2 since launch to enjoy the game, or is it a sim (graphic settings, car setups, etc)?

I'm using a TM T300 RS GT wheel & pedal set if you have any FFB setting tips too.

Thanks in advance.

I don't know if you're into tuning, but the one thing that matters the most is the tyre pressure and the game isn't very clear about what you should aim for. Check out this post for more info on tyre pressures. Note these are HOT tyre pressures, so your cold pressure (what you setup in the tuning menu) is usually around 0.4 bar lower than this: https://forum.projectcarsgame.com/showthread.php?57541-Project-CARS-2-Tyre-Temps

Another important thing to know is that when you select tyres 'automatic by weather' they will sometimes give you hard tyres when softs are more appropriate. Since tyre wear in most races is not an issue I would suggest you allways go for Soft by default, and only switch to hard tyres in extremely hot environment (Catalunya in mid summer for example) when your tyre temperatures are rising aboven 110 celsius (they'll change from green to yellow or even red so you'll notice soon enough).

Edit. oh and on the topic of tyre pressures, when your brakediscs heat up they transfer heat to the tyre thus increasing pressures. So opening or closing brake ducts will have an effect on your tyre pressure as well.