PCARS first impressions!

  • Thread starter mister dog
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My first impression of the ps4 version is quite nice. The positive: It is super smooth, even with 19 opponents in the rain, looks better than on my gaming laptop, loading times are ok. Controller settings are very twitchy out the box unfortunately. But thanks to options galore, that can easily be solved. Ghosting is only an issue with a lot of cars in slow corners imho. There are some bugs, yes, but most of them known and under deconstruction.

Didnt try online or my T300 yet, looking forward to it tonight.
 
Gave it my maiden run this morning, time for a recap :dopey::

Seeing folk had troubles with Fanatec wheels, i made sure i doublechecked my CSR, everything worked and i had the latest driver + firmware just to make sure i wouldn't run into no Gremlins, then proceeded to do the ingame calibration.

Straight out of the box the FFB and physics feel great. There's a better feel to my wheel than with other sims i own like R3R and Assetto Corsa, and i didn't even touch the sliders so far (just chose the pro setting at the very beginning and thats it). With AC and R3R i had to dedicate a couple of hours tweaking all sorts of settings until i reached a 'feel' that was to my liking, but PCARS default already tops the both of them!
Then onto physics, my main gripe with AC was that with the road cars, once you start sliding it is almost impossible to catch the car and you just lose it. With PCARS i felt the weight shift more naturally and with some countersteering and throttle control you can pull the car straight and catch the slide.

So first impressions; IMO this game has the best FFB i ever experienced, and although i only tried the Megane and the Formula Rookie so far i have a hunch PCARS has better and more realistic physics too (but i need to try more cars for that).

- Love the time of day and weather conditions, rain! glorious rain!
- Graphics look great. I had a scare when i noticed screen tearing in the intro movie, but ingame all has been fine so far (i chose the automated optimum settings from the Nvidia Geforce Exp.).
- Sounds are great too, maybe the engine notes aren't as good as R3R, but the sound effects of tire squeel and the car + track make for a immersive experience.

I was a bit afraid i wouldn't enjoy the experience as much seeing i already own other PC sims, but as the FFB and physics feel so spot on, and it's more of a complete 'game' + you have the different conditions i think PCARS will be the racer i dedicate myself too 👍
 
Does anyone recommend any good settings to make playing the game with a pad easier to drive? I only ask because the game doesn't exactly explain the controller settings very well
 
Taken my T300RS from PS3 and launched the game. Wheel was recognized as T500RS in options, not all buttons on the wheel worked in menus. Moreover, on the track, wheel was ~15 degrees of centre and FFB was strange. WTF?

I was at the edge of sanity (my T300RS is perfectly fine, for sure) when I found out that the wheel is in PS3 mode... :banghead:
Double check this little switch people! :D

With proper PS4 mode everything is fine, but there is a lot of wheel specific options. I`m using default setup, only calibrated mine (to proper 1080 degrees of rotation).
Is this the most recommended settings? What should I fine tune to get the most real feel?
 
I had 10mins on it at 7am this morning before I went to work. 7 laps practice in a Caterham Super 7 around Brands Indy on Xbox one with TX wheel. I walked to the station smiling and want to get home now, put it that way.

One thing I was really impressed by, the way the car reacted to the curbs and grass etc.. Realistic de-stabilizing effect :D
 
xkubunt
I'm wondering this as well, I've been able to turn the sound down (Options -> Audio, last option) and set it to 10%. At 2AM it was much too loud considering I've got neighbours.

I've gone through all the controller/gameplay/audio options but can't find anything that would push it to headphones.

So far so good though, managed to finish up the first Kart championship and didn't get on well with the super karts. Switched over to the Clio cup and having a really good time. AI was much too easy on 50% though - I think it's on 80 now and a bit better.
Click to expand...
I don't think there is an option to stop the pad audio and if so it's a bit of an oversight. as you say, it's not ideal for late night or headphones gaming. I hope to see this option in the future.
 
prarts
Taken my T300RS from PS3 and launched the game. Wheel was recognized as T500RS in options, not all buttons on the wheel worked in menus. Moreover, on the track, wheel was ~15 degrees of centre and FFB was strange. WTF?

I was at the edge of sanity (my T300RS is perfectly fine, for sure) when I found out that the wheel is in PS3 mode... :banghead:
Double check this little switch people! :D

With proper PS4 mode everything is fine, but there is a lot of wheel specific options. I`m using default setup, only calibrated mine (to proper 1080 degrees of rotation).
Is this the most recommended settings? What should I fine tune to get the most real feel?
Click to expand...
the default setting for the wheel seems pretty good, nicely mapped at 1:1. do you find the brakes ok? do you have the standard pedal set? I need more response from the brake pedal so need to find where to do all that.

it's a bit annoying having to go out of the race all the way back to the main options to tweak this stuff
 
bleeder
the default setting for the wheel seems pretty good, nicely mapped at 1:1. do you find the brakes ok? do you have the standard pedal set? I need more response from the brake pedal so need to find where to do all that.
Click to expand...

T500RS pedals here - didn`t spent enough time to test properly (dead zones etc) but from initial runs everything feels great. No problems.
 
Lambob
Congratulations SMS, Just lapped my first practice run, Nurburgring Nordschleife & Lotus 48
I must say, I am speechless.

on many counts.

1) That Sun as I came to the Karussel, not sure if real sun, or CGI...
2) that Lotus 48 sound, and the cockpit view, and the track... and and

(still speechless)

my hardware is 3 years old, and and, it's flawless (wondering why my GTX970 is in the mail if I should cancel it, it's running A-OK on my 5 year old GTX460

3) my Thrustmaster wheel, it's AHALIVVVE!!

4) I am a giddy 40 year old, you should see my gawk as I post this.

5) Kazunori, and PD, I hope you're playing this and going back to the drawing board

6) OMG i don't know what to do next, I know! (alt-tabbing)

THANK YOU SMS, FLAWLESS EXECUTION.

2 clicks to play the game, track, car, go

unbelieveable.... still speechless, folks, gentlemen and women, do enjoy this epic craft of a game, well worth 50x this price.
Click to expand...
That's good to know. I have a gtx 460 too and in was worried that I would have to upgrade it.
 
klondike
Please give more feedback about controller handling on consoles. Especially for Xbox one :-)

Is it ok after seeting it up correct, how is Project cars compared to controller handling in Forza 5 / GT 5 / GT 6 ?

Same or much worse ?
Click to expand...
I am wondering the exact same thing about the controller on X1 version. How is this overall compared to F4 /F5/ GT6?

Sounds like the controller settings are very twitchy.
 
Loving the game so far. Playing on pc, I have to say it looks fantastic, and runs very smooth. The game is supported by Nvidia Geforce experience, so I can optimize the settings through that. Having a little trouble with controller settings, but will have a look at some of the threads about that. Helmet cam is unbelievable, and makes the kart racing (which is mostly what I have done) feel ultra realistic. I really only stumbled across this game in the last month, but boy am I glad I did!!
 
I sneaked a quick go before work this morning , I'm on PS4 and was pleasantly surprised at how good it looks after all the ghosting posts !
Light rain at Spa around late evening in the GT3 12c . Sounds are very nice I'm using a Denon amp with 5.1 DTS audio and floorstanders so there's plenty of noise :D .
Handling wise I can't comment yet as I've only used my DS4 and didnt fiddle with the settings ,I'll get my t300 setup later and have a good blast ! Still can't believe it's finally here :bowdown:
 
hmvinyl
Is there any way to use both a T300 and the PS4 controller at the same time? I.e. navigate the menus with the controller and driving with wheel
Click to expand...

we also need to be able to use the pad during the replays as I can't find how to do slow mo or camera pans with the wheel
 
For those having issues using a controller it may be helpful to go into the car setup and change the steering setting there. There is a slider that handles the speed of the rack. I turned it to faster on one car I was driving with my wheel and it made quite a difference. Going the opposite way to slow it down some may solve some of those sensitivity issues being seen on controllers.

I haven't used a controller in a long time now but I remember having issues with GTR2 and having to tweak settings to get it to a point that I could keep the car under control
 
I had my Steam preload, T500RS and TH8A all ready to go and I couldn't resist having a go for a few minutes last night before bed, jumped straight into the karts in career and really struggled badly until I realised that I had my wheel setup to about 300 degrees of rotation as I had been playing Dirt Rally. The karts where much more driveable when I switched this to 800 or so but I didn't complete the race as I intend to reset things tonight, spend some time getting my wheel and camera angles setup properly and then start the career again.

After this I went for a few laps with a Clio Cup at Laguna Seca as this is one of my favorite tracks and one which I know well. The car felt great, its very noticeable when a tyre is or isn't up to temperature even without the on screen display to tell you and the track looks stunning - albeit quite different to how it is modeled on other games. Once I had done a few laps and got a rough idea of the braking points and which gears I needed for which corners I tried a race. I wanted to push my PC and my driving to the limit so I maxed the number of cars (26 I think) and set the AI difficulty to 100 and got going. I started mid pack, gained a place or two off the line and settled in for a quick 5 lapper. The AI seem very good and I was soon dropping backwards with every mistake I made I finished last after 5 laps but it was very satisfying battling for position and trying to keep people behind me - I am very encouraged for career mode when I have practice sessions and qualifying to make setup changes.

Overall I was left very impressed, I felt I was lacking a bit of FFB communication in the Clio but as I said, I just jumped on and raced without any fine tuning at all, I am confident that I can dial in a bit more weight and feel by playing with the myriad options open to me. The physics feel good, the game is visually stunning and the menus feel logical and straightforward throughout.

Very encouraged so far, looking forward to getting home from work tonight, getting things setup and calibrated for preference and then diving headlong into my career mode!
 
Had a few testruns on the game.

WOW, just...wow. This is gorgeous !
The game seems to be pretty optimised as well. I can run on Ultra Settings with only very few framedrops per lap.
The only exception being "Azure Circuit" (Monaco) wich equals a slideshow. :D

The visuals are fantastic, the handling (easy settings, Xbox 360 controller) is also great.

Thumps up!

A slight question:
If I were insane, would the game support an SLI setup ? :D

My reaction pretty much:
 
InSight
I play on PC and first impressions are very good. I only played 1 hour before work, just to setup controls and do a couple of test laps.

Interface is very good. I had no problem setting up controls and buttons. I love the fullscreen control mappings and big buttons and sliders. Nothing is cramped under one small list, like in the old-gen titles.

I went easy with the graphics, mostly with disabled effects and medium to high settings. Lots of future options here, once I upgrade GPU.

I do miss the pit speed limiter button and manual driving in pits. Have to work with the FFB some more.

Driving is exactly the same as in AC and R3E with the GT3 cars, whch I'll mostly be playing. View point, sound, braking points, FFB, speed, everything is very similar. Altough I run with real adds which means there's TC and ABS present.
Click to expand...
My tip. Don't tweak the ffb too much in the options menu. Increase strength for each car that needs it in the car set up screen.
 
hmvinyl
Is there any way to use both a T300 and the PS4 controller at the same time? I.e. navigate the menus with the controller and driving with wheel
Click to expand...

Quoting myself here as this is mandatory for me to play the game. I have a T300 with the F1 rim and an OMP rim for GT cars - I know i have to press the Start button on any Thrustmaster rim in order to use the wheel, but if i want to use the OMP rim i do not have any buttons for navigate the menus..
The F1 rim is also confusing to navigate the menus as well.

I can do it easily on PS3 and Gran Turismo, just need to reasign controllers in the Controller settings menu.

:(:guilty::nervous::grumpy::banghead:
 
You guys have to try and HEAR the Mc Laren 12C at over 7000rpm! Use headphones and watch GT6 copy running for its life like its being chased by a tiger!
Controls definetly need some time to get used to with the pad though

EDITED: 12C, not P1
 
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Anyone have any feedback on using a pad on PC? Will probably use my DS3 or 360 pad. Also I know XBone & PS4 don't support it but does the PC version support the DFGT wheel?
 

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