TOCA Race Driver 3

[nige]

Haven't seen a thread about this one so I'll get the ball rolling!
In my opinion it doesn't compare to GT4. Graphics are bad, handling is distinctly acadey. Some of the tracks are fun though.
Last week I drove around the real Castle Combe in two cars- a new Subaru WRX and a Lotus Elise. The game track is NOTHING like the real thing. The corners are much too flat and the real track has much more camber, something you don't feel in the game. Overall the TOCA track feels far too fast and is not realistic at all.
Just my own thoughts. Can anybody add to this?

 

[Dave A]

I'll assume you have the PS2 version.
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=58983
I can comment on the games handling, with pro sim handling on it has possibly the most realistic fwd physics in any console game, the rest of the physics are very good also, but you need to be on pro sim mode in the options, the standard handling the game defaults to when it loads is very arcadey in comparison. I'm guessing you never set it to pro sim at all or if you did, then only the first time you loaded the game up.

As for Castle Combe, can't comment on that track since I've never been there, I can say Brands hatch and Silverstone are well done. What you experienced was probably mainly different due to g-forces, gravity and the extra feel you get in a real car of the raod surface, none of which any gae replicates. I don't hold RD3 as the ultimes accurate sim, but I don't hold GT4 as that either.

 

[JohnBM01]

ToCA Race Driver 3... great game plauged with horrid AI, a flawed flag system, and (maybe just my experiences) problems in maintaining consistency.

Nige, let me set you straight if I can. Some would say that graphics are overrated. I would say that ToCA Race Driver has some very nice graphics even if it isn't anything out of PD's graphics team. I don't call ToCA RD3's graphics as passable, I see them more as more-than-adequate. You can even race against 20 big rig trucks on one track and not that Ford 9000 or Ford 5000 truck in ToCA RD 2 which I didn't like. Craziest comment I'd make about graphics is that the ToCA series has some of the weakest rain effects, with "Pro Race Driver" having the worst. ToCA RD 2 had a bit more realistic rain effects as you can see the rain drops actually hit the track and the cars. Call me crazy, but I think ToCA RD 3's rain effects aren't the best, but look pretty nice. The falling rain kind of looks like stars falling from the sky. Either that, or a beautiful waterfall. I actually think the graphics are very good. Only gripe is that I'd like to race at night and even evening.

I'm sure Live4speed will tell you that GT4 has nothing on ToCA Race Driver 3 in terms of physics and maybe even competitiveness in races. So don't be surprised if he's critical in this respect.

It would be easy in comparing GT4 to ToCA, but let me tell you. These two games are actually apples and oranges. GT4 is more concentrated on the joys of being an automotive encyclopedia more than pure racing. The ToCA series is much different, more concentrated on racing disciplines than the joys of driving and an automotive encyclopedia. People say GT4's racing element is weak, but I sometimes feel like just racing a normal car around a track after some tuning like in GT4. I'm not at all a pure racing car guy. I've loved a compromise of pure racing and just having fun on the track. I also don't care much about actual series, since ToCA RD 3 features several race courses, actual driver names, and even actual rides. So to me, if you love GT4 more than ToCA, that's fine. If you love ToCA more than GT4, that's fine as well. Picking a favorite is probably more about preference.

ToCA Race Driver 3 is still a good game, just that the rough AI and flawed flag system will give you plenty of complications.

 

[Dave A]

ToCA Race Driver 3... great game plauged with horrid AI, a flawed flag system, and (maybe just my experiences) problems in maintaining consistency.

Some of the race series are frustrating, often due to the AI, for example, one of the V8 supercar races had me constantly getting bashed off corners. Regarding flags, generally I think they're fine except for the flag rule when you go off the track is sometimes wrong, it gives you warnings for gaining an advatntage when you slide off the outside of a corner . But overall, I think they did a great job.

Nige, let me set you straight if I can. Some would say that graphics are overrated. I would say that ToCA Race Driver has some very nice graphics even if it isn't anything out of PD's graphics team. I don't call ToCA RD3's graphics as passable, I see them more as more-than-adequate. You can even race against 20 big rig trucks on one track and not that Ford 9000 or Ford 5000 truck in ToCA RD 2 which I didn't like. Craziest comment I'd make about graphics is that the ToCA series has some of the weakest rain effects, with "Pro Race Driver" having the worst. ToCA RD 2 had a bit more realistic rain effects as you can see the rain drops actually hit the track and the cars. Call me crazy, but I think ToCA RD 3's rain effects aren't the best, but look pretty nice. The falling rain kind of looks like stars falling from the sky. Either that, or a beautiful waterfall. I actually think the graphics are very good. Only gripe is that I'd like to race at night and even evening.

I agree completely.

I'm sure Live4speed will tell you that GT4 has nothing on ToCA Race Driver 3 in terms of physics and maybe even competitiveness in races. So don't be surprised if he's critical in this respect.

I wouldn't go so far as to say RD3 is better overall than GT4 in terms of physics, but in the way the fwd car's behave, they are better, the rwd and 4wd cars, maybe not. Now GT4 v LFS or GTR on the other hand .

It would be easy in comparing GT4 to ToCA, but let me tell you. These two games are actually apples and oranges. GT4 is more concentrated on the joys of being an automotive encyclopedia more than pure racing. The ToCA series is much different, more concentrated on racing disciplines than the joys of driving and an automotive encyclopedia. People say GT4's racing element is weak, but I sometimes feel like just racing a normal car around a track after some tuning like in GT4. I'm not at all a pure racing car guy. I've loved a compromise of pure racing and just having fun on the track. I also don't care much about actual series, since ToCA RD 3 features several race courses, actual driver names, and even actual rides. So to me, if you love GT4 more than ToCA, that's fine. If you love ToCA more than GT4, that's fine as well. Picking a favorite is probably more about preference.

Totally agree.

 

[Dave A]

If anyone has the PC verison of RD3 would you be so kind as to help me with my little self created problem in this post here...
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showpost.php?p=2228864&postcount=809
👍.