Where have you been having your fun?

[r_outsider]

Well, have some things sorted and my quest to do the entire career on the XSX is back on track. Currently on the Porsche Cayman GT4 Cup, and once I got the back end sorted out, I absolutely love this car! Other notes so far, most of the cars and events are pretty well thought out and matched to each other although I noticed some repeat events within tier 5. The rain does get tiresome as well although weather and its effect on the tracks is pretty well done especially now that I have the X and the physics don't crap the bed with the slightest increase in processing requirements (and, not a karate chop to be seen!). I've been trying to mix it up when there's choice with cars I haven't driven and regional events with tracks I've got less time on or haven't driven at all.

The tier 6 cars and karts were pretty fun to drive but they all took a little work to make them fun in a chuckable sort of way, really couldn't push it in the way I wanted out of the box. The karts were pretty convincing in the end.

Tier 5 from top to bottom were really enjoyable cars I will have to spend more time with. I've maintained the Ginetta GT5 to be one of my favourites in the game since the first time I drove it and that opinion stands, I love how you can just hurl that thing around. I took the Caterham in Sportscar Lites, it was bonkers fun although it +cold tires+green track=you'll get dizzy from spinning, FC is properly a good car with some setup work and smooth driving. I didn't think I was going to like the Clio but once I got into it and once I got used to driving a FWD it was okay. I'd race it again.

Tier 4 thus far has been RX Lites with the Olsbergs MSE RX Supercar Lite/Fiesta thing, that was a hoot (and the practice from the Clio helped) but the events get pretty monotonous. Group A was great, I took the BMW, I seemed to spend an awful lot of time chasing Sierra Cosworths and getting walked by Mercedes so I'll have to give that another run with some of the different cars. Now I'm on the Cayman and working my way back up the list.

 

[Mr Grumpy]

Touring Cars lately in the BMW, online & against the AI.

Various tracks & weather conditions, get some good battles out of the AI when set at 110/60, they're quick but not off into the sunset quick (make a mistake & you've had it though) & just the right aggression (they don't punt you but they'll hold & defend their line.

 

[kjb]

I recently found the NSX GT3 as I was racing with the Cadallic GT3 and kept spinning for some odd reason (probably tires were cold) and I think I might have found a new favorite. @r_outsider the Ginetta GT5 is a fun little car

 

[r_outsider]

Okay, right thread!
In my ongoing quest to complete the career, have now finished the Porsche Cayman Cup and GT4 series. I really, really like these cars, enough that I ran the works full length, rain or shine. Or fog, that turned up once too. I did test them all before getting into it, think the Porsche was my favourite but I took the Aston for my run through it. Although I've been mostly able to get away with being lazy with tire setups and just run "automatic by weather," this was the first series I've had to come up with specific hard and soft slick setups for these cars, especially for qualifying. The game seems to put you on hard compounds even when the weather is cool.

Now, on to Prototype C! Unless I run back through GT4 in another car...

 

[Morgoth_666]

Okay, right thread!
In my ongoing quest to complete the career, have now finished the Porsche Cayman Cup and GT4 series. I really, really like these cars, enough that I ran the works full length, rain or shine. Or fog, that turned up once too. I did test them all before getting into it, think the Porsche was my favourite but I took the Aston for my run through it. Although I've been mostly able to get away with being lazy with tire setups and just run "automatic by weather," this was the first series I've had to come up with specific hard and soft slick setups for these cars, especially for qualifying. The game seems to put you on hard compounds even when the weather is cool.

Now, on to Prototype C! Unless I run back through GT4 in another car...

GT4 is great fun! One of the few series I've run twice. Used them for a few endurance races too... I think the GT4 Ginetta is still my most-driven car although I haven't driven it in some time.

 

[r_outsider]

GT4 is great fun! One of the few series I've run twice. Used them for a few endurance races too... I think the GT4 Ginetta is still my most-driven car although I haven't driven it in some time.

Seriously underrated class. For years I've been one of these guys who just blasts through to the fastest stuff, I missed out on some great stuff! Something special and awesome about driving these smaller cars you can really push. Really liked that Ginetta when I tried it, although I believe there really isn't a bad car here.

 

[greenlightning]

Hockenhiem full track lately.

Have not done that many laps on it in the past.

Another tweak that I just did was map the ability to zoom in or out the field of view while on track.
Not sure why never thought of doing that in the past. This is another game changer for me.
With bumper cam field of view at 120, makes ya feel like your driving at 300 plus miles and hour.
I reduced it to 100 or so. I do not use bumper cam that often, but it does produce the best sense of speed. The ability to change field of view on the fly is great.

Time to really get to know each car, like never before. Along with maybe tuning or download peoples tunes to remove some of the pushing though corners or snap oversteer effects when comming out of corner.

Take everything from PC2 and uses AMS2 improved physics/force feed back and other enhancements from a new game and I would drop a $100 on it easily. Especially with say a simple livery editor from maybe PC3.

Easter weekend update. Really enjoying my current settings a lot. Most cars feel good, some great, and some amazing. Indy cars on road course is in the amazing category. Ferrari challenge cars are in the amazing really good category.

If you like project cars on console you would love it on a gaming computer.

Next weekend the lady of the house will be out of town so will race upstairs on the 65 inch screen instead of my 55 inch.

Getting a few hours in on the 65 inch tv. Fantastic is all got to say. I have certainly been getting my money worth out of my gaming laptop.

Kind of thinking about what would be better to get even more out of casual sim racing. Direct drive wheel or good VR package.

 

[r_outsider]

Well, Group C done, again , really had a great time with these beasts. Took my beloved Jag, tried a few different ones but that's the one I always come back to. COTA in the rain and dark was a new challenge for sure. Only one problem, the AI version of the Nissan GTP car. Technically speaking, it should monster the class, GTP cars were lighter and more powerful than the Group C cars but WOW, trying to compete with those things. Sort of spoiled it a bit but I still enjoyed the class.

Also did yet another run with GT4's, this time through the Euro side of things with the Toyota. Didn't touch a thing on it, ran default loose and had a blast again!

 

[GTWorkshed]

Project Cars 2 is my track day simulator. I disable crowds and just do solo hot lapping. I also usually run at night, so it's like I'm alone out on the track after it's closed. It's really immersive to play that way. I keep a spreadsheet that has all the cars and tracks listed and save my best lap times.

Some of my favorite cars:

Acura NSX GT3
Audi R8 LMS
BAC Mono
BMW 2002 Turbo
Ford Escort RS1600 R
Formula Renault 3.5
Mercedes 190E DTM
Mercedes Sauber C9/C9 LM
Renault R.S. 01
SMS Formula A
SMS Formula X
Toyota GT-One

 

[05XR8]

Booted the game up. Straight into Gr.A at Silverstone Classic layout and Oschersleben, in the Sonax 190E. This game istill delivers the goods.

 

[greenlightning]

I know this is PC1, however GT series is just a toy anymore

 

[MrCrynox]

I set up a little one off race last night. Driving the Caterham 7 Superlight, multi class RDD, RDC, GT4, GT3. 60 mins around Long Beach at 17:00 start time, started in bright conditions then witnessed the sun setting and finished at night, X5 time progression. 32 cars, started last, one pitstop, finished 12. Great fun 👍😀

 

[Mr_D]

I love how people here are just enjoying the game, setting up whatever race they feel like and having fun. Whereas in the GT threads its only about "I have to do this same race 150 times to earn enough virtual currency to unlock a car".

After completing the GT3 carreer in PC2 I started again. This time all the way from the rookies/junior cup and I want to focus on the prototype/endurace carreer this time. However I have a kid now not much gaming time, and most of my racing is done in Dirt Rally 2 which I also really enjoy.

 

[Mr Grumpy]

130 laps of Lydden hill in the Ginetta GT5 against AI @120/100.

Why, why & why you may ask (or not, but I'm going to share it with you anyway)

Lydden hill, a fantastic little track where momentum is key. Don't be fooled by its simplicity it has blind elevated corners (2) & it's a bumpy track which can unsettle the car & while it has gravel traps they're small so you will hit the wall if you're not careful.

It also doubles up as a Rally X track which means if you spin towards the inside then you're going for a little bumpy ride before getting back on the main track.

The Ginetta GT5, slowish, stable but lots of fun. You can just chuck these cars about & on a little track like Lydden Hill it's perfect. But the main reason is these cars are built like tanks, taking a heavy punt into the barrier or from the 100% aggressive AI results in 5 or 10% worth of damage if that, compared to the formula rookie or a GT3/E that would surely result in race ending damage or a really long pit stop.

Which brings me onto the 130 laps, Lydden Hill has no pit lane & the Ginetta can do 127 laps on a tank of fuel so.... my test race begins.

At first I race around mid pack having a few little tussles with the AI, this goes on for some time through the night as I set the time scale to do such, then around lap 50 ish the first retirement happens, seeing as there's no pit lane the AI just pulls off onto the side of the track & goes to sit in his caravan leaving a stranded car to cause what can only be described as pure idiocy.

Over the course of the next 25 laps or so half the field had retired & parked up at various places around this little track, causing yellow flags in certain corners which the AI decided to actually follow this only rule by slowing down enough to cause an almighty pile up between what was left of the grid.

I now have 60% front damage, 20% rear damage & suspension damage (thankfully equal so it didn't affect my steering) but like I said the Ginetta's are built like tanks so we all carry on as normal.

By lap 100 ish, all AI have retired onto the side of the track which I can only presume was fuel related, what was once a race has now turned into a one car endurance survival to finish the race, I trundled around lifting & coasting, short shifting just to save fuel while dodging badly parked tanks at various places of this little track.

I did it, took the checkered flag with 0.3 litres left in the tank after 1hr 40mins & 130 laps, good times

 

[Hun200kmh]

What a fantastic test and idea, I might try this soon! Was damage set to full or performance impacting?

 

[Mr Grumpy]

What a fantastic test and idea, I might try this soon! Was damage set to full or performance impacting?

Full.

Edit: My next test is to flood a circuit, I want to know if there's a limit to rain fall, so I'll set up a 1hr race with 4x rain weather slots (thunderstorms just to make sure) at 60x time acceleration so it'll just keep rotating after every 4th slot, 1 minute per slot will be 60 hrs of rain fall in an hour.

Get ya wellies ready.

 

[kjb]

I took out my favorite GT3 car the Cadillac and went to Zuhuu or whatever it's called and a quick 5 lap race. I started 30th and ended up 10th. It was fun back forth with the AI

 

[Nismonath5]

Full.

Edit: My next test is to flood a circuit, I want to know if there's a limit to rain fall, so I'll set up a 1hr race with 4x rain weather slots (thunderstorms just to make sure) at 60x time acceleration so it'll just keep rotating after every 4th slot, 1 minute per slot will be 60 hrs of rain fall in an hour.

Get ya wellies ready.

What was the result of this test?

I've had very little to do with PC2, aside from the odd dabble here and there. I recall the wet weather being some of the best on a current racing title, it certainly seems to strike the perfect balance between how the rain affects visibility and how the rain feels through the wheel!

 

[Mr Grumpy]

Oh yeah, forgot to report.

So there is a limit to how much a track gets flooded & it is high enough to actually make the AI slow down to a crawl through the puddles on track & in corners on the racing line because they don't have the sense to take a wider line like us humans, although they don't suffer from aquaplaning like us humans either.

To be honest when I race in rain I either use heavy rain or fog & rain as I feel they look more realistic & strike a good balance, storm & thunderstorm can be to much for some cars, light rain is pointless unless you're doing a long race & heavy fog & rain is impossible to see anything .

Another test I did (this time the opposite way round) start the race with snow & set 4 sunny clear sky weather slots at 60x speed at midday & eventually the track will dry back to normal so you can put slicks on & surrounding grass becomes green again. Edit: doesn't seem to happen as quickly on some tracks as it does on others though.

 

[Scaff]

I recall the wet weather being some of the best on a current racing title

On console it's still pretty much the best around.

On PC Reiza took the PC2 ball and ran with it and the end result is that Automobilista 2 has an even better weather system with both Live Weather (it checks the current metrological data for every track if you set the current date and time and uses that) as well as 40 years of historic data for every track (so you set the date and time and you will get the correct weather for that data and time.

The physics balance is also even better with rain and a wet track.

 

[Chikane_GTR]

On console it's still pretty much the best around.

On PC Reiza took the PC2 ball and ran with it and the end result is that Automobilista 2 has an even better weather system with both Live Weather (it checks the current metrological data for every track if you set the current date and time and uses that) as well as 40 years of historic data for every track (so you set the date and time and you will get the correct weather for that data and time.

The physics balance is also even better with rain and a wet track.

As there been any word on Automobilista 2 getting release for ps5/sx


As for the thread well 9 out of 10 times i play the game i always go to classic monza no matter how many miles i have on this track its still super fun to drive.

 

[Scaff]

As there been any word on Automobilista 2 getting release for ps5/sx


As for the thread well 9 out of 10 times i play the game i always go to classic monza no matter how many miles i have on this track its still super fun to drive.

No news at all yet, but it does deserve the widest audience

 

[Chikane_GTR]

No news at all yet, but it does deserve the widest audience

Agree Reiza as done a great in improving that game from the car list to track list and i would buy it if they released it on ps5.

 

[Fossilized]

It seems from all accounts that the FFB on sims that run on both consoles and computers is generally MUCH better on computer. Probably a framerate thing, or speed of USB buss communication with your wheel, but several reviewers say that ACC is night and day between PS5 and a PC.

it might be interesting to see if Reiza can find a way to bring console FFB up to PC levels, but I rather fear it’s a hardware issue that may not resolve until a possible PS6 improvement. The problem is, gamepads wouldn’t really benefit much from a big USB refresh rate improvement, so I don’t really see Sony putting much emphasis on it…

 

[IfAndOr]

FFB on sims that run on both consoles and computers is generally MUCH better on computer

I think it maybe more refined because there's often options to adjust, modify or additions that can be made to the underlying files. That isn't allowed by Sony/MS. Although extra processing power helps, as I'm finding now with the PS5 in PC2 and other racing games.

ACC is probably different because the PC version is on a somewhat later patch that, I believe, has an improved physics and tyre model. It's coming to console.. sometime.

Gamepads usually connect via Bluetooth.

 

[Fossilized]

I think it maybe more refined because there's often options to adjust, modify or additions that can be made to the underlying files. That isn't allowed by Sony/MS. Although extra processing power helps, as I'm finding now with the PS5 in PC2 and other racing games.

ACC is probably different because the PC version is on a somewhat later patch that, I believe, has an improved physics and tyre model. It's coming to console.. sometime.

Gamepads usually connect via Bluetooth.

Sorry, I can’t provide the link, but there was a YouTube video I watched recently where someone had both console and PC versions of ACC from launch (so he should be able to make a decent comparison between earlier PC versions and current PS5 version) and he was quite adamant that, at defaults (no PC ini. changes, etc.) it was night and day in feel.

However, I think that Reiza would do well to take a good look at the most popular .ini files (is that what they are? Not 100% sure on PC suffixes!) and see if their behavior could be scaled into the default console scaling.

Bottom line, physics and tire models can affect FFB to a certain degree, but I think that the underlying communication between device and wheel is probably the largest factor, especially feeling track meshes and curbs, etc.. I wish someone would run a modest PC at 60fps and make a direct apples to apples test!

I still think the main issue will be, can Reiza afford the supposedly expensive console update procedures? PC2’s console progress compared to the PC version had Bandai issuing far fewer incremental upgrades than the PC version. This led to delayed fixes, and fewer tweaks. Perhaps the PS5 update structure is better than the PS4’s was, let’s hope so. It’s only Reiza’s constant updates that have turned the boat around.

 

[Mr_D]

Did a 24h Le Mans simulation with the Panoz in 2 hours real time. Multiclass race with GTE and Group 1 cars. Great fun.
Spend a lot of time in practice getting a feel for the car, finetuning the setup and making pit strategies for day and night.

Was bottom of the class in practice but ended up taking pole in qualifying. In the actual race I made a mistake about 20 min in but fortunately no damage to the car. I did end up in traffic between the GTE cars. Tried overtaking a group of cars in the last sector which I shouldnt have done because its too dangerous . One car clipped me from behind and I ended up going off with damage this time. Fortunately close to the pits.

Went into the pits for repairs only and 20 mins later I went in for tyres and fuel but it remembered the repair only settings and it was a wasted pit stop.. had to pit again which made it 3 stops in 45 min rather than 1.

After that I drove pretty consistent and pit stops went great. Ended up being the second to last group 1 car which I thought was actually quite good lol.

Weird thing was when I crossed the line after the timer dropped to zero the race didnt end. Other cars drove very slowly but I still had full control of tue car. I planned my fuel perfectly so I couldnt do another lap even with lean fuel mixture. Went out of fuel in the last sector and had to retire to pit and that made it technically a DNF for me. Not sure why that happened but it was a one off race anyway so didnt really care. Still weird though.

Next up is Nutburgring combined 24h in the GTE Corvette

 

[Mr_D]

Nurburgring was a bit of a disaster but still fun. Didn't know it would get THAT dark at night. Only seeing 50-ish meters in front while doing 250 kph is pretty crazy. The fast sweeping sections were really difficutl, and then the rain started..

Ultimately it was fun and I did finish the 2:30 hour real time race but came last mostly because of unpredictable AI. I qualified 5th but in a lot of sections they were massively faster than I was which was really weird. In the end I started catching some cars but one of them crashed me and I had to pit for repairs in literally the last lap. Well, it was a fun afternoon anyways.

Anyone got tips for a cool track/car combo? I was thinking of Group A on Sonoma raceway, running from 1400 tot 2400 hrs in 2 hours real time. I feel like the slower the cars the better the actual racing is usually. Also a nice combo to use my H-shifter in combination with a short throw kit I got recently.

 

[Mr Grumpy]

Nurburgring was a bit of a disaster but still fun. Didn't know it would get THAT dark at night. Only seeing 50-ish meters in front while doing 250 kph is pretty crazy. The fast sweeping sections were really difficutl, and then the rain started..

Ultimately it was fun and I did finish the 2:30 hour real time race but came last mostly because of unpredictable AI. I qualified 5th but in a lot of sections they were massively faster than I was which was really weird. In the end I started catching some cars but one of them crashed me and I had to pit for repairs in literally the last lap. Well, it was a fun afternoon anyways.

Anyone got tips for a cool track/car combo? I was thinking of Group A on Sonoma raceway, running from 1400 tot 2400 hrs in 2 hours real time. I feel like the slower the cars the better the actual racing is usually. Also a nice combo to use my H-shifter in combination with a short throw kit I got recently.

https://youtube.com/channel/UC3J2i2AzA2rAKPYpGqOB4CA

 

[Mr_D]

https://youtube.com/channel/UC3J2i2AzA2rAKPYpGqOB4CA

Cool. I might try driving in the snow that could be fun