Best racing sim for PC

NASCAR Racing 2003 Season is by far the most realistic driving simulation you'll ever experience on a PC. Pair this with the NNC 2007 Mod from Superspeedway.net and you have an up-to-date pristine racing simulation.
 
My vote is for MotoGP 07. I don't think it's on the PC in the US. But you can order it from the UK like I did.
I know I know... "ewww..a bike racing game..."
Honestly, I played Toca Race Driver 2 into the ground until Toca Race Driver 3 came out. Played that ever since. Still play it from time to time. So many cars to choose from. Fun game. Then I got GTR 2 and I've been playing that alot more recently. I've had it for over a year, but none of my friends really had systems that could handle it well. They are cheap friends, yes.
However, after playing and getting used to the controls in Moto GP 06, I was suprised to see a PC version of 07 and ordered it right away. Awesome game. Awesome online racing. Just too bad it's not widely played in the US. There is always the 360 version..but enh...After playing to #2 seed on the PC version, it's just too much work to get all the way through the game again on the 360. I use the 360 controller to play it on the PC. I've also tried it with a wheel. While goofy in concept, it actually works pretty good. (Sidewinder wheel).

As far as DiRT...I was excited about this game...for about 3 or 4 days. Then I realized the online play was horrible. The game itself is alot of fun, IMO. I found that the game didn't work well with a wheel or a 360 controller, but did do well with a joystick, oddly enough. Alot easier and more precise control for me. I'm wondering if there might be a way to set up brake/acel on my sidewinder pedals and set up steering with the joystick.... :D
I quit playing DiRT for about a month or so because I had to update my graphics drivers to play COD 4, and those drivers ruined DiRT. There was just a bright white screen on some of the tracks. Recently, the newer drivers fixed it...so I might start playing again.
 
Shabby610 said:
NASCAR Racing 2003 Season is by far the most realistic driving simulation you'll ever experience on a PC. Pair this with the NNC 2007 Mod from Superspeedway.net and you have an up-to-date pristine racing simulation.
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Since you weren't the first to post this.. I headed over to ebay.. and my gosh copies are going for $90+ .. jeebus
 
nah Sega Rally is pure... Perfect handling, awesome tracks though not that many of them... Dirt is not making anything good but try to make up for it with quantity so everything sucks pretty much :(.

However don´t buy the lazy pc port I had to work it for weeks to get it running with my wheel... Run all racing games with wheels no matter on console or PC but this one I wished I got the 360 version of instead lol.

As for Race 07 to play online you need steam... There is of course a steam version. As for online community if you want good racing you want to join clubs or leagues and stay away from public servers... It´s a sim after all and there is wreckers and people who have just no clue what they are doing on public servers.

But really for sprint racing there isn´t anything better out there :)
 
jonneymendoza said:
so i gues lfs is out of the equation then. looks like im off to get rfactor then due to having better netcode and the best mods
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Why is it out of the question? It is the most popular online racing sim, I have no idea what that guy meant by being too old... :rolleyes:
 
CodeX said:
Why is it out of the question? It is the most popular online racing sim, I have no idea what that guy meant by being too old... :rolleyes:
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well im not a gprahics whore but there is a limit lol. a game thats 4 years old just wont cut it for me unless it has been patched up to look decently in the eye. i will give lfs a go at some point to see how it is and then make a decision has i would of played all 3 racers(rfactor gtr2 and lfs)
 
4saken said:
The way they work it is that you buy licenses to access more of the game. S2 is the full license that has access to every car and every track. S1 has access to half of the game, and the demo has access to 1 track and a few cars i believe.
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The last time I played S1 and S2 seemed different in terms of graphics, or maybe it's just the way I remember... the menus seemed a bit different too...
 
Well I bought RACE07 off of steam yesterday, played about 4 hours last night, and it definitely isnt a bad game. But it still felt more arcadey to me than rFactor or LFS do.

Granted i only ran F3000 races the whole time i was racing and ill be putting more time into it this week(end). Ill reserve judgement till then.
 
4saken said:
Well I bought RACE07 off of steam yesterday, played about 4 hours last night, and it definitely isnt a bad game. But it still felt more arcadey to me than rFactor or LFS do.

Granted i only ran F3000 races the whole time i was racing and ill be putting more time into it this week(end). Ill reserve judgement till then.
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You should try the other races. The F3000 just have insane grip.
 
Eagle156 said:
You should try the other races. The F3000 just have insane grip.
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Yeah i realize that. Im just a big fan of that type of car, and was comparing the F3000 in Race07 to the feel of the F3000 in rFactor, and Formula types in LFS. It definitely was much easier to control and forgiving in RACE07.
 
If you want to play a racing game that looks pretty go play Need for Speed or some other junk like that.

If you want to play a racing sim that uses real physics equations and a tire model similar to what they use in real world engineering, play LFS. I will pwn all your asses any day in that game. For someone of real intelligence, everything pales in comparison to LFS.
 
Whoodie said:
If you want to play a racing game that looks pretty go play Need for Speed or some other junk like that.

If you want to play a racing sim that uses real physics equations and a tire model similar to what they use in real world engineering, play LFS. I will pwn all your asses any day in that game. For someone of real intelligence, everything pales in comparison to LFS.
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i dont want the best graphics but it has to be decent. i will give lfs a try but im leaning more towards rfactor
 
get both, Rfactor does not drive correctly but has sweet mods for it. The best PC racing experience is LFS, no doubt.
 
Whoodie said:
get both, Rfactor does not drive correctly but has sweet mods for it. The best PC racing experience is LFS, no doubt.
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yea i might get both if lfs is good. where can you buy lfs? cant seem to find a boxed version of it anywhere. umm how good is the g25 steering wheel. is it realy worth that amount of money? i have NEVER had a steering wheel for a game before so this would be a first if i was to go and buy one
 
LFS is only available for purchase online.

http://www.lfs.net/

I have had many steering wheels, all Logitechs, and for the money the G25 is the best out there. All other wheels wear out and are sloppy around the center. So yes, the G25 is worth the money.

The cool thing about LFS is that it runs from a folder, so there is no install, no reg keys or shared dll's. It should not only be a racing model, but a model of how all programs should install and play.

Someone has made hires texture packs for most of the tracks, I would definitely get those, and there are loads of car skins available, good ones at that. Make sure that you enable AA in your video card's control panel as LFS has no internal switch, It will make it look prettier. I run the game at 1920*1200 with all graphics enabled and regularly get ~120 FPS, the game runs real smooth.

Don't get me wrong, RFactor has lots of cool things about it, but LFS is a better simulator.
 
jonneymendoza said:
yea i might get both if lfs is good. where can you buy lfs? cant seem to find a boxed version of it anywhere. umm how good is the g25 steering wheel. is it realy worth that amount of money? i have NEVER had a steering wheel for a game before so this would be a first if i was to go and buy one
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I know you are considering rFactor as well. I have extensive time with rFactor, and about a weeks time with LFS, and depending on what your intentions are, one could be better than the other.

rFactor definitely wins in the Real Cars, Real Tracks, Mods area. I find the simulation/physics/etc very similar between LFS and rFactor. As in, i wouldnt necessarily pick one or the other over each other in terms of "realism".

However, if you are more inclined to play online, dont even bother with rFactor. The mod versions, and community scatter just makes it a PITA to always find consistent gaming.
LFS just from a week of playing has one of the most impressive/streamlined online communities I have ever been a part of. And i have a feeling LFS will be played on my system for a long time due to the community support in this game.

As for wheels, im hoping to pick up a G25 over xmas, right now i am using a Logitech Momo which does work fine for both games, but definitely doesnt measure up to a G25.
 
Yes, but IMHO the community, mods, track versions, etc... are a bloody mess in rFactor. You spend more time maintaining the sim than racing it.


jonneymendoza said:
does many still play rfactor online? im thinking of it getting this game in hopes to replace forza
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That's cheap.

They were up around $250 a year ago :)

Visit www.iracing.com to see what's in store for the future. It looks like it will turn the simming community on it's ear when released.

Oh4Sh0 said:
Since you weren't the first to post this.. I headed over to ebay.. and my gosh copies are going for $90+ .. jeebus
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TechLarry said:
That's cheap.

They were up around $250 a year ago :)

Visit www.iracing.com to see what's in store for the future. It looks like it will turn the simming community on it's ear when released.
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Oh interesting. I catch the Skip Barber racing during the Grand Am Rolex series at Virginia Int'l raceway every year. So i have some love for that track and have been waiting for a good interpretation of it in some game. All the user made versions leave al ot to be desired. Thanks for that link, im definitely going to keep an eye on that site.
 
You can sign up for email updates (press releases, etc...), and they will send them to you automatically as they come out.

4saken said:
Oh interesting. I catch the Skip Barber racing during the Grand Am Rolex series at Virginia Int'l raceway every year. So i have some love for that track and have been waiting for a good interpretation of it in some game. All the user made versions leave al ot to be desired. Thanks for that link, im definitely going to keep an eye on that site.
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Hi i have finaly taken teh plunge to ditch forza 2 on the 360 and decided to see what all teh fuss is about in pc racing games.

for my pleasure i decided to buy my first ever steering wheel, the almightly g25 wheel and along with it came with the rfactor demo.

i was wondering of some of you guys can give me some advice has i am currently struggling to control the car decently on the road. i currently play it on manual using the clutch so any advice will be welcome.

the one part that i find a bit difficult to grasp is the powerful force feedback that this wheel has! any slight miss control and its almost imposible to straighten out your car due to teh wheel keep fighting with you.

all and all this game is simply amazing and makes forza look like mario cart.

here is a question, how many players can race in one server?

i have ordered the boxed version of rfactor and would also like to know a list of say umm maybe the top 5 best and popular mods i can play online with you guys as soon as im ready can control the car lol thanks guys i am all new to rfactor etc so any other tips will be cool.

thanks again guys and i am looking forward to maybe racing some of you guys in the future.

edit: can someone change the title of this thread has i mis spelt some! thanks
 
Try turning the force feedback down by half, then use the paddles to shift until you can comfortably run a few hotlaps without wrecking. Then try the clutch and shifter. Baby steps padawan.
 
I turn my FF on my wheel down to like 10-20%. Also dont let yourself get frustrated racing in gamesl ike rFactor and LFS. It will come to you and lap times will increase. Just learn to take the right lines and be consistent in your driving. Dont worry about making the fast time right off the bat, just worry about finishing without spinning out.
 
cool thanks. by the way aint using the clutch easier? for me it is because i cand rive in real life. i have no problem changing gears, its just that i cant control my car properly yet
 
Simplify everything, by not worrying about shifting you can concentrate on car control more. If the game does all of the throttle blips and clutching automatically I would say that using the paddles is easier, and faster!
 
Also, the only rFactor mod i actively play is the FSONE mode, which is currently at 1.8 i believe. Other than that im playing Live for Speed online 90% of the time.

Def check the FSONE mod out if you have any interest.
 
4saken said:
Also, the only rFactor mod i actively play is the FSONE mode, which is currently at 1.8 i believe. Other than that im playing Live for Speed online 90% of the time.

Def check the FSONE mod out if you have any interest.
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i would love to give lfs a try but the game looks pants. looks worse then grand tourismo 2
 
jonneymendoza said:
i would love to give lfs a try but the game looks pants. looks worse then grand tourismo 2
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Yeah rFactor does look much better than LFS. The high res textures that you can get with the full version of LFS definitely help out a lot. But it still lacks in that department.
 
VIR, in all it's glory, will be a part of iRacing when released. And it's Laser-Scanned for accuracy :)

http://www.iracing.com/tracks_vir.htm


4saken said:
Oh interesting. I catch the Skip Barber racing during the Grand Am Rolex series at Virginia Int'l raceway every year. So i have some love for that track and have been waiting for a good interpretation of it in some game. All the user made versions leave al ot to be desired. Thanks for that link, im definitely going to keep an eye on that site.
Click to expand...
 
First, the thing that screws people up the most in ISI based racing games is when you set the force feedback for a Logitech wheel, you need to set it NEGATIVE, not positive :)

Second, make sure the deadzone and linearity settings are not over-done.

The rest, my friend, comes with Laps :)



jonneymendoza said:
Hi i have finaly taken teh plunge to ditch forza 2 on the 360 and decided to see what all teh fuss is about in pc racing games.

for my pleasure i decided to buy my first ever steering wheel, the almightly g25 wheel and along with it came with the rfactor demo.

i was wondering of some of you guys can give me some advice has i am currently struggling to control the car decently on the road. i currently play it on manual using the clutch so any advice will be welcome.

the one part that i find a bit difficult to grasp is the powerful force feedback that this wheel has! any slight miss control and its almost imposible to straighten out your car due to teh wheel keep fighting with you.

all and all this game is simply amazing and makes forza look like mario cart.

here is a question, how many players can race in one server?

i have ordered the boxed version of rfactor and would also like to know a list of say umm maybe the top 5 best and popular mods i can play online with you guys as soon as im ready can control the car lol thanks guys i am all new to rfactor etc so any other tips will be cool.

thanks again guys and i am looking forward to maybe racing some of you guys in the future.

edit: can someone change the title of this thread has i mis spelt some! thanks
Click to expand...
 
TechLarry said:
First, the thing that screws people up the most in ISI based racing games is when you set the force feedback for a Logitech wheel, you need to set it NEGATIVE, not positive :)

Second, make sure the deadzone and linearity settings are not over-done.

The rest, my friend, comes with Laps :)
Click to expand...

hehe i dont understand the deadzone thing? what is it and its purpose?
 
Why do people make titles such as, "What is the best __________ game?" and then not GIVE A POLL.

So what is the best racing game without having to read through 6 pages???
 
Hulk said:
Why do people make titles such as, "What is the best __________ game?" and then not GIVE A POLL.

So what is the best racing game without having to read through 6 pages???
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Because there are lots of great sim race games that have different strengths based on what you are looking for. This is a subject that does benefit from discussion rather than a cookie cutter poll. Way to crap a thread that has been nothing but civil and informative for over 6 pages.
 
4saken said:
Because there are lots of great sim race games that have different strengths based on what you are looking for. This is a subject that does benefit from discussion rather than a cookie cutter poll. Way to crap a thread that has been nothing but civil and informative for over 6 pages.
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come on settle down, I just want to know what the best racing sim game is and I dont want to read through 6 pages - you could have just said, Dirt, etc. is the best game.
 
Hulk said:
come on settle down, I just want to know what the best racing sim game is and I dont want to read through 6 pages - you could have just said, Dirt, etc. is the best game.
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Its not. Like i said there are many SIM Racing(not DIRT), games that are good at different things, which is why it requires discussion.

These games are technical, not "arcadey" like Dirt, PGR, Forza, etc.

If you are serious about finding a good racing sim game, then you would read. If you arent, then you arent cut out to play sim type racing games anyway. As they require patience and practice. Such as reading 6 pages of a thread to get good information.

A poll also would not have listed all of the games the OP didnt know about. Such as iRacing, Live for Speed, etc. He was inquiring into that as well.

Take a chill pill and make your own thread with a poll if u want to find out the best "racing" games.
 
Speaking of clutching...

I'm with jonneymendoza in that I'd find it easier to use the shifter than the paddles; sequential shifting always gets me confused whenever I try it in a console racing game. If I were to get into a racing sim, I'd really want a nice non-sequential 6-speed (as that's what I drive in RL)

Now, for my question. Being that I'm a complete noob to racing sims... how well do they model clutch mechanics? If I were to shell out the money for say a G25, would I be dissapointed? I'd want the game to have at least some difference apparent when you do/don't double clutch (in appropriate situations of course... say shifting from 5th to 2nd) ... when you do/don't rev match... when you do/don't heel-toe on a braking entry to a corner...

Or is that level of realism beyond the sims (and controls?) of today?

Also... are there racing sims focused on street-legal cars? Or is that a racing game-only domain? I'd much rather game with something that I might own someday... and I'm never going to own a F1 :p

Or would I be best off saving my money and going to a (semi) local track instead? :(
 
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