Sim Racing

[Anthony Asmar]

I noticed a post from someone asking about a kart sim so I decided to whip this up for reference...


Sim training can help with concentration, lines and more. It's great if you just want to have fun racing other people too. However, the kart sim for rfactor is crap imo. You can get a better experience out of other sims....I've played with almost every driving sim out there and have come to the following conclusion for those of you who might be interested in this.



Wheel: If your looking for a steering wheel setup, spend a little extra and make the jump to a g25 or g27. It works with the Xbox and PS3. Also, without spending over $500 on a wheel, this setup makes me feel more connected to the sims and cars than any other in it's price range or less. Well worth $200-$300 you'll invest especially when it comes with a clutch and a six-speed (has a plastic feel, but it does the job).




Cockpit:If you want a cockpit, the best bang for your buck will be the Obutto Ozone. It's comfortable with many adjustments, very solid, and has more options than any cockpit under $1000 and it only costs about $289.

http://www.obutto.com/home.html





If your interested in some racing sims, I dont think any of them could be labled as the best. The ones I use are all unique in their own way. Imo, the ones listed below are the best out there, and if you dig, you can get some of them for free.


rFactor: Visuals = A, Sound = B+, Physics = B. rFactor is known for it's expandability. There are TONS of mods for it and you will have a blast playing most of them.

http://www.rfactor.net/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOrvrKXa5xY




iRacing: Visuals = A, Sound = C+, Physics = A. This sim is known for its almost perfectly modeled tracks and great physics. One thing that I feel iRacing lacks is in its sound engine. It does have a service fee, but you get managed seasons, points, live racing broadcasts, a ranking system, awards, and more... Well worth the money if you’re going to put time into it and don't mind paying every year, month, or however you set it up.

http://www.iracing.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCNBKw5XlAI&feature=related




Richard Burns Rally (w/RSRBR10 mod): Visuals = B+, Sound = C, Physics = B+. The best rally sim out there, period. Just make sure you get the RSRBR10 mod for it, which udates the physics, graphics and gives you a bunch of modeled cars/courses.

(RSRBR10 mod) http://www.virtualr.net/rsrbr-2010-released/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blygzs88gHI&feature=related




Grand Prix Legends (w/updated graphics and physics model):Visuals = C, Sound = A, Physics = C. GPL was created by the same guy who worked on iRacing. It's a dated (1998?), but still one of the best sims ever made.

http://gplps.org/wb/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd5Bq3E1GAg




Netkar Pro: Not Rated. It’s really good all around really, I would say its physics are on par with iRacing. The graphics look great too. I've only played it once so far.

http://www.netkar-pro.com/about.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6lYw-_wTYw




Live For Speed: Visuals = B, Sound = C+, Physics = B. It's one of the most fun to play. You can rallycross, create your own autocross layouts, drift, and more.. Great physics, not sure about the tire geometry though.

http://www.lfs.net/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWk64pB6TpQ




GTR2: I haven’t played around with GTR2 but that’s supposed to be pretty good too.


More links:
http://www.simraceway.com (online racing)
http://www.rfactorcentral.com (mods for rFactor)
http://www.simracingworld.com (mods for various sims)

[Anthony Asmar]

updated

[John Denman]

Nice write-up.

A couple things I've noticed over the last few years with racing sims:

Karting sims lack the US tracks and seem to suffer in the physics area. It doesn't matter which sim they all seem to suffer.

Physics are what give the car a real driving feeling for those not familiar with sims.

Due to the wide array of mods available for rFactor the quality of physics ranges. Take some of the top quality mods like FS One 2008 and it quickly becomes apparent that no other sim including iRacing even comes close on physics.

There are two catagories of training enhancement that sim racing offers IMO; generic driver skill and event specific. General driver skill includes tuning to an extent and event specific needs a good example of the track for the specific event. With a skinny inventory of US karting tracks available event specific isn't yet a big factor for kart racers although more tracks are coming.

We run a series that follows the F1 series and Indycar series as all those tracks are available for rFactor. Its a casual environment so it doesn't matter if someone misses some races, its mostly intended for fun. Most of us in this "league" watch these races, and and having run practice laps on the same tracks with similar performance sim cars on the same tracks before wathing the race is a spectacular way to enhance the televised experience; you know exactly where every braking point and passing point are, and if you've nailed the setup you'll find the same lap times, top speeds, shift points and turn speeds.

If you're an rFactor fan and you want to give it a go, take a look at http://www.rfactor-league.com/ - all mods can be downloaded from the site. There is also some animated documentation on program setup, driving and tuning.
_________________
John Denman
Producer for RTMP
http://www.kartweb.com

[Jim McMahon]

Few things to add.....

Netkar Pro has been around for almost 4 years now, I dont think I'd call it new and Netkar before it goes back to '02 I think.

A cheap alternative wheel to the G25 & G27 is the Driving Force Pro. It does not have a H pattern or clutch, but for the price you can get them at, they cannot be beat.

Cockpit-wise, if you are even semi handy, I'd recommed the Microsim Rasebace. Costs about $120 in parts from what I can tell and looks well worth it.



I haven't built one yet, but I plan to when I make some space in the office. You need to register here: http://www.thewayiplay.com/mainforum/index.php?topic=894.0 to get a copy of the plans. The plans are free however.

Also I'm surprised that Live For Speed hasn't been mentioned in the list of sims. I would put it ahead of GTR especially for us people tighter for time. The physics in LFS always felt very "connected" to me. Subjective term I know. LFS is great for just powering up the PC and jumping into a competitve race without waiting or any other faffing about.

Another noteable mention, although not really a sim by today's standards is Rally Trophy. Its just plain fun, especially when the codriver gets mad at you.
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GPI Racing | WildKart | Maxter | Hoosier
Karting Festival @ Blackhawk Farms June 1st-2nd.

[Anthony Asmar]

[Rob Hogenmiller]

Been doing the www.rfactor-league.com with John and been enjoying it. Sunday and Monday nights. The physics compared to live racing are ok, it's definitely good for focus and concentration. The money factor is nice. I've got $600 computer. $250 Flat Screen and $20 Steering Wheel and all the updates are free, so money wise definitely nice. Definitely as challenging as real racing, satisfaction factor not the same obviously. Good alternative if you've been out of racing, short on cash, or looking to work on your focus and concentration in racing.
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www.pgfracing.com
www.kartingresources.blogspot.com/

[Cory Ross]

I know this is an old thread. I was just wondering if there are any new simulators or if the existing simulators have had updates to make them even better?

I have been using Simraceway with their wheel the SRW-S1. The physics feel pretty good but I have not used any of the other sims to compare it to.

[Rob Hogenmiller]

I enjoyed particpating and am thinking of getting back in to sim racing again, as now I might actually have the money to by a nice wheel and pedal setup where as before hindered my perfomance with a low budget wheel. Is Rfactor still the one you use John?
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www.pgfracing.com
www.kartingresources.blogspot.com/