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flip-mode
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Help me pick a racing game

Tue Dec 21, 2010 12:08 pm

F1 2010, Dirt, Dirt 2, etc, etc...

I'm thinking Dirt 2. $14 on Steam right now. DX11! I think I'd enjoy off-road racing a lot. Any reason not to go with this? Something better? What about Grid?

I also need a steering wheel, but I definitely need to keep the price under $50. Please help with this if you can. Newegg seems to be out of stock of anything in my price range. Amazon has some options:
Hmm... dunno
this looks interesting
Doesn't seem bad
Thrustmaster for $35
Microsoft Sidewinder for $50
Other wheel suggestions?
 
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Re: Help me pick a racing game

Tue Dec 21, 2010 12:21 pm

flip-mode wrote:
F1 2010, Dirt, Dirt 2, etc, etc...

I'm thinking Dirt 2. $14 on Steam right now. DX11! I think I'd enjoy off-road racing a lot. Any reason not to go with this? Something better? What about Grid?


what about grid? grid for me is still on top. little old but looks and plays amazing. variety of tracks, lots of cars to choose from. man, id say go for grid as your first option, then consider dirt2. f1 2010 is boring unless you are hardcore f1 fan. i got bored after 8 laps of my first race.
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flip-mode
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Re: Help me pick a racing game

Tue Dec 21, 2010 12:36 pm

I'm not an F1 fan at all. F1 2010 is probably off the list.

So you say Grid over Dirt 2. Hmm... What is Grid - racing through the city?

Do different racing games handle a lot differently or are they pretty similar. I tried playing Dirt 1 with keyboard and mouse and it really, really sucked trying to play that way. I dunno if it was because Dirt 1 handled poorly anyway or if it was all the fault of the kb/m.

Any thoughts on which racing wheel 2x4?
 
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Re: Help me pick a racing game

Tue Dec 21, 2010 1:10 pm

For a wheel, the Logitech G27 or the new Fanatec Porsche 911 GT2 if you can afford them (especially the 911 with the Fanatec Clubsport pedals which are very sweet.) If your budget is tight, the Logitech Driving Force GT Pro.

As far as games, are you looking for arcade, sim or a little of both? DiRT 2 is a bit arcadey, but not as much as GRiD. GRiD has a weird balance to the cars, very centered and somewhat sloppy.
 
flip-mode
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Re: Help me pick a racing game

Tue Dec 21, 2010 1:51 pm

What is the difference between arcade and sim? Is that like 1st/3rd person?
 
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Re: Help me pick a racing game

Tue Dec 21, 2010 1:54 pm

flip-mode wrote:
What is the difference between arcade and sim? Is that like 1st/3rd person?

Sim tries to be faithful to how that actual car would steer, accelerate, brake, etc, and usually sims must be driven much more carefully. Arcade style is the opposite, allowing you to fling the car around with little regard of that car's actual driving responses.
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Re: Help me pick a racing game

Tue Dec 21, 2010 1:56 pm

Sim usually has highly accurate physics modelling for the car and track plus immense realism in regard to tweaking the car (suspension, tires, etc.) The trade-off is that the graphics usually aren't as good and the driving experience less fantastic (i.e. fantasy elements like insane jumps and less demanding precision in turns and steering, low damage models, etc.)
 
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Re: Help me pick a racing game

Tue Dec 21, 2010 1:57 pm

flip-mode, another thing you might consider, if you dont want to go over $50, is to get an xbox controller. i only use it for racing and sports (fifa, nba) games and find it very comfortable and still give a pretty good feeling.
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Re: Help me pick a racing game

Tue Dec 21, 2010 1:59 pm

Having both, I can say I like DIRT 2 a lot more. I think its more because it is a Rally/Off road game than driving more through city like tracks in Grid. Personally I don't think you can go wrong with either of them. It really is just a preference. Definitely go with 2x4 comments on the Xbox controller. I use it the same way as him.
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flip-mode
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Re: Help me pick a racing game

Tue Dec 21, 2010 2:01 pm

Burnout Paradise? On sale today for $5.

bdwilcox wrote:
Sim usually has highly accurate physics modelling for the car and track plus immense realism in regard to tweaking the car (suspension, tires, etc.) The trade-off is that the graphics usually aren't as good and the driving experience less fantastic (i.e. fantasy elements like insane jumps and less demanding precision in turns and steering, low damage models, etc.)

Hmm... I'd go for driving experience and graphics over tweaking, by far. Some accurate physics would be nice, though.


2x4 wrote:
flip-mode, another thing you might consider, if you dont want to go over $50, is to get an xbox controller. i only use it for racing and sports (fifa, nba) games and find it very comfortable and still give a pretty good feeling.

Hmm... skip the racing wheel? Yikes. Does the racing wheel improve the experience over the Xbox controller? I'll probably get an Xbox controller eventually, but for now I'd like the best racing experience...
 
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Re: Help me pick a racing game

Tue Dec 21, 2010 2:15 pm

The wheel, pedals and shifter take some acclimating but once you've become used to them there's no substitute. You'll also need a stand or desk to attach the wheel to, but you can either buy a cheap one like a Wheel Stand Pro or make one if you're handy with wood or welding. The coup-de-grace is a Butt-Kicker sub-woofer attached to your seat to complete the driving sim experience.

More on stands and cockpits here and here.
 
flip-mode
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Re: Help me pick a racing game

Tue Dec 21, 2010 2:39 pm

bdwilcox wrote:
The coup-de-grace is a Butt-Kicker sub-woofer attached to your seat to complete the driving sim experience.
:lol: That's "clutch". /pun
 
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Re: Help me pick a racing game

Tue Dec 21, 2010 3:28 pm

flip-mode wrote:
What is the difference between arcade and sim? Is that like 1st/3rd person?


In a sim, you actually have to hit the brakes if you want to have a chance at winning. :lol:
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Re: Help me pick a racing game

Tue Dec 21, 2010 4:26 pm

dextrous wrote:
flip-mode wrote:
What is the difference between arcade and sim? Is that like 1st/3rd person?


In a sim, you actually have to hit the brakes if you want to have a chance at winning. :lol:


X2, :lol:

Try NFS shift for Sim and If you want it to be arcade try NFS Hot pursuit 3 ...

GRID is also a very nice game, you wont be bored at all.
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flip-mode
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Re: Help me pick a racing game

Tue Dec 21, 2010 4:41 pm

OK, sounds like there are simply lots of good games to choose from: Dirt 2, GRID, NFS Shift. I'll just start with whichever is priced lowest :P and I guess the (edit) Microsoft Sidewinder.
Last edited by flip-mode on Tue Dec 21, 2010 4:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
 
potatochobit
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Re: Help me pick a racing game

Tue Dec 21, 2010 4:46 pm

why waste your money
buy burn out paradise today

dirt2 will be on sale again for 5$ most likely
 
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Re: Help me pick a racing game

Tue Dec 21, 2010 5:23 pm

2x4 wrote:
flip-mode, another thing you might consider, if you dont want to go over $50, is to get an xbox controller. i only use it for racing and sports (fifa, nba) games and find it very comfortable and still give a pretty good feeling.


Love my Xbox 360 controller. Great controller and it works very well for Grid (which is my recommendation for a racing game)
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flip-mode
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Re: Help me pick a racing game

Wed Dec 22, 2010 7:03 am

potatochobit wrote:
why waste your money buy burn out paradise today dirt2 will be on sale again for 5$ most likely

I did end up buying BOP. Hard to pass for $5. But, Dirt 2 and Grid are going to remain on my radar.
 
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Re: Help me pick a racing game

Wed Dec 22, 2010 5:04 pm

For less realistic racers, especially Burn Out Paradise (which is an amazing game) there is no point in getting a racing wheel and pedals. Even Dirt 2 and GRID, awesome though they may be, won't make great use of a wheel.
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flip-mode
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Re: Help me pick a racing game

Wed Dec 22, 2010 5:21 pm

Obsidian wrote:
For less realistic racers, especially Burn Out Paradise (which is an amazing game) there is no point in getting a racing wheel and pedals. Even Dirt 2 and GRID, awesome though they may be, won't make great use of a wheel.

OK. I think I'll take the advice to get an XB360 controller.
What about this for about 1/2 the price of the Xbox controller.
 
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Re: Help me pick a racing game

Sat Dec 25, 2010 10:19 pm

Grid and NFS Shift are on point. Dirt 2 was pretty good too, but GRID was better.
 
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Re: Help me pick a racing game

Fri Dec 31, 2010 6:52 am

Yo guys, get real.....u want to get some or all of the Simbin Race series off Steam.
I think Race07+GTR evo is $5 on steam, and is one of the best racing games ever made.
Also don't waste money on controllers or $20 wheels, pony up with a Logitech DFGT.

As for Grid and co, hahahahhaa, I used to like those games till I got a wheel and realized not only how poorly optimized they are for wheels, but how unrealistic the driving experience is.

U can also dl scores of free mods, both cars and tracks{I have many of them myself} like Spa and Suzuka, and also insane animals like the F1 2007 mod, which will give you a upper body workout the force feedback is so good.

One drive of the F1 mod at Spa with a DFGT or G27 will have you hooked.....but you also have other awesome cars like the F3000, the GT Pro series with the C6R Corvette 600BHP monster+ there's a fictional BMW with 600bhp and 10000rpm redline.

Then there's the slower but popular WTCC cars with 280bhp.....very popular online racing.

I don't mind F1 2010, but it's way more arcade in the driving model, but it will work extremely well with a DFGT/G27.

Once you learn to drive a sim car{a learnable technique} and you develop the sim mentality you'll have a hard time taking the arcade junk seriously.
I always thought sims were impossible to drive, but it simply requires a driving technique, whereas most arcade crap is just mash and plough, like driving a fast cow round a track.
 
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Re: Help me pick a racing game

Fri Dec 31, 2010 5:47 pm

As long as you have a fun time with your cow, I don't see the problem.
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Re: Help me pick a racing game

Sat Jan 01, 2011 6:27 am

Obsidian wrote:
As long as you have a fun time with your cow, I don't see the problem.


How does one have fun when the game doesn't work properly with the wheel or feel remotely realistic in the pedals?
 
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Re: Help me pick a racing game

Sat Jan 01, 2011 7:41 am

Arcade racers are not made to be used with a wheel and pedals.
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Re: Help me pick a racing game

Sat Jan 01, 2011 8:30 am

Obsidian wrote:
Arcade racers are not made to be used with a wheel and pedals.


EPIC FAIL :o :o
 
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Re: Help me pick a racing game

Sat Jan 01, 2011 11:02 am

CaptTomato wrote:
Obsidian wrote:
As long as you have a fun time with your cow, I don't see the problem.


How does one have fun when the game doesn't work properly with the wheel or feel remotely realistic in the pedals?

People enjoy first person shooters, even though the interface is normally completely abstracted from how one would accomplish similar tasks on a daily basis. Fun and realism are 2 different things that may or may not overlap for a given situation with a given person.
...
 
CaptTomato
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Re: Help me pick a racing game

Sat Jan 01, 2011 2:29 pm

mattsteg wrote:
CaptTomato wrote:
Obsidian wrote:
As long as you have a fun time with your cow, I don't see the problem.


How does one have fun when the game doesn't work properly with the wheel or feel remotely realistic in the pedals?

People enjoy first person shooters, even though the interface is normally completely abstracted from how one would accomplish similar tasks on a daily basis. Fun and realism are 2 different things that may or may not overlap for a given situation with a given person.


When I bought my wheel, i just assumed that all recent racing games would work, but it's generally only the PC sims and a handful of ports that work, and for me at least, once I got used to the wheel, there was no going back to KB/gamepad.
 
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Re: Help me pick a racing game

Sat Jan 01, 2011 3:27 pm

My Logitech G25 works fine with DIRT 2, GRID, and other arcade racers. There's a bit of settings tweaking to be done to dial it in (it's way too sensitive with the default settings in GRID in particular), but I think it's worth the effort. True, it's even better with a good sim like Race '07, but it still adds a lot even to the less realistic games. If you have more than a passing interest in racing games, a good wheel is a solid investment and should give years of service. The G25 also works nicely with GT5 on the PS3 if that's a factor for you.
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Re: Help me pick a racing game

Sat Jan 01, 2011 7:04 pm

MrJP wrote:
My Logitech G25 works fine with DIRT 2, GRID, and other arcade racers. T


Amazing wheel, cause my DFGT doesn't work in GRID, works poorly in Shift and is lame as in DIRT2, but is superb on PC sims and F1 2010 PC.

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