No it's not arbitrary. If i compare pCARS's FFB and the handling to other sims it's just bad, the feedback isn't there, there is no weight transfer, the car behaves strangely, the brakes don't act like they should, to much lateral grip, no precision when steering etc. These are all facts, there is NOTHING arbitrary in this, i take other simulators, and i compare different aspects, and these things come up missing in pCARS. You try to make it sound that just because i don't like it (never said that) it's not a sim, no, it's not a sim because it does alot of things wrong that for a sim are an essential requirement. And then the likes of you come here telling me that it is one.
First, it is hard to believe you have played it lately with the remarks you are making. Unless you are picking one of the few cars that are mostly there graphically but have not been worked on with tires/default set-up.
There is force feedback and it is improving, even in just the last few weeks. It may not be to your liking but you can feel the weight of the car more now, the wheel goes light when the rear end does and when grip catches you feel weight return-- as an example. Is pcars FFB the best available? No, I don't think so, but it is making
clear strides forward on the cars that have been advanced in recent weeks/months and I think it has the potential to end up very well.
Too much lateral grip? On what car?? Not the 98T. Not the 49. Not the Hyuara. Not the SLS. Not the Atom V8. I admit some cars had/have too much grip but much of that has changed
significantly in recent months with the new tires. A notorious offender I commented on was the 78. But a few weeks ago they sorted that out and you can now, at last, get the rear end loose and spin if not careful with the throttle. Before you could only do that on the grass with the 78. Now you can on track and the car feels much more alive. Not perfect maybe but a big improvement. Last I checked the M3 GT4 was still way too planted (and others may be too) but the M3GT's rear end has come alive nicely along with the Z4GT3. Some cars, like the Zonda R, were recently identified by myself and others as having become an over-steering nightmare with recent changes-- too much for the car. Feedback was taken and it was put on the agenda to be corrected. Over-steer and how it is handled is actually an area of significant strength, in my opinion, for pCars. But as in all of these areas, we need to wait until we see final cars dialed in to know if the end product will still suit our tastes.
No weight transfer? OK, this is not pcars strong suit. I agree with that. But you can both see and feel it now... in some cars more than others. Hyuara and SLS come quickly to mind as decent examples. I am not sure how good this criteria will get but I have seen/felt some progress.
Braking behavior? It is true that the brakes lock up way too quickly and the consequences are too severe on some cars. This is not universal across all cars but was crazy on the Zonda R I just mentioned and some others too. But other cars have relatively stable braking with some lock up possible. And in those cars the FFB effect on lock up is actually very good.
No precision when steering? On what car? Cars like the M3GT4, which the default set-up is still just really bad, can feel pretty poor in precision-- I agree with that. Others like the RUF that haven't been worked on at all are in the same boat. But the 78 and 49 aren't like that. Neither is the M3GT or Z4GT3. The Hyuara might feel that way if you are on the power too much as it currently oversteers quite easily but you can hit your apexes with some right foot restraint. I think the Atoms need more precision (at least last time I drove them) but the lower power open wheel cars are plenty accurate on turn in last time I drove them. So are the Asanos. I could see someone arguing this area is not to their liking as personal preference here is probably wide-- just as it is with real cars.
I won't address "the car behaves strangely" as there is little insight given. But just about every title has it's quirks... particularly at low speeds.
I like your criteria for
evaluating the quality of a sim. There are certainly other areas to be considered for sure but I like the ones you've chosen. And of course it is fine if you evaluate it poorly--horses for courses. To evaluate quality is one thing, to use the subjective evaluation to then dismiss the thing
from even being a sim, is another. And I still find that arbitrary as well as insulting for the dozens of employees who are working hard to build a simulation and the community that is trying to contribute where they can.
On top of that, recent builds, when tested with a wide variety of cars, just do not show pcars to be poor across the board in all these features. Yes, there are better sims out there in some of the areas but they are further along in development or finished products. In the end, no title will be the best at every feature of a sim. Competition precludes that. How many features will pCars get onto the podium? Only time will tell.