PC2 Sim Discussion Monday - Project CARS 2

[Paul Jeffrey]

First day back in the office for many this morning, what better way to pass the time than have a good discussion about the new Project CARS game?

Now the dust is beginning to settle around the recent release of Project CARS 2, we thought it a good time to look deeper into the game, driven by our community, and share our findings and impressions from the heavily hyped new racing title from Slightly Mad Studios.

Do you have some useful tips for getting the most from the sim? Found a magic setting to really unlock the FFB? Got a trick up your sleeve that helps bring sharper graphics for little FPS trade off? Or do you simply want to share your most / least favourite car and track combinations?

So long as it remains on topic, respectful and mature, we want to know your thoughts!

Mondays be like...

 

[Porscheman]

If devs are reading this thread, please check this:

<< Is it intended behavior? This type of collision physics dates back to original NFS Shift. I'm no expert, but this wouldn't happen very often in real life, right?

This has happened before.

Look up video on youtube.

 

[Porscheman]

HERE is the video

 

[rw3]

Just bought a rift mainly for a new PC I will build in the next month or so (waiting for the new i5). In the interim I have the same spec as you is it worth setting it up for as in not too many compromises needed as I am dying to have a go but I can wait if it's not worth it.

For sim-racing, absolutely. You won't max everything out, but what you have will still be pretty. I'd add that all the non-sim-racing VR content I've run (so Lone Echo/Echo Arena, Job Simulator, Euro Truck Simulator, Eleven table tennis, Superhot VR [best VR game out right now], SportsBar VR, etc).

Trust me, it'll blow your mind.

 

[NASCRAP]

Mod Edit, grow up please

 

[ermo]

Grow up please

 

[Tobiman]

I gave it a shot. Wish the ffb has a bit more fidelity but other than that it's a decent racing game.

 

[vee10]

For sim-racing, absolutely. You won't max everything out, but what you have will still be pretty. I'd add that all the non-sim-racing VR content I've run (so Lone Echo/Echo Arena, Job Simulator, Euro Truck Simulator, Eleven table tennis, Superhot VR [best VR game out right now], SportsBar VR, etc).

Trust me, it'll blow your mind.

Thanks mate, I will crack it open when I get home from work!

 

[FeltHat]

If its good enough for rd racing club im gonna buy it- im huge vr fan and singleplayer issues dont concern me, i play only multi anyway. With a lot of content it migh be good for fun events
@Lazarou i didnt play superhotVR but try Onward, mindblowing!

 

[melanieuk]

Actually RF2 has brilliant damage physics.

Sure if you want to watch your missing tyre bounce around the track doing a complete lap on it's own.

 

[jonelsorel]

No time to play 'my game is better than yours' now; we have enough of that already. So let's say 'the community of mostly grown men that play with virtual race cars and pretend they are racing drivers'. I think that sums it up the best .

That's a game to be played only in limited imaginations. As it stands today, the most used engine in motorsport training/simulations is gMotor. Ask around, if that comes as a surprise. The second iteration of pCars is still targeted at that niche of customers who think they are ready to move on from Need for Speed, which had the same creators, incidentally.

 

[Chobonator]

Sure if you want to watch your missing tyre bounce around the track doing a complete lap on it's own.

 

[William Wester]

That's a game to be played only in limited imaginations. As it stands today, the most used engine in motorsport training/simulations is gMotor. Ask around, if that comes as a surprise. The second iteration of pCars is still targeted at that niche of customers who think they are ready to move on from Need for Speed, which had the same creators, incidentally.

Yes, also some of the same creators of GTR, GT Legends, GTR2... You know, some of the same from the old Simbin days . It's neither here or there but just adding to the discussion.

 

[Shiimis]

This has happened before.

Look up video on youtube.

I know about this. Can we at least agree that this is not the best case scenario on which to model your collision physics?

 

[jonelsorel]

Yes, also some of the same creators of GTR, GT Legends, GTR2... You know, some of the same from the old Simbin days . It's neither here or there but just adding to the discussion.

Look up "incidentally".

PS: oh, and if the creators of GTR/GTL have had a change of heart and switched to making a less realistic franchise, that usually means the primary focus is increasing the customer base, hence revenues. Pretending pCars is at the same level in terms of physics with those 2 other games I mentioned only shows how successfully someone is hooked to the maker/brand, not sim-racing. If Dave Kaemmer decided to make a Forza spinoff tomorrow, I'd be calling it what it is. Not a sim because he made GPL and iRacing. But kids usually get pretty possesive with their toys.

 

[snyperal]

I've had 53 minutes on it, and i must say i am reasonably impressed. I just did a 10 lap race at donny, (gt3) with snow, then sun, then storm, then sun in a time accelerated event. The AI was on low as I didnt want too much fuss. I liked how the water pooled on a couple of areas of the circuit and affected traction. I need to go away, setup my screens. and HUD, have a thorough dig through the settings, but I am enjoying it so far.

I would like to be able to turn off pretty much all head movement though, I dont really like that.

 

[McKiernan]

I would like to be able to turn off pretty much all head movement though, I dont really like that.

If you go to the camera settings and select the 2nd tab, you can turn "World Movement" to 100 to get rid of this. The G Force settings can help to

 

[William Wester]

Gotta say, after reading many reviews, It sounds to me like PC 2 is again, not a sim. It is more everyday gamer focused. Having said that, I don't see how it will be any better and perhaps a lot worse than Forza 7. I'm not a Forza fanboy, but by the look of it and how successful that franchise has been I'm not sure where PC2 fits in. I personally was excited for PC 2 in that it is marketed as a sim and I was under the impression that this new game was going to improve driving and make it more realistic. It sounds like it doesn't do that at all. Everyone says the rain looks nice and so on. Where are the rave reviews of how awesome it feels? There just not there. So I'm not sure what PC2 is. An attempt at Forza 7? Sounds like Forza 7 will do it better.

I do agree, Forza 7 will sell better - there is a huge console following of the Forza and GT franchises. If I'm correct from what I've heard, SMS is trying to create a car enthusiast/racing game like Forza and GT but with sim features - qualifying, manual pitstops, multi-class endurance racing, better support for wheel users, support for external apps, VR, triple-screen, etc. etc.. I also don't think, again based on SMS statements, that it' trying to create a rF2/AC/R3E/AMS killer - there are some things that will get more attention to appeal to a wider audience - that's not a bad thing. Forza/GT doesn't appeal to the hardcore sim racers, rF2/AC/R3E/AMS don't appeal to the "game" gamers. Project CARS 2 will sell pretty well and will appeal to those wanting more game features than the tradition sims but more realistic and sim type features than Forza/GT. There will never be a single game that appeals to everyone, find one (or all) that you can have fun with and get on with life.
As for comparing Forza to PC2 (PC1 definitely had problems), there isn't a comparison just as there isn't a comparison with Forza and AC. Forza can be fun, and I do have a X1 for an occasional Forza go but for me I need more sim like feel/features for my main go to. I split most of my time between rF2/R3E/AC and now I've added PC2 to the list.

 

[Tigerteeth]

I've played about 13 hours of PC2 so far and I'm enjoying it. I've come across a few bugs that hopefully can be addressed in future patches, but nothing game breaking.

Handling is always subjective, and some cars certainly feel more intuitive that others but overall the cars I like to drive, the GT and Endurance series, feel good. I also use Jack Spade's custom FFB files on the cars I think need improving, so it's good to have that option.

The variable weather and lighting cycle works really well and adds a layer of dynamism to a race. It reminds me of the races in GTR2, so I appreciate this feature a lot especially when running a mixed class endurance event. You really do have to find the best racing line depending on the conditions, so you have to concentrate for the entirety of a race.

Single player has been improved with the introduction of mixed class racing and race series presets. This allows you to choose a quick race and have your opponents, track and rules set up according to the series you've chosen. It saves the tedium of having to do everything yourself and gets you racing with everything already set up. A useful feature, and one not often mentioned.

It's a good racing game and worth purchasing if you want a good selection of tracks, cars and a dynamic environment to race them in.

 

[William Wester]

Look up "incidentally".

PS: oh, and if the creators of GTR/GTL have had a change of heart and switched to making a less realistic franchise, that usually means the primary focus is increasing the customer base, hence revenues. Pretending pCars is at the same level in terms of physics with those 2 other games I mentioned only shows how successfully someone is hooked to the maker/brand, not sim-racing. If Dave Kaemmer decided to make a Forza spinoff tomorrow, I'd be calling it what it is. Not a sim because he made GPL and iRacing. But kids usually get pretty possesive with their toys.

Kids, who you talking of

 

[burgesjl]

I was part of WMD for pCARS1. Unlike some, I believe they released a reasonable game based on that development cycle. I had two big issues with it; the FFB and AI. Which for what was primarily going to be for an offline, single player game, was a problem. Over the development timeline, I had felt that the basic physics were there, but by the time of release, they had somehow made the behavior of all cars feel much the same and had taken out the liveliness that had previously existed in the FFB. I also felt the graphics 'style' regressed as well.

For pCARS2, I'm feeling a bit of a mixed bag. Some combinations of cars/tracks (IndyCar at Long Beach) feel very good; the physics and FFB are much improved. But I can take that same car and run it at say Road America, and it feels much like the cars in pCARS1 and it loses that better response. Might it be the difference in laser scanned tracks and not? I'm also feeling that some of the new release GT cars feel better, but there are many cars in the set that feel just like they did on pCARS1. So I think in fact, we are seeing that not all content got addressed/improved, it was simply a repackage and sling it in there. I do find several of the cars physics are much better than v1, and the setup of the FFB is much simplified and gives good results out of the box with 'RAW'. I have a G27 standard which got properly detected and set up, but people with more exotic hardware or multiple controllers seem to be having more issues. This is to be expected for what should be a 'mainstream' game. Also, if you are only doing 1-2 laps then you aren't feeling what happens when the tires get fully up to temperature, when the feeling in the car changes.

I did an AI race on Indy Road, default strengths, rolling start, dry conditions, and aside from carnage at T1 L1, I got a decent level of challenge and wheel to wheel sensible racing with the AI. I wonder if they can do anything about that first lap?

As regards performance, the game did a good job of setting defaults for graphics on my older GPU (R9 290) and I have not been seeing stutters. (It did select Vsynch, turning that off has resulted in more tears). I'd say it performs better than v1 and it also looks better with that same level of performance. I have not seen massive drops with lots of cars on track or with the wet weather alone. The weather seems to be better implemented than v1, I like the aquaplaning on puddles and seeing how those form, but there is a bit too much grip in the wet although this does change after the first couple of laps.

Finally, I will say I ran the BMW 320 touring car on Knockhill in the wet, and had a flashback to TOCA. Physics aren't quite right on that car, but it was hella fun. In the IndyCar at Long Beach, I have felt for the first time in a long while the ability to really drive hard and push the car - extra effort was rewarded, the little lockups and slides as you push harder were fully believable. Honestly, I have not experienced that fully since rFactor 1. Both rF2 and iRacing feel like they have bar-soap tires and reward careful driving to not abuse the tires; which isn't what most simracers actually want to experience. So although there are many things that need fixing and improving, if you find the right combination there is gold to be had. Pick the wrong combos, and you might feel disappointed. But its better than pCARS1 for the offline racing I want to do.

Now, the online/multiplayer.... let's see....