PC2 Project CARS 2 Released on Xbox One, PS4 and PC

[Paul Jeffrey]

Highly anticipated racing simulation Project CARS 2 has been released today, marking the return of the best selling franchise to both console and PC systems.

Developed by Slightly Mad Studios and community backers from the world of sim racing, using the experience of professional race drivers the likes of former Top Gear Stig Ben Collins and sometime Renault Clio racer Nicolas Hamilton, Project CARS 2 looks set to be the most ambitious racing project yet from the British based development team.

Featuring over 180 cars and 60 locations on launch and benefitting from live track technology, advanced weather effects and class leading graphics, Project CARS 2 looks very likely to become yet another best selling release across all platforms following release today.

Unfortunately we have not been able to get access to an advanced copy of the game prior to launch, however in constant quest to bring you all the news and opinion from sim racing (haha, well actually because I cant resist a racing game) I will be purchasing testing this thing thoroughly tonight, with a view to writing up an article over the weekend with my first impressions.

About the Game

• 180+ licensed cars from iconic manufacturers
  
• Full 12K & VR Support
• Tested and tuned by pro racing drivers
• All-new motorsports (IndyCar, Oval Racing, Rallycross) join old favorites incl. GT3
• LiveTrack 3.0: Dynamic surface & weather physics affect vehicle performance and handling in real-time
• New loose surface racing (ice, dirt, mud)
• Full 24-hour cycle featuring real-time atmospheric conditions and seasonal ambience
• State-of-the art physics model
• Revamped gamepad handling
• Class-leading Esport capabilities

Project CARS 2 is available now for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.

Check out the Project CARS 2 sub forum here at RaceDepartment to catch up with the latest news, engage in lively discussions with the community, download some mods and get yourself out on the track in online races for both PC and console.

Well it's here! What do you think? Win, Lose or Draw? Improvement over PC1? Serious rival for the main PC racers? Let us know in the comments section below!

 

[Skidmeister]

Last year I raced R3E here a couple times a week. It was a lot of fun, but mostly because of the great guys I had to race with. I overlooked a lot of the short comings of that game because I had such a good group to race with. I got used to the handling and spent a lot of time trying to get it to feel correct, albeit mostly unsuccessfully. I think R3E is a good game,and there are many things I did like about it, but I think Pcars 2 is many times better. Tonight I took the 69 Z28 for a spin in Pcars2. It was so close to what I remember when racing my 1970 Trans Am 455 Super duty GT car that I actually had the hair on my arms standing up as I drove it. The sounds, the physics, and the beautifully rendered 7680 x 1440 triples sent a nostalgic chill thru my spine as the Accuforce pulled my arms. This car handled exactly the way my TA did. Now I tried driving the Decon Monza and the Greenwood Corvette in R3E and they drove nothing like what they should have. I got in a discussion with a younger racer here last year about how far off they were and told him if the cars drove that bad as they did in the game we would have all been killed. He told me that's because I only drove them on "modern" tires, not the ones the "real guys" drove on. What he didn't realize was that I had a 1970 Corvette LT1 and a 69 L71 I raced back in the mid to late 70's on tracks like Road America, Mid Ohio and the Glen. I have countless hours behind the wheel of these cars on track and can tell you R3E missed the mark completely but Pcars2 has done an outstanding job on getting these vintage cars right.

I look forward to the upcoming days so I can delve deeper into all the vintage cars in Pcars2 I never had a chance to drive in real life. I now feel I will have a close interpretation of the experience in these and many more I was never afforded the opportunity to race back in the day, or ones that were out of my league. This is the kind of sim that makes me want to sim race now that I no longer race real cars. Great job SMS, I feel Pcars2 is a real success in bringing the racing experience in to the home. And also thanks for not doing what F1 2017 did with the menus and making them for consoles even in the PC version. It is a real joy to be able to use my mouse to navigate the menus, and not be forced to use a bunch of console mappings to try to navigate through them instead. I am very pleased with Pcars2, it is my favorite sim, and I will rack up countless hours enjoying this one. I like this sim so much I just ordered 2 Titan XP cards to pump up my graphics even more.

 

[Pol Schmukler]

I've been jumping from PC2 to rF2/AC/R3E/Automobilista the whole weekend and I my initial impressions about PC2 having some very good physics have been reinforced, having now tried dozens of cars. The AI is now a bit better and I've been able to enjoy a few good battles against them at 100% diff 60% aggression. Haven't tried snow yet. So far so good.

 

[randMracer]

Last year I raced R3E here a couple times a week. It was a lot of fun, but mostly because of the great guys I had to race with. I overlooked a lot of the short comings of that game because I had such a good group to race with. I got used to the handling and spent a lot of time trying to get it to feel correct, albeit mostly unsuccessfully. I think R3E is a good game,and there are many things I did like about it, but I think Pcars 2 is many times better. Tonight I took the 69 Z28 for a spin in Pcars2. It was so close to what I remember when racing my 1970 Trans Am 455 Super duty GT car that I actually had the hair on my arms standing up as I drove it. The sounds, the physics, and the beautifully rendered 7680 x 1440 triples sent a nostalgic chill thru my spine as the Accuforce pulled my arms. This car handled exactly the way my TA did. Now I tried driving the Decon Monza and the Greenwood Corvette in R3E and they drove nothing like what they should have. I got in a discussion with a younger racer here last year about how far off they were and told him if the cars drove that bad as they did in the game we would have all been killed. He told me that's because I only drove them on "modern" tires, not the ones the "real guys" drove on. What he didn't realize was that I had a 1970 Corvette LT1 and a 69 L71 I raced back in the mid to late 70's on tracks like Road America, Mid Ohio and the Glen. I have countless hours behind the wheel of these cars on track and can tell you R3E missed the mark completely but Pcars2 has done an outstanding job on getting these vintage cars right.

I look forward to the upcoming days so I can delve deeper into all the vintage cars in Pcars2 I never had a chance to drive in real life. I now feel I will have a close interpretation of the experience in these and many more I was never afforded the opportunity to race back in the day, or ones that were out of my league. This is the kind of sim that makes me want to sim race now that I no longer race real cars. Great job SMS, I feel Pcars2 is a real success in bringing the racing experience in to the home. And also thanks for not doing what F1 2017 did with the menus and making them for consoles even in the PC version. It is a real joy to be able to use my mouse to navigate the menus, and not be forced to use a bunch of console mappings to try to navigate through them instead. I am very pleased with Pcars2, it is my favorite sim, and I will rack up countless hours enjoying this one. I like this sim so much I just ordered 2 Titan XP cards to pump up my graphics even more.

To say that R3E missed the mark is subjective. I find it to be the opposite. I was raised with muscle cars. Owned a 65 Chevy Malibu, 68 Nova and a 68 Camaro. All with either a 327 or a 350. For me R3E replicates the feel of that old school car with better sound, FFB and physics.
I race in VR and R3E seems to replicate that nostalgic feeling better. PCars2 is pretty good, but it still needs some work and tweaking. I run 4 buttkickers on my rig and PC2 hasn't quite got the sound and rumble that R3E has. And when I rev up an engine, that sound and rumble is what brings back the memories.

PC2 has only been out for 3 days and you've already spend over $3000 for 2 Titan XP's to up the graphics? Seems a little far fetched to me when one XP would have been plenty. Nothing personal but your story seems a bit fabricated and more like a commercial for Pcars. But hey, I've been wrong once before ....cheers.

 

[randMracer]

No reason to be sad Ian Bell, you still got my money and I'm enjoying the game. But comparing certain aspects of other sims to PC2, there are a few things that could use some improvement.

 

[Ian Bell]

No reason to be sad Ian Bell, you still got my money and I'm enjoying the game. But comparing certain aspects of other sims to PC2, there are a few things that could use some improvement.

'Nothing personal but your story seems a bit fabricated and more like a commercial for Pcars.'

I felt that was sad. There are multiple very positive responses here so to assume this one is 'fabricated' made me sad. What I will say is that the vast majority of responses here, especially given the venue, is very encouraging and we're over the moon that people are enjoying the game so much.

 

[MPortnoy]

'Nothing personal but your story seems a bit fabricated and more like a commercial for Pcars.'

I felt that was sad. There are multiple very positive responses here so to assume this one is 'fabricated' made me sad. What I will say is that the vast majority of responses here, especially given the venue, is very encouraging and we're over the moon that people are enjoying the game so much.

As much as I'm enjoying the physics, I'm sure you can also gather from all the responses here and in the PC forum that the AI is a big mess and a game breaker for many (me included) and should be given priority.
Those turn 1 pile ups, ridiculous times when skipping to the end of sessions and cars rear bumping you as if you didn't exist make career unplayable at the moment.

 

[Ian Bell]

As much as I'm enjoying the physics, I'm sure you can also gather from all the responses here and in the PC forum that the AI is a big mess and a game breaker for many (me included) and should be given priority.
Those turn 1 pile ups, ridiculous times when skipping to the end of sessions and cars rear bumping you as if you didn't exist make career unplayable at the moment.

Yes the first half a lap AI experience is sub optimal. We have multiple improvements coded and ready to roll.

 

[rw3]

I’m having a blast with pc2. I spend most of my racing time in iracing and Assetto Corsa, but they seem so lifeless in comparison. PC2 seems to have remembered what so many sim racers have forgotten. We play these games (and they are games) to feel like racing drivers. So much effort goes into mathematical models to do things with the tyres that most of us can barely feel, but no effort goes into creating he atmosphere of a race, the feeling of bring strapped into a ridiculous race car. I’ve had that pleasure, and pc2 evokes those memories for me when playing with VR in ways that the others just can’t, and my god the weather is amazing, especially puddle formation.

The snobbery on display by some here is disappointing if sadly predictable (there’s a lot of it on the iracing forums too) but it’s good to see there’s still a decent number willing to admit that they’re having fun.

 

[jimortality]

I’m having a blast with pc2. I spend most of my racing time in iracing and Assetto Corsa, but they seem so lifeless in comparison. PC2 seems to have remembered what so many sim racers have forgotten. We play these games (and they are games) to feel like racing drivers. So much effort goes into mathematical models to do things with the tyres that most of us can barely feel, but no effort goes into creating he atmosphere of a race, the feeling of bring strapped into a ridiculous race car. I’ve had that pleasure, and pc2 evokes those memories for me when playing with VR in ways that the others just can’t, and my god the weather is amazing, especially puddle formation.

The snobbery on display by some here is disappointing if sadly predictable (there’s a lot of it on the iracing forums too) but it’s good to see there’s still a decent number willing to admit that they’re having fun.

Yes, I'm having a lot of fun too and yes the snobbery is very disappointing.

 

[GP20]

So much effort goes into mathematical models to do things with the tyres that most of us can barely feel

You should not believe marketing.
Most of these simulations are poor simulation in fact.
They do not simulate break engine or g force on your wheel when you drive into a corner, which says a lot.

 

[Ole Marius Myrvold]

With all the negativity and arguing back and forth after the release of PC1 between WMD and RD members does it really surprise you? lol

We never got anything from Codemasters regarding DiRT 4 either, even though we have supported Codemasters games for many years, and ran RDRC on DiRT Rally. Still, we were not able to get a preview/review copy, an interview or anything like that in the build up to DiRT 4.
In the end that game turned out to be sub-par, so I am not very surprised that we never got anything from Codemasters.

I will probably buy PC2 when I get home from holiday, test out the RX (as that is what I am interested in), and if it is amazing, Iˋll keep it, if not itˋll be a refund. Mainly because I am in the crowd that donˋt like the SMS tactics of buying sim-sites, and the antics of the boss last time around.
Which is why I didnˋt buy PC1 either.

With that being said, I am quite sure SMS gets more sales from the way they get PR from buying sites, buying "people" and the antics, so in the straight economic way, I see why.

Also, by reading here, shouldnˋt the AI problems been ironed out pre-release? It sounds like something that wouldˋve been easily spotted under testing.

 

[mibrandt]

The rain, puddles etc look amazing. How are the wet physics?

 

[rw3]

Mainly because I am in the crowd that donˋt like the SMS tactics of buying sim-sites, and the antics of the boss last time around.

Does this extend to not liking iRacing for similar reasons (ie they more or less own some popular sim racing sites to the extent that the hosts wear iracing T-shirts during videos), or Shannon Whitmore (chap in charge of community management and pro racing) thinking that hitting women is hilarious?

In general I'm happy to see any kind of competition in this space, to hopefully give some of the bad actors a bit of a kicking or make them change their ways.

@mibrant - You aquaplane on the puddles and grip is reduced on the wet parts of the track, while you have more grip on the drying bits. I'd say that's about right. I need to spend some time investigating it more thoroughly.

Sadly snow is a bit broken at the moment, in that you have zero grip and the AI has loads of it. My guess is that the game isn't realising that you're on snow tyres.

 

[Damage Inc]

....one last point. I tried Assetto Corsa when the first beta came out way back in 2014 (?). It's graphic requirement was ridiculous, it was almost impossible to run on my PC. I dismissed it as something I would never buy or get into. Did Kunos tell us to get a better PC? No, they worked hard on refining everything, improving all that they could. Suddenly Assetto Corsa was coming to life on my PC. Now, it is my favourite sim by a mile and I have probably spent over $120 on it in DLC.

Mod Edit: lets just all calm down and take it easy...

 

[Damage Inc]

Agreed. I'm away for the next 12 hours. Apologies for derailing the thread. I hate racists, and I hate insidious low key Trump racists. See you tomorrow.

Jesus wept just what the hell has racism and Trump got to do with anything?....someone just ban this chump please for gawds sakes, I didn't think someone could be a worse troll than that David Ignavovitch but this chap has just lowered Davids bar by a few million feet.

 

[Kenny Paton]

@Damage Inc we have a report button.

 

[Damage Inc]

@Damage Inc we have a report button.

Yup sorry I'm a celt and have a tad of a temper......will report it.

 

[thepharcyde]

Yes the first half a lap AI experience is sub optimal. We have multiple improvements coded and ready to roll.

I think Sms have done a tremendous job and PCars 2 is a massive improvement over PCars 1, thank you.

Please can we confirm if the Ai code also extends to the following:

1) formation lap whereby they randomly brake for no reason and ofter pile into the back of them or each other

2) wet weather speed, overtaking LMP1 and lmp2 cars in a GT3 on the mulsanne straight with ease is not realistic haha

I think the Ai is much improved but seems inversed to that of PCars 1 and are now too conservative / inconsistent, fast on some sections I cannot keep up or very slow on sections that can be taken at more speed.

 

[Jake Fangio]

Jesus wept just what the hell has racism and Trump got to do with anything?....someone just ban this chump please for gawds sakes, I didn't think someone could be a worse troll than that David Ignavovitch but this chap has just lowered Davids bar by a few million feet.

Old David is still Trolling is he?.I ignored him long ago for the same reasons,plus a few others.My racedepartment browsing is free of blinkered hate and one dimensional argument.

 

[Jake Fangio]

Lets try something guys.Everyone hit the ignore button on the irritants,and we'l have a reasoned debate without hate on the pro's and con's of Pcars2.it's not a perfect sim,but non are.I personaly am having a great time with it.