PC1 Should I buy pCARS or not

[Ihab Abbas]

Hi there,​

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It is decision time to me "Should I buy pCARS or not"?! and to answer this question I have to ask some questions.​

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1- Do you consider it as a racing simulator when it comes to physics like rfcator and Race07 and iRacing, I want also the rfactor and iRacing guys to answer?​

2- Does it has a respectable online system that allows bunch of cars to compete or not?​

3- Should I pay one time payment or monthly payment like iRacing? ​

4- What is the best minimum computer configurations that could give out the maximum performance with every thing on maximum as graphics and frame rate?​

​

Best​

 

[Peter]

1- Do you consider it as a racing simulator when it comes to physics like rfcator and Race07 and iRacing, I want also the rfactor and iRacing guys to answer? No​

2- Does it has a respectable online system that allows bunch of cars to compete or not?May be, but not for now.​

3- Should I pay one time payment or monthly payment like iRacing? One time, may be in the future its different​

4- What is the best minimum computer configurations that could give out the maximum performance with every thing on maximum as graphics and frame rate? As high as posible​

i5-2500k / gtx 460 = 50-70 fps.

 

[martinsalat]

1-yes.
2-yes,but not now
3-one time
4-i have a mid class syst. and have mostly 60 fps

 

[Rhys Gardiner]

1-Do you consider it as a racing simulator when it comes to physics like rfcator and Race07 and iRacing, I want also the rfactor and iRacing guys to answer? Depends on who you ask, especially here on RD. The physics aren't complete, so IMO there's no real answer to this question yet.​

2- Does it has a respectable online system that allows bunch of cars to compete or not? Not yet - but it's going to be integrated at some point.​

3- Should I pay one time payment or monthly payment like iRacing? Currently one time. As triskele says, it might change in the future.​

4- What is the best minimum computer configurations that could give out the maximum performance with every thing on maximum as graphics and frame rate? My PC is a respectable gaming rig circa 2009 - I can run everything on max, but FPS is quite low. I run it on minimum all round and it's quite smooth.​

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[David Ignjatovic]

Is it a sim....NO, not close.

 

[Nathan Robinson]

have u driven it david to make that judgement david? it is not like iracing rfactor, or race 07 but neither of those titles drive like the other. iracing is not like rfactor rfactor not like race 07 and so on. if you enjoy sim racing and motorsport in general than it is well worth the money spent. i own all of them (lease iracing lol) and pcars is one of my favorite drives at the moment. the ffb in this last build has really made progress.

 

[Knut Omdal Tveito]

pCARS is definitely a racing simulation to me, despite all the discussions of it being arcade. It has all the ingredients of vehicle dynamics modeling, as all the other titles have.

Arguably the most important aspect is the tire model. Currently they are using a brush model, which feels promising to me (but it is not as matured as the rFactor2 model yet). I guess you can say it's 1 generation ahead of rf1, but not as advanced as rf2 iirc.

The old placeholder FFB (modeled with springs/dampers) felt quite bad to me, but from what I've read the FFB is now being linked directly to the tyre model and it's starts to feel promising now.

But it's important to note how they use the model. I've read several places that Ian Bell is in favor of "easy physics", i.e. that the current sim-titles tend to be overly difficult to control compared to real-life experience. Thus pCARS is expected to feel different to many other titles.

Finally it's already said many times, it is not a finished product, especially the physics modeling. But I think it will be a very nice addition to the simracing scene.

 

[Peter]

pCARS is definitely a racing simulation to me, despite all the discussions of it being arcade. It has all the ingredients of vehicle dynamics modeling, as all the other titles have.

Arguably the most important aspect is the tire model. Currently they are using a brush model, which feels promising to me (but it is not as matured as the rFactor2 model yet). I guess you can say it's 1 generation ahead of rf1, but not as advanced as rf2 iirc.

The old placeholder FFB (modeled with springs/dampers) felt quite bad to me, but from what I've read the FFB is now being linked directly to the tyre model and it's starts to feel promising now.

But it's important to note how they use the model. I've read several places that Ian Bell is in favor of "easy physics", i.e. that the current sim-titles tend to be overly difficult to control compared to real-life experience. Thus pCARS is expected to feel different to many other titles.

Finally it's already said many times, it is not a finished product, especially the physics modeling. But I think it will be a very nice addition to the simracing scene.

The way you say it make it feel like an arcade titlle.

I stiil don't feel connected to the road and I don't think it's going to happen.

 

[Rob Every]

Been watching the developments of this with some interest.

I only wish we all knew what was really going on here. I do thnk an element of closing shop is to blame as they have been very severely criticised in some quarters. So stopping the junior membership and keeping a lid on it is a good idea from that point.

But in reality the game has not really moved on that much feel wise. I tried it again (sort of) recently and the same old issues are there. And this does make me realise that perhaps the sim market is not what they are aiming for. Despite trying to market their recent projects as sims, they are clearly not in some areas. Although other areas are better than some current sims as we all know.

I would not invest 25 quid in this right now because as I see it I would not get much back. I would rather invest in Iracing perhaps. I think the issues they are facing are insurmountable as they have been there for over a year and if these people (who are very qualified remember) can't work out how to fix them then I think they are unlikely to be able to do it soon.

This might be something that could be fixed away from WMD, as realfeel made RF1 so much better, but was not suited to all mods.

It depends what you want from a sim. If you want real feeling gameplay, with accurate and engaging physics and the ability to feel the car and what it is doing I would suggest look elsewhere.

if you want a game that has some great new features, looks fabulous, sounds good, and is easy to play on a gamepad, then invest!

 

[Peter]

''if you want a game that has some great new features, looks fabulous, sounds good, and is easy to play on a gamepad, then invest!''

That's why I play Grid and Shift 1 or 2 times a month.

I only play pCars every friday for about 2 hours and than I think thank god its almost friday.
There's no progress in the FFB and thats the most importent thing in a Sim.
I would drive a wooden box if it had the best physics in the world.

 

[Christopher Vrettos]

I'm going to wait until it's released. Then we can start criticising it properly

Cheers,
Chris

 

[David Ignjatovic]

have u driven it david to make that judgement david? it is not like iracing rfactor, or race 07 but neither of those titles drive like the other. .

Of course i have.....and you're right that all games feel different, but all genuine sims share certain qualities like driving model, wheel precision and FFB, and by those criteria, pcars isn't a sim, in fact for me, it's so far from feeling like GTR EVO, GSC, FVA, that I genuinely can't believe people dare suggest it is a sim.
you clearly don't value your reputation amongst serious sim racers.

http://www.racedepartment.com/forum/threads/defining-a-pc-racing-simulator-sim-index.48105/

pcars sim index{WIP}...b166/169

1......3
2......6.5
3......6
---------
5.1

Fairly lifeless under brakes, friggin difficult to hit the apex cause if you do, the ass end comes round after you[reminiscent of Shift2].
HUGE GRIP levels all over the place, in fact, I think that grumpet would probably go thru eau rouge as fast as RACE07's sticky F3000.

I find it amusing listening to people chat about pcars at WMD forum, they must all be using game pads and also be extremely bad "sim" racers, as pcars is a long long way from getting up near a overall sim score of about 7.5-8/10, which to me is the lowest score I'd allow for a sim, but, I don't care for iracing at approx 8/10, so for me at least, a sim needs to equal or break 9/10, which FVA, GSC and GTR Evo and I suspect GTR2 would all do.

Another thing about the best sims, is that they all work well with my logitech profile settings, ie, I use the same settings with GSC, FVA, EVO, but games like Shift1/2/...3 aka pcars require HOURS of fiddling, and end up as an abject failure.​

 

[EIF]

How would you rate rFactor? Just curious.

 

[David Ignjatovic]

How would you rate rFactor? Just curious.

Don't have rf1 as the 60min demo wasn't enough time for me to set up my wheel as I was having issues with their F1 car, but I did do a score for rf2 in the thread I highlighted above.

 

[Rob Every]

RF1 as a base game with no mods was very basic and simple.

the mods made it what it is, which is how we will eventually judge RF2.

I got on fine with RF1 straight off the bat, the feel was about right, the sounds and graphics have always been average apart from a handful of mods that were genuinely superb. But, you could pick it up and play, same as Race 07.

I would drag out Enduracers as perhaps one of the finest mods every created, so good it really should have been sold. Not necessairily just on physics, but the whole package, menus, loading screens, detail, sounds.

Physics wise F12007, F1 stock cars, F5000, GT Legends mod, F1'85, but by far the best mod for me was F1-1991. Singly, the most immersive mod I have ever played. I just kept playing and playing and playing. It was just difficult enough to keep you wanting more, and just easy enough to wllow you to get close to the quick guys.

I rate racing at Montreal for 10 laps in a Footwork Hart and trying to hold off an alien in a Benetton as my proudest moment! I managed it for 6 laps, before I lost it trying to close the door!

Some of the tracks aswell were superb, obviously Mid Ohio rates as perhaps the best, but even some of the content released in packages like the 1990 tracks were excellent.

One final thing, if you have this game, load up F1'85. The sound is the same in every car, but the physics are different. Pick a track like Adelaide or Jerez and try and do a qually lap on full boost. It will take you a long time to hook one up, but my word!!

 

[Ihab Abbas]

Guys really I appreciate your input as it helped me to made my decision which is "I will not buy it at the moment" because I am a simracer using rFactor 1 & 2 and some times iRacing, and I will not add more sims unless they are real sims that will add new real live experience.
But I will keep a close eye at the pCARS if they develop it to be a competitive sim then I will buy it.

I really like the graphics but the physics are everything for me.

 

[Nathan Robinson]

you are entitled to your opinion david. of course i dont value my reputation among other sim racers, who the f cares? there is more to life than worrying what other sim racers think about me you say race 07 is a high scoring sim but i have put 100 or so hours on it and have never really liked it that much. it doesnt drive how i would expect a car to drive. i enjoy iracing and have over 300 races there but still, and actual drivers have backed this up, it drives more difficult than a real car would. i have had my best racing times with rfactor and its multitude of mods, logging 600 races at various sites with it.

there are certainly drivers out there that think sims that are hard to drive are the most realistic and thats fine, but i feel its wrong. i used to have a tuned up audi a4 that had suspension and tire upgrades and it was very easy to drive at anything under 100 mph. i never had the chance to really push it tho so who knows but i feel tht a true sim should only be difficult when you are really pushing it, almost to the point of losing control, and that is where the better drivers will shine. you can spend your time with your goofy sim charts that only true nerds ( i mean this with good intentions, i'm nerdy about some things) will care about and ill spend mine enjoying simulated motorsports of all kinds and being open minded about them.

ps, all this was done on a tablet and trying to hit capitalize correct letters is a pain in the ass on them so please dont try to insult my intelligence by pointing this out, as some people have done in the past

 

[Nathan Robinson]

Been watching the developments of this with some interest.

I only wish we all knew what was really going on here. I do thnk an element of closing shop is to blame as they have been very severely criticised in some quarters. So stopping the junior membership and keeping a lid on it is a good idea from that point.

But in reality the game has not really moved on that much feel wise. I tried it again (sort of) recently and the same old issues are there. And this does make me realise that perhaps the sim market is not what they are aiming for. Despite trying to market their recent projects as sims, they are clearly not in some areas. Although other areas are better than some current sims as we all know.

I would not invest 25 quid in this right now because as I see it I would not get much back. I would rather invest in Iracing perhaps. I think the issues they are facing are insurmountable as they have been there for over a year and if these people (who are very qualified remember) can't work out how to fix them then I think they are unlikely to be able to do it soon.

This might be something that could be fixed away from WMD, as realfeel made RF1 so much better, but was not suited to all mods.

It depends what you want from a sim. If you want real feeling gameplay, with accurate and engaging physics and the ability to feel the car and what it is doing I would suggest look elsewhere.

if you want a game that has some great new features, looks fabulous, sounds good, and is easy to play on a gamepad, then invest!

I have a bit of experience with driving sims like the rest of you, and I know these are your opinions, but I dont agree with all of this. I feel very connected to the road so I dont agree there, but I can reason with you on the physics. Some cars, like the 70's f1 cars, should be a bit more twitchy than they are, but the asano's feel very good to me. I'm not trying to convince anyone here, just giving another perspective on the sim.

''if you want a game that has some great new features, looks fabulous, sounds good, and is easy to play on a gamepad, then invest!''

That's why I play Grid and Shift 1 or 2 times a month.

I only play pCars every friday for about 2 hours and than I think thank god its almost friday.
There's no progress in the FFB and thats the most importent thing in a Sim.
I would drive a wooden box if it had the best physics in the world.

Again, I have to disagree. I've been part of this since october and there has been HUGE advances in the ffb. I remember when taking any car down the long straight at spa would make my gt3rs wheel shake violently from side to side for no reason. Now it is, in my opinion of course, fabulous. I hung the gumpert apollo in a nice powerslide around that long right hander at road america and i could really feel that point of almost too far but not quite. It's all down to individual preference, but to say the FFB has made NO progress is uneducated and false

 

[Peter]

After reading a lot FFB posts I think it's best with a Fanatec wheel at this moment, with a Logitech like me there's only the centerspring feeling.

I agree Racedepartment is not ready for android tablet.

 

[Rhys Gardiner]

of course i dont value my reputation among other sim racers, who the f cares? there is more to life than worrying what other sim racers think about me

Now that I think about it, this is a very good point. Say what you will about realism and other aspects of racing sims, but at the end of the day, all we're doing is playing video games essentially.
What will be, will be. I guess it's just a matter of time until we see what pCARS really has in store, and whether it turns out to be a "true sim" or not at the end, I'll still be able to have fun and enjoy it. Hopefully we'll all be able to share in what it has to offer when the game is released.