TOCA Race Driver 2: A 20-Year Retrospective

roadyroad · Mar 11, 2024

TRD2 was a big step ahead in terms of physics compared to the first one. It was harder than real life to drive though, with a huge overdone pendulum effect in general (I found later that you could work solve that with the antiroll bars settings) and oversliding physics under rain conditions. The FFB was very vague and added difficulty to the game more than information.

It was technically a masterpiece, with awesome graphics, detailed tracks, reflections effects, amazing sounds. The car list is still amazing, the career was good, you wanted to go to the top. The tracks were very varied and good. One of the underestimated aspect of TRD2, and even TRD1, was the tracks conversions which made their way to sims like GTR2. How much time did I spend on these converted tracks on GTR2, like Oulton park (there were the TRD1 version and the TRD2 one, which were two different tracks like in real life)?

It is still a game you can watch and think graphically appealing. It had something modern, the tracks details, the lightning, it is rare for 2000s games, which are generally too basic in their presentation.

roadyroad · Mar 11, 2024

Large Style said:
Wasn't it the case that TOCA 1 &2 deemed classics and 3 was a bit meh? That's how I remember it anyway. Great games though, and I specifically remember the track surface detail / bumps being way ahead of anything else at the time.

TRD3 a meh? No, never, it had much better physics, more believable, and rallycross! And a much better FFB. Well, at that time if you prefered more arcade behaviour, for sure the previous entries could seem better. The first one was really bad though in terms of handling with a wheel (it basically could not handle a wheel as intended) ; I think it would be a good idea to retry it now with the xbox controller emulator. TRD2 had that strange feeling with bumps litterally punching the cars, and with the overdone pendelum effect and the awful FFB. Imo TRD3 was the top entry of Codemaster's track racing games, with the underappreciated GRID Autosport. It got the perfect balance between fun and realism, with many tracks and cars. I thought GRID Legends seemed a worthy successor, but reviews show it is a GRID1 successor, which had nothing to do with TRD3. Considering that only GRID Autosport was a real successor, I admit that I must be part of the minority who appreciates that fine balance in terms of physics, believable behaviour with simplified modelling. I don't use the simcade word, it is just a generic, often insulting one, and without a real definition.

Large Style · Mar 11, 2024

roadyroad said:
TRD3 a meh? No, never, it had much better physics, more believable, and rallycross! And a much better FFB.

Fair enough. I don't recall that far back too well nowadays and just went from a gut feeling from back in the day. I just thought the community didn't think too much of it, much like how some of the Colin McRae Rally sequels weren't particularly well received. I stand corrected though

VirtuaIceMan · Mar 11, 2024

Getting these to work on Windows 10 requires you to install the game, run the StarForce removal tool then replace the game executable with one from a website, maybe one about game copy in the world ;-)

StarForce removal tool is available from the makers of StarForce on a link near the bottom of this page https://www.star-force.com/support/drivers/

Slapped · Mar 11, 2024

Honestly it's amazing how little the graphics have improved over 20 years, other than resolution - texture and overall.

Spinelli · Mar 12, 2024

roadyroad said:
How did you manage to make the game work on a modern systems?
Few years ago I tried to install TRD2 on Windows10 and the installation was stuck after a while. I tried with my original CD or DVD copy, with downloaded ISO ones, the same problem occured each time. I didn't find a repacked copy on the internet at that time.

It was a good few years back on Win 8.1. I might get it this week. If I do, and get it running, I'll let you know.

roadyroad · Mar 12, 2024

VirtuaIceMan said:
Getting these to work on Windows 10 requires you to install the game, run the StarForce removal tool then replace the game executable with one from a website, maybe one about game copy in the world ;-)

StarForce removal tool is available from the makers of StarForce on a link near the bottom of this page https://www.star-force.com/support/drivers/

The issue I had was that the installation could not be completed, always crashing at the same step (around 90 or 95% id I remember well). I'll try again, it's been years, maybe I won't encounter any issue on Windows 11. Starforce! A name from the past... i had totally forgottent that removal tool thanks for the reminder.

A few other information to run the game, some.may find useful tips :

TOCA Race Driver 2 - PCGamingWiki PCGW - bugs, fixes, crashes, mods, guides and improvements for every PC game

www.pcgamingwiki.com

roadyroad · Mar 12, 2024

Slapped said:
Honestly it's amazing how little the graphics have improved over 20 years, other than resolution - texture and overall.

I would say that this game looked particularly good in 2004. But the real simracing titles were far from that visual result. F1 Challenge, the Papyrus games, did lo9k good in their time but look quiet primitive nowadays. TRD2 had that modern look which indeed may make us think graphics haven't made many steps. In fact they have, but the racing sim titles really started to look modern around 10 years ago (Pcars, AC), 10 years after TRD2. And since then, the things have been slow, and sometimes in the wrong direction.

bozakn · Mar 13, 2024

roadyroad said:
It is still a game you can watch and think graphically appealing. It had something modern, the tracks details, the lightning, it is rare for 2000s games, which are generally too basic in their presentation.

The 2000's were the last groundbreaking era in gaming history.
Far Cry 1, Doom 3, Far Cry 2, GTA IV, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
There is literally nothing on the market these days that can challenge those games in terms of creativity, innovation and gameplay mechanics.
They look and feel good, 20 years later.

Rfactor, GTR2 - the epitome of revolution.

Test Drive Unlimited 1 - so groundbreaking and unmatched even to this day.
With the Platinum mod, the physics come pretty damn close to simulation territory, I'm having an absolute blast with it.
Sadly not too many people from the simracing world know about this.

Nowadays, rarely ever something really captures my attention.
And it's not nostalgia goggles.

roadyroad · Mar 15, 2024

bozakn said:
The 2000's were the last groundbreaking era in gaming history.
Far Cry 1, Doom 3, Far Cry 2, GTA IV, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
There is literally nothing on the market these days that can challenge those games in terms of creativity, innovation and gameplay mechanics.
They look and feel good, 20 years later.

Rfactor, GTR2 - the epitome of revolution.

Test Drive Unlimited 1 - so groundbreaking and unmatched even to this day.
With the Platinum mod, the physics come pretty damn close to simulation territory, I'm having an absolute blast with it.
Sadly not too many people from the simracing world know about this.

Nowadays, rarely ever something really captures my attention.
And it's not nostalgia goggles.

That 2000 decade was when video games became more immersive thanks to story development in games in general (instead of just adventure games like the previous decade) and to fast hardware improvements which allowed much more realistic models and details (the period of ugly basic 3D models and empty levels w1s quiet short).

I would split the era in 2 : the first half saw amazing games, polished, with solid gameplay mechanics, still grounded in the 90s but introducing the major innovations I've stated : Jedi Academy, Doom 3, Painkiller, GTA Vice city, Half life 2...). Some still look good and some have aged but they are still solid in terms of gameplay. But some may be difficult to play because of their complex controls I troed to replay GTA San Andreas few years ago, it wasn't what I remembered...).

The second half kept on the technical and narrative innovations and saw the introduction of new ones, realism, open worlds... which probably funded the video gaming of the next 20 years for the best and the worst. This is were interestkng but clunky games appeared, focusing on an immersive and realistic experience and dropping the fun gameplay of the first half. It was as if games should not be games anymore but realistic experiences. Stalker is a good example : gameplay wise it is a really clunky experience but it is immersive. There is some nostalgia when praising it

. Far Cry 1, well, it created something but in itself, compared to all the improvements made in openworld games and FPS, it is objectively not a good game. There are for sure a few gems in the period (I haven't pl1yed GTA4 but it seemed a great GTA) but it brought the future issues in gaming, still there in 2024. That's why some games of this second half of the 2000s have been getting a second life for a few years : far cry 2 is the best example, boring in the 2000s, great in the 2020s. It was ahead of its time and not THE game in its time, because it was so repetitive and boring after a while, and the amazing features couldn't change anything. Nowadays, after so many neverending open world games, boring side quests, FC2 is a more focused and action packed game, with more attention to details than the current games. it is just more fun.

After this period, the games progresses in visuals were about polygons, texture definition, lightning and live and post effects, which are groundbraking but not as impressive as the 3D evolution between the late 90s and the mid 2000s. Some currently used engines are evolutions of engines of that 2000s era (Dunia, Source...).

The major game design changes in the next 20 years have been made on controls, which is absolutely positive, and the streaming oriented game design, which each one will judge with his own view. Passive gaming is something odd to understand for older generations but it is a fact, and it has to be taken in account in modern game

It is also in the 2nd half of that era that we entered the world of multiple after release patches (Stalker?) and unfinished abandoned products (GTR2 non dynamic weather and AI aerodynamic damages issue?).

Johnny-S · Mar 17, 2024

wein said:
I really liked both (2 and 3). I have the cds. I tried to install 3 on widows 10 and it broke my computer. I had to reinstall the operating system. Installing it in a virtual machine seemed too cumbersome to me. With these old programs you have to be careful.

You can get it on GOG and it works well on Windows 10. I tried it again earlier in the year, but it was just a bit too wayward for me now - might be my wheel or gamepad, but whatever, the cars just seem a bit too loose to control properly and I uninstalled it.
When the car is doing things that make me think "what the hell is it doing?" it's time to do something else.

Spinelli · Apr 25, 2024

roadyroad said:
How did you manage to make the game work on a modern systems?
Few years ago I tried to install TRD2 on Windows10 and the installation was stuck after a while. I tried with my original CD or DVD copy, with downloaded ISO ones, the same problem occured each time. I didn't find a repacked copy on the internet at that time.

I forgot all about this. Are you still trying to get it to work?

TOCA Race Driver 2: A 20-Year Retrospective

Overview​

The Handling Model​

The Damage Model​

Storyline And Cutscenes​

Car List Pt.1​

Car List Pt.2​

Car List Pt.3​

How To Play TRD2 In 2024​

Conclusion​

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More games, period

Better graphics/visuals

Advanced physics and handling

More cars and tracks

AI improvements

AI engineering

Cross-platform play

New game Modes

Other, post your idea

Overview

The Handling Model

The Damage Model

Storyline And Cutscenes

Car List Pt.1

Car List Pt.2

Car List Pt.3

How To Play TRD2 In 2024

Conclusion