Paul Jeffrey

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Kylotonn Racing Games have confirmed this September will see the release of the next officially licensed World Rally Championship video game - WRC 8.


Imaginatively titled as always, the eighth instalment to the steadily improving WRC franchise of games is set to launch on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC this September, and promises to be an all round improvement on previous iterations of the long running franchise.

New for WRC 8 will be a revised physics system across the many varied different racing surfaces within the game, plus the inclusion of what looks to be an already very impressive looking dynamic weather system, presumably adding a feature to allow the 100+ official WRC stages to be experienced in a variety of different weather conditions.

Of the new dynamic weather, Bigben and Kylotonn had the following to say during a brief press release to accompany the brand new announcement trailer:

"A new dynamic weather system has been developed to add random elements to the driving experience, but also to increase realism in the game. Managing the weather is a real challenge for the drivers: modified grip, car settings adjustments, tyre selection optimization, weather team relationship to ensure the best tips and information on the latest conditions. More than mere visual effects, climatic conditions become crucial, especially in the management of your career"

Of course with the title coming out toward the end of the year, the new WRC 8 release will replicate the 2019 FIA World Rally Championship season, including the latest cars and drivers from the official teams' of the category. Featuring over 50 drivers, including the returning multiple champion Sébastien Loeb in his new Hyundai, 14 different events across over 100 individual stages, WRC 8 certainly lacks nothing in terms of scale.

Most importantly of all for sim racers looking to get their rally kicks, Kylotonn have promised that "WRC 8 will go above and beyond WRC 7, especially in the steering requirements and the realistic physics of the vehicles" - one of the weaker points from previous releases.

As well as the class leading WRC cars, the new game is also set to feature a selection of vehicles from the WRC 2 and Junior WRC categories, alongside a number of historic cars. Team management is also set to play a role in the expanded career mode, with the player able to improve their car by way of upgrades and team developments, of which more details are expected to be revealed in the near future.

Exciting times for fans of sideways action.

WRC 8 releases for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Steam/PC September 2019.

WRC 8 Release 2.jpg
WRC 8 Release.jpg


Check out the upcoming WRC 8 sub forum here at RaceDepartment for the latest news, discussions and conversation prior to the big game reveal this September!

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Is this game good or like WRC7 complete arcade? I'm interested in wrc plus cars but i don't like the physics and ffb of previous game. Is Sim cade like dirt rally 2 or not? Thanks.

Best to just search "WRC 8 review" on Youtube; nearly every big sim racing YouTuber has weighed in on the game and answered your exact question. I don't have the game so I have no opinion to give.
 
Is this game good or like WRC7 complete arcade? I'm interested in wrc plus cars but i don't like the physics and ffb of previous game. Is Sim cade like dirt rally 2 or not? Thanks.

It's good fun.

FFB is not as good as DR / DR2, but it is good enough to let you know whats going on.

Career mode is miles better than DR / DR2.

Stages are excellent. Much more engaging than DR / DR2. More immersive too.

Looks good / great at times, but lacks a bit of graphical polish when compared to DR / DR2.

Performance is alright in triple screen, but could be better.

No proper triple screen support though & fov adjustment is wonky / broken.
Need to use dashcam or bonnet rather than cockpit view at the moment.
 
They have added a huge RPG component, if you like that you’ll love the new game.
There are also more wheel and ffb options.

IMHO the actual driving is not much different than WRC7.
Graphics is a bit improved, not that much.

It is a fun rally game if you can get the frame rate to be stable.

IMHO not better than DR/DR2, neither was WRC7 and before, just different.
I like the feel a bit better in DR2, and to some extend I like the driving more in WRC7 than 8, bit more lose.

Guess I am not in sync with the majority... :}
 
hmm, its an odd one mate, iv tried to replicate the fault but cant
so, the game sees the wheel in the control options?
do the buttons on the wheel navigate through the menus?
couple of things id try, try full screen and window mode, see if anything changes
go to my documents, my games, rename wrc8 folder to wrc81 or something like that and see if the game generates a new config folder, maybe a file is corrupt in there. if it doesnt generate a new folder, just change the name back to wrc8(sorry if im tellin ya how to suck eggs here hahaa)
the game sees the wheel and also navigate.. its just the steering wheel axes what doesnt work... its around 60 degrees but in the settings option its the default and not changeable 540.. i also tried to set it to 540 in the logitech configurater but no effect at all...
 
I tried several YT vid with Fanatec DD1 and in game settings but for some reason I cannot get the 'right' feeling while driving. It's floaty and you don't feel really connected to car/road. Is numb the right word?

Therefor hopefully someone who is really satisfied with his/her DD settings (also in game) and is willing to share them so I can try them out and hopefully enjoy this game much more then I do now. Thx!

Also asked the same question in the Fanatec forums.

These are my actual settings (again correct them if they make no sense)
DD1
Sen: auto
FF: 38
Sho: 100
Abs: 100
For: 100
Spr: 100
dPr 120 (? was recommend)
ndp: 25
nFr: off
Brf: 40 (personal)
FEI: 100

In game:
WRC8 Screenshot 2019.09.19 - 11.26.38.33.png
 
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IMHO the actual driving is not much different than WRC7.
Graphics is a bit improved, not that much.

It is a fun rally game if you can get the frame rate to be stable.

IMHO not better than DR/DR2, neither was WRC7 and before, just different.
Stutter fix is possible with RTSS and limit to 60 or 120 fps because the physics engine has fixed rates at 30, 60 or 120. So if you limit it to one of this numbers it's absolutely smooth but make sure with graphic settings that it doesn't drop under this number. My monitor is only able to sync up to 100 fps so I have to limit WRC 8 at 60 to get it stutter free.

The first impression is good but for me it seems that the most FFB effects are canned and do not coming from physics.
If you drive a few stages the bumps feel identical and there is absolutely nothing if you go over larger rocks on the side or little bit off the track.
Also no real feedback from suspension or shifting weight from side to side or back to front. More or less as WRC 7 with a step in the right direction.

Even if DR2 has also not the best feedback it's at least much clearer and differentiates more on weight and road situation.
 
....Cause it's driving me crazy. Apparently, you can see the AI starting in front of you crashed and stopped somewhere in the stage, but it doesn't change their final result, unlike WRC 7 where they would finish dead last because of that.

I've seen that a lot of time already, like this :

Random_encounter2.jpg

Rovanperä crash after 2/3 of the stage and still finish 2" behind. Talk about realism !

I'm playing on hard difficulty with realistic damage, btw.

So, does it also happen to you or am I just unlucky with my game ? Also, patch 1.01 didn't change anything, I really hope that's a bug and not a stupid gameplay decision.
 
The first impression is good but for me it seems that the most FFB effects are canned and do not coming from physics.
Yeah, almost everything except from SAT is just canned rumble and effects. Makes the FFB feel very bland, generic, vague and most important not very informative. It's a shame they didn't go the extra step, because the basic feel of the FFB seems pretty good, it's just the canned nature of it that drags it down.
 

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