A little update from the 2003 thread on Sports Car GT.

What is everyone using for a PC-based racing simulator these days? Is there anything new out that allows you to integrate downloaded tracks?

I've made a steel frame to hold a racing seat, big monitor, wheel, pedals, etc and I'm looking for some new software to play with instead of reinstalling my 7 year old copy of SCGT.

One of the best PC based games out there at the moment is Live For Speed. www.liveforspeed.net

Unfortunately, none of the cars or tracks are real since they do not have licenses to use them, the cars are based on real world cars, just with different names and body panels. But it has by far the best physics generator out of any racing game I've played.

GTR and GTR2 (soon) are the best in my opinion. Ultrarealistic control, superior AI to most other systems, ability to integrate some of the new controllers (BRD, etc). BRD probably has the best wheel pedal setup out there if you want a sub $2k controller. Above that you step to 5-10k and get the pnuematic chair setup.

But with a nice 42" plasma/lcd, and a solid 256+ video card, you can do some pretty cool stuff.

I love GTR.

+1 for GTR. It is annoyingly realistic, in that I can't drive very well in the game, just like real life.

GTR and GTR2 when it comes out. Have alot of fun getting used to setting up the cars. Weather changes are bitches on the game. I was running a sprint race once, just enough fuel for the race, then had it rain, hit the pits, change to rains, then it stopped. Nobody else stopped, so I finished last.:(
Oh, and the Logitech Driving Force Pro is a pretty good budget wheel for GTR, as well as the Logitech Momo (black wheel), but DFP is better.
Jake

Can anyone link me to more info on GTR? Sounds like a hoot.

Dont forget about GTL :-) same engine as GTR but vintage cars... tracks are starting to pop up everywhere too soooo I dunno I like it better than GTR :buttrock

Can anyone link me to more info on GTR? Sounds like a hoot.
www.gtr-game.com
oh, and it is a blast. extremely difficult if you are used to simpler games. trust me, one screw up on regular difficulty, and you are off the track, at the back of the pack...
Jake

What kind of computer do you have? To have it run smoothly with good gfx it takes some umph.

http://www.simbin.se/

Once you use higher end controls, it sucks going to off the shelf compusa crap. I'm waiting for BRD to release thier new stuff. It uses an Aimsport dash :)

Thanks for the links.

Building the computer is the next step. I was waiting to see what kind of umph it would need to run whatever software is out there now. I've been too busy constructing one helluva badass frame for my spare Sparco seat and wheel. :D Now I'm getting amped to fire it up.

Thanks for the links.

Building the computer is the next step. I was waiting to see what kind of umph it would need to run whatever software is out there now. I've been too busy constructing one helluva badass frame for my spare Sparco seat and wheel. :D Now I'm getting amped to fire it up.

Get a new mac with intel and run XP, haha, its proving to be more powerful than xp on pc's!

We just got a new trial intellistation mpro quad processor setup from IBM at work to play with, testing out new cosmos/floworks, hopefully it works.

Get a new mac with intel and run XP, haha, its proving to be more powerful than xp on pc's!

It's so much easier just to build a PC since all you really need it to do is run games. No need to spend the money on an expensive Mac.

I'm far from a computer expert, so I'd rather not learn Macs on something I just want to fire up and run. My next personal computer will probably be a Mac however so I can see what all the hub-bub is about. Dell can bite me.

yea, I was kidding about the mac. Its just funny how the Intel mac LAPTOPS running Xp are faster than most current dual processor PC desktops, lol.

IBM hands down for anything PC related. I'm waiting for thier new laptop to come out, the t60p is not fast enough yet :) My T22 is lasting, but barely.

Since your sig is at the glen, there is a Watkins Glen download including the boot as well as a pretty decent Lime Rock Park for GTR.

GTL is also pretty good. It's made by Simbin as well. In fact, in terms of feel it's way closer to a street based track car.

Since your sig is at the glen, there is a Watkins Glen download including the boot as well as a pretty decent Lime Rock Park for GTR.

GTL is also pretty good. It's made by Simbin as well. In fact, in terms of feel it's way closer to a street based track car.
the Watkins Glen track and Lime Rock tracks are wicked fun! My buddies and I raced at Lime Rock with a new WTCC E90 mod, and it is pretty fun.
A major warning about GTR: Learn to set the cars up well. I was running consistant 56:XXXs while the other 2 were running consistant 53:XXXs. I download their setup, within 3 laps (heat tires up, learn setup, etc.), I was down into the 54:XXXs, and then the server shut down...
Jake

On the subject of GTR, if you go that route you might want to check out http://www.naturalpoint.com/trackir/ . They make a relatively inexpensive IR head tracking setup that works with GTR. You wear a baseball cap with some dots on it and when you move your head, the screen POV changes to match (at an adjustible ratio). Pretty cool for looking through the turn or checking gauges and mirrors.

Good to know about WGI and LRP. Racing my home tracks in a game helps get me through the winter. Looks like I'll be looking into GTR when I get the PC situation figured out.

On the subject of GTR, if you go that route you might want to check out http://www.naturalpoint.com/trackir/ . They make a relatively inexpensive IR head tracking setup that works with GTR. You wear a baseball cap with some dots on it and when you move your head, the screen POV changes to match (at an adjustible ratio). Pretty cool for looking through the turn or checking gauges and mirrors.
yeah, I've heard good things about TrackIR. I found this mod for GTR where it changes the viewpoint, so it makes it more like you are in the seat, and the view is from the eyes of the driver. TrackIR would be so helpful with that...
Jake

I've been playing a ton of GT Legends. sweet BMW 3.0 CSL and awsome graphics, should feel very similar to GTR, since its the same time and company that the games were released. I just love those old cars.

Logitech is releasing a new wheel (G25) should be an awsome wheel for the price. still 300 bucks but the features of the pedal and wheel sets that run for 1000+

hehe a clutch pedal finally. and instead of just padal shifting there is a 6 speed shifter

http://www.playfeed.com/blogimages/logitech_g25.jpg

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/news/US/EN,contentid=12020,crid=34

mmmmmm

the G25 will probably be a limited run item, so buy 'em fast!
Jake

its being made by a business for profit. If people like it and buy it fast they will keep making it until it's no longer profitable.

I just don't think the price will drop much if at all, so I'm not going to sit around and wait for it to go down 50 bucks over the course of a year.

Those things feel like crap though. If you don't mind a chinsy feel, spend $300-400 on the plastic toys. But you can basically build your own by peicing together some custom stuff thats available in the simulator market for under $500, all high end machined stuff, that has a much better feel. Its great for hand eye coordination, just make sure you don't screw up your eyes with a bad screen lol

GTL is awesome - the 911 RS and the BMW 3.0 CSL are two standouts.

I've used track IR 4, it can really help especially in looking through hairpins.

I currently use the Logitech Driving Force Pro, along with Speed 7 pedal set (all metal - adjustable 3 pedals w/aggressively damped brake pedal) and an Act labs 6-speed H-shift. The DFP is great as it has up to 900 degrees of rotation which significantly improves realism in tail out situations. Richard Burns Rally with multiple turns lock to lock is an experience.

I'll be getting the G25 just for the wheel as soon as it comes out thought as the one huge downfall of the DFP is that the wheel is child like. The G25 has a much larger wheel which is much closer in size to a real wheel. Doubt that I'll use the pedals, but we'll see if the shifter is an improvement on the Act Labs job.

There are a couple of Watkins Glen and LRPs out there. Some are pretty damn poor, but there is one LRP that is about as good as you're going to get without GPS data. It just misses some of the bumps going into big bend and I'm not quite sure what's missing down no name, but overall it's really good. The 'good' Glen is a very good replica. Unfortunately the VIR that I have while generally accurate in layout is missing badly in the climbing esses in terms of the elevation and is driven completely different there than in real life.

I'm almost postive that there is a young prototype driver who actually plays PC sims - I've seen him over on racesimcentral.

Yes, Tom Milner Jr. was (still does some i thnk) involved in testing some beta versions of games, and helping as much as he could.

heh - Tom and I go way back in the SCGT and N4 days... I helped out a group that put together autox courses for SCGT and talked him into doing those...

Nascar 4 races on sat nite too... we were losers... :buttrock

I also run GT-L and I think its incredible. The RSR Zentrum car is my personal favorite. With my setup I'm able to do some "economy racing" and I can run the game at full tilt graphics and detail level. I run maximum 1280 screen size with this setup. It was orginally built for running BF2 for all you FPS guys.

As far as hardware, my setup will cost you about $1400-1600 retail. Here goes:

I used a PowerSpec (Microcenter store brand) Athalon 3200 w/500mb ram, 80gb HD, CD/DVD-RW, PCI-E slot, etc..as a base. You can get this for $500. Comes with keyboard and a crappy mouse along with with windows preloaded and none of that other garbage you get with most store bought computers. Its also dead nuts reliable.
I added a 300w power supply ($20 with rebate @ miccrocenter)
BFG tech Nvidia 7800GT PCI-E 256mb video card (@ Newegg.com $400 or less) Get the most badass card you can buy. This makes all the difference.
Corsair 1GB ram ($90 or less @ newegg.com for 1.5GB total - you want at least 1GB additional if not 1.5GB = 2GB total)
19" Acer model AL1916 19" LCD monitor ($200 with rebate at Microcenter)
Logitech GT4 steering wheel & pedals from my PS2 (retailed for $150 yes you can use the PS2 unit on a PC just DL 4.6 drivers for the MOMO wheel)
And some crappy Altec speakers.

There you have it, a perfectly working, totally reliable machine that can easiliy handle the graphics for these games and GTR2 when it comes out. I run my rig hard, with 5-6 hours straight gaming time and have no cooling or crash problems. My only suggestion is maybe look into a computer with more RAM expandability in the future. The microcenter Athalon base unit are only good to 2GB. However, you'll pay a pretty penny for a 4GB RAM mobo.

PM with any questions.

Good luck and good gaming.

Im feeling a BF.c league nite coming on here :-)

Im feeling a BF.c league nite coming on here :-)
sounds good to me! If we were to get enough guys to join up, we could make a decent series out of it. I'm getting a DFP soon enough, so I should be up to speed pretty quickly.
Jake

Count me in. Those of us using cheaper hardware can try and catch the guys with the expensive setups. It'll be just like club racing!

Count me in. Those of us using cheaper hardware can try and catch the guys with the expensive setups. It'll be just like club racing!
the great thing about GTR is that everything can be even if we all race the same cars. Well...I know a few tricks, but I wouldn't do anyone like that.
Jake

For the sake of completeness let me also recommend rFactor in addition to the SimBin products. (I can't wait for GTR2 personally, it's going to rule -- specifically due to less on/off tire traction modelling.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RFactor has all the links you need for it. Make sure to check out the Porsche Carrera Cup add-on in addition to the Formula 3 add-on, they're both very good.

-FDj

Can you guys recomend a sight with WGI and LRP tracks on it for GTR?

So out of curiousity, any of you guys know how to build a custom wheel, shifter, and pedals? I've been researching it for a while now and really can't find ANY good/organized info online.

I hate how flimsy the stuff you can buy is, and I hate that no one sells a 6-Speed H Shifter. Otherwise I might actually play some of these things I've got laying around here in a pile of CDs.

So out of curiousity, any of you guys know how to build a custom wheel, shifter, and pedals? I've been researching it for a while now and really can't find ANY good/organized info online.

I hate how flimsy the stuff you can buy is, and I hate that no one sells a 6-Speed H Shifter. Otherwise I might actually play some of these things I've got laying around here in a pile of CDs.

I would imagine the main problem is drivers, rather than the actual construction. Of course, if you picked up an off the shelf unit then took all the internals and used them in a custom creation, you could still use the drivers, and just have an overbuilt controller. I have seen people do this with joysticks, but not wheels and such.

Can you guys recomend a sight with WGI and LRP tracks on it for GTR?
this has a few tracks: http://www.bhmotorsports.com/GTR/downloads

I would imagine the main problem is drivers, rather than the actual construction. Of course, if you picked up an off the shelf unit then took all the internals and used them in a custom creation, you could still use the drivers, and just have an overbuilt controller. I have seen people do this with joysticks, but not wheels and such.

Yeah, I've actually seen some custom built rigs using some sort of universal drivers that some homebrew group made... but I've never actually seen anyone post any thoughts or ideas on HOW to make these setups, just the final show off pictures and a hearty ignore for anymore info.

GTR2 Demo is out tomorrow at noon eastern!
Jake

this has a few tracks: http://www.bhmotorsports.com/GTR/downloads

Are custom track downloads interchangeable between GTR and GTL?

Step 1) www.rfactor.net

Step 2) Buy rFactor

Step 3) www.rfactorcentral.com

Step 4) Download just about every track and car you could ask for.

The 4 step program to the best computer sim to date.

For me, rFactor is #1. Then just below it are GTR, GTL, Richard Burns Rally, and LFS. I play rFactor the most and only actually load up RBR occasionally. Haven't touched the others in a long time.

The GTR-2 demo was released last Friday, with much improved (some say "dumbed down") car control.

If you're playing GTR (version 1), grab the E90 WTCC car mod available here: http://www.gtr4u.de/thread.php?threadid=8086

"
Include:
------------
BMW E90 models:
- engine: 2.0L 4-Cylinders
- power: 275 hp
- torque: 250 Nm
- weight: 1100 kg

9 cars:
- BMW Team Deutschland, Dirk and Jörg Müller
- BMW Team Italy-Spain, Alessandro Zanardy, Marcel Costa and Duncan Huisman
- BMW Team UK, Andy Priaulx
- Proteam Motorsport, Luca Rangoni
- Wiechers-Sport, Emmet O'Brien and Diego Romanini
"

To download follow the "Zum Eintrag in der Datenbank (http://www.gtr4u.de/jgs_db.php?action=show&eintrags_id=1999)" link.

A little closer to our own bimmers (we wished :-) ).

-FDj

Personally I enjoy TOCA 2.

http://www.codemasters.com/tocaracedriver2/

It seems to be very realistic and has a ton of different series that you race in over the course of the game. Very addicting and great for the PC.

GTR-2 has been released. I ordered mine from gogamer, FedEx says it's on the truck for delivery. :D Enjoy!

-FDj

rFactor is the best so far GTR2 uses teh same engine as rfactor and isnt any better. just different cars. and i had modded my demo to play with all cars and GTL tracks so GTR2 is lame already

Rfactor is so much better!

Rtrainers are friggin addictive!

I can't wait until I get my home sim setup finished. Going to get a big monitor, use the BMW e46 m3 fornt seat bench, and the new logitech g25 as the wheels (yes plural ;)).

I'm putting together a media center computer for the living room in my new house to mate up to the new 37" LCD. Since the computer will have a kickin processor, motherboard, and graphics card, this seems like the perfect time to invest in some racing games.

Does anyone know if the top games run on Linux? My biggest decision left in putting the computer together is whether to run Windows MCE or to go with an open source Media Center on top of Linux.

try a dual boot setup?

GTR-2 has been released. I ordered mine from gogamer, FedEx says it's on the truck for delivery. :D Enjoy!


It has been out for a week or so. Best Buy had it locally for $19.99.

try a dual boot setup?

Yeah, that's an option as well. Just trying to decide whether I want to spend the $$ on Windows. Ehh, maybe I'll just get Windows MCE and save myself the worry of lack of plug-ins and drivers associated with going to open source route.

Race: WTCC Game (http://www.race-game.org/)

:devillook

saweet. i'll be picking up GTR2 at bestbuy today.

i'll also check out rfactor i think

I'm putting together a media center computer for the living room in my new house to mate up to the new 37" LCD. Since the computer will have a kickin processor, motherboard, and graphics card, this seems like the perfect time to invest in some racing games.

Does anyone know if the top games run on Linux? My biggest decision left in putting the computer together is whether to run Windows MCE or to go with an open source Media Center on top of Linux.

You could try running it under Wine on Linux.

Dat
Hook 'Em!

Race: WTCC Game (http://www.race-game.org/)

:devillook

I'd rather just wait for the WTCC mod for rfactor :)

Race-game looks cool, and I liked seeing them using the new Logitech r25 wheel at thier demo session with the WTCC drivers...looks like they got some good investors in it to get that kind of promotional event going on.

I'm still waiting for BRD to get off thier asses and get this shit together for the new Speed7 lineup.

Bryan, I'd suggest getting a new Mac and run Windows on it, it'll run quicker than your PC winblows machine :)

Bryan, I'd suggest getting a new Mac and run Windows on it, it'll run quicker than your PC winblows machine :)

Why would I want an unupgradable boat anchor of a tower sitting in my living room beside my TV making all sorts of noise? I'd rather have a proper Media Center case that blends in with tuner with water cooling and room to upgrade to blu-ray/HD-DVD and multiple HD tuner cards. ;)

I can build my dream machine Media Center for $1200 less than the minimum priced MacPro, and have a better specced out computer (more memory, more graphics, more HD space, better MB, more connectivity, more tuner options, etc) that fits my needs.

I'd like to get GTR2, but I can barely play the demo on my computer as it is. I don't want to spend some money on a game that I won't be able to play ever. Maybe I should get LFS or possibly rFactor...
Jake

These games need a pretty good graphics setup to enjoy it, otherwise you need to lower all the gfx and it sucks.

Why would I want an unupgradable boat anchor of a tower sitting in my living room beside my TV making all sorts of noise? I'd rather have a proper Media Center case that blends in with tuner with water cooling and room to upgrade to blu-ray/HD-DVD and multiple HD tuner cards. ;)

I can build my dream machine Media Center for $1200 less than the minimum priced MacPro, and have a better specced out computer (more memory, more graphics, more HD space, better MB, more connectivity, more tuner options, etc) that fits my needs.

yeah macs might be nice but they the most powerful mac is still slower than the most powerful PC.

i just finished building my PC with Windows XP Media Center and its really nice to be able to able to link up with anything that has the capability it. I can control all the music in my house from my computer, as well and the video in the room it is in. Its linked with my brothers xbox360 which is nice as that is a very very powerful media center. An item i would highly recommend buying over a standard DVD player as it can do so much more.

Might computer was a little costly at almost $1600 but then again my needs require alot more power than most people. I went with a pentium processor this time, i think next time i will go back to AMD but i have a Pentium D 930 3.0ghz processor and 3gb of ram dual 10,00rpm 80gb hd and two 160gb external firewire drives. Along dual with a nVidia GeForce 7900GT GPUs. this is alot more computer than most people need but im very impatient and so far i havent become frustrated with this one. now my pc is a little louder than some but for 6 fans its awfully quiet.

Macs are nice i used them for video production and such in school but my PC is far more powerful. Also Macs are over priced and they arent really upgradeable at all.

it really all depends on your needs and since this thread is about racing simulators PC is your best bet.

the most powerful mac is still slower than the most powerful PC.



Sorry, even though I am not a huge Mac fan, the current top of the line Mac running XP is blowing away the top of the line "custom built from mfg" available PC's currently.

Even though I hate the marketing tactics and most people who use macs ;) they are pretty fast right now, and have one of the cheapest fastest super computers currently in use at a very well known university.

Winblows is the main thing holding PC's back for anything on the market, but for full custom built professional machines (like what I and most engineers use as current top of the line work stations) they blow macs away, but they also cost about $30k (without software) ;)

Even though I hate the marketing tactics and most people who use macs ;) they are pretty fast right now, and have one of the cheapest fastest super computers currently in use at a very well known university.


Where exactly are they on this list?

http://www.top500.org/list/2006/06/100

I'm with the rest of the people. Buying a Mac to play games it just silly. You can build a PC from components that'll do the job just fine for far less.

Where exactly are they on this list?

http://www.top500.org/list/2006/06/100

I'm with the rest of the people. Buying a Mac to play games it just silly. You can build a PC from components that'll do the job just fine for far less.


#21 and 28

I agree its not the best idea, but the new macs running xp are runnig faster then your average off the shelf maxed out dell/ibm/gateway custom built machine.

Obviously if you build it yourself for a specific purpose, then it'll perform better. I am running a nice ibm machine for rfactor, everything is on full detail, highest settings for everything and it runs flawless, great fps. If BRD Speed7 does not come out in time, logitech r25 will do.

I first saw GTR at a friend's house a few weeks ago and couldn't believe the realism of it. I immediately went online and ordered GTR2, so I'm anxiously awaiting its arrival.

Found this video on googe that shows off Sebring pretty well in GTR1...

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3552403921768355793&q=fia+gtr+sebring&hl=en

Its actually a pretty good representation of the track, even the bumpiness of 17. I can't wait...

every benchmark test i have seen of a mac running any windows program was awful. and your comparing them to the slowest PCs on the market. Dell is worthless unless its an XPS and even then its over priced and worthless, Gateway? worthless, HP? worthless. of coruse they can be speced out to be ebtter but the comparision tests are basic package deals.

my computer benchmarks are higher than the new iMac intel core duo running basica windows programs. That is the problem with the market, look at Apples commercials comparing it to PCs id like to see them show us a commercial of macs newest and fastest computer running against a new Alienware ALX system....

im not saying macs are bad i used them frequently for video stuff, but they arent what they are cracked up to be.

I don't use a mac b/c i just hate them :D

For engineering and tasks that require actual power, I have never seen a mac used. Every workstation I have used (ranges from $5k-30k UG/IBM machines) were all running XP (mostly xp64).

I'm on the PC side, don't worry :)

Last contract I was on we started testing a new setup IBM put together for us, the video card setup for the CFD we were doing was about $25k I think? unfortunately the CAD software company did not have thier 64bit shit in order...

As for sim games, my IBM is pretty basicbuild, nothing crazy, and it runs rfactor at great FPS, every video detail is maxed out, fantastic colors, dvi connection on lcd 22" (hopefully will be putting a massive monitor on it once it goes to the garage, this computer is used for rfactor only lol).

I don't use a mac b/c i just hate them :D

For engineering and tasks that require actual power, I have never seen a mac used. Every workstation I have used (ranges from $5k-30k UG/IBM machines) were all running XP (mostly xp64).

I'm on the PC side, don't worry :)

Last contract I was on we started testing a new setup IBM put together for us, the video card setup for the CFD we were doing was about $25k I think? unfortunately the CAD software company did not have thier 64bit shit in order...

As for sim games, my IBM is pretty basicbuild, nothing crazy, and it runs rfactor at great FPS, every video detail is maxed out, fantastic colors, dvi connection on lcd 22" (hopefully will be putting a massive monitor on it once it goes to the garage, this computer is used for rfactor only lol).

yeah i enjoy the detail maxed out although this monitor could be nicer is only 19"

i wish i had the workstations i have at school.

yeah i enjoy the detail maxed out although this monitor could be nicer is only 19"

i wish i had the workstations i have at school.

What school/major?

I went with a pentium processor this time, i think next time i will go back to AMD but i have a Pentium D 930 3.0ghz processor

Should have gotten a Intel DuoCore 2, they are much better than Pentium D and are blowing away the AMD Dual Cores in every test I've seen.

Anyone have a good recomendation for an HD lcd 1080p monitor, needs to have dvi unput.

I found some generics like westinghouse/sceptre, but under $1500 i can't find anything else worthwhile...anyone have experience with these generics for a pc monitor?

We picked up a Norcent to try out, $900 42lcd, pretty good for the price, but its just being used as a tv. I want to upgrade the sim station to a big monitor.

here is the 37: westinghouse, $1300, 1080p

http://consolutiontechnology.com/catalog/images/37W3_F.gif

Steve - You missed out on the deal I got on an Olevia from TigerDirect.com. Picked up a 37" LCD 1080p with 1600:1 contrast ratio (better than almost every LCD I've seen on the market) and HDMI connection (which can be downgraded to DVI with an adapter)...all for about $900.

That said, there are still some smoking deals on 32-42 inch LCD's at TigerDirect.com (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_slc.asp?CatId=386&)

So far, I'm really liking the reviews i'm reading of this westinghouse 37", seems a lot of people with xbox 360hd use it, and get great results.

I'm going to swing by bestbuy and see it in person tommorow.

I can't find any 1080p lcd's on tigerdirect. I'd rather find a tv with a true dvi input and not bother with the adapters. But let me know how your monitor works out.

I can't find any 1080p lcd's on tigerdirect. I'd rather find a tv with a true dvi input and not bother with the adapters. But let me know how your monitor works out.

According to articles I've read, LCD's are naturally progressive, so they are automatically 1080p. Besides, what are you going to watch in 1080p anyway? HD broadcasts are in 1080i and I'm not aware of any planning to upgrade to 1080p due to bandwidth.

Edit: Just found an article that talks about Plasma and LCD that talks about the 1080p format:
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6449_7-6361600-1.html
1080i, the former king of the HDTV hill, actually boasts an identical 1,920x1,080 resolution but conveys the images in an interlaced format (the i in 1080i). In a tube-based television, otherwise known as a CRT, 1080i sources get "painted" on the screen sequentially: the odd-numbered lines of resolution appear on your screen first, followed by the even-numbered lines--all within 1/30 of a second. Progressive-scan (http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6449_7-5020359-1.html?tag=txt) formats such as 480p, 720p, and 1080p convey all of the lines of resolution sequentially in a single pass, which makes for a smoother, cleaner image, especially with sports and other motion-intensive content. As opposed to tubes, microdisplays (http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-7874_1-5107912-14.html?tag=txt#microdisplay) (DLP, LCoS, and LCD rear-projection) and other fixed-pixel (http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-7874_1-5107912-7.html?tag=txt#fixed-pixeldisplay) TVs, including plasma and LCD flat-panel, are inherently progressive in nature, so when the incoming source is interlaced, as 1080i is, they convert it to progressive scan for display.

This is going to be a computer/simulator monitor ONLY. Connected via DVI, just like the current 21" lcd.

And someday I'll make the M3bench into a two seat sim setup :)

Why would I want an unupgradable boat anchor of a tower sitting in my living room beside my TV making all sorts of noise?

Or you could buy a $500 Mac Mini (upgradeable). BTW, the current crop of Mac Pro workstations are upgradeable to the Clovertown series of next-generation quad-core Xenon processors. (link (http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2006/09/20060913074907.shtml))

...most of what you guys are spouting is FUD, and it's old FUD at that.

Back to the topic at hand...

ToCA 2 is pretty good, though I've yet to try out ToCA 3. Unfortunately, the new version drops Road America in favor of Texas Motor Speedway and Indianapolis, though it does add Spa Francorchamps.

Racer (http://www.racer.nl/) is an interesting free project, with very realistic physics and community-created cars and tracks (some of them are very true-to-life), though configuring the controls may take a while.

Even though it's a couple of years old and lacks damage modeling, Total Immersion Racing had an interesting "AI personality" feature and some decent physics (still pales compared to something like GT4, though).

Or you could buy a $500 Mac Mini (upgradeable).

Exactly how many additional HD tuner cards cand you slide into the back? And I don't see open 5.25 inch slots for adding Blu-Ray disc drives. ;) Room for a 7.1 channel sound card? How about dual NVidia graphics cards?

Let's drop the Mac suggestion. It's an inaapropriate tool for the task at hand.

28

And how fast is it compared to #1? :devillook


I agree its not the best idea, but the new macs running xp are runnig faster then your average off the shelf maxed out dell/ibm/gateway custom built machine.


Hardware advances so fast that this is a meaningless comparision, IMO. Which prebuilt system is the fastest for games will constantly change. The hardware specs of the Mac Pro are already dated.


Obviously if you build it yourself for a specific purpose, then it'll perform better.


It isn't so much about building for a specific purpose. You're still just building a generic PC. It is about the cost savings of using your knowledge/labor and picking the exact components you want.

+1 for GTR.

Race Sim Central

(http://forum.rscnet.org/forumdisplay.php?f=542)

is a great place to start for info on these titles (downloads, tracks, mods, etc)

Check the rFactor forum for info on rFactor.

Look in the SimBin forum for GTR, GTL, and GTR2

Also, try these sites for track downloads:

http://tantra.rscsites.org/gtr.htm
http://gtr4u.de/jgs_db.php?action=showkat&katid=5&sid=&page=1
http://www.gtrtracks.tk/


GTR runs fine at 1280 x 1024 on

AMD Sempron 2400
1GB DDR RAM
nVidia 6600 AGP graphics card

To expand a bit....

ISI is the Sim company that made the physics engine and guts in SCGT, all the F1 EA sims, and all the GTR1 & 2 and L sims. They market their own sim online (rFactor) only with fantasy cars and tracks (all to keep the cost down) and they are the only company to work deeply with the Mod community since that what rFactor was designed for. rFactor has the latest physics engine, and if you want to race online, netcode that is 1000% better then what is in the GTR games. Some of the GTR effects like Rain and AI are better. I wouldn't touch GTR1 or L because of the nazi like Starforce antipiracy program in them, they got smart and got rid of it with GTR2.

So, you really should have both GTR2 and rFactor for the best of both worlds. Dozens of mods are out or in progress for rFactor, covering everything from Mini's to LMES/ALMS to 85-95 Prototype C and tons of GT's and Open wheelers too. It also has by far the most tracks (even the GTR2 tracks and being converted for it) with new ones out every week....

Enjoy!

If anyone wants to see just how much is out there for rfactor (so far) the best site is http://rfactorcentral.com

Some awesome stuff already released and even better stuff is in the works!

Rfactor also comes with a great bundle, they have a spinoff of the skipbarber formula car series, so much fun, and very realistic. I've ran the cars, and the physics are very realistic.

okay, I'm thinking about getting rFactor, how are the physics compared to GTR1? also, what about the graphics? I don't care for super realism, I just want to actually play the game...
Jake

seriously

There’s really no reason not to give both rfactor and GTR2 a shot. GTR2 is just $19.99 at Best Buy and rfactor is a cheap download. GTR2 get’s you a very polished product right out of the box, with outstanding GPS based representation of European tracks and a pretty cool feature which emulates rubber laydown and marbles offline. Rfactor is light on it’s own, but is a platform for mods which gives it outstanding expandability, and as noted by someone, has superior netcode for online racing.

Specifically for those here, there are some US tracks that can be played in all these sims (games – whatever):

Lime Rock Park – there are a few out there, but there is one that is especially well done and hits the mark pretty well.

Watkings Glen w/Boot.

VIR with Full, North and South. I love VIR in real life, but there are parts of the sim version that are just off – climbing esses is completely wrong.

There’s also Road America, Laguna Seca, Sears (Infinion), Portland, Road Atlanta, Mosport, Mid Ohio before the repaving, a Daytona Road Course, Sebring (not sure if it’s the current layout).

Of course there’s also the Nordschleife. It is a conversion from a 1967 sim/game GPL so it is not as (supposedly) spot on as the GT4 version. There is already a beta of the Nordschleife used for the 24hr race which includes the modern F1 Nurbergring (this portion is very accurate as it is GPS mapped).


Add a high end wheel, or the released and soon to be in stores G25, with some boutique pedals like the Speed7, ECCI, or Frex metal 3pedal setups, and an H-shifter and, you’ve got a “better than toy” setup which unfortunately you’re still forced to utilize on the Playstation or Xbox (no high end pedals or wheels that I know of). Good stuff for October to March.

very nice post vrooom


I am still tooking to build a new computer. I've been holding off for 6+ months now waiting on conroe and to see what happens with Vista and dx10 video cards.

Most likely because of college needs I will be buying shortly, so I will definatly get GT2 and download rfactor. I already have GTL. after you download rfactor do you pay to play or is it 100% free?

how soon to people start to play online? Last thing I want to do is start racing on line and not be used to the way other drivers are on the course and cause a ton of bumping and crashes.

thx for the info

Several years ago a bunch of us on Bf.C formed a casual online racing group. Check this thread for ideas:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=101184&highlight=bathurst

Since then, Optimo has built an impressive online racing league at Ubertechnik.com:

http://ubertechnik.com/forums/index.php?act=home

ubertechnik started with the EA Sports F1 sim series and migrated to rFactor. It's a top-notch site, highly recommended.

$19.99 for GTR2 at Best Buy is a steal. Most on-line retailers have it priced for full retail, which is $29.99.
I never played GTR1 or GTR Legends, but the braking zone in GTR2 is very conservative. I haven't played it enough yet though to make a full assessment.

Dat
Hook 'Em!