114 replies to this topic

[zmax - sim]

 
Forza Apex was an unmitigated disaster when I tried it.  Before I could even get halfway around the track, the animation had slowed down and become so sloppy that it was in the single digits in frame rate.  I couldn't quit it because the menu wouldn't respond.  I finally had to ctl-alt-del to get to the task manager to end the program, but even getting that window to appear took between 5 and 10 minutes.  I hadn't played Apex in months, so I have no clue what happened.  I'm going to uninstall and reinstall it to see if that changes anything.

I never saw anything like that.

[mebby]

I felt quite the opposite when I tried it in VR the other night. It left me very unimpressed (apart from the VR immersion - which is great with all games) as it felt so 'arcadey' especially when racing other cars. I actually preferred it on time trial. This is not a game I'm going to spend time on... unfortunately there's little else for the Vive at present unless you go the Oculus/Revive route, and I'm still trying to avoid the Oculus Store if I can.

So is it just Project Cars in general that you don't like or did you not like the VR version of it?

[Acrilix]

So is it just Project Cars in general that you don't like or did you not like the VR version of it?

 

I wouldn't fault the VR part... just the game. VR is damn good, even in its infancy, as I'm sure you know by now! 

[mebby]

I wouldn't fault the VR part... just the game. VR is damn good, even in its infancy, as I'm sure you know by now! 

Ah.  Got it.  I'm not much into racing games in general so I wouldn't know a great one from a bad one to be honest.  It feels good enough to me and I had a blast playing it last night.  But I can appreciate when someone feels like a particular game just isn't quite right to them so I know where you're coming from.  It's kinda like Madden to me or even FIFA vs Pro Evolution.

[Ricky Proffer]

Ricky, is that Amazon price ($190 USD) a good price or should that be shopped a bit?

I paid $163 from Amazon about a year ago.  Not sure if you could find that price now.  I went to my order history and clicked to buy it again and it came up $189

[JCat04]

I felt quite the opposite when I tried it in VR the other night. It left me very unimpressed (apart from the VR immersion - which is great with all games) as it felt so 'arcadey' especially when racing other cars. I actually preferred it on time trial. This is not a game I'm going to spend time on... unfortunately there's little else for the Vive at present unless you go the Oculus/Revive route, and I'm still trying to avoid the Oculus Store if I can.

 

 

I learned many years ago that I'm a liability on a computer or video game racetrack if I'm trying to control the car with a thumbstick controller.   Not only do I enjoy the experience infinitely more with a force-feedback steering wheel, I'm also able to hold a line and avoid the 'sawtoothing' that is indicative of thumbstick control.  I find the AI in Project Cars varies among car types.  It's dreadful in the Kart racing, but I find it pretty believable in the Formula Rookie cars.  Still, it pales in comparison to the AI in Forza 6, in most cases.  

 

I don't know why I find Project CARS so fascinating, but I can't deny that I enjoy it.  I'm thinking about picking up Assetto Corsa for the PC.  A lot of the reviews say that it has the most realistic, and early in the learning curve - frustrating handling model.  I like having to work to handle the car, even when I'm not in traffic... that sounds right up my ally.  I also hear that it's force-feedback modeling might be the best of them all!

[JCat04]

Ah.  Got it.  I'm not much into racing games in general so I wouldn't know a great one from a bad one to be honest.  It feels good enough to me and I had a blast playing it last night.  But I can appreciate when someone feels like a particular game just isn't quite right to them so I know where you're coming from.  It's kinda like Madden to me or even FIFA vs Pro Evolution.

 

Mebby, pick up Jack Spade's Tweaker file utility for Project Cars at the Project Cars official forum.  I sets up the force feedback settings for each car in the game.  He has some global settings listed that you'll need to change on your own.  It's a tedious process to figure out how to install it and how it works, but it's got help files and grabs of setup screens to help you along with way.  The default force-feedback in Project Cars is pretty ho-hum to me.  Jack's settings bring so many more dynamics alive in the car handling.  I highly recommend it!  

[mcthommo]

Just picked up a THrustmaster wheel and pedal combo from the Bay for a very nice price so when I get my PC sorted* I will give this a go

* Holy blown Motherboard, Batman! Have just received my replacement mobo- just waiting on a new PC case so I can dual loop cool my 6700 and GTX 1080 without having a Frankenstein case

[zmax - sim]

Cool.  More racers.

 

 

I'm not liking assetto corsa.   I'm playing on easy/rookie mode and it seems that every car so far just doesn't seem to want grip when turning.  The front wheels that is.  I have to slow way down otherwise I go straight off the road.

[mebby]

Cool.  More racers.

 

 

I'm not liking assetto corsa.   I'm playing on easy/rookie mode and it seems that every car so far just doesn't seem to want grip when turning.  The front wheels that is.  I have to slow way down otherwise I go straight off the road.

You really need to give the HTC VIve some serious consideration.  I can't imagine how much fun I'm going to have using this when I get my wheel/pedals.  It's already a blast just using a standard XB1 controller!!

[zmax - sim]

Don't have HTC Vive.  What is an affordable way to VR for Project Cars?

[ArcadeHack]

Cool. More racers.


I'm not liking assetto corsa. I'm playing on easy/rookie mode and it seems that every car so far just doesn't seem to want grip when turning. The front wheels that is. I have to slow way down otherwise I go straight off the road.

Welcome to the world of sin racing. AC, Rfactor, and iRacing are the closest to sim racing. And with that comes the wonderful world of learning how to tune your car for the track you want to race on. Forza, Project racing, and the GT series are what they call sim-Cade.

The downside to sim racing is you don't have the g forces to tell you how that corner is working. So you run lap after lap to you get it memorized and so on.

[Dazmaniac]

I currently race iRacing and RRRE on the PC.

 

Have PCARS, Assetto Corsa, DIRT: Rally, Automobilista, Race '07 and all it's add-ons, DIRT2, DIRT3 Extended Edition, F1 2013, F1 2014, GT Legends, Wreckfest and Euro Truck Simulator 2 sitting in my Steam account but not currently installed.

 

Have DriveClub, PCARS, Assetto Corsa, Ride 2, MotoGP '14, Trackmania Turbo, DIRT Rally, The Crew and Need For Speed on the PS4.

 

Love driving/racing games/sims, but just don't have enough time to play them all, lol, especially when adding JNPG in to the mix.

[mebby]

Don't have HTC Vive.  What is an affordable way to VR for Project Cars?

There isn't I'm afraid.  The Vive itself is $800. 

 

But it's worth it.  TGC VR is also a blast on Vive but you don't need that as you have the best of the best in that department already.

[Dazmaniac]

If it's for PCARS on console, on PS4 you have the Playstation VR at $399*

 

Otherwise if on PC I think you're looking at Oculus Rift at $600* or the HTC Vive at $799*

 

* = prices taken from recent TechRadar article.

[Acrilix]

.... and Euro Truck Simulator 2 sitting in my Steam account but not currently installed.

 

Euro Truck Simulator 2 is pretty much all I'm playing on my Vive at present. I'll get Assetto Corsa when it has proper Vive support, and Automobilista is sitting in MY Steam library, untouched. I probably won't play it much until it has VR support too (probably another year away, the last I heard from the devs).

[zmax - sim]

Conquer Racing cockpit arrived.   Need to get some screws to mount the pedals and might have to drill a hole to mount the gear shifter attachment.   Screw knob won't screw in all the way.  Threads messed up inside I think.

 

[JCat04]

Conquer Racing cockpit arrived.   Need to get some screws to mount the pedals and might have to drill a hole to mount the gear shifter attachment.   Screw knob won't screw in all the way.  Threads messed up inside I think.

 

Nice looking seat there Zmax!  That looks very similar to my Forza Edition Playseat Evolution cockpit that I've had for almost three years now.  Where is the screw knob that won't screw in all the way?   Is it the one that mounts the shifter?  You might be able to work around that, but if it's the one that holds the pedal support telescoping tube into the main frame, you could be in for some problems.  If it's that one, I'd get a replacement seat.  I really have to clamp that screw down to keep my pedal base from pushing out as I get more "enthusiastic" with accelerator and brake operation while racing.

 

BTW, underneath the seat,  mounted to each side panel on my Playseat Evolution, is an Aura Bass Shaker pro. They are driven through a separate amplifier I have.  You have to have a second sound card to send an output to them, but I picked one up for $30 and it works great.  You can't imagine how much of a dimension picking up road rumble and vibration adds to the game, not to mention handling information that actually helps you assess the dispostion of your car! 

[zmax - sim]

Nice looking seat there Zmax!  That looks very similar to my Forza Edition Playseat Evolution cockpit that I've had for almost three years now.  Where is the screw knob that won't screw in all the way?   Is it the one that mounts the shifter?  You might be able to work around that, but if it's the one that holds the pedal support telescoping tube into the main frame, you could be in for some problems.  If it's that one, I'd get a replacement seat.  I really have to clamp that screw down to keep my pedal base from pushing out as I get more "enthusiastic" with accelerator and brake operation while racing.

 

BTW, underneath the seat,  mounted to each side panel on my Playseat Evolution, is an Aura Bass Shaker pro. They are driven through a separate amplifier I have.  You have to have a second sound card to send an output to them, but I picked one up for $30 and it works great.  You can't imagine how much of a dimension picking up road rumble and vibration adds to the game, not to mention handling information that actually helps you assess the dispostion of your car! 

 

 

I've thought about adding bass shakers too.  

 

Here's the pic of the screw knob.  It's to hold the shifter attachment in place.  I have an idea I'm gonna try.

 

[JCat04]

I've thought about adding bass shakers too.  

 

Here's the pic of the screw knob.  It's to hold the shifter attachment in place.  I have an idea I'm gonna try.

 

 

Thanks for the clarifying picture.  Can you back the hand screw all the way out?  If you can, I'd check the threads on the screw and the base to see if they look galled.  I've never given any thought to buying a shifter, as I've been very pleased with the paddle performance (and convenience) on all the wheel's I've owned, and those of the Thrustmaster TX are the best.  If I ever tried a good shifter I know I'd be placing an order for one within hours though