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programming and human factors
by Jeff Atwood
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I've been a PC racing game enthusiast since the day I wrapped my hands around my first force-feedback wheel in 1999-- the classic wire driven Logitech Formula Force. There's something about a quality steering wheel with physics-driven force feedback effects that really delivers on the sensation of driving.
I spent many hours tooling around the tracks in Viper Racing and Sports Car GT. These games had a great combination of physics and force feedback. Nothing turns me off faster than arcade driving games where you pilot a rubbery box around a track, bouncing off walls and fellow motorists with impunity. What's the point of fantasy driving without some semi-realistic risks? But that doesn't mean I'm a Grand Prix Legends masochist, either. Those guys are nuts:
When the creators of the ever-popular NASCAR series of racing simulations, Papyrus, decided to create a historical Grand Prix racing simulation, many people were confused. "How could a racing simulation modeled after the 1967 Formula 1 Season be fun?" they asked. To put it bluntly, it's fun because it is harshly and at times brutally realistic.With few of the safety features and engine restrictions required on today's race cars, the 1967 Formula 1 season was one of the most dangerous in Motorsports history. Increased horsepower, no down force, rock-hard bias-ply tires, fuel tanks placed not only in the cockpit with the drivers, but specifically fabricated and molded in such a way as to surround the driver, and seat belts... what were those? The conventional wisdom in those days was that it was better to be thrown from the car during an accident than be belted into it. Considering the drivers were actually sitting in the middle of a 40 plus gallon, thin-walled, aluminum fuel tank filled with very exotic and volatile fuel, who could blame them?
I've gone through a succession of force feedback wheels since then, finally settling on the excellent Logitech MOMO Force.
Unfortunately, this particular model isn't available any more. But the more recent Logitech Momo Racing Force wheel is similar and highly recommendable. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Here's a comprehensive wheel roundup to get you started. As with all things PC, there's lots of esoterica available, such as the ECCI Trackstar 6000.
Of course, a nice wheel isn't doing me any good if it's collecting dust. Although I dabbled a little bit with Colin McRae Rally 2004, I haven't been following the PC driving sim scene very closely for the last few years. Over the holiday, though, I had some time to really immerse myself. And I found some outstanding next-generation racing sims:
Unfortunately, I also found that most of the racing games I'm interested in are barely released in the US any more. I suppose it's the NASCAR factor. Or maybe europeans are just more enthusiastic about motorsports as a whole. For example, rally racing-- which I find hugely entertaining-- barely even registers as a sport in the US. Searching for the word "rally" on the EB Games website produces 30 hits on mostly NASCAR titles. Irony of ironies. Racing in a circle is about the farthest thing imaginable from rally racing. The only title in my list that's currently available from EB Games is GTR. You'll have to scour eBay or Froogle, like I did, for the others.
One of the downsides of having a dedicated wheel peripheral is the extra work it takes to lug it out and hook it up before you play. The temptation to play racing games with the keyboard-- even though it sucks for controlling driving games-- is strong. I played through most of Colin McRae Rally 2004 on the keyboard in between coding sessions for this very reason. I was too lazy to drag out the wheel then put it away when I was done! I enjoy racing games too much to let this happen again. What I really need is a dedicated PC racing rig.
Although I was a little put off by the $18,500 price tag on the Virtual GT simulator, it's.. uh.. a starting point:
I'll keep this in mind for the gaming wing of my mansion. In the meantime, some humbler but more realistic choices:
The Hotseat is my pick of this litter, but after you factor in shipping, it's close to $750. Whereas I can get the Playseat for $249 at Target. Even with shipping and tax, that's less than one Xbox 360!
At some point I'll probably kit it out with the optional LCD bracket advertised on the playseat website, and some rear speaker stands. I can make it as temporary or permanent as I need to. But it's definitely getting some screen time in the giant Vertigo conference room first.
Posted by Jeff Atwood View blog reactions
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One game you should defiantly have a look at is Live For Speed. It's a simulation (not an arcade game), cheap and fun :)
Buzzard on December 27, 2005 08:07 AMHmm, just found this: "Ernie Irvan race seat"
$275-$325
http://www.irvansmith.com/catalog2/parts/ps2-game-seat.shtml
Jeff Atwood on December 28, 2005 03:59 AMI got to use Jeff's wheel yesterday playing one of his Rally driving sims. It was a lot of fun! Then we had fun racing "real" RC cars from Team Losi Mini-LST. Best Santa gift ever.
http://www.killerhobbies.com/browse_item_details.asp/Item_ID/284748
I have the Momo FF wheel too, the only sim I have is V8 Supercars 2 (http://www.codemasters.com/v8supercars2) and find it a great combo. I always thought the Hyper Stimulator (http://www.hyperstimulator.com/personal/personal.html) would be a great addition to my study...
Simon on January 1, 2006 04:11 AMI hadn't seen the hyperstimulator!
The pre-cut MDF "assemble it yourself" version isn't bad at ~$600 with all the necessary options and shipping.
Jeff Atwood on January 1, 2006 05:26 AMAnd here's the "build it yourself with your home welding gear" approach:
http://www.smohara.com/gamechair/
Jeff Atwood on January 1, 2006 05:35 AMHi .. Thanks for the nice review of our Hot Seat Racer. We have several new models based on the
Racer GT platform. The sub woofer is now under the seat adding to the fun. It's easier to gret in and out of and all wires are enclosed in the steel tubing. We are now offer this for $699.00 with
FREE shipping. Remeber that our chassis include a 6 speaker Dolby Digital capable surround sound system. This puts you in the race car. Our wheel mount and pedal assembly are welded and are rock solid, not like other low priced units. We have these at many raod shows with no failurers. I invite you to try our latest alo suitable for running flight simulation. .. Thanks again .. jay LeBoff 860-582-5031 x 0 or jay@hotseatinc
You slander GPL.
With the new enhancements it's the best racing game I've ever driven. The learning curve is steep but once up it all the other sims drive like console games. (and it's free to download, search for 'GPL 2004')
I like my Momo wheel also. It's a good replacement for my old Logitech/Guilimot Ferrari wheel.
HornWumpus on August 11, 2006 06:19 PMCheck out the new Logitech G25 wheel!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GP8448/102-2516401-4012103
Jeff Atwood on August 11, 2006 10:48 PMHave you seen the Hyper Active Racing cockpits? Plans can be had for less than $100, all you need to add is wood. Comes with hardware, tools, etc... Complete units run around $300. They look really cool.
http://hyperactiveracing.com.au/HARshop/
Mark on January 12, 2007 08:01 AMThanks for the kind words Mark. At the moment as well, we have a special on the following.
$50 AUD OFF THE COST OF YOUR PRE-FABRICATED MK3 COCKPIT
$29 AUD OFF THE COST OF YOUR TV/MONITOR PLATFORM
$25 AUD OFF THE COST OF YOUR KEY/MOUSE STATION
A HUGE SAVING OF OVER $100 AUD!
So if you are looking to take your sim racing to the next level, you won't be disappointed with our cockpits, and a fraction of a lot of commercial cockpits as well. Good savings to be had at the moment.
Regards Malcolm
Here's simple guide how to create playseat. Instructions are in finnish but there's lot's of pictures:
http://www.jesse.fi/projektit/rattipoljinistuinsetti.php
Someone on March 9, 2007 02:29 AMYou forgot LIVE FOR SPEED arguably the best racing sim out there. Live for Speed has better physics & better multiplayer than rfactor.
Ant on June 14, 2007 04:38 AMOMG! Thank you for posting this. I actually race and have been looking for something which would get me in a similar position to an actual car. You would be surprised how effective the simulator is for practice. When you get back on-track, you do remember the things you learned, and while the 'feel' doesn't apply, racing is a thinker's game, and the simulator does keep your mind sharp. I have been looking for something to get that 'feel' closer to reality, but didn't want to spend $18K... cuz if I had that, I'd buy a faster race car :)
Now if they just had a decent rally sim... that would be cool :)
BTW, rally racing is a huge big deal in the SCCA. Our rallys are not quite as intense as the WRC, but they are good. They are mostly amateur, self-funded drivers and their wives, but they are good, fast, and have some nice cars to look at. I don't know where you're from, but I would bet that your local SCCA has an amateur rally circuit, and they probably have some Pro Rally drivers who practice in those races. Check it out, there's some info on my page:
http://www.smoothjazzy.com/racer_girl.html
I have to agree with other that Live For Speed is an excellent SIM game. The license fee is reasonable and the action is very intense. You definately need to practice before joining any online races and you definately need a wheel and pedals. You can join a number of servers and opt to "spectate" which really gives you a good feel for how it works. Definately an A++++ as far as SIMs go.
Michael on August 7, 2007 01:03 PMLFS sucks. Seriously Michael, how can you call it a SIM with fictional cars, fictional tracks, and a soundsystem that sounds like it's using the internal PC speaker??
Okay, the online part is good, if you want to race with a bunch of 12 year olds, calling you n00b - which I'm not. Had it since day one, but grew tired of it, because of all the flaws.
Get a GOOD sim instead, with REAL cars, REAL tracks, REAL sounds, and AI to provide you with offline fun as well as online.
Race07 is head and shoulders above the rest. (Unless you count the grandfather GPL of course.)
GTR2, and GT Legends, is also very very worthy..
Steve on October 19, 2007 12:49 AMI recently updated my racing rig with the newer, sturdier Playseats Evolution and the Logitech G25 wheel. There are some pictures here:
http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showthread.php?t=36807
Jeff Atwood on October 19, 2007 10:08 AMSteve, LFS does not suck. And Race 07 just came out.
You may not like LFS because of the factors you listed, but the physics are excellent for what exists now. For some people, that's what's most important. I agree with you about Race07 though, I'm just getting to know it now. You definitely have a better selection of cars and tracks and the physics is excellent too.
To the author of this page - thanks for posting it!, found your info helpful.
Julie on October 22, 2007 08:38 AMrfactor blows away lfs after you drive the f1 car in both sims.
lfs has good modeling,but the sound engine is horrible,sounds arcadish
the f1 car in rfactor feels radicaly insane,like it looks on tv.
Race 07 didnt feel nearly as real as rfactor.just my 2cents
| Content (c) 2008 Jeff Atwood. Logo image used with permission of the author. (c) 1993 Steven C. McConnell. All Rights Reserved. |
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