The best F1 Sim

[slimjim8201]

Thanks to this thread I decided to download LFS and play the demo, even if it meant rebooting into my dusty hated WinXP partition. What can I say? It's brilliant!

I really recommend everybody who hasn't to download LFS and play the demo. It has three cars: a utility hatchback FWD with 100 HP, a RWD coupe with 140 HP and a Formula BMW (425 kg and 140) HP. You also get to play only on a dirt track and a conventional track which, IMHO, resembles somewhat to Donington Park. The download is only 130 Mb and the game runs very well in my 4yr old laptop (Centrino @ 1.7 GHz, 512 Mb RAM and an ATi Mobility Radeon 9600). Please note that the download contains the full game content, but must be activated by buying the S2 license.

It may not be the most feature-full sim, or the most gorgeous sim, but it really shows what a driving simulator can do these days. I am raving about it and I drive with a joystick. With a bit of luck, I will "trick" a friend of mine to lend me his FFB wheel. I am even considering buying a decent driving wheel, even if force feedback won't work in linux.

LFS is amazing, but it's absolutely necessary to play it and any other sim racing game with a good wheel/pedal set.

I've been reading up on iRacing a lot lately. My main source is from the LFS forums. LFS guys are pretty hardcore, particularly the ones who are fast enough to win and smart enough to set up a car. They were initially skeptical about iRacing because it's based on an engine that isn't exactly new and doesn't offer many things that LFS isn't already modeling. In fact, there are still loads of physics that ONLY LFS models (full tire deformation and contact patch simulation, flat spots, etc). Also, the price...to fully option out the game is hundreds of dollars. Many hundreds of dollars.

Since those early posts, many LFS'ers have tried iRacing and have thoroughly enjoyed it. I'd like to try it out to see if it's more than just a pretty face, but I don't play sims enough to justify the cost. I can't see the glorified Nascar 2003 engine providing anything beyond the LFS engine either...

[mep]

mep , is it possible to post a higher-res image of your great avatar please ?

I know that my request has nothing to do with the on-going thread and I apologize for this

Of course I can.

In 2005 I made CAD drawings of the MP4-20.
So a few months ago I got the idear to take the outlines and fill it up a bit with paint to get an avatar.
I feel really pleased that you are asking for it so I will post it.



You can also get the basically CAD lines if you wish to modify it with your own colors.
I also have a front and rear view but I was to lazy to bring colors on it.

And you can even get the real CAD files if you want.
Some of the details have a max. tolerance of ca. 20mm campared to reality.
So I think they are pretty accurate.
I think it would be better to open a new threat if I should really make all those files public.
But please do me one favor.
If you modify some of them with other colors or whatever send me also the pictures because it would make me really happy if someone can use them.

[Scotracer]

iRacing doesn't offer more because of the engine it runs, it is because of the detail each car has. None of the cars in LFS (apart from the BMW F1.06) are real so there's no way to tell if they handle anything like they would in real life. This is the opposite on iRacing where you have perfectly re-created real-world cars that have been laser scanned and all components weighed etc to provide the model with more data.

On top of that, the tracks are fully laser-scanned. So, in essence, iRacing is infinitely more realistic than LFS because it's based on real-life rather than just real-world physics on fictional cars and tracks.

I've compared to the two thoroughly and I prefer iRacing because of the real-life aspect but LFS does have many things that are quite exceptional too.

[slimjim8201]

iRacing doesn't offer more because of the engine it runs, it is because of the detail each car has. None of the cars in LFS (apart from the BMW F1.06) are real so there's no way to tell if they handle anything like they would in real life. This is the opposite on iRacing where you have perfectly re-created real-world cars that have been laser scanned and all components weighed etc to provide the model with more data.

On top of that, the tracks are fully laser-scanned. So, in essence, iRacing is infinitely more realistic than LFS because it's based on real-life rather than just real-world physics on fictional cars and tracks.

I've compared to the two thoroughly and I prefer iRacing because of the real-life aspect but LFS does have many things that are quite exceptional too.

I totally understand what you are saying, but I think the two games are realistic in their own ways. iRacing has meticulously modeled cars and tracks, but it's hampered by it's physics engine. If the physics of LFS could be spiced up with nicer car models, it would be welcome, but it's not 100% necessary. If the cars were just blocks with wheels and suspension, the game would still be as realistic as it is now.

I really need to try out iRacing to get the full effect, but I feel a bit like the old GPL guys...there are newer better looking things out there, but the gameplay hasn't been improved.

LFS is a three man job with one primary developer. Phenomenal work what they have done. Constant physics updates to stay on top of the game. Fictional cars and tracks or not, if the racing is better, the racing is better. That said, I'll need to try out iRacing before confirming that.

Totally sincere question for you, besides the realistic car and track models (which don't necessarily make great racing) what are the main benefits to iRacing?

[slimjim8201]

LFS actually has 4 real cars at the moment:

Formula BMW
BMW F1.06
MRT (McGill Formula SAE Car)
Raceabout (Stillborn concept car from Finland)

[freedom_honda]

and they are bring the new Volkswagen Scirocco to the game as well.
LFS got permission from VW to model their car and put it in the game for a game convention.
according to past experience the new patch with the new car should be out sometime around christmas.
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=iTfmvJ6ob1k

back to the topic, LFS is the best sim ive ever played in terms of the physics engine. to bad it only has a couple real cars, otherwise it would be the BEST racing sim ever produced. i tried out the demo of rFactor, and couldnt stand the physics at all. iRacing is WAY to expensive so i never got the chance to try it. but from the feedback on the LFS forum, it is a pretty good sim. However its still at its initial stage, so we will wait and see.

[slimjim8201]

and they are bring the new Volkswagen Scirocco to the game as well.
LFS got permission from VW to model their car and put it in the game for a game convention.
according to past experience the new patch with the new car should be out sometime around christmas.
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=iTfmvJ6ob1k

back to the topic, LFS is the best sim ive ever played in terms of the physics engine. to bad it only has a couple real cars, otherwise it would be the BEST racing sim ever produced. i tried out the demo of rFactor, and couldnt stand the physics at all. iRacing is WAY to expensive so i never got the chance to try it. but from the feedback on the LFS forum, it is a pretty good sim. However its still at its initial stage, so we will wait and see.

Forgot about the Scirocco...

I came from the ISI games...my first sim was F1 Challenge '99-'02. The rFactor engine is just a heavily developed version of a very old one. After driving LFS for an hour, any ISI based game is borderline impossible to drive. Would be nice to have all the mods, but the LFS guys are very anti modding at the moment as the program is in a constant state of development.

[Scotracer]

LFS actually has 4 real cars at the moment:

Formula BMW
BMW F1.06
MRT (McGill Formula SAE Car)
Raceabout (Stillborn concept car from Finland)

I haven't tried LFS in a long time so I'll try out the new cars.

[wesley123]

Currently i am playing rFactor, i started it like a week ago and i must say, it is great!

There are tons of mods available and alot of tacks you cna drive on. You can make upgrades for cars so they will look and drive different wich is great.

[kensaundm31]

I'm well impressed with rFactor, well the mods at least, and the game engine by ISI. So thanks for the info.

I can't help but feel that ISI need to employ people from CDTP or the wealth of talent out there because ISI graphics, even going back to F12001 have been substantially poorer than modded stuff.

I'm completely blown away by the quality of the CDTP BMW 2008 car, it almost looks photo-realistic.

The only problem is that the physics changes depending on the mod. I know modders are talented artists but I'm not sure they know quite as much about realist car handling. (mind you, neither do I!)

I guess I could copy the hdv from BMW ISI 2007.

Just something about tyre pressures: I've found the handling seem more like what I see on actual on-board footage when I make the difference in tyre pressure +15kph more than the rear.

And something I read said that the difference can be as little as 0.2 atmospheres but that equates to 20kph, so I guess it makes sense.

[mep]

Can you post some links to the good mods of r-factor?
I know some sites where you can download them but I don't know which mod or track there is really good or needed for online gaming.

[RH1300S]

http://www.rfactorcentral.com/index.cfm

Just about everything is here.............

[kensaundm31]

http://www.rfactorcentral.com/index.cfm

Just about everything is here.............

I would agree with that.
Be sure to try

CDTP BMW 2008 (single car)
FSONE 2007 MOD
MMG 2007 MOD

F1RFT 2008 - (It's pretty good but the arms in tvcam look ridiculous and unnatural as they are not attached to the body, just the wheel)
You can get this here at very good speed. http://f1rft.110mb.com/download.html

Telemetry - http://www.findthelimit.com/ (if you need more help I can post the way to set it up)

CDTP Bahrain circuit
MMG Austraila