glacierbay2

Does this xbox system offer any enjoyment for those of you that actually race? I have NO experience with computer games, but I am interested in exploring simulators that would allow me to drive a car on the Road Atlanta course, the Top Gear track and the Nurburgring--without the insurance hassles or my disability policy representative having a stroke.

Before I spend a grand on what for most people is a computer game for their kids I'd like to know if it is a complete waste of time and money. So much of real driving is through "seat of pants" inputs--g force and vibration and the like, I'm afraid the gaming experience will just be too pale an imitation.

The Forza game is supposed to be the best out there from a physics and dynamics standpoint. Any users out there that want to put in their .02?

bdanyluk

I don't have Xbox 360 or Forza 4....wish I did...I am moving to Atlanta in a month and would also like to use it to practice.

What will the computer game do? It will allow you to memorize the general layout like the back of your hand.....will you memorize turn points, apexes, and braking points,...no.

I was also looking for any racing games to memorize Road Atlanta....the best alternative to the xbox 360 and Forza 4 game is " I-racing" online. google it. It's a web-base game, I haven't tried it yet, but they offer a month or two for free from time to time and it seems to be the best simulator out there....again, benefit would be just to memorize the track, no seat of the pants feel, real-world markers that change each time you go to the track, etc.

Also, if you are set on getting the x-box, I know that GameStop has refurbished units for $150 and used games for $50....so it's more like $200 instead of the $1,000 you mentioned.

Have fun! Let us know how it works out...I'll probably see you at Road Atlanta HPDE days!

Armycop

See this post http://forums.corvetteforum.com/off-...al-thread.html to get your learn on about Forza 4.

diddiyo

nope.

if you want realism either play iracing.com on your computer or get gran turismo 5 for the ps3.

i'm not saying those games are "better", but realism is not one of forza4's strong points.

JETninja

iRacing is great, but expensive and limited in tracks and cars. Forza and GT5 are getting better all the time (and can be beautiful) but are still not full Sims.

If you have a decent PC, pick up rFactor (rFactor2 is due out in a few months) It's made by ISI, the company that also make Pro Sims that are sold to and used by most Auto Makers (BMW, Ford and many more) and Race teams. Since '99 they have put out Sports Car GT, F1 2000/2001/2002/2004 and then rFactor. It was designed to be modded from the start. Check out rFactor Central, Hundreds or Tracks and Mods and Cars.

I race in several leagues using ALMS Mods...in one series I race a C6R, in another I race a Acura P2 car, our 1st race for Season 6 was last Monday night and the same circuit as F1 just race on, Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi. (I got 3rd in class)

Every setup option that is in the real car is in the sim. I have to adjust front/rear balance, springs, sways, high & low speed dampning, gearing, axle ratio, dif Power, Coast, Pump, 3rd springs, Castor, Camber, Toe, Aero, Brake Balance, Brake Ducts, Radiator Opening, Tires, and more. On Indy Cars we have L/R balance, and Boost levels.

I also race an Endurance League where we do 6/8/12 hour races. The Sim allows a teammate to take over your car during a Pit Stop. You race a few stints, let him take over for a few. We have 4 drivers per car on most teams.

We race with 40 cars on the circuit at the same time. Its very difficult and quite addicting. I do it with my oldest Son who is usually a tad quicker then I am.

I also race in a Indy Car series, a Miata Spec series, and early 90's German DTM series.

You need a wheel too, look at Fantec or Logitech (G27)

Rob31

Iracing .com

Screamin Z

Nothing comes close to Iracing.

Kubs

I have a PS3 and a buddy has X-box. The Gran Turismo series (especially 5) is waaay more a "driving simulator" than Forza. The graphics are cool on Forza, but the driving experience is too arcade like to be considered a simulator. iRacing is great, if not the best option, but like others said its expensive because you pay monthly. I dont pay for iRacing but I have used it a couple times. If you get a good steering wheel for the PS3 (like the G25 or G27) it will be pretty darn close to iRacing for a lot less money. I dont have a wheel I still use the PS controller (im cheap ) and I still have a blast with Gran Turismo 5. It doesnt have a ton of real world tracks here in the US like Road Atlanta, but it does have Laguna, Indy roadcourse, Daytona roadcourse, and some others like Nurburgring, Circuit de la Sarthe (24 hour of Le Mans track), Suzuka, etc. which are outside the US.

Also, the vehicle setup in Gran Turismo is really really good. You can tune for understeer and oversteer like a real car would react. I have not tried vehicle setup in the other games to compare though.

Kubs

I was misinformed.

JETninja

rFactor is maybe $20 or so these days. (It came out in '05 and is still used by thousands including many race drivers) I bought it back then so not sure but its well under $50. Read the fact and learn, try it for free but note that it only comes with a few cars and tracks. Its made for all the mods, it provides the pallet for the physics etc.

rFactor1

We have many in our leagues that also race iRacing including my son, each has its advantages and both are great platforms. rFactor2 will raise the bar soon.

and the biggest Mod site: http://www.rfactorcentral.com/

Note, our leagues are very pro run, we have pre-qual where 70 drivers are trying to fill 40 spots. You have to beat the 103% first, then it gets down to class time differential, no class (P1/P2/GT2/GTC) can have under 8 cars. Its a battle running until 10pm Est Sunday night just to make the grid for Mondays race. We have stewards and an infraction process and penalties get handled out on Fridays.

You can see some great screen shots of our Champion Motorsports NA ALMS finale race (I didn't make this event) And FYI, David Farmer races with us sometimes. CMS NA Finale

70454

Very cool.

I'll be checking into both rFactor and iRacing.

I was looking at an XBox360 with the G27 and maybe a race seat.

RIRaven

I have used the same approach: get a model of the track (for example, Lime Rock or the Glen on rFactor) so you learn the turn sequence and are not thinking about what comes next when you actually get out there. The advantage over trying to memorize a track map or studying video is that sim racing is an active process using the motor parts of your brain. Sims clearly have limitations (for example, for me the brakes never feel right) but the military has certainly recognized their value. Check out the success of the Nissan PS3 GT Academy:
http://eu.gran-turismo.com/gb/academy/2011/

smbstyle

I have never been a video game person at all, in fact the last system I owned was a Sega Genesis when I was like 8, but I recently picked up an XBOX 360 and Forza 4 on black friday for a killer deal, for the sole purpose of just practicing.

I dont know if the people posting about GT5 haven't played Forza 4, but from MY experience, it feels pretty realistic. You can adjust a ton of different things to change the handling characteristics of the car, sway bar settings, ride height, spring rate, gearing, tire pressure, etc.

My sole decision for choosing xbox and forza instead of ps3 and GT5 is because forza has a better selection of real US tracks like Road Atlanta, Road America, Laguna Seca, Infineon, and most importantly (to me), Sebring.

Here is the rig that I built out of PVC, lumber and an old Sparco seat that I recovered with more comfortable foam padding and Microfiber from JoAnn Fabrics The wheel is a Thrustmaster 458 italia wheel w/ the paddle shifters (wife is testing it out).

Z06_BluByU

The FM4 physics are fantastic.. much better than GT5 (I own, play and run/have run leauges for both). FM4 is the superior product.. especially when coupled with the Fanatec Wheel/Pedal/Shifter combo.

the Tire physics modeling in Forza 4 was solely developed by Pirelli and is as accurate as any. the tracks are laser scanned and modeled down to the bumps in the track surfaces and the differential in grip at different paving types/wear areas (off line vs. apex, etc). tuning is also more realistic with FM4 and can somewhat help with the basics of understanding..

iracing has strengths and weaknesses... cost and limited tracks/cars being the biggest.. but you also dont get the occasional racers buggering things up.

there are several fellows in the leauge that consistently have raced in iracing and they are very pleased with the FM4 physics.. IIRC one even said iracing could learn something about tire physics modeling from FM4..

..but in the end everyone has there own opinion.. it will help you on track.. especially if youre going someplace for the first time.

RC45

I bolded the part that is not true regarding FM4. It is true regarding GT4 and GT5 and iracing, but not FM4.

FM4 has very limited surface modelling and they have smoothed many tracks out - and widened them to ease online play congestion. They even share 3D track assets with a couple very arcady titles.

I have rigs specific for PC , XBox360 and PS3.

Fanatec GT2/CSP/shifter for 360, Thrustmaster T500/CSP/ActLABS shifter for PC, T500/T500Pedals/Shifter for PS3.

I gave up on iRacing simply because I do nto want to subscribe to a game I own. I do rFactor, GTR2, GT Legends on PC, GT4/5 on PS3 and FM4 on XB360.

rFactor, GTR2 and GT Legends are far more "real" than either GGT5 or FM4, but all are heaps of fun.

And the bonus with rFactor (and to a limited degree the other PC titles) is youget to customise and mod the games themselves.

With enough effort and assitance youcan even get your own car into the PC titles

Z06_BluByU

Like I said.. everyone has their own opinion.. Mine is GT5 is way more arcade than any of the others mentioned.. and yes track grip changes depending on where you are.. try running wide vs apex @ road atl T1, T5, T6 for a good example.. T5 Laguna is another good one..

jump in your xbox rig fire up FM4 and come race with us tonight... jamie posted the link above!

BTW: sweet video!.. love it

427Z0SX

The problem with any "video game" racing game is that it's lacking peripheral vision. I get a headache when I play, because you really can't look off to the sides to see what's coming up. Example, when approaching a hairpin turn on a real track, I glance left or right and see the turn ahead. In a game, you're like a horse with eye patches on, you can only see straight ahead. Still fun, but I can't play for really long. And the physical that you NEED to feel is totally lacking. When braking or accelerating, or turning, your body doesn't feel the G-force.

427Z0SX

Just curious, do you have a "regular" job?

Z06_BluByU

FM4 allows many screens to be connected.. just about allowing 360 degree cockpit viewing.. a few guys in the leauge have set up monitors on the sides so they can look out the side windows of the cars.. some folks also add a forth monitor for rear view.. (on the few P1 cars that dont have mirrors).

you'll need a few copies of the game (and consoles - 1 for each display). but they network together - its very sweet!

RC45

Oh yeah, wasnt busting your chops by any means. Just indicating that while FM4 has a killer tyre model and does model the surface grip variations, they stopped short of the bump and surface undulation modelling that true laser scanned tracks like the ones PD did in GT4/5 and iRacing and even the couple laser surface scanned rFactor tracks provide.

And I do agree there are some facets of GT5 that are arcadey, there are also some arcadey touches in FM4 - some they should have abandoned from FM3.

What I have to give 100% grade to FM4 is, is sounds. The cars sound good, compared to the vacuum cleaner and blow drier affairs in GT5. And to me sound makes a big impact, if I can hear nasty throaty cars I find the immersion so much more enjoyable.

So in that way I gotta go with FM4. But for single car hotlaps on say the Nurburgring with all the track surface nuances showing through, I have to go with GT5 - but then I have to pick one of the cars that at least sounds good.

When I want to really test my own abilities to just have some crazy fun, firing and driving around the 1967 layout of Longford in rFactor or GTLegends. (not my video)