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View Full Version : What's a racing simulator ?


Dexter55
05-03-10, 08:23
I know how difficult is to develop a racing simulator, and how difficult, is to satisfy to almost players ( satisfy to all, is simply impossible).

What i think, is that a racing game, must be in first place, a simulator. Ok, it must have an "arcade" mode of course, but i thing that the better aproach will be make a real simulator, and after, add it a traction control, steering helper, braking "abs" and so on, but the "core", must be a simulator.

If you start from a "arcade" game, then will be impossible to get a simulator from it.

I have played to most bike racing games in the past 10 years, and from all the games i played, i must say that the better approach i have seen to a real bike physics is the GP500 for PC.

Graphics are simply "old", sounds are not the best, but handling and feeling was very very good, you can feel how the bike slide a bit if you use your brakes hard and let you correct it, and how it start slide if you push your throttle to much. The tyres temperature and worn affects you during a qualifiyng or a race ( you can also choose soft/medium/hard compound ), you can adjust every thing in your setup ( suspension, geometry, gear ratios ... ) , and it's a 10 year old game ...

And one definitive detail, that all the race fans appreciate, is that you make "real" times when you play it. You can do your best, with your best setup, with soft tyres, for example at Jerez Circuit, and you make 1.36 at Jerez, that's very very close to the reality.

The best proof that a game is a good game, is that until today, the racing bike fans still play this game, with updated bike sets, updated phisics ( yes, you can update the phisics of the game !! ), after 10 years, the game is still played by a lot of users.

Today, we have much better hardware ( PS3 / xBox ), bigger development teams, better 3D models, better light engines, and so on, but after a lot of games in that years, every one with it's pros and cons, i haven't seen a game better than that in handling and physics reality.

IMHO, the reason is that the develoments teams, are not taking the priorities in the right order, i think it will be :

1. Reality
2. Online Game Play
3. Reality
4. Online Game Play
5. Reality
6. Arcade game mode

Yes, i repeat reality, i think that a MotoGP game must be a racing simulator, and then, you can add all the aids you want to an arcade mode, to satisfy to the highest number of players.

In the new motoGP 09/10, i see some great ideas, the career mode will be funny, the way you can control your team, the custom design for your bikes ( i havent test it, but as an idea, it will be great, i love the editor that for example Forza has ), a track line for the track to help the newbies with check points ...

All of that, will be great, but it must have a real "simulator" heart behind the game, and that is, real physics, real sounds, real rider movement, real crash approach, and a real "feeling" for the riding experience ( for braking and accelerating ).

I havent seen the Online mode in the new game, but if it covers all the features i have read, it will be very good, we will see.

That's my opinion, from year 2000, i'm waiting a new "real" bike simulator.

Sorry about my english.

XxxTJ34xxX
05-03-10, 10:29
There will never be a racing simulator for bikes as you would need a mock motorcycle as a controller like the simulators F1 teams use. I agree that realism should be a priority but I think it should be realistic in the way that your controller whatever it maybe feels like it is connected with the bike on the screen. This is entirely possible and has been done in other bike racing games, then for people who dont want it they can turn it off.

f1showcars
22-03-10, 23:40
There will never be a racing simulator for bikes as you would need a mock motorcycle as a controller like the simulators F1 teams use. I agree that realism should be a priority but I think it should be realistic in the way that your controller whatever it maybe feels like it is connected with the bike on the screen. This is entirely possible and has been done in other bike racing games, then for people who dont want it they can turn it off.

Like the early F1 simulators they was just used to learn the tracks, as they have become more advanced they have become more realistic.

I Tried the Moto Gp game on My motorbike simulator which is more of a gaming simulator but has counter steering on it. Actually you cant just jump on it like a Arcade Bike game and ride around the track. It handles more like a real bike and is much more challenging.
See the utube link! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7McCRmkUzJM&feature=related