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While I wait for Forza, I've borrowed NFS Shift and found it to be ok, but I know what you mean Ringo - the encouragement to drive 'badly' takes a real sense of realism away.
Anyway, I digress. I'm thinking of buying a steering wheel for the first time in years for my pS3 because I recall them being quite good when I had TOCCA on the PS1. Everything gets better with age, surely, so steering wheels must be amazing by now.
So what's the advice from TMO? I've seen this which has some great reviews, but then it is over £100. I know you can spend silly money on these things but is there a good one for under £100? I don't necessarily want the full H stick shift, clutch pedal and the like - flappy paddles are fine by me. So is there anything I should consider apart from the Logitech range or is that where it's at?
Edit: There's this one from Maplin but it doesn't look so good. That wouldn't be a problem if it was a make I'd heard of and it had good reviews.
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I've got a cheap Logitech Driving Force EX (pretty much the same as * this), which cost me about £35. It gives pretty convincing force feedback, and has large buttons on the back of the spokes which act as "flappy paddles". It only allows 180° rotation, but that isn't far off what you'd use when racing on a track, so I don't know if 360° rotation is really worth paying more for. It's compatible with PC, PS2 and PS3.
It might not be the best wheel in the world, but as I mentioned the other day, it's good enough to earn me first place in Caterhams at Curitiba in GTR Evolution.
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That looks just the ticket Misc. I don't think I'd use all the 900 degrees the more expensive ones have - I mean, it's not like I'll be using it to do a 3 point turn or parallel park.
Glad to see it's defo compatible with the PS3 - the website excludes it from the list of options when you select PS3 from the list. Right, just need to find one to buy now...
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Also beware of the difference between Vibration Feedback (aka rumble, like a gamepad) and proper Force Feedback, which will alter the resistance when you turn the wheel, in response to grip levels, etc. The latter is excellent - makes the game much more immersive.
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Noted. I also see there is a similarly named wheel just for the PS2 - I nearly bought it by mistake. Amazon seem to be the best option at £38.99. Hmmm... do I go for next day delivery for a fiver? Yes, I think I do.
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quote:Originally posted by Keef: Noted. I also see there is a similarly named wheel just for the PS2 - I nearly bought it by mistake.
I've got the PS2 version (Driving force EX) because it was £10 cheaper than the almost identical (red rather than blue) Formula Force EX. Pay it no mind - it has the old fashioned PlayStation connector, along with a standard USB plug so it'll work on PS3 + PC. GT5:Prologue recognises and configures it correctly. On PC they both use the same driver.
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Wheel arrived yesterday and I had a quick go with it before going to the pub last night. To start with I found it really hard to control - skidding off the track all the time and no force feedback (that I could feel) - thought it was the inferior car I was using so I tried it with my fully suped-up M3 but it was still really hard to control.
Then I noticed I hadn't switched it on at the wall.
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I'm not totally convinced by 920 degree wheels for computer games. Maybe if you're playing something like Microsoft's Truck Simulator, but for racing it's all but completely useless. I used to use it in Live for Speed but never really got along with it. Switched it to 180 degrees and it is much better.
I've got the really old Logitech Driving Force Pro which is really in need of replacing now. But it's a solid wheel and has lasted years now without anything breaking which I think it about as much as you could ask in terms of quality. Personally I'd be happy to buy any Logitech wheel because they're all very good.
Sorry I've not replied sooner, I've only just got back from holidays.
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quote:Originally posted by MiscellaneousFiles: Nobody can beat me around Curitiba in a Caterham CSR200. Nobody in the world.
Curiously, even though I'm #1, I still try harder.
ETA: Actually I'm sure Ringo could beat my time. It was a terribly scrappy lap to be honest, and after scrutinising the replay I can see a number of corners where I lost time. With a bit more concentration and practise, I should be able to knock another few tenths off.
Your lap is genuinely quick. I've just had a go at beating it and I could only just get within 4 tenths. Your speed through the first corner is really mighty, I can't get anywhere close.
The fourth gear esses after the hairpin as well, I can't follow your line at the same speed without understeering. Are you using the standard setup for the car or have you tweaked it a little?
There are a few bits where you're not quick though. Your line into the third gear right hander (second or third corner depending on how you're counting the first right hand chicane) is way too tight and you lose a lot of speed exiting the corner on the run up to the flat follow-through over the crest towards the hairpin. Your line into the hairpin is also too tight. You should stay out wide while braking and avoid oversteer, and then cut in rather than braking straight and then having to cut back to get a good exit.
You could definitely knock another half a second off your lap or so. Maybe more. You're also slow on the opening run into the first corner - I can get nearly two tenths ahead going into the first corner (though that advantage is lost through the first corner as you're so fast there)
I reckon because your lap is scruffy in places I could probably match/beat it as it stands. But if you tidied it up I wouldn't be able to beat it. If you're using a standard setup for the car then I literally can't work out how you're going so fast through the S bends and the first corner as I'm just not able to follow your line through either.
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I'm watching Menace II Society. Have you seen this? Have you? What did you think of it? Did you like it? Do you think that I like it, or don't like it? What do you reckon? Like? Not like? What about you? do you like it? Or not? No? or yes?
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Nice try ringers, but the answer is no: I did not like it. But I was drunk, so maybe that clouded my judgement.
Anyway, this thread is bout new games, not urban drama movies. I have been plying Borderlands for around six hours on my own, and it seems fine, although I suspect that it kind of needs to be done via co-op for it to really shine. It looks and sounds great, and the play style is as smooth as fluid as it could be, which is sort of amazing considering all the rpg elements that are built into the character progression. Your character has a personal tech tree that you spend your xp on, and killing things / completing quests generally earns you xp and money. You can use the money at vending machines dotted around the desert to buy shields, ammo, health, grenades, and guns.
As I said, six hours into it and it's definitely a shooter with rpg elements rather than the other way around, making almost the opposite of Fallout 3. Emphasis isn't placed on exploration or decision making, but instead running / driving through large mapped areas gunning the fuck out of everything and collecting xp + cash. It's all done with a jokey tone, and has a kind of 'beyond thunderdrome' wasteland setting, kind of like 'desert punk' maybe, where everything is grimy and knackered and recycled, and society is a pre-industrial system of post-modern tribes. It's not set on Earth though, and doesn't have any relation to the actual world. It seems to be unconcerned with commenting on things (not that this is a bad thing).
I don't know. I think it seems fine but I'm already getting slightly bored of the battles, because they seem to be all exactly the same, and all unavoidable. It's just an endless tide of enemies, with no sense of growing tension or clear story.
quote:Originally posted by Ringo: Tweaked my settings a bit and got to less than a tenth off your time Misc. I'm now #2
I reckon I can beat you by a reasonable amount.
As far as I remember, I loaded the default setup for that car on that track, dropped the brake pressure to about 97% and upped the steering lock to 22°. I tend to fuck things up if I do too much tweaking, due to severe lack of knowledge.
It's interesting to hear your opinions of my lap - you're dead right on all counts, I reckon. I find hairpins the most challenging part of any track. Perhaps I need to adjust my FOV.
Which view do you drive from? I find the helmet cam too restrictive as the view of the track only takes up about a third of the screen vertically. So I use the central view that shows the bonnet and wheels.
Good luck with your laps. I hope you'll knock a few hundred milliseconds off my time, and give me some challenge.
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personally it feels a little like the point of killing enemies is so you can get better weapons so you can get better at killing enemies, so you can get better weapons etc and there seems to be something fundamentally hollow in that. I suppose that the combat just isn't varied or interesting enough for me. You don't get the paper/scissors/stone weapons strategy of something like COD or Halo, where you have to try and manage which guns you carry and which ammo you conserve. It doesn't feel like that has been built into it, which is weird. The constant 'loot' collection means that you spend half your time trying to decide which weapons to keep and which to discard, but that gets tiring after a while. Personally I just want a bunch of guns that'll do the job, and it's annoying to have to keep examining the stats of every new gun you find (because they're generated on the fly) trying to work out if you should keep it or not.
Lol, you're right though, and I'll certainly carry on playing. It's supposedly a long old game that I'm probably only just starting.
quote:Originally posted by Ringo: Tweaked my settings a bit and got to less than a tenth off your time Misc. I'm now #2
I reckon I can beat you by a reasonable amount.
As far as I remember, I loaded the default setup for that car on that track, dropped the brake pressure to about 97% and upped the steering lock to 22°. I tend to fuck things up if I do too much tweaking, due to severe lack of knowledge.
It's interesting to hear your opinions of my lap - you're dead right on all counts, I reckon. I find hairpins the most challenging part of any track. Perhaps I need to adjust my FOV.
Which view do you drive from? I find the helmet cam too restrictive as the view of the track only takes up about a third of the screen vertically. So I use the central view that shows the bonnet and wheels.
Good luck with your laps. I hope you'll knock a few hundred milliseconds off my time, and give me some challenge.
I loaded the setup for that car/track combo. I left the steering and brake pressure as they were. I moved the brake bias towards the front by an extra 2%, took some pressure out of the rear tyres, and reduced the amount of differential lock by 5% on power and coast to get rid of some of the oversteer at the corner exit.
I also put the fuel level down to as low as I could get away with while still being about to do a few laps.
I use the helmet view. I didn't like it at first but I got used to it and I find the centre view a bit annoying
Why not download my ghost and have a look at my lines?
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quote:Originally posted by Ringo: Why not download my ghost and have a look at my lines?
I will. I'll also try some of your setup tweaks to see if they help me.
Sad as it sounds, I actually can't wait to get home tonight and start doing some laps.
It's your turn to choose the next car/track combo. Bear in mind that I've only really driven the Caterhams so far, so you'll easily be able to kick my arse in anything else.
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Well I'm a fan of the Aston Martin DBR9. Not sure what track yet. Maybe Monza would be a fun challenge because it's so fast.
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Have you seen the ads for the new *Race On, which updates cars and tracks to 2008, and gives you STCC, International Formula Masters, Cadillac CTS-V, Dodge Challenger SRT8, Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Charger SRT8, plus a few extra tracks.
Personally, I'm not too interested in the muscle cars, and £25 seems a lot considering I paid £15 for GTR:Evo + Race 07.
I'd kill to get a decent street spec Lotus Elise in that game though...
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Yeah I saw the adverts on Steam. I'll probably get it at some point in the future but at the moment I'm keeping my money tight for Forza. I can't imagine that I'll be spending too much time playing anything other than Forza after Friday.
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quote:Originally posted by Kanye West: Forza 3 though is just there to tide me over until the real game of the year comes out.
Are you talking about a game on PS3?
I'm really tempted by Borderlands as it seems to be exactly the type of game that I would absolutely love, but unfortunately I don't seem to get a chance to play games at all in the evenings at the moment which is when I'd want to be doing multiplayer really.
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My copy of Forza 3 is being dispatched this morning, apparently. Gamestation are making sure they're all sent out before the postal strike.
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Didn't get around to racing last night, mainly because I couldn't resist a copy of Batman: Arkham Asylum that was sitting in the window of a pawn shop with a humble price tag of £19.99.
This game looks amazing - I was genuinely surprised when I realised the FMV had ended and I now had control of Batman. The voice acting is superb - especially Mark Hamill's suitably unhinged Joker.
I haven't played a huge amount yet, but there are already some interesting gameplay ideas that make this game stand out from other third-person action games.
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