Simulation...I said SIMULATION

[gretchen]

A friend of mine is obsessed with XBOX/PS2 games such as Project Gotham. He claims that he can do Nurburgring with his eyes shut this way!

How close to reality are these virtual games?

I've just seen this

www.107.peugeot.co.uk/peugeot.swf

for anyone who needs the practise!

(spank me if this has been posted before)

Edited to say:
Oh, I didn't realise there was a whole Computer Games Section! My bad.


>> Edited by gretchen on Friday 28th April 00:01

[Polarbert]

There are realistically modelled. And are realistic up to a degree. It was on top gear. In the end JC lapped Laguna Seca 10 seconds faster on gran turismo 4 than in real life.


The big thing is, on a game, you know that if you spin off you won't smash your car up and can carry on, whereas on the real thing there is a lot of risk to consider, which means that you won't go hell for leather on the track.

[steve_evil]

Your man may well have an idea of which way the next corner will go, but he's in for a big shock if he thinks he knows the track intimately...

I thought I knew the track from hours of play on Gran Turismo and PGR2 but nothing can prepare you for the elevations on the track, nor the camber in places.

They're great to learn which corner is coming up next, but thinking you know the course and which racing lines to take could prove very dangerous if faced with the real thing.

[Mr Whippy]

steve_evil said:

but thinking you know the course and which racing lines to take could prove very dangerous if faced with the real thing.

I dunno, I rekon GT4's Ring is a good guide, as are the guides already available on paper or the web for the real thing, made for the very purpose.

However, lines you may think are comfortable in GT4 or whatever, may well make you sh*t your pants on the real track for the reasons you give
Take an agressive line on GT4 and it's ok, do the same in real life and you'll likely bottle it and spin off! So it's good for learning the course and lines I'd say, but still learn it when you get to the real thing, and use the line knowledge from in-game to realise where there is more speed if you dare to drive that way.

I remember recently BMW or someone did a Ring guide, was it in Autocar or Evo? Anyway, this guide was much the same as the guide for the old GPL game, for playing the game, which was based off an old web-based reference (probably scans from a Ring guide) from the early 90's!

It's all applicable, just keep your head screwed on and be sensible and there should be no problems with using the game as a guide for the very reason we can use paper versions as a guide and not suffer ill effects unless we act the fool etc!

Dave

>> Edited by Mr Whippy on Friday 28th April 16:32

[Holst]

People who I know that have drivne the ring and practiced on games before hand said that games are helpfull for you to learn if your going right or left next corner .. and not allot else.

In a real car lines and braking points are so different to the game that you have to learn the track when your there.
Plus elevation changes are still not 100% in any of the current sims.

I dont think it will hurt you to learn on the game before you try it for real.
But your in for one hell of a shock if you think you can do it for real because you can do it in the game.

Shame there isnt a malory park circuit in GTL as its the only real track ive driven.

[Steve_evil]

Don't get me wrong, playing the games (with GT4 being the most accurate depiction i've played thus far) was great as i knew which corners were coming up when and knew to turn left at Adenaeur-forst (and yell at my mate in time to avoid him going straight on) but it really doesn't prepare you for the sheer elevation you're faced with in places, that more than anything else was what really surprised me when I went round it for the first time.

[Mr Whippy]

Steve_evil said:

but it really doesn't prepare you for the sheer elevation you're faced with in places

Thats the problem with most games. You have such a wide field of view on your TV or PC monitor through the game, that elevation changes appear much less than they really are... get a game like GTL and narrow up the field of view and it's harder to drive, but the long downhill at Donington does feel downhill!

Dave