The best driving game to learn Nurburgring Nordschleife

[ian in lancs]

I'm trying to work out which is the best driving game/simulator to get familiar with Nurburgring / Nordschleife before I take a trip in mid '08. I guess realistic graphics and car dynamics/feel/feedback are important and a range of more familiar cars (BMW M's, Scoobies, TVR's, Ferrari's, AM's) rather than one-off exotic racers.

Not having a games console/platform (except DS Lite) I'm not tied to anything as yet so I'm prepared to invest if my computers are't up to it.

I've tried searching but t'internet doesn't give a clear verdict or go into geekey detail. So just a killer recomendation for game and console would be great and should I buy a wheel/pedals but which one?

Thanks

Ian

[FourWheelDrift]

PC + good graphics card.

Then buy rFactor. Visit rfactorcentral and download this - http://www.rfactorcentral.com/detail.cfm?ID=Nordsc...

And download whatever cars (check out cars and series sections) you need or want to try there are many proper racing and street cars with accurate physics and performance. The add-ons are all free as is the online racing, you only buy the game.

[FourWheelDrift]

And the Logitech G25 is the current recomended wheel/pedals to have.

[LukeBird]

Indeedy, G25 is great
I like the GTR2 version of the rFactor map.

[Marf]

GT4+PS2+Driving Force Pro/G25

[Mattt]

You can download a free game from BMW where you drive the new M3 on the F1 circuit (not 'ring') - but gives you an idea of the game. I think that's an rFactor engine - but not sure.

[toothlessjim]

the only 2 games on next gen platforms i would recomend are pgr4 and forza 2 (both xbox 360) pgr4 for learning the track, forza for realism. Failing that as earlier sugested a playstation 2 and gt4. Since gt5 on ps3 is slated for a late 2008 release i think it would obviously pointless but never the less the best sim racer!....when its released!

[GravelBen]

Marf said:

GT4+PS2+Driving Force Pro/G25

He said "car dynamics/feel/feedback are important", thus ruling out any of the GT series.

[cw42]

The first time I went to the Nurburgring, back in 2005, I played the ps2 version of the track for months in advance in the hope that I'd get at least a basic idea of what to expect. Unfortunately I didn't. It didn't click at all. I went round almost blind, with only the carousel being the one place I could remember coming up.
But just being there, and driving the circuit at my own pace was already teaching me the basics and what to expect round the next corner.
As my first visit came to an end, my last few laps, out of about 15 that weekend, were spent really concentrating and actually remembering what was coming up, and I enjoyed those laps the most.
Fast forward to 2006 and a new visit to the Nurby. This time, I barely played the game beforehand, but I did borrow a copy of this dvd:
http://shop.scoobynet.com/Product.asp?ProductID=11...
Done by John Felstead a number of years ago, it's probably the most comprehensive guide to driving on the ring you'll find on the net. The information and advice is first rate, and well worth watching over and over again. There is also an excellent printed guide here:
http://www.filestube.com/644e37c2275c7a6a03ea/go.h...
which is well worth taking along when you go.
However, no game can prepair you for the sheer scale of the ring. The length of the circuit, the steepness of the climbs, the pitch of the carousel are all quite a shock when you do them for the first time.
After playing, watching and reading about them, the only thing that will really teach you about the ring is actually driving it.
If and when you do go, be sure to make you're first lap there a passenger lap with someone who knows the circuit as well.
And have fun!
Me in 2005:

and my car in 2006:

[whygee02]

Xbox360 + Forza2 + m$ steering wheel.

Forza 2 has a good detailed digitised Ring to play with. Target lap time it sets is about 7m30s but buggered if I can get under 9 mins, despite trying so so hard.

[FourWheelDrift]

rFactor - Tourist Ring - Porsche GT3 on board video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA4OA4D0xaE

PS. This is a year old video clip so it won't be the very latest version of the Ring, the latest version has higher kerbs where they should be high at the begining of the lap and some re profiled corners later on too.

The latest version is available on here - http://www.rf-nordschleife.de/ check out the media section.

[hengti]

i've only ever been the once but found the same as CW42 - i had (coincidentally) played GT4 endlessly but the real thing bore very little relation.

it can't do any harm but don't expect to feel at all familiar once you're actually there!

[FourWheelDrift]

Split screen video of real 911 and race 911 both doing a lap. This is the GTL version but it's the same track converted to GTL.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lgfR3Lqm6E

[Gizmo535]

I've been putting in some time on GT4 recently. Yes there's not a lot of feedback but at least you know whether the next corner's left or right!

What worries me is that I'll learn braking points 'too' well - so I've been cars that are very different to mine so I'll definitely not think that I 'know' where to brake, and when I go next year I'll be taking it very easy indeed.

(Lap record's 7:41 in a WRC Impreza).

[Mattt]

Fidgits went to the ring a couple of months back after playing lots on Forza - i'm sure he can provide some feedback on that.

[FourWheelDrift]

Gizmo535 said:

I've been putting in some time on GT4 recently. Yes there's not a lot of feedback but at least you know whether the next corner's left or right!

What worries me is that I'll learn braking points 'too' well - so I've been cars that are very different to mine so I'll definitely not think that I 'know' where to brake, and when I go next year I'll be taking it very easy indeed.

(Lap record's 7:41 in a WRC Impreza).

I think that highlights the inaccuracy of either the GT4 track or the cars performance as a WRC Impreza should not be able to go round that quick.

[Gizmo535]

FourWheelDrift said:

Gizmo535 said:

I've been putting in some time on GT4 recently. Yes there's not a lot of feedback but at least you know whether the next corner's left or right!

What worries me is that I'll learn braking points 'too' well - so I've been cars that are very different to mine so I'll definitely not think that I 'know' where to brake, and when I go next year I'll be taking it very easy indeed.

(Lap record's 7:41 in a WRC Impreza).

I think that highlights the inaccuracy of either the GT4 track or the cars performance as a WRC Impreza should not be able to go round that quick.

It's probably the only lap I've ever done where I didn't make any mistakes at all, but yes, something's wrong with that. Especially as it was bouncing off the limiter at 150 for a long way down the straight. That said it accelerates explosively so it's very, very quick in the twisty sections...

[scooby wrx sti]

here's another film to watch pgr3 radical vs real thing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-P7WWLIxdE

[stefan1]

Good thread this, as I was just working out which N'Ring sim to purchase. Have gone for rFactor - seems impressive.

Quick question, is the Logitech G25, as recommended above, compliant with Vista?

Thanks

Steve

[ian in lancs]

Thanks for all your advice - I think I might try Rfactor too - cheapest route. This is what I want ... http://www.rfactorcentral.com/videos/index.cfm?v=H... .... what wheel/pedals are being used? As for the software is it bas simple as downloading it and the cars I want and running it?

Thanks again

Ian