14 replies to this topic

[US F1 Fan]

I know some may think this is a immature post but I was wondering if anyone out there has played the F1 Racing Sims in the market and what your favorite circuits were. The fact is I gained interest in F1 because of a F1 racing sim back in 1995. I was not familiar with F1 or anything about it (though in hindsight I do remember the news about Senna's tragic accident but I did not connect the dots) and I remember in the game that Schumacher and Hill were the guys to beat so I guess the game was based on the 94 season. I took Alesi's seat with Berger as a teammate. I found the tracks and racing exhilliarating and so my quest for more knowledge about F1 began and the racing sims have allowed me to experience in a small degree what the drivers out there feel. The technology available now such as driving wheels that include 8 or more programmable buttons along with accelerator/brake pedals make the sims that much more realistic and fun. I am young enough to appreciate such toys but it is quite fun to try and match the times the real guys are putting up each race and the sims are quite sophisticated for they even go into the micromanagement of the car setups significantly. For those who do participate in such "childish" activities what are your favorite circuits and which do you dislike?

My Favs:
1)Spa - Who could not enjoy this circuit.
2)Australia - I guess I like this one because I can dominate on it for some reason. Smooth circuit.
3)Silverstone - Another smooth circuit and wide but I am playing at less than "PRO" level.

Least Favs:
1)Monaco - I would hate to have to race on this track. Stop & Go, Stop & Go, Stop & Go, etc.
2)Hungary - Dull
3)Indianapolis - Long straight doesn't make up for the other half.

OK just a little fun post for some of the younger members here (Older if you are willing to admit it).

[HP]

You might want to check out the racing simulators forum here.

[molive]

This is not immature at all!;) After all I'm 35 and I play too!

Actually I used to play GP2 to exhaustion during my masters But I haven't played for a long time. I'm planning to buy a new comp soon, so I'll give myself a force-feedback wheel and pedals to go on with the 17"mon...yey! back to business, with GP4!


Btw, my fave F1 track was Aida (JPN) The least faves were hungaroring and interlagos. I never "raced" at Indy.

[US F1 Fan]

Thanks HP. I did not notice a seperate forum for this subject. Sorry about that.

[molive]

Originally posted by US F1 Fan
Thanks HP. I did not notice a seperate forum for this subject. Sorry about that.

The thread would probably be moved there anyways...;)

[prettyface]

I absolutely love Grand Prix Legends, even if I'm lousy at it. Not only are most of the original tracks like the Nurburgring, Spa and Watkins Glen fantastic, but a wonderful community keeps cranking out old, dead and forgotten tracks like Sachsrenring, Avus (I'm working on it), Reims, Riverside, Pebble Beach... all with stunning quality. The game in itself is a great hisory lesson. I even made myself a crude but perfectly good set of wheel and pedals to drive it. Non-force feedback but what the hell.

I got f12000, f12001 and GP3 but easily got tired of them. Those cars are too damn fast.

[dick]

I absolutely agree...Grand Prix Legends is the best. The learning curve is rather steep and requires wheel and pedals to enjoy. The modern F1 sims are OK but the tracks pale in comparison. The Nurburgring alone would make the game worth owning. As great as the current Spa is the old one was particularly daunting.

[IP_A_T]

GP4 simply kicks ass... especially with the GPS-modeled tracks. You can really feel the bumps and steeps of the circuits.

[UPRC]

US Fan, is the game you are describing called Formula 1 for the PSX?

Did it have music by Steve Vai and Over Drive, and was it made by Psygnosis.
If so, thats Formula 1 for PSX.... I owned it for years and mastered it completely.

And yeah, that was my introduction to F1 games. (but not F1)

Tracks I do best on are: Monaco, Monza, Melbourne, Imola
Tracks I am OK on: Montreal, Interlagos, Spa, Hockenheim

Don't get me wrong, I can get 10 points at any race... Just when I consider myself to be doing bad I'm going a tenth or a second slower than the guy behind me...

[daz]

Anything from the Grand Prix Series ... the only F1 games I play.

[US F1 Fan]

UPRC,

The original F1 game was a PC format from Microprose which after a while I could win most races as long as I did not wreck but you could fly thru these early games without worrying about your back-end sliding out. The game did introduce me to F1 though and I am glad I tried it. I have played the EA series with a joystick until a few weeks ago. I recently bought the Sidewinder Racing wheel and it is like night and day compared to a joystick. I spin out of turns more often. I would guess that the wheel has a quicker response time so the realism increases. I like F12002 from EA but I have never tried the GP series so I don't have a comparative view. I downloaded the GP Legends and will try the demo.

[ehagar]

The tracks I like depend on the Sim...

In the original Microprose GP I used to like Hungary of all places. I liked it because it was twisty and you were always cornering. The curbs were easy to ride on too. In GP2 the curbs were worse and would upset the car. So I grew to hate the place.

In terms of actual driving, for modern circuits places I like generally have a combination of medium and high speed corners, and fairly easy chicanes. I hate sharp chicanes.

For the Modern circuits:

Really Like

Melbourne - Simple layout, but pretty good flow to it
Brazil - love the layout and how how the corner radii imcrease
Catalunya - I like Seat and Repsol, and some of the high speed bitsat the end.
Spa - Second Favorite after....
Suzuka - I think it is a bit better than Spa. More busy, and the S curves are tricky.

Like
Silverstone - Looks dull, but driving it in a sim is fun. Some nice high speed corners.
Magny Cours - I like the section from Grand Courbe, Estori, to Adelaide hairpin. Places an emphasis on precision in line choice and is quite fast. The rest of the track isn't too bad either, the 180 is tricky to find the braking point, and the two fast S curves are interesting.
A-1 Ring - Like the last couple of corners. Easy to get wrong.
Imola - I like the speed of the circuit and I don't find the chicanes too bad to drive.

Fair
Indianapolis - It's alright. But it doesn't inspire me.
Montreal - It's a good circuit, but the chicanes after virage Senna annoy me

Hate

Hungaroring
Monza - The chicanes are so tight
Hockenheim (both) - The old circuit was okay. But the first two chicanes were too tight and terrible. The stadium section was the only interesting part. Rather boring. The new circuit I absolutely hate.
Monaco - Hit the wall and get over with it.
Nurburgring - Don't like the first few corners. The rest is alright.

As for GPL circuits, I can't rank them. Like too many of em.

[maclaren]

My favorite circuits are Spa and Suzuka which has fast and challenging corners with some elevation changes

I don't like so much circuits like Montreal or old Hockenheim. It's just speeding on straights waiting for next bumby chicane to spoil your race ...

[The Kanisteri]

Originally posted by UPRC
Tracks I do best on are: Monaco, Monza, Melbourne, Imola
Tracks I am OK on: Montreal, Interlagos, Spa, Hockenheim

Same as my list.

[HardRock]

I have many racing sims and the ones that I like most are GP4 and GPL.
About the tracks In GP4 I like Malasya and SPA, in GPL Mexico, SPA and Silverstone.
Both games are awsome in Graphic quality and car driving.