Wow, great deal. I got:

Ghostbusters
Call of Juarez: Bound In Blood
Rainbow 6 Vegas 2

Total: $26.77!

I completed the "Have Sex with at Least One Woman from Every Ethnic Group" achievement.

Also got my NAUI scuba diver's certification and did a few dives on vacation.

Last edited by somasleep, Sun, 20 Dec 2009 23:39.

Quote from Matrixi :

When I first tried GT5 demo very briefly with the pad for a few minutes, I thought it was fantastic and a definite improvement over GT5P in all aspects. Then I plugged in the G25 and those emotions were gone when I took the car out for a little slide and found myself fishtailing and shouting "what's happening yo!?" at the force feedback.

Don't the cars in iRacing spinout easily too? I haven't played it much but I remember complaining about how my Pontiac Soltise would spinout at 30 mph.

I've been paying for iRacing for the last 3 months...have played it maybe once.

I think about canceling it but then I decided I'll play it next month

That's the problem. I have lots of games I love but I may not play for month of two because I'm busy or playing other games. But with a subscription you're always paying whether you use it or not.

Quote from bunder9999 :

especially when that damage system sucks... can you flip the car on it's roof yet? can you drive the car into a wall without the game magically turning the wheel for you?

The damage system in games like FM3 is pretty basic. You get these little yellow or red damage indicators on your hud. Visually you get some scratches and dents. But you can still crash into a wall at 150mph and keep driving like nothing happened.

Online in public games damage is turned off by default which indicates people don't care about it as much as we think.

Quote from logitekg25 :

but if i got caught in oversteer, i usually just had to go full lock and not even let off the throttle. i almost never spun unless i did something completely wrong. this did not seem realistic to me, but tbh, i would buy a 360 to access the 400 cars and everything

Yes, that's a compromise they had to make. There is no "pro mode" or "professional" mode in Forza 3. They don't have two different driving models for casual and sim gamers. There is almost no situation that you cannot easily recover from.

On the plus side this is a really great game. I've been playing it like an addict all weekend. I think of it as being a really fun car game. Somewhere between Dirt 2 and LFS in the realism department.

Quote from danowat :

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion

I'll only make one point, hard doesn't equal realistic, take a Ferrari out on the track, and it isn't that hard to hold it in a lurid slide, you only have to see the talentless wonder jeremy clarkson doing it to how simple it can be.
Also, take the FZ50 out in LFS, its not a "hard" car to drive.
GT series has always tricked people into thinking its realistic by reducing grip.

@Jibber, I'll try out those settings, nice one

Again, I tested both games same cars on Sazuka. I have no stock in MS or Sony. I just call them like I see it.
In FM3 in the super cars and even highest end race cars I am able to MASH the throttle on corners with little consequence.
If...if...you even get oversteer you just catch it and go.
I tested various oversteer conditions like lift-off oversteer. I also tested in both games steering wildly driving into the grass and all sorts of reckless driving. It's like in FM3 the only way to crash is to brake late and understeer.
I also tested the Pontiac Solstice on Leguna against iRacing Solstice/Leguna.FM3 feels like an arcade game compared to the extreme difficulty you find in iRacing.
I was certained FM3 would have better physics because it's the newer game but it doesn't. And the difference is quite significant.
To really test these two games you really need to go from one game to the other using same cars and tracks in a matter of minutes.
You also need to have a fixed set of tests to generate factual comparisons.
If you think I'm wrong then please outline a test that I can run on both games that proves your point.
(I tried to make a movie in FM3 but my throttle and brake inputs didn't appear in the movie. Is there a way to do this? )

So, I bought the 360 wireless wheel and FM3.

I'm really enjoying FM3 it's a lot of fun. It's just a well made game. Tuning, customizing, testing and racing.

Online races aren't as good as I hoped but I haven't tried that much. Having too much fun doing the seasons.

Now, I'm no fanboy. I have both GT5P/DFP and FM3/MS Wheel. I tested same cars same track (Sazuka). GT5P handling is closer to "sim" than FM3. In FM3 the supercars are just too easy to drive. It's too easy to catch oversteer. You go into these long drifts like a pro drifter by accident.

It's almost like the physics were tweaked to make drifting easier.

I tested Ferrari 599, F430, Ford Focus and Evo X at Sazuka.

FM3 has better engine/tire sounds. Overall FM3 is a much better game than GT5P but that's comparing a full game to a demo.

Hmm...maybe I better put on my flame retardant coat.

Quote from beefyman666 :

Press RB and LB (the clicky top buttons above the triggers) to scroll through the rest of the tuning options.

It turns out that I didn't pick the "race brakes" which allow tuning.

The only thing I'm able to tune is my tire pressure. Everything else is disabled.

I upgraded the brakes but I still can't tune them.

What's did I miss?

I'm really terrible at racing.

I put up a 2.00.xx using the Solstice Rookie car at Leguna after about 40 minutes of trying.

I'm going to have to find a replay to deal with the corckscrew. I have to slow to a crawl to manage it.

Sorry to say but you're an alcoholic and you should attend some AA meetings.

Find some in your are here:
http://www.aa.org

Take this quiz to see if you're an alcoholic
http://alcoholism.about.com/od/tests/a/quiz_alcoholic.htm

But the best test is to ask the people around you.

Good luck.

Quote from AlienT. :

Did you get the Radical trial? Just wondering if it's still useable?

Yes, I have the Radica SR8. But I think I got this Oct 16th. I'm just now starting to try it.

I just started playing with the iRacing trial.

Are there any replays? Where can I find the top lap times for car track combos?

And finally how do I get into some kind of race?

Quote from lukelfs :

I think it should work fine, but I think it will look very good on it

If anyone wants a cheap wheel then the Logitech driveFX would be the best to buy (Its even better if you use G25 Pedals with it )

http://www.spotbuyer.com/logitech-963368-0914-658956.html

I almost bought this wheel until I read this review on Amazon...

Quote :

It applies axial vibrations from the rumble signal normal sent to your gamepad. It doesn't have access to the Force Feedback signal, and therefore cannot replicate the Force Feedback coded into games like Forza, PGR, etc. Only licenced FF wheels get access to that signal - the MS Wheel, and the Fanatec. Shame really, as I'm sure you'd see a Logitech G25 on the 360 if they were allowed to use the FF.

As it stands, why would anyone buy this? If there's no FF what's the point?

Note, Logitech don't claim anywhere that this is FF. The call it Axial FX. People have just assumed that because Logitech usually make great FF wheels that this is one of them, it isn't. Don't waste your money.

Quote from kamkorPL :

No I went to a friend and tested gt5p. Wanted to bring my g25, but he bought dfgt just for it, so I didn't. I only own msff + fm3.

Don't expect a logitech quality out of msff wheel, but it's still good experience. The only big complaint I have is when the ffb feels "clicky" during sudden forces changes (for example during a slalom). And ofcourse 270 degrees, but I got used to it already.

Btw, 199$ for that combo? USD? You sure you can't get a better deal in US? I've heard that msff can be bought cheaply there. Maybe it would be better idea to buy forza 3 and wheel seperately.

You're right I could get them for about $150 separately. But I didn't realize that MS wheel was only 270. That's like my old MOMO which sucked compared to my DFP.

I'll just wait for GT5 in March. For now Dirt 2 on PS3 and Shift (real mod 2.0) on PC will keep me busy.

Quote from kamkorPL :

Driving wise I found fm2 with just a pad already better than gt5p+dfgt mix. Although wheel support is horrible in fm2, the implementation that is - makes it feel worse than a pad. But they have done very good job with wheel implementation in f3 and even msff it's a great experience. And yes, I will take msff+f3 anyday over gt5p+dfgt (or gt5p+g25, since I can't imagine a better wheel magically fixing physics bugs).

So you own(ed) GT5P + DFP/G25 and Forza 3 + MS Wheel ?

I'm considering buying the MS Wireless wheel + Forza 3 combo for $199. But I really HATE rewarding M$ for not supporting Logitech wheels to sell their junk wheels.

But Foza is very tempting.

Quote from danowat :

Graphically, GT5 is better, no bones about it.

GT5 isn't out yet, so I can only compare to GT5p, physics, sounds and customization blow GT5p out of the water by a big margin.

I have both a PS3 and a 360 so I'm no fanboy. But are you using a *gasp* controller to play Forza 3. I prefer GT5:P because I just plug in my DFP and play.

What wheel can I buy to play Forza that's as good as the trusty DFP? (Please don't say that ultra expensive Fanatec wheel is the only option)

I'm interested in Forza but I don't buy it because it won't work with my DFP. I'm assuming most of you play LFS with a DFP or G25.

So, what the heck are you using to play Forza?

Real Life..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euHkl9SVYTY

Forza 3...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vbm750vBf8g

NFS:Shift...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAalv-xJr_c

rFactor...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vdGbYoByr8

I also posted all three here...
http://www.nvnews.net/vbulleti ... php?p=2111045#post2111045

IMHO Shift wins (especially with real mod)
When I say "wins" I don't mean best overall simulator but it seems to convey the experience of driving the Nurburgring in a Zonda better than any game.

Quote from Xaid0n :

Wee bump.

This paragraph pretty much sums up the console war:

"So, which is better, XBOX 360 or PS3?
The answer is……. Neither! Look, each console has its “pros and cons”. If you primarily play online games, you will want to get an XBOX 360. If you have a nice HDTV and want to enjoy beautiful Blu-Ray movies, you will want to get a PS3. If you are an “achievement whore” you will want a 360. If you like to play import games, you will want a PS3. If you want to easily stream near-HD quality movies and TV shows, get a 360. It goes on and on. If you like Halo games, get a 360. If you are more of a Killzone kinda guy, get a PS3. If you want to spend less than $400, get a 360.
If you think the PS3 has “better graphics” get a PS3. If you think the XBOX 360
has “better graphics” then get an XBOX 360."

I'm still looking forward to GT5

I have both. But if I could only have one it would be the PS3 hands down. Why? Because I have a HDTV and DVD looks like crap on a big HDTV. Bluray is a must have. The PS3 plays games and is one of the best all around bluray players.

I can't imagine why anyone with a HDTV who does not have a bluray player would buy a 360 instead of a PS3. Maybe they don't watch movies on their TV's.

Also a big plus for the PS3 is that it works with your PC logitech wheels. I have no idea what all the LFS Forza players are doing. Do they have two wheels? Or do they *gasp* play with a gamepad?

I would buy Forza 3 in a minute if it worked with my DFP. I must say that XBox Live is just far a head of PS3's online system.

People are always making vague statements like "the physics are better" but they seldom explain specifically what about the physics is more or less realistic. Even when I read reviews you just get very subjective satements like, "the physics are not quite up to snuff" but no objective information.

What OBJECTIVE tests do you use when rating the quality of a racing games car handling physics?

Last edited by somasleep, Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:36. Reason : typo in title

I find that because I'm gifted if I use the #1 stall and someone is using #3, 4, or 5 they can see it using their peripheral vesion. I catch blokes taking peeks. So, I prefer taking the stall right next to them.

Why not create a LFS Steam group?

Steam groups have chatrooms. (I think)

Quote from CasseBent :

I don't know what intimidates you, but for me it's ruining the race for people. So I start out at the back a lot, so I can't possibly take anyone out, even if it's not my fault. In time, you'll learn the track and car and then you'll move on to overtaking and everything else other people do

Yeah, that's it. I don't want to ruin the race for others and get kicked. I find that if you're slow people will crash into you and if you miss your braking point you'll crash into people who are faster than you.

I think I'll just join and follow behind the pack.