The online racing simulator
Is LFS aging? A lot?
(231 posts, started )
LFS is fighting in a world where a vast majority of consumers want what looks best. content or quality have nothing to do with the top sellers in todays market (with the exception of very few).

i can't even count how many games have been released in the last few years that have ZERO content; they just look good. so many games released in today's market have been played dozens of times before and the only thing developers are able to do is make them look better as more processing/gfx power becomes available. all of these state-of-the-art, good-looking games are filled with numerous bugs and game play issues.

most racing sims that have come out since around the 2003/2004 time frame only have better graphics over their predecessors or like most games in todays market are geared towards arcadism for fun. the sim crowd is small, and with piracy at an all time high its no wonder nothing good has been being released or even developed.
Not all the games are going by this way. There are many games that has improved graphics, gameplay, sounds, and is bug free. Call of Duty is one example.

But we are talking about simulators, so, what sim looks better? IMO LFS is one of the best today, even with out of date graphics, and it could be too much better, with few touchs of art in some textures (trees and grass mainly).

iRacing has high detailed tracks scanned with laser and etc, and good textures, good interiors, but not too much better than LFS. The real difference between the both is the lighting.

Simbin games has plane textures, too dense colors, I dont like. At least until Blimey age, the cockpits were very detailed, thing that doesn't happen anymore, after them left the team.

NKP has good textures, it is too bright, but I think it is at better level than LFS due few details.

The big step will be NFS Shift, if it really come as a simulator (what I really doubt).

If LFS had dynamics lights, and if there was a night version for South City, we will see an invasion of NFS players and other sims, cause yes, many people give importance to the graphics (I'm one of them).
Quote from PlusP :I don't post much but I couldn't let this one go without a comment. I have to agree with you on so many levels it's unreal, Jay. I'm frequently embarrassed by the posts that many, not all, but many Americans make in these forums. I don't know if it is a cultural difference or what but it gives the impression (to the rest of the world) that so many of us want everything now, now, now...and to Hell with putting forth any effort. That's certainly not always the case, but it constantly rears its ugly head around here and in many other forums involving more complex sims.

I'm a pretty passive guy. I've been in law enforcement for over 9 years and and I spend most of my day putting up with other people's crap. When I get home (and the wife's tucked in) I "play" hardcore flight and racing sims to unwind...and trust me, after dealing with the people I have to deal with on a daily basis, I need to unwind. I recently got into a heated argument with a guy that I've played Rock Band online with off and on for over a year now. This guy, a fellow American I might add, is in his 30's, has kids, and still lives with his mom. (Way to set an example for his kids, not to mention a worrying and increasingly common trend amongst many Americans these days.) The argument started over his claim that Gran Turismo is the greatest driving simulator ever made. Since he has a vastly superior computer to the one I have, I recommended some common PC racing sims. Real sims. I explained the general differences between console and PC racing titles and the benefits sims like LFS offer like more realistic physics, smooth online play, extremely detailed stats, TrackIr support, a very supportive and more mature community, a higher degree of mature racers, etc. I convinced him to try LFS and all he could talk about were the "sorry graphics" and the "crap physics". I replied, "You've got to be kidding me? Right?" His reply, "Need For Speed Pro Street has better physics...and LFS doesn't feel right with my controller." ...silence... "How's your wheel set up?" Reply: "Noobs use wheels. I can beat anyone with a controller. I own."

The result: Instant deletion from friends list / my migration back to PC sims.

The shocking realization: This guy represents the average game consumer and the reason that the sim genre's heyday is going the way of the do-do bird.

I just don't get it. Where do these people come from and since when were graphics the end-all be-all and continous updates demanded more than just expected? What happened to the old addage, "You get out of it what you put into it"? Frankly, I'm often disgusted that so many people (especially my fellow Americans) are missing the point of what a simulation is and why flash and glitz is so far down on the totem pole of importance. It also pains me that they whine so much over the progress of development and then compare it to newer titles of lesser quality and substance. We all paid the devs for LFS as-is. It's been a wonderful title and it's only gotten better. It hasn't cost us a penny more than we originally paid for the license. In my opinion, we need to step back and admit that we've received a heck of a lot more than we paid for and LFS is still truckin' right along. Besides GPL, RBR, and NR2003, most surving racing titles older than LFS, with communities of any respectable size, are few and far between.

I've been dropping in and out of here since I got LFS in 2007. I keep up on the forums but I stay pretty quiet. I don't race online much but I've logged an enormous amount offline laps. For longevity and bang for your buck LFS just can't be beat. Console racers as well as a good number of PC sims fade within a year or two, if not sooner. I've been flying Falcon 4.0 and Allied Force since 1999-2000. I've put weeks of time into IL2. By today's standards, the graphics in those sims absolutley suck. But that doesn't make them bad sim. Like LFS, they're great sims because they do so many things right. It's a crying shame that the hardcore PC flight sim community is dying and it’s not because of the inability of the devs to produce quality titles. It's because of the average consumer's short attention span and lack of patience. It’s also a refusal to actually learn and develop skills to be successful.

Many of my fellow Americans are falling into this category of "pick up and play" and I’ve yet to understand it. Not many people are willing to put forth the effort to understand a sim like Falcon. Having to actually study its 716 page manual that merely scratches the surface of what it has to offer is asking too much for the average Joe. Likewise, take a look at how many people in LFS actually take the time to study the basics of racing or learn how to set up their own car to get the best out of the sim. Logging 291 miles and worrying about how a car's bottom end looks is missing the point of what a sim is. I'm not knocking you jrs_4500. I'm just making a point. Go to almost any dedicated PC sim community and you'll find so of the most helpful people you could ever hope for. Just understand the difference between arcade and sim.

Oh, and if you want to see if a game is aging, check here: http://forums.frugalsworld.com/vbb/

Thousands of people are still supporting many sims developed in the 1990's and they are still going strong. Compared to it's competition, LFS is a testament to the longevity of a racing sim because of it's quality, continued support by the devs, and the great community. NFS-HP2 and the like is never gonna have legs like that.

As my friends across the pond say,
Cheers

2 Pages back - Yes I know.

The only NFS I liked was Porsche unleashed... It was new... after awhile I wondered what the next NFS would be like... Well I guess it was okay, then came underground - It got worse! Then came underground 2... It was a little bit different... Then came most wanted, it was still okay. Then carbon looked awesome, I just about picked up a copy, but I downloaded the demo, and it was... wow... absolutely horrible.

Yeah some people want graphics more than anything... Look at crysis... It's ridiculous, I thought it was unreal. Come to think of it, if I wanted a game like that i'd play unreal tournament.
Thanks for bumping that epic post.

That's just wow... he's so right.
They should've called this thread "WE WANT SCIROCCO!!#@#@#@$@%".
Maybe they should have called this thread "Lets rehash the same shit over and over and over"

Just face the facts there is nothing new in LFS to talk about at this time and find something else to yak on about.
They should have closed this thread...
I think the reason why they let topics like this live, is to let people air thair opinions. Because, if you look away from all the silly comments, there are a handfull of well written and good comments in here, that should be readed by people. I think the mods thinking the same way, and locking every thread just ain't the sollution either.

Thought luck, we'll just accept what the devs gives us and the time they use on it.
Quote from The Very End :I think the reason why they let topics like this live, is to let people air thair opinions. Because, if you look away from all the silly comments, there are a handfull of well written and good comments in here, that should be readed by people. I think the mods thinking the same way, and locking every thread just ain't the sollution either.

Thought luck, we'll just accept what the devs gives us and the time they use on it.

No-one has the right to an opinion on LFSForums.
Well aren't you a good example of that? :rolleyes:

And SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEW you all, I'll have the opinion to use chase veiw, so fuuuuu all realism-fetish people while I cruise mah car with chase veiw pwning newbs J0!!!!!!
Quote from John5200 :it has 300 cars that don´t have good physics good as lfs.... and you didn´t even test lfs completely... you have tested maybe 4 cars and 5 track combinations....

it has pretty good physics, and i had the chance to test some of the other cars in lfs some while a go. Not that impressed. I expected more. And as a pretty good driver i can tell you that there is room for improvment in lfs.
Aging? Not really, I care a lot more for psychics than grapichs..
But all this waiting for the Scirocco makes me aging..
If it were a fast car like a Murcielago, Pagani or maybe a Nissan GT-R it would be worth all the waiting, but the Scirocco? Don´t think so mate...
"Join Date: Sep 2007"

Enough said.
Quote from The Very End :Well aren't you a good example of that? :rolleyes:

Haha, indeed I am.

Quote :And SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEW you all, I'll have the opinion to use chase veiw, so fuuuuu all realism-fetish people while I cruise mah car with chase veiw pwning newbs J0!!!!!!

Lol chase view. :banana:
Quote from G!NhO :They should have closed this thread...

++

these threads just build pages of whines and arguments and eventually go nowhere anyways.
Quote from TigerClw :it has pretty good physics, and i had the chance to test some of the other cars in lfs some while a go. Not that impressed. I expected more. And as a pretty good driver i can tell you that there is room for improvment in lfs.

yes forza´s phisics are ok....
and hell yeah lfs needs to be improved, thats why it´s still alfa and if you look into the improoved suggestions thread you will see how much you still could but in....
btw... who ever said lfs is finished?!
Quote from NiclasTing :If it were a fast car like a Murcielago, Pagani or maybe a Nissan GT-R it would be worth all the waiting, but the Scirocco? Don´t think so mate...

Fast doesn't equal good.
Quote from SamH :FYI, Scawen has introduced penumbral shadows in the latest test patches.

Penumbr-what? Oh, maybe you mean the pendulum umbrella? If so, lerts deserves some royalties.
Ha!

The "penumbra" is the darker shadow under a car (or a table, or chair...). It's an ambient light shadow, rather than a cast shadow.
I can't wait for tomorrow 19:00 GMT+1
Quote from SamH :Ha!

The "penumbra" is the darker shadow under a car (or a table, or chair...). It's an ambient light shadow, rather than a cast shadow.

Also sometimes referred to as "hard shadow"...
For my part i would just like to be update a little more often. The last update on the site is dated the 15th December and suggested we would not have long to wait for the new car.
When the developers get it this wrong what hope is there?
Quote from NightShift :VW doesn't either

I am looking forward to it a lot but then again I usually hate RWD. Well, not hate, some of them are actually very fun but I'm hopelessly slow. So I'm all for a new car that isn't RWD.

And I'm especially looking forward to the many crowded racing servers we will most likely get in the first few weeks after it gets released. And the close racing that is probably going to happen with the limited setup options.

Is LFS aging? A lot?
(231 posts, started )
FGED GREDG RDFGDR GSFDG