Quote from Calvinaquino :

what are you asking here? hows lfs online or are you asking for a comparison of lfs and the other sims based on funfactor, online gameplay that plays on a mouse?

Being brand new to race sims simply I was wondering what others offer two simple things. Good mouse driving and good online play opportunities.

I need those two criteria as a starting point.

What other race sims offer mouse steering/throttle/brake like LFS?

GTR2...Race07..rFactor...others..

The thing I like being a noob is that without a wheel yet and being a keyboard hater (even typing on it) I can jump right in to LFS and have fun. Getting feet wet before I spend the $ on a wheel..better video card... blah blah.

How to their online gameplay compare for fun factor? More gamers/servers or less?

Last edited by hawkusa, Fri, 4 Jul 2008 11:54.

I would suggest lowering mouse sensitivity and remove acceleration in Windows if using mouse, that will make it more easier to drive with. There's some more hints in the following thread: http://www.lfsforum.net/showthread.php?t=12336[/quote]

Thanks... I'll read that through,

Made a skin today. Smart enough to make it and have it work but not smart enough to figure how to show others. (a screen shot from the game or some other method).
Once I get the pic captured and saved I could post it no problem.

S1 seems like a weak link. From what I've read S1 is very low on servers running until a new patch is released. More tracks and cars are great... less servers than the demo is not something to make me spend $25 U.S. Any idea when the patch will be released. S2 seems the only choice for now.

I downloaded some skins and amazingly they worked. I know there's tons of places out there to get them. What's the better sites?

Back to the keyboard ?. Are people turning 1:33's...34's at Blackwood with just a mouse and keyboard? If so are they using both together?

For other noobs that read this check out this link... cool LFS video. It should be a promo link on their homepage. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAvj0iY1Zig

First... I'm 50+... and never been much of a gamer. Messed with the Papyrus Nascar thing a few years back. Mess with MS's Flight Sim occasionally. LFS has me hooked. Spent a few bucks on a cheap video card yesterday just for this game. The onboard video was ok but this game deserved better.

The Mouse - I'm using a wireless mouse. I read about drag braking. Is this done with just the mouse or mouse+kb? Are there optimal mouse setups like cars have? I can do 1:38's now at BW which seemed impossible a few weeks back. 1:35's are a dream at this point. Found a good car setup but now I need to refine gas/brake in the corners. What view do most drivers use?

LFS S2 - Makes me drool but I'm not sure if a casual driver like myself would enjoy it. In the demo version I find races have noobs like myself and it can be extremely competetive even if we're doing 1:40. Soooooo.... better to refine driving in the demo then get S2??? In short can a noob that's doing 1:38..39...40.. at BW find close racing in S2? What's the average amount of servers up on S2 at a given time? Kyoto oval looks good. Many races there?

100 more ?'s but for now appreciate any thoughts on these.

After playing the demo for several days here are my thoughts .

1. No wheel... thinks it's safe to say that most like myself that stumble across the game have only a keyboard, mouse and maybe joystick/gamepad. I have an optical mouse and this seems the best of my options. Went into the Control Panel > Mouse setting and set the scroll speed 4 clicks from slow. This helped car control as the movements were more subtle.

2. Practice... and practice some more! After lap 1..20...100... started to find my groove. Still brake too late sometimes or over correct in the heat of the moment trying to catch up. Laps under 1:50 are common now. Not sure how this compares to most but it makes me happy.

3. The book... wish there was a dummies (like me) guide for newbies. The Wiki writeup is ok but there was a lot of trial and error and reading through posts looking for answers. The options in the game are many and a "quick start" guide is needed to get people out of the gate quicker. Maybe there's one out there already?

4. The races... for the newbie that heads into multiplayer land it's kinda fuzzy. You don't want to jump into a "room" and get booted because you're ruining a race with pros. There should be a few permanent rooms LFS hosts titled rookie racers, practice sessions, and the like where you can get your feet wet.

5. Skins, etc... LFS should have additional skins, and other game enhancing downloads on their home page. People like to customize and though there seems to be plenty of user created work out there it's a search game and a hope you're not ripping a person's work they didn't intend to share.

Great game that has me hooked. A license once I learn some more.

Any other newbies have thoughts to add?

Thanks.... hit the s key and I'm on the track.

Quote from racer hero :

Did you shift into first gear?

I selected auto shift mode. The mouse seems to steer and rev ok...

From the manual
If enabled, the computer will change gear for you (and probably at the wrong time too).

If needed how do I get into first, second, third...

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Old goat newbie here wanting to check this game out. Not a gamer but this caught my eye. Installed the demo... have a Microsoft wireless mouse and Gravis Eliminator gamepad hooked up. With either I can get the tach to rev but the car stays put. Messed with the options for too long and nothing has worked.

Get the picture books and Dummies guide out.. I need help!