Hi Joe,
My favorites at this point are:
Live For Speed
This is a project being done by 2-3 guys in Europe, on an
"installment" plan. It will be released in three "chunks" for
$20 each chunk, with increasing features and realism in each
release. The first chunk was released about a year ago, and the
second chunk will soon be released...with cars that look
suspiciously like 911s. There is a parking lot for autocross,
where you can set up your own course with cones and drive it for
time. The physics are pretty realistic, and there's even a mode
that shows the vertical and lateral forces on all four tires as
you drive around. You can download a demo at
www.liveforspeed.com
Need For Speed: Porsche Unleashed
This is an older game that I still enjoy. It's a radical
departure from the rest of the Need For Speed series in that the
driving physics and handling feel are actually pretty realistic.
The physics may not be perfect, but the handling feel is
impressive. 944s drive like front-engine rear-drive cars, 914s
drive like mid-engined cars, and the 911s drive the way I would
imagine a rear-engined car to handle. You can drive any Porsche
from the 356 up through the 996 (well, okay, no 917...). There
are some fun "scenario" modes where you can follow the historical
development of Porsche models by racing them, or work as a
Porsche factory test driver with all sorts of silly "missions".
There are a few basic autocross courses in the test driver scenario.
Both of the games above are for the PC. There is of course Gran
Turismo 3 for the Playstation 2, but I don't think it's as realistic.
"Enthusia Professional Racing" will come out next year for the
Playstation and looks promising. Another oft-recommended classis is
Grand Prix Legends. The physics are supposed to be realistic, but
it's HARD. As you might expect when you're trying to control a 1000
pound car with 600 horsepower and 5" wide hard rubber tires, without
any seat-of-the-pants feedback on how you're doing, traction-wise.
I don't know about multiple monitor support, although that would be
cool. I can recommend the Logitech Momo Force steering wheel and
pedals (not the same as the Logitech Momo Racing Force) if you can get
it. It's solidly built with nice aluminum paddle shifters. There's a
new wheel out that might be even better. Logitech has a steering
wheel for the Playstation that turns 720 degrees lock to lock, unlike
most steering wheels which turn 270 degrees or less. Both steering
wheels work with the Playstation too.
The big craze these days is to build yourself a mock-up race car
cockpit, with a car seat, a shelf to hold the monitor in front of you,
and mounting points to place the steering wheel, pedals, and gearshift
lever in the proper locations. Some people even decorate the
outisides of their racing cockpit with paintjobs and decals from their
favorit race cars.
--
john@idsfa.net John Stimson
http://www.idsfa.net/~john/ HMC Physics '94
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