BeamNG.Drive - Logitech G27 Picture-in-Picture - Touring Small Island in the 4x4 Manual Pickup

I decided to blog about a different kind of driving game today, a rather unique game, with a funny name, BeamNG.drive! I see a lot of people asking about the Logitech G27 on the BeamNG forums, and how it works with this game, so I decided to show you first hand! I have a picture of my hands physically on the G27 as I drive around the island. I must say, it works great! As you can see at the beginning of the video, I'm in manual mode with automatic clutch. Since this video I figured out how to enable the clutch, and it makes it even better!

The steering ratio of the truck is quite large... but that's probably pretty accurate. The game handles INCREDIBLY well with the G27, faaaaaaar better than it does with my XBox 360 controller. I could never get a vehicle to go straight with the 360 controller, but with the G27 it's quite fun.

Anyone remember 1nsane, the old offroad game from Codemasters? With the G27, this game reminds me of that. I can't wait for them to further flesh out the game with missions and a campaign mode, it's gonna be awesome!

Assetto Corsa v1.0.4 - Running on a Surface Pro 2 Tablet!

In this video I wanted to show how well Assetto Corsa runs on the Surface Pro 2... and it runs pretty good! The power of this little tablet really is astounding.

The video was recorded with my iPhone 5s, so the sound and video quality isn't superb, but it's good enough for you to get the idea of what's going on.

As a side note, this is the first video I've created using the YouTube Video Editor (http://www.youtube.com/editor). It's not bad, for a basic editor. I was able to rotate the video, cut sections out, and put two video's together pretty seamlessly. It did take a while though, as a few of the steps required me to wait for YouTube to complete the step before I could move on. Overall though, I'd highly recommend it for someone who doesn't have commercial video editing software.

Project CARS - Zero Assists vs. All Assists - Side by Side Video Comparison

For this video I decided to compare no assists to all assists. Personally, I always drive with no assists, or real assists (with everything turned off) but decided I wanted to show people the difference between the two.

Many people seem to think Project CARS is an arcade game, or a simcade, but that's simply not the fact if you drive it as intended. Yes, the game does have a very dumbed down version of driving to make it accessible to everyone (I was actually quite surprised how easy the assists make everything) but when you turn them all off, it's a whole other ballgame.

I chose this track because I'm very familiar with it. I chose the car because I find the Caterhams to be the hardest cars in the game to drive with zero assists. If you brake too hard, you will wipe out, guaranteed. And that's exactly what I like to do... brake too hard at the last second. So it's quite a challenge without ABS. With all assists turned on, it might as well be a Civic Si. Driven by your grandmother.

So anyway, next time you think Project CARS doesn't look very realistic, just remember, not everyone drives with the pro settings. I'm no pro... but that's still how I choose to roll.

PS. The input monitor's were a nice touch, but they track the cars inputs, not the user inputs. So on the All Assists side, most of the time that it shows me modulating the gas or the brakes, I'm actually just holding the go pedal down to the floor. And of course, I'm never using the clutch, which the game shows. Kinda wish they only showed the user input, not the assists input.

Project CARS Delayed Until March

Well, I guess I should have read the WMD forums before making my post yesterday. Seems that Project CARS has been delayed again. This time until March 20th. So it's going to be an even better game now... in 5 months, instead of just one. Still might as well just pre-order and get it over with. ;)

https://twitter.com/projectcarsgame/status/523104472890101760

Don't Miss Out, Remember to Pre-Order Project CARS!

This is by far the best simulator ever made. Best graphics, best physics, best weather, best controls, best interface, you name it. There's a reason this game has been in development so long... it's to make it perfect. I became a backer quite a while ago, and I started actively participating in the development of the game around build 500, and it's been awesome to see the improvements made in the game. I recently uploaded a comparison of my first video of California Highway at Build 531, and currently at build 811. I remmeber when I used to think the game was amazing at build 531, but at build 811 it's so much better.

I can't recommend this game any more highly. This is the driving game I've always wished existed. I rememeber when night time driving was a huge deal, but this game has set the bar incredibly high with the fantastic weather options available. At the time of this review, not all the cars are finished, but the ones that are have impeccible physics and handling characteristics. Speaking of cars, the selection is fantastic. There are cars available all the way from a lowly 50cc kart to the 6800cc AMG Red Pig, and many cars even more powerful. Even better than the fantastic car list, is the remarkable track list! There are 44 tracks, with over 100 configurations, no game has ever beat that on release day!

But enough of my babbling... let the game speak for itself. You can find the complete car and track list at the bottom of these video's.













Complete Car List:


Complete Track List:



You can buy your own G27 from Amazon here:
http://amzn.to/1sfHy5v?

Purchase pCARS for PS4 or XBOne here:
http://amzn.to/1sMwUW8?

Project CARS - Complete Replay Camera Preview

In this video I thought it would be cool to do just a short lap, and show you all the replay cameras available. The drive was done during a thunderstorm to show how the different effects look in each view. As you can see, there is still a bug that doesn't show the windshield wipers during replays, and the instrument cluster lights aren't on when they should be, but this will be fixed before release.

The view order goes:
1. Drivers View
-- This is recorded while I'm driving, so its the view you get as the player of the game.

2. Interior View
--This view is from the center of the car, kind of looking over the drivers right shoulder.

3. Helmet View
--This is a favorite of many. It replicates the view from inside the helmet, , simulating the line of focus of the driver and looking towards the apex of corners.

4. Roof View
--A look from a roof mounted camera. A neat view not commonly seen on YouTube.

5. Chase View
--This is what most old-time racers are used to. This view one one of the most common views before cockpits were accurately rendered in the majority of racing games.

6. Spectator View
--This is my personal favorite for watching replays, primarily because I've already seen the inside of the car while driving, so I like to see the beauty of the car in motion after my race.

7. Front Bumper View
--This is the other most popular vintage racing view before cockpits were common. I think many people still use this view anyway.

8. Hood View
--This view is from a camera mounted on the hood of the car. Similar to front bumper camera, but higher, and with part of your view obstructed by the hood.

9. Cockpit (Drivers) View
--This is the same as the drivers view, only recorded from the replay. The next camera will be the drivers view (again) to show the differences between the actual driving view, and the replay view. The driving view has many more pieces of information on it, and the interior animations work properly.

10. Drivers View
--Again, this view is what the game looks like while I'm driving, it is not recorded form a replay, but while I'm actually turning my lap. I included this view again to show the contrast between the replay cockpit view, and the drivers cockpit view.

Racing is Life. Anything Before or After is Just Waiting

If you're a member of PKW Racing's Steam group, then you have seen this adage. This is for those of you that might wonder where that came from. I made this trailer from the movie, check it out!




Le Mans is one of the most accurate racing movies ever made. Historians say that this movie is an incredibly accurate portrayal of 24 Hours of Le Mans as it was at the time of filming. This movie was a pet project of McQueen’s, who was a serious racer himself, finishing 2nd in the 1970 12 Hours of Sebring. Mario Andretti beat him by only 23 second. Oh yeah, and McQueen’s left foot was in a cast at the time!

The Porsche 908/2 that McQueen campaigned in the 12 hours of Sebring was then entered into the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans as a camera car for the movie. It actually finished 9th place overall, and 2nd place in the P3.0 class. Enzo Ferrari refused to provide the Ferrari 512’s used in the movie unless they won the race… you’ll have to see for yourself if he provided them or not. ;)

The 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans was significant not only because of this film, but also because it was the first race which used new pitwalls to protect the pit crews. It was also the first Le Mans ever where the drivers started the race inside the car, instead of using the drivers running start from previous years. McQueen had intended to drive in the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans himself, but the backers to his film threatened to drop their support if he did, due to the inherent risks of the race. So, faced with the option of driving for 24 hours in the race, or an entire summer while filming the movie, he chose the movie.

Though Le Mans wasn’t successful in the box office, it has become a cult classic. The movie is like a car lovers wet dream. It’s not until 36 minutes into the movie that Steve McQueen speaks his first line. The movie isn’t about storyline, or plot, or sex, or violence. It’s about racing, pure and simple. The American audience didn’t understand this when it was released, but since then it has become a must-see for every serious gearhead. So check it out now!

Buy the Le Mans DVD Today!
http://amzn.to/1ndEp5Y

Project CARS Build 825 - SuperKart at Nordschleife - pCARS Glued to the Road? No Way!

This video is my official rebuttal to all the comments that vehicles in Project CARS are essentially glued to the road. Watch this video, and you will clearly see that they are not! Many times my little kart with no suspension was ready to fly off the road and into the dirt, or wall, or a tree....

Of course this is an extreme example, but sometimes extreme accusations require extreme responses to counter the prejudice.

Nobody said that Ayrton Senna or Michael Schumacher's driving was unrealistic because their cars stuck to the road. Granted, virtually nobody with pCARS is that good, but why is it, that when people who own Project CARS make tens if not hundreds of laps around a circuit to make a good looking video, you claim it's because the game is too easy, and assume it can't possibly have anything to do with the driver? This 9 minute video took me over an hour to make. I had to adjust my driving in several ways to get that kart around the track without wrecking. You don't see all the times I wrecked... you only see the final product. And in the case of this final product, I think it's a lot more apparent that it wasn't an easy ride, compared to cars with a full suspension where you can't tell what's going on underneath the drivers view.

It's Race Night, and I'm Ready!!

I got a new Logitech G27, so lets roll!! It dropped to $205 on Amazon, so I had to grab it, and good thing I did! It's already jumped back up to $229.99, which is still a great price, but I like mine better. Here's a video of unboxing the G27.

I had bought one before, but it was used (VERY used) and the calibrating gear in it was bad. I should have returned it, but I tried to fix it, and it didn't work out. Don't buy a used G27, unless you're personal friends with the person you buy it from. The wheels online are usually sold after the calibration wheel inside is broken, that's why they're cheat. The wheel works... but will lose calibration after anywhere from 2 hours to 2 minutes, depending on how bad it is.

I had been using my Driving Force Pro with my old G27 pedals, and it was good, but I really missed the clutch and shifter. I saw that these were down to $205 on Amazon, and decided to grab it! I'll be selling my modified DFP now, and the parts from my old wheel to help fund the new one.

As I said in the video, the price on these is VERY volatile. This is still one of the better prices I've seen it at though, so I'd still recommend jumping on it before they raise the price again! The price I see most often is $240 or higher.

You can buy your own G27 from Amazon here:
http://amzn.to/1sfHy5v

Assetto Corsa v0.22 vs Project CARS Build 818

Assetto Corsa and Project CARS are the two big dogs in racing simulation right now. For the most part, people strongly prefer one other, and few people meet in the middle. I prefer Project CARS, and these video's show a big part of the reason why. The graphics in pCARS are vastly superior to AC. The car also responds much better in pCARS, you have to deal with bumps in the track more realistically, and the cars handle much better. You really can't tell why pCARS is better just from the video's, but it's a start, so here you go!



I think this might be the first comparison between Assetto Corsa and Project CARS outside spectator cameras. It's not hard to see why this isn't as popular, of course the camera's are not identical in the two games, and it is very hard to synchronize the cars. Still, I think it's an important comparison, as it shows off the car models, and much more of the world. Both games have imperfections in the spectator mode, but again, it's clear to see the extra amount of effort put into Project CARS graphics.




Assetto Corsa isn't a bad game... especially if you want to modify it. Some of the mods, such as the Shelby Cobra, are absolutely fantastic. The graphics are good, and the game UI is incredibly modifiable.

But Project CARS, wow! There is no in-game support for mods at all, but the negatives end there. The cars handling is tuned to perfection, the graphics are cutting edge, it is absolutely the best looking racing game ever made.

I didn't show the weather component in this video, but you can find many videos I have uploaded of various weather settings, and they are fantastic. This option alone is a huge reason to own pCARS, even if you already have AC.

The online component is also turning out pretty good. Nothing groundbreaking... other than the fact that the game latency is amazing, even if you're playing with people all across the world. I play the game on the east coast, with people from California and the UK, and everyones latency is excellent.

Of course the primary concern of this video is the graphical and audio differences though, and the winner is clear, Assetto Corsa is nice, Project CARS is amazing. :)

The Next Event is Coming Up!

The next group event is coming upon us quickly! Officially, we will be playing RACE 07, unless everyone who comes has Project CARS, in which case we will be racing that, which is exactly what happened last week! Check out the highlights from some of our previous events to see what to expect!