Sim/gaming howto
Most people believe games/sims can teach nothing except perhaps for a basic introduction to the corners/lines of a circuit.
I don't believe that is true. I believe using a simulator can teach many many aspects of track/circuit driving that would otherwise be expensive and time-consuming to achieve.
Every time I have been to a circuit I have practised with a sim beforehand (bar once at Silverstone Southern which doesn't seem to exist in any game). I'm absolutely convinced it was a massive help; in knowing the corners right from the first lap, and in 'feeling' grip and knowing what the car will do in different edge-of-traction-circle circumstances.
However, I belive this is only true with a decent sim, a decent computer setup, and the right sim/game setup options. The purpose of this page is to try and convince you - and show you how.
What sims/games can teach you
- The layout of a circuit - which lines are fast and which aren't, and where you're most likely to fall off the black stuff
- Vehicle dynamics - understanding of weight transfer, the importance of smoothness and how different kinds of car behave (FWD vs RWD, with/without aero, etc)
- Instinctive reactions to help maintain car control - especially for the non-intuitive events like lift-off oversteer
- Some aspects of the footwork needed to drive both fast and smoothly
- The effects of different aspects of car setup on performance, and how to optimise car setup for a circuit
What sims/games cannot teach you
This bit's pretty obvious; there's lots and lots that pretending to drive cannot teach you.
- How to 'feel' anything - this needs to be learnt/re-learnt in a real car. But you will understand what's happening and why this time
- Any understanding of brake fade
- Any understanding of mechanical complexity or failure
- Anything to do with heat or how to manage it
- How to understand whether your poor performance is about car condition/setup (unless you screwed the setup yourself)
- Anything else that changes or varies; track conditions, partial-wetness, air temperature, grip changes in a tyre because of its condition/age/treatment
- Different (lower) grip off-line and how it behaves
What sims/games can teach you, if you really try
- That late braking is not the secret of speed
- That staying out for just-one-more-lap will result in you introducing yourself to a wall
- Smoothness on all inputs is crucial, especially steering
A decent rig
To make it work you need a decent PC - it doesn't have to be thousands of pounds worth of cutting edge hardware, but it does need to be enough to play with the detail turned up, and at a good framerate; any slowdown will destroy all sense of movement/momentum. This setup, for example, would give great results:
- Core 2 Duo E6600 processor
- 2Gb RAM
- GeForce 8800GTS
- 20" widescreen LCD display
A wheel
Using a wheel is absolutely essential - it is absolutely not possible to use a sim/game in a meaningful way using a keyboard, mouse or even gamepad.
The best consumer wheel on the market is the Logitech G25 - aside from it being decent and well-made this is because it has a clutch pedal, an H-pattern gearstick and 2.5 turns lock-to-lock (this can be reduced by the software).
Most sims will let your alter your car setup to set the max steering angle (say 15°) - so this in combination with your wheel's lock-to-lock should let you approximate your real life steed.
The G25 can be bought online for around £145 - cheaper wheels may suffice but generally do not have the features described above.
An actual game
Below, in order of preference, are games I feel are the most useful (as a learning tool, not necessarily as a fun game). Others' views may vary - the point is that it should promote realism/simulation above bling/whatever.
- iRacing - far and away the most realistic. Nothing else comes close,
- rFactor - the most flexible/customisable; with the most tracks and kinds of car,
- GT Legends - historics need lots of awareness of weight transfer and grip,
- GTR2 - good all-rounder
As also mentioned elsewhere, any more 'arcadey' games are entirely NOT useful. Every single one of the games in this list these are completely useless; Need for Speed (all versions), Test Drive (all versions), Gran Turismo (except GT5 in Pro mode), all recent Formula 1 games*, and obviously all the arcadey ones like Outrun and Motorhead.
*Geoff' Crammonds F1GP4 was excellent - but formula cars are a bit beyond the scope of this site, and track days/club racing in general.
Game options
Whatever game/sim you use, setting it up properly is key; using all the driving aids and turning it into an arcade game helps nobody...
- All realism/detail options enabled - this means any extra physics or Pro mode should be On. Rear view mirrors should be on (preferring mirrors that fit the size/shape/position of the car instead of a huge one at the of the screen),
- All driving aids disabled - this is very important! (invulnerability is allowed),
- Cockpit/'in-car' view - this view does eat a lot of screen space, but its partly important for understanding things like shift lights and mostly important for the below...
- Increase all 'gravity simulation' options - in conjunction with the 'in-car' view, this gives you the only major cue you have to the actual motion/momentum of the car; there's obviously no seat-of-the-pants feel, this is the only substitute.
