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I would like to know which are the other sims his talking about, the only other sim I can think of is iRacing.

Few things I do not really agree with.

1) rFactor is extremely adjustable much more than most SIMS but some of the
settings are not on the user interface.  Not sure which SIMS are more
adjustable.  If you get into the plr file on rfactor you can change just
about everything.

2) The feel of the steering wheel can be heavily modified through ffb settings
as well as plugins such as realfeel which I believe is much better than
anything else out there.

3)  What are the newer SIMS?

4) Not sure if the physics comment is accurate?  I know rfactor 2 as with
iracing has invested much time on tyre modelling but other than iRacing are
other SIMS actually better when it comes to physics?  Are most not based on the same engine?

5) More cars and tracks than you can imagine – GT5 is not really a true SIM but
doesn’t that have like over 1000 cars.  Not sure if rFactor has that many!

I think despite its age rFactor is a fantastic SIM and until new titles come
out such as CARS, GTR3, rFactor 2 or Assetto Corsa I don’t think you can really
say that rFactor is worse because of its age. 
It may be old but apart from dated graphics I don’t agree that it feels
or drives like a dated title.

The only new SIMS which I can think of which may rival rFactor
are iRacing, perhaps SIMBIN titles and nkPro. 

I agree very much with bitwildcard. 
rFactor might be the best buy on the market at the moment. If you are willing to look into the files like the plr you can change what ever you want. A huge benefit is the rfactor community. You can find manuals for a lot of interesting topics. 
A good point which Doug has, is to do serveral seperate installs. The risk that mods could cause rfactor to crash is really limited when you do so. 

Not really helping the conversation, but who cares what this guy thinks? Rfactor is old and those of us that know about rfactor dont really need a review. I find it pompous that this guy thinks he has all this vast knowledge over all of us. Now i realize that there are some simmers that appreciate this knowledge but not enough to warrant a review of a 7 year old sim :) Review something modern please.

probably he mean pCars and rFactor 2… come on people, we know they are alpha / beta stage but they can be considered as new sims.

I have friends going insane with rF configurations, they always ask me advices about everything, how to do this how to do that.. rFactor can be a huge mess if you are new to it. So the more reviews the merrier. Kudos to him, at least he is trying to help people.

Don’t be that closed minded guys.

I agree with your post rFactor is great but let me say 1000 cars in GT5 is the biggest marketing joke in computer and console gaming history. You have 200 premium cars, and about 800 standard cars with no dashboard view. (Only a couple of them has it)

Let’s say, at least 150 of these standards are dupes, how many Nissan Skylines, Mazda Miatas, etc… tons of dupes.

 I love the standard cars in GT5…  Being able to find an oddball underdog car and tune it for online racing is super fun.. beating people with an 88 honda accord for example. =)

I thought to write a quick follow up comment having read the
responses – all of which were very reasonable.

I think it is important to stress that these video reviews
are very good and I welcome many more, I think the SIM community is the better
for it.

I’ve watched Doug’s hardware reviews in the past and found
them informative but on this occasion I felt this review was misleading despite
some good points.

I think to openly discuss one of the best SIM titles and
state things such as “physics are out of date”, “not as
configurable as some new SIMS”, “need to invest in a SIM PC at an
expense” and generally give the impression that the title is an older
alternative you might want to try is missing the point and may put off some new
SIM racers from a great experience.

If you are a SIM racer and want a full on simulation experience
rFactor should be near the top of your list of titles if not the no.1 title.  This is the problem with this review, it
misses the point when it comes to SIM racing.

If you have invested in a high quality wheel or even a full
SIM rig you should definitely try rFactor. 
It is one of the best titles currently available and will give you a
totally different experience compared to something like Forza or GT5.  I would even go as far as to say a night and
day difference if you are prepared to put the time in. 

Looking forward on the review of rFactor 2 somewhere in 2019

lol… it probably won’t be as configurable as other new SIM.

IMO Rfactor1 and Rfactor 2 are what YOU make of it.  It can suck or it can blow your mind…….its all in how much time you work with it……..and how everything is “set up” as a whole experience. 

–NOTE:  so F1 and Large Race teams are using old out of date Rfactor PRO?…..yeah….OK…….hahahaha—

Good point about rFactor PRO!

You see Red Bull use the new SIMS whereas HRT and Marussia are using old rFactor hence they are slower as the SIM physics are out of date and not very configurable :)

I completely agree, cars without dash boards have no place in sim racing.  I’m hoping that Auto Club Revolution sort themselves out as they still have no dash boards!

I made the comment as the review had a fair few mistakes and I don’t believe the number of cars comment is accurate.  I’ve not counted but Race 07 / Race On with
the hundreds of add-ons and mods probably has many more cars than rFactor. 

But in reality I don’t think the number of cars is that important.  I rather play a SIM
with a small number of cars but with great SFX, FFB and a dash view.

I agree that people like Doug should be encouraged to
continue with their great reviews and in doing so he has given people new to
SIM racing some insight.

However on this occasion he made negative comments without
fully understanding the capabilities of the SIM.  rFactor may be much more difficult to setup
compared to GT5 but its a true SIM and has inherent complexities that come with
the territory.

Compare it against similar true SIMS and its not that
bad.  I think it is important to
differentiate between a console SIM, a racing game and a true SIM.  A true SIM such as rFactor will always be
more complicated and take more time to get up and running properly.

It sometimes takes me around a week of preparation (not all day
that is) to be ready for a league race. 
I know that may sound anal but that is what a SIM is about.  I love the fact that I can fine tune my car,
FFB and other plug-ins to get more performance and perhaps finish higher up
compared to just using default settings.

I strongly feel that you cannot compare apples and oranges!

” … force feed back, … it doesnt go as far as newer sims “  ( hmm ??!?!? ) ” Two words on that subject, – Real feel -  ( http://www.rfactorcentral.com/detail.cfm?ID=Real%20Feel%20FFB%20Plugin ) that will change your mind!

Hi guys!

I appreciate reading your comments regarding my review – really! Although perhaps it could be easier just to read them and move on, I really wanted to comment on them.

One thing to remember, like ‘devotid’ commented, rFactor is what you make it! (And btw: should we be so picky with everything and what everyone says as to say it’s rFactor and not Rfactor?) I think not and that is perhaps an important point for us all to remember.

Everyone attacks a sim in a very different manner, some wanting just to race, while others find more enjoyment in the experience of setting up the sim itself. Many of us find ourselves somewhere in between those too ends.

As for rFactor being ‘dated’? Isn’t it an old sim? It may be a great sim, but it’s still an old sim. And, all you need to do is take a lap in rFactor 2 to see the difference that time makes. Other titles? How about the differences in feel between rFactor and the SimBin titles based on the same ‘engine’.

Now, as for me being ‘pompous’ enough to think that you needed this review! Those of you who found this review on VirtualR most likely don’t need it. It wasn’t meant for you. If you’ve followed my reviews from the beginning you’d know they are indeed aimed at the people just getting started in sim racing. I am definitely not expert in Sim Racing, although I might be classified as an expert in reviewing things (See our other websites – ATVTV.Com & 4x4TV.TV ;-) I started these Sim Racing reviews because as I decided to get ‘into’ sim racing I found the path a very confusing one and hoped to provide some help to others wanting to get started in this incredible sport. 

With all that said, please don’t hesitate to confront me or to chastise me as that is how I learn.

Oh, BTW; I do use Real Feel and although it really helps some mods, it is lacking incredibly in others – one of the downsides of rFactor – a lack of continuity between all the cars and tracks.

Oh, and BTW2; I may not have my review of ’2′ until after 2019, so don’t be marking your calendar ;-)

Hi Doug

rFactor 2 is not released as yet!  A beta programme is not really a new SIM,
especially as you have approached your review as a newbie and recommending or
contrasting against a title currently in development is really left field. 

You should have stated that there are new
SIMS currently in development that may see a 2012 release….. These titles
have improved….

In terms of the difference between SIMBIN and rFactor, I
would argue that rFactor is on-par if not better with real feel.  Perhaps SIMBIN provide more FFB settings on
the user interface. 

I do appreciate your reviews but on this occasion I don’t
think you gave rFactor the credit it deserves. 
In terms of “available” titles, it is one of the best and a newbie SIM
racer is not really going to be that interested in participating in a beta
programme playing something unfinished.

Thanks for the reply. I can use all the input I can get ;-)

While you can say a beta program is not really a new sim, it does give you something to measure against, no? Just like I used the SimBin titles for comparison. You can never really measure the real value of something unless you have something else to compare it to.

The difference between even the good cars in rFactor and the cars in SimBin was rather profound. The SimBin cars seemed to be more ‘in the track’ while the rFactor car’s seem ‘on the track’. Subtle but for me a noticeable difference in feel. Perhaps this is based on less sim experience and more real-life experience – I’m not sure….

One of the items that I noticed the most in the feedback was the ability to dial in far more ‘damper’ in the wheel so the turning force was much greater. Not all feedback necessarily (as I’m not a real fan of the kicks and vibration!), but the weight of the wheel. For me it was way better.

I obviously seemed too harsh in my review as rFactor is still one of my favorite sims and one I couldn’t / wouldn’t be without. While it has plenty of lame mods, the great ones are definitely GREAT ones!

I have to say, you really come off like you know what you’re talking about. But you really don’t have a clue man. First off, did you actually drive it, or research real feel ? Did you adjust the INI for real feel ?? I doubt it. You say no feel ? Dude, if you ran real feel with say the Reiza Formula Armoroli Mod, Historix, or any top mod, you would be eating those words. You also don’t mention the fact that a lot of top leagues are still running rFactor to this day.

What about all the great plug ins for rF ?  Also, how about all the titles that were spawned from this game engine ?

Last, if you did drive it, where did it take place? You never actually show yourself driving. Did you drive from that desk ?  Did you adjust your field of view?  What type of PC did you use to run it ?  What settings were on your Fanatec wheel ?  Have you tried a Logitech G wheel or a Thrustmaster ? What settings in Real Feel did you tweak ?

Reviews for the noobs coming into sim racing could be a great thing. But you act like you’ve been here for a while in most of these vids and that you’ve compared them to everything. Why don’t you show more from the beginners side of things, versus acting like you’re an expert. “Sim Racing Review” I think not. Your show name should be.. “Im dabbling into sim racing and this is what I found”.
If I was new to sim racing, this video would have turned me off to rFactor.

You may be good at reviewing ATVs, but not so much in this genre. Stick to what you do best, or start from scratch because you have a lot to learn. You talk like you need to learn here in your posts, but your videos come across as someone who knows.

if i want to buy a car, i read reviews by journalists who know how to drive. 

if i have some odd growth on my head, i go to a doctor whos qualified and knows what hes talking about.

This Doug guy ADMITS HIMSELF that hes not the fastest simracer around, and not even fast. And yet he thinks he has authority to review driving games? At least with insidesimracing, no matter how much stick they get, both Darin and Sean are competent simracers, they can drive better than average laptime. Therefore you can TRUST what they say about a cars handling, or how the game feels to drive, because they know what to look for. this guy is a joke, and is probably doing a disservice to simracing. 

good talk. i made a video some what supporting your point..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EybUcphzry0

spot on +1

 wow you seem to have issues.  Also have you ever heard of Vince Lombardi?

rfactor is impossible to set up. I gave it a try two seperate times but the wheel just wanted to go full left or full right and it took all my effort to stop it from wanting to do that. And the 1 hour trial was over. So I didn’t bother with it anymore.

ya . anyway rfactor is a dev tool not really a true game. If you want easy UI user friendly rfactor experience just to try it out. Go start a steam account and you can buy Race 07 / gtr/ all expansions for like 30 bucks if that. I have over 200 modded tracks and mods on disc for race series.

http://youtu.be/aw_53lFQ_fQ

Another point, although a configured rFactor with real feel leo, can be a great sim.. eventually better than Simbin… the problem is you need time to configure stuff in rF.

When I don’t have time but I want a couple of races with something new, I use SIMBIN stuff for the ease of use. 95% of mods have decent / good FFB as you go.

So basically Gtr2 is my everyday sim and rFactor my week-end sim.

yep lot of issues…

Casual sim racers on forums = EMO RAGE CRY

:D

Stop hiding on forums go out and make your reviews. He reviewed default ffb.

You really should learn to respect people a bit more.  That post is a disgrace.
You might not agree with all of what Doug says but can’t the guy do what he thinks to try and be helpful to others without having to have the”I know better” crowd jump down this throat like this ?

Congrats on your FSR pole an’ all that but it doesn’t make you more qualified to review a sim either btw. You also need a nice way of presenting it and I`ll wager Doug will beat you on that every time.

oooh must be friendly to the nice old man. sorry. my arguments for why he shouldnt be reviewing stuff (and ruining stuff) still stands, and is still justified with good reasons. so. what can i say, criticism hurts, he has to take it just like any other presenter.

the main thrust of my little emo rage rant was about the facts – which are, people who stumble across simracing might find themselves (god knows how) on his youtube channel, listen to the things he is saying, and be put off simracing forever – not realising that on occasion, its almost as good as say, some real go kart racing.

insidesimracing is on another level compared to This Guy Doug.

Look at the post by this Guy, F1Racer_RR – do you see my point now? Look what this Doug guy has done. 

Ken – Go to your settings in controller, and simply put it to -100%, it reverses the force feedback. Then your wheel will be fixed. 

You see F1Racer_RR – this is the kind of advise that would be helpful.

Wow! Some of you guys are downright despicable (and I do that in my best Daffy Duck voice – which is actually only in my head ;-). Your mama’s should whoop you up ‘aside the head and restrict your sim racing time until you show some better manners ;-) My dad raised me to always be polite, and to be humble (which in motorsports means that you never brag about how fast you are but are self-depreciating with your talent). He said to always be nice to others that don’t think the same way you do, and to be respectful to all others no matter what (you really want to do to them)! 

I also see that those of you that post your comments here are incredibly, seriously passionate about sim racing. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that, but your passion is misplaced if all you do with it is complain. If you feel so strongly, do something with it. There’s plenty of room here for others to make video reviews or have sim racing blogs. It would be a greater help to our sport to do something rather than simply complain about someone else not doing as you wish they would ;-) Of course you might find that there will even be complainers about what ‘you’ do.

Most of you seem to be computer geeks, or nerds – not sure what the proper (slang) name is. Although I have used computers in making my living for about 28 years now, they have always simply been tools of the trade. I can see that a vast knowledge of the workings of a PC computer (always been a Mac user which tends to be a problem in this world) can be a distinct advantage in sim racing so I say put your talent to work. Do some ‘how to’ videos on setting up rFactor mods properly, how to adjust the Real Feel, or, there’s a limitless number of things you can do. And they need to be done because I find that completely lacking!

In fact I would probably just be racing except I was amazed at the lack of good information that was readily available for people getting into sim racing. So that’s what I did!

I ‘passionately’ believe that someone must help new people get into this sport and that requires a process that has a starting point that is attainable rather than intimidating. My goal is to help walk people into this sport without overwhelming them and having them give up and simply go ‘arcade’ racing.Make it your job to do what you think needs done!I’ll even help!

I’m not saying your points are or aren’t justified or that I do or don’t agree with you.  That’s not the issue. Neither is the ‘poor old man’ thing you so deprecatingly keep referring to. 
It’s not about ANY of the points you made, it’s about your attitude behind it. 

That you just don’t seem to have the ability to get your point across in a better manner than that is disappointing.  Something a reviewer should know how to do.
The thing is I think if you really tried hard you could have put your points across in a more mature manner (i.e. without saying he is joke, doing a disservice to sim-racing and that you’re going to show him up big-time.)   That’s just crass.

I just wonder how you will handle criticism when your review shows up.  Although with the confidence you have in yourself I’m fully expecting there will be no criticism of it whatsoever.

Doug did this ? 

Besides as I said, you seem to be blind to the fact that the issue with your post was your disrespectful attitude.  Apart from that I really don’t care one way or the other about the points you made in the post.
When you come to write your review though,  I`d look up the difference between ‘advise’ and ‘advice’.

 ”..but your passion is misplaced if all you do with it is complain” 

Amen to that (and I’m not even religious) :)

pastor you are acting like a fool with zero common sense and respect. If that’s your attitude when will be your turn to review something don’t expect people to be very nice. 1) people don’t give a crap about your pole. 2) making reviews is another story, the “I know everything attitude” will only bring you a lot of insults.

As a review of straight-out-of-the-box rfactor, it’s actually pretty much spot on. The selection of cars and tracks available by default and their graphical and/or physics qualities are poor. I think that perhaps it may have warranted a deeper discussion of the “mod-ability” that rFactor offers given that that particular aspect is really rFactors main selling point. 

Nonetheless, a fairly even-handed and fair review. I see nothing anywhere near approaching the poor quality of review that inside sim racing are occasionally guilty of producing. 

I guess the tribal mentality just really sticks amongst computer geeks. Whether it be sim-racers, flight sim users, youtube viewers etc etc etc. Doug is just offering his opinion chaps, if you don’t agree with it that’s cool but there’s really no need for the vitriol on display. It’s just plain… childish. 

Kudos on the seemingly well thought out and presented review. I would be interested to see your comparisons with other currently available sims. 

”
Besides as I said, you seem to be blind to the fact that the issue with your post was your disrespectful attitude.  Apart from that I really don’t care one way or the other about the points you made in the post.” 

its a bit strange to me to ignore the logical content of someone’s post just because you disagree with there tone. 

I think pastor made some good points regardless of  attitude. 

In general if I am getting advice about a product I would like that advice to come from a expert in that field , sumone who can put the product through its passes , or someone that can clearly offer factually non subjective information about the products. 

I would encorage doug to try and me more origonal with his reviews as in some ways allot of his content is already covered by ISR to a higher standard. 

But his point about people making there own videos is valid and if in the end doug enjoys making the videos then fair enough.

Another good analogy , topgear can sometimes be entertaining it can really suffer as a car review program compared to say 5th gear or Chris harris’s videos. Personaly i would like it more if doug when reviewing hard ware went into more specific detail or filmed him using it in a way that gives more clues as to its performance.  

For what its worth, I’m a relative newcomer to Racing Sims and an extreme noobie at rFactor(only been at it for a week now), it was these reviews that Doug did that got me to get rFactor. I have been involved in pCARS for longer and both of Slightly Mads older NFS:Shift series(which is a blend between Arcade and Sim as most here would attest).

Why did I just now get rFactor after playing/driving newer titles? Well Doug said it himself in the video. To use it as a comparison. Too see how far PC Sim Racers have come. Also I like a challenge. After watching both video’s back to back, getting rFactor installed and then coming here I went on the hunt for any info or help on getting better FFB in rFactor. And like any well built online community of modders I found the info I needed.

 Doug,
Thank you for your video’s. I found them informative. And if not for them I wouldn’t have even bothered with rFactor and stay’d in my world of pCARS. :)

 To those bashing and picking of much nits,
One thing runs common in all of the bashing remarks. You are the well versed and as such did NOT need to watch the video’s. Your view is already tainted vs. mine and others like me who never have touched rFactor. I believe what your reaction should have been after viewing them was, “Oh, this is for newbies, carry on.” Some of you need to learn to be a bit more apathetic and learn some manners. At the least learn how to give constructive feed back. I’m also willing to bet that you that blasted Doug in these comments would never, ever, had the balls(pardon my expletive) to talk to him face to face that way.

Also wanted to point out that some one like me that is new to the community comes along and see’s this stuff and goes, “Great, another community of knuckle dragging neanderthals. Why did I come here?” Your good or bad actions reflect on the community believe it or not. I used to live in Culver City CA. You know what we automatically assumed about those that lived to the South in Compton? We thought they were all Black gang bangers. I was proved wrong, eventually. You see were I’m going with this? Be respectful and helpful and you won’t be labeled a troll.