Ok, so far I've only driven Belgium on 1960 formulas. In fact, I think I bought the beta just to drive these old cars. But there's something intriguing about online racing with the 60's... everyone seems to be trying to learn how to drive the F1 online (not offline). When I started to play rF2, I too picked the F1 (offline at first), and then after getting more comfortable, did some online races. Won two, lost all the rest (first curve crash, DNQ, suspension, etc - yes, those beasts are hard to drive and the best strategy to win is to start at the end of the grid). The ones I won I just drove more carefully, not flat out at every corner. So, realizing that F1 public races always end in one or two cars racing after two laps, followed by endless "race restarts" or a boring empty track (similar to racing against the clock), I jumped to the less powerful F2, and I found that it is slightly slower than the F1, but a lot more forgiving and easy to drive - and thus it would do for nice online races (close and clean). Too bad that no one seems to be trying it. Fact is that every single server running Belgium that I enter, people are picking F1 only! And then, races have (normally) only 2 laps worth (time needed for everyone to kiss a pole or fence, get airborne and go visiting horses and cows at the side of the track). Today, I did two races using F2 against a pack of F1. Result: one win, one second place! On a F2!! The point is "consistency over raw speed. Public servers are known to be "more inclined" to havoc, so why there are so few people racing the F2 instead the F1? Fewer accidents would lead to closer races and more finishes (less restarts) and tracks full of cars instead of just two or three separated by a mile, racing totally alone after two laps...
This is all valid info. It's not uncommon to watch inexperienced drivers get in over their heads with the more powerful cars. I usually watch as they go 'flying' ahead at the start...only to pick up the places as I 'blast' past the still smoldering wrecks.
If this was FB, I'd like the OP's topic! One flaw with the Beta is that you see that the server is running 60's Formula cars.... I wish we could set it for F3, F2 or F1 and that way we could join the formula we want to and not have to be concerned with racing against higher formula cars.
I'm the exact opposite in that I haven't driven any of the old cars and I haven't driven anything on Spa or Monaco yet. I got into the beta for the Meganes and the rTrainer.
You're missing out man!! I was more interested in the modern content too, but after driving the Classic Formula cars, especially the F2 as the F1 is a handful, all I can say is wow. Fun fun fun!!! BTW: I live close to you. I'm up in Federal Way.
I'm sure I'll try the '60s cars in the coming months, but I've always hated cars like that in previous games. The front ends are always too floaty and understeery for my tastes.
There are two things every man thinks he's good at: driving and sex. I assume rF2 is mostly played by males, hence the desire to jump directly into the F1 car. It's kinda funny, but kind of sad...online races always seem like enduros, who can keep running the longest! I was determined to get consistent with the F1, and now I can actually run around 3:27 for a few laps without dying...but now that I have reached this level of "basic competency", I hardly ever see anyone at my level to drive with
since I could die tomorrow I dont waste time to drive a car I dont want. I drove f1 crashed sometimes and now I can beat other f1. simple. its not about the speed. people forget to brake and think this is NFS. and with F1 cars when they realize that need to brake its too late. that's what I like about f1, it can separate the good and less good. If you got the eye and the sense when to brake before dont need to go with f3 then f2 then f1.
No tire scrub sounds in the F2 and 3 and that's why I dont' drive them. I know there is a fix for the issue but to be honest I don't like the fix. Only in the F3 can I get around monaco at a decent pace.
To the OP, I think you are right on. Most people can't handle the F1 car, and most people can't handle turn 1 anywhere on any sim. Put those two together at Spa, and you get some funny race starts!! Actually, pretty pathetic, but I digress... I've said after the first week, that I think the sweet spot for the Historical cars will be the F2 car. Thye're actually excellent and fun to drive and should yield to good/great online racing. I ran F2's at Spa all last week and was great fun. For F1 cars, you need to be racing with people you know that are capable. I don't think pickup races with the F1 car are going to be very successful, but I hope I'm wrong. Right now I'm running F3's at Monaco and having an absolute blast. Three wides into T1 with the AI are just awesome! Loooking forward to see how these run on a more classical track/circuit. Mills and Portugal are fun, but no one races them online. Monza (high banks?), Kyalami, Zandy, etc should be better for online racing as well. Getting all excited just thinking about it! lol
The same answer to why the Gran Turismo 5 servers are crowded with Redbulls X1.... Some people think, the faster the better... and forget about quality and fun. I prefer one valid and clean race over a thousand destruction derby races..
So, so true. At one particular online race I was driving in RF1 in Le Mans I'd taken P3 on the grid but I got a good start. Instantly row one bunched up either side of me and someone else joined the fray too as we headed down to the first chicane. I knew where this was headed, dabbed the brakes fifty meters early and watched them roar away... only to take each other off in to the gravel whilst I swept past and claimed P1. On tracks where others were unavoidable however... Trois was one of my favorite RF1 tracks and we raced there frequently. I usually managed to claim P3 or so on the grid but I never once finished lap 2 higher than 8th as some idiot would either crash in front of me and then reverse blindly back in to my path or someone would roar past a braking point and collect me. I just don't get why people are so over-eager - perhaps they don't realise what extra fuel weight and cold tyres and brakes mean for them or perhaps they think if they just want it hard enough that turn'll suddenly be 4th gear rather than 3rd. I once had an eight lap battle with someone in the Meganes because whilst they were faster just the sight of another car and the idea of overtaking made them overshoot braking points and sail past apexes so every single time they passed I just cut back in and swept under them. They would find at least one slow corner to overtake me on every lap... and then instantly run wide and allow me back in to the lead. Every time. For eight laps.
the best solution is join a league, and play organised events. most leagues have a practice night in the week for that track and everyone posts lap times/practices. in the race, you are essentially banned from the league if you do something insanely stupid a couple of times. all incidents are reviewed by server admin and its all taken v seriously, and the lead guys are quick. F1 cars are extremely hard to drive compared to everything else so to jump into them first is just plain dumb. work your way up its much much more rewarding. extracting pace from the megane is just as fun if not more so at times. i managed a 2nd and a few thirds in the league and led a couple of races for a while. it was fantastic fun. getting your launch control right off the line and avoiding any mayhem at first corner was paramount, much like in a real race. good stuff. i was playing in 'the older gamers league' (im only 30 lol still older i suppose). I was playing on a momo setup and had the tissue-under-brake-pedal mod happening and pumped the brake pedal as there were no assists. the g27 looks much better in that regard (brake pedal). and it tought you a bit about car setup too if you didnt already know, since you needed to work on your setup throughout the week until the race was on. it was extremely rewarding to develop a setup, play in practice, improve your setup, then place 2nd/3rd in a 16 player F1 race. love rfactor for that side of things. and LOL at 2 posts above saying now i can drive F1, no , now you can beat other total n00bs at f1, if you havent spent a full league season developing setups for each track and competing at a high level, you shouldnt consider yourself to have mastered anything. youd be shocked how fast some people are and just how much faster you can be even when someone is there competitively pushing you beyond your prev limits. and if driver skill matters to you at all, there'll be no aids on in the F1..and really, something like an F360 with tyres coming off the boil halfway around the nurburgring with an army of other ferraris and porsches up your bum, that is far more demanding of skill. F1 requires mental recalibration due to the extreme speed but once youve made the adjustment the cars themselves are obviously phenomonal and not as much of a challenge as some others. except in a high level league race.
That's the spirit! People must first participate in such event to realize how fun is to drive a race to the end. Slower cars allow it for the "general public", because they provide more control for those who doesn't have time (or doesn't want) to practice a lot. Also, to drive slower cars requires different skills than driving a very powerful one, because "energy conservation" plays a major role during the race - hence driving smooth and clean is even more important. I agree too that to participate in a league is a solution, but only for those who can afford "consistent spare time" during the week. Every now and then I do occasional racing with friends (LAN). It would be nice to find a server filled with those who replied to this thread, too. I bet it would be a good race.
