I'm new to all this. I'm doubting a LOT. If I'll buy a wheel I want to go for a good one, so I won't have to upgrade in a couple of years. I also want a game which won't cost too much but still has an active community and great physics. I was thinking about buying the Thrustmaster t300 GT edition (includes the t3pa pedals) for around $350. And rFactor 2. I have actually just bought rf2 but I don't have a wheel yet. I have played it an hours with controller now and to be honest it doesn't looks good at all. I know the devs are currently working dx11 and new UI though, which sound good. Iracing isn't an option at the moment. I'm not willing to pay every year / 2 years to play. Does anyone have opinions and tips & tricks for a beginner? Is the wheel and game something you'd recommend, or are there better options? How does multiplayer work in this game? Can I join a server and race, or do I need to sign up for organized races? How do I sign up for organized races, and is it free? I'm not totally new to sim racing though. I have played Motocross simulators basically my whole life. I know how much time I need to spend into the game to get somewhat decent. Thanks in advance.
Welcome, good reports from friends l know with that wheel so for the price a good choice . There is a beta DX 11 version of the game which eventually will be the standard and vastly improves graphics ( not all cars and tracks have been updated to DX 11 at present) mp is not hugely populated outside leagues but no doubt numbers will increase eventually.. leagues are very good for regular races and practice sessions leading up to races often populated.. to find leagues google is your friend or online section of these forums ..leagues are almost always free to join and attend races . Enjoy
At the moment you have to go with organized league-races as bwana said. But it´s all free in 95% of the cases. Many free mods there also! Please send your PC-specs so we can tell you what you can expect from DX11-version. For community: well it´s a niche. rF2 is not very popular. But all in all it´s stable. Will be more maybe when all major updates are through.
DX11 is already here and is a few months mature now, so my advice is to switch to the DX11 beta branch, unless you are very keen on using certain DX9 plugins. T300 is an excellent choice, much better than Logitech wheels at same price, but not much worse than Fanatec and other enthusiast wheels, but at a fraction of a price from those.
Hi Sandbiter, I use Fanatec equipment on my rig but have heard very good reports on Thrustmaster kit from friends who use it. You have asked about the quality of the sim. The answer, I'm afraid, is very subjective, it really depends on what you're looking for. RF2 is a simulator not an arcade driving game and it caters for a wide range of interests (karts, open wheelers, GT, production cars, stock cars etc) I find that, once driving, the graphics are not as important as the "feel" for immersion. RF2 is, in my opinion, one of the best sims with regard to the feedback you get from the car and can be enjoyed on most sim hardware. You can adjust most parameters on the cars (depending on the mod you drive) such as suspension, tyres, brake ducts, aero, gear ratios, fuel mixture.....the list goes on, this also changes the way you have to drive to get the most from the car. The physics are arguably the best in any sim. With DX11 being worked on there have been some significant changes to the graphics, most of which have been positive, so this may have greater appeal to those of us who find that the visuals are the greatest value for immersion. (other people will have differing opinions on what is highest priority for them). The rF2 community is quite large and it's relatively easy to find friends within it. If you turn up at practice sessions on open league servers and chat to the regulars and members you will generally find them very welcoming and helpful for learning tricks and tips and good driving skills / manners the best setups etc. I hope you get plenty of feedback to your inquiry and enjoy the experience that is rF2.
Thanks guys, I appreciate your replies. Been playing rF2 for a couple of hours already now! Don't have the wheel yet, so I've been enjoying it with my 360 controller for now. I'm also starting to get a feel for some cars now and I'll try and get into the suspension settings etc soon. The last few days I've been playing multiplayer at Silverstone. It seems like that's the only server with some actual people in it which doesn't require a password. Be sure to say hi when you see me online! Once I've decided to buy the t300 I'll check out some organized league-races. Should be a lot of fun. @peterchen My pc specs are: windows 7 home premium - 64 bit Intel core i5-3550 CPU @3.30GHz 3.70GHz 8GB RAM Geforce GTX 660 ti
T300rs here,had it a few years now,I have tried t500 fanatec v2 and all the dd wheels,and I can honestly say,there's no need to spend more than the t300 of you can't get a dd wheel. Yes v2s are better but not 3x the price better and I'd go as far as to say they are a side step. That being said if you're not sure you will stick at sim racing then the Logitech dfgt is an excellent wheel for the money,I miss my dfgt,Lol
