I'm just wondering how big a following this game has in multiplayer as compared to say GTR 2/RACE WTCC/rFactor...

I'm going to be picking up a G25 racing wheel soon, partly for GT4 on the PS2 and partly for a hard core PC racing sim.. But I don't want to pick up a game that I will have trouble getting some multiplayer action in.. I came here because LFS seems to have the most enthusiastic reviews.. Though GTR 2 and RACE WTCC seem to have more of a following in the US?

Just stick with the demo for a whle and you will see. I don't know how is it with servers in US, but there are many US racers so you shouldn't be bored and alone online.

Quote from Macels :

I'm just wondering how big a following this game has in multiplayer as compared to say GTR 2/RACE WTCC/rFactor...

I'm going to be picking up a G25 racing wheel soon, partly for GT4 on the PS2 and partly for a hard core PC racing sim.. But I don't want to pick up a game that I will have trouble getting some multiplayer action in.. I came here because LFS seems to have the most enthusiastic reviews.. Though GTR 2 and RACE WTCC seem to have more of a following in the US?

You won't be disappointed! One you've joined the LFS community you'll never leave mmwwwhaha.

There are always lots of players online. There are currently 592 Demo racers and 342 licenced players online. This is a quiet time too. Any time from around 21:00BST is much busier.

You won't have trouble finding busy servers with 20 odd people on the grid so long as you are willing to be flexible on car and track choice. I just go where the action is.

I hear that servers can be eerily quiet during regular US-racing times, but I wouldn't really know how much of a problem that is.

Quote from Linsen :

I hear that servers can be eerily quiet during regular US-racing times, but I wouldn't really know how much of a problem that is.

That is true, but that also means that there is a higher percentage of good racers. The STCC servers are great, you rarely see any idiots about. The few US/Canada teams are also very good. There is Core, Blacksheep, Chops, and LOTF of my favorite teams and LFS racers. Noobs have a few US folks (I think, or maybe just th84 is from US?) which have good members. Lots of fun with those folks.

There isn't a huge base of racers from the US, but those I regularly see (and regularly see running on servers I'm personally not interested in, eg. F08 with the LOTA league) are top notch, good racers, and helpful. I rarely see the complete idiots out there on the servers. The North American racer base has been growing slowly in the last few months too.

Ah. Well this game is great I heard s2 is awesome, and I have stuck to DEMO for over a year now, and I am considering getting the full game. Online is what makes this game. And it's really good. You should really try it

I found a friend's crappy old thrustmaster pro digital 2 steering wheel (this thing is ancient) and pedals and played some online action this morning.. Something about this game makes it sooo much more enjoyable than WTCC for me.. The physics and the way the cars react to certain maneuvers is really cool. Now to summon up the courage to dish out 250 bucks for a G25..

Well, an S2 purchase would gently ease open your wallet, thus making the G25 purchase much easier

Oooh G25 Purchase, ouch...

Unless you think you're really going to be using the 3 pedals + shifter and all the other fancy stuff that comes with it. Id recommend a Driving Force Pro (DFP) which is tonnes cheaper and does the job perfectly!

Quote from Macels :

I'm just wondering how big a following this game has in multiplayer as compared to say GTR 2/RACE WTCC/rFactor...

I'm going to be picking up a G25 racing wheel soon, partly for GT4 on the PS2 and partly for a hard core PC racing sim.. But I don't want to pick up a game that I will have trouble getting some multiplayer action in.. I came here because LFS seems to have the most enthusiastic reviews.. Though GTR 2 and RACE WTCC seem to have more of a following in the US?

Last time I looked af rFactor Racecast there was a total of 6 people online in rFactor.

When Europe is awake LFS can hit 1000 players (Demo + S1 + S2). Outside this it it drops to under 200. I am in NZ but still manage to get a race.

LFS and g25 are both definatley worth the money, and don't worry alot about how many people are on.
I get home from school bout 2:30 eastern and can race on a good, populated server (stcc usually) untill
about 11 or midnight, then it gets pretty desolate.

3pm Eastern time (-5gmt) is around the peak user traffic time.

If you're on the west coast and normally play at night, the number of people online can be fairly small. Whereas at peak hours in Europe there can be 1000+ people online, that number can fall to as low as 40-50 during the evening in the Americas. Fortunately, a handful of servers, notably the STCC bronze and copper servers, almost always have enough people for some good online racing even during the lean times.