Hey Peeps,

Finally have S2 Licensed

Now just have to learn the rest of the tracks and cars and get racing!! I'm now on the hunt for a wheel, currently i'm using a mouse and semi-auto gears (manually shifting down, but auto shift up) which isn't too bad, my laps in XFG around blackwood are currently mid-low 1:36 so still a couple of seconds to shave off but i feel that will come down with the benefits of a wheel and pedals

I haven't yet dived into LFS online but once I have learnt the tracks and cars I will be! Are there any ways of telling which servers will have decent drivers on? Hope this makes sense, many racing games i've played in the past have servers full of people who cannot race, crash into people and drive backwards!

Finally, back to the subject of wheels...i've read all the reviews and comments on all the different wheels available and understand that the G25 is the way to go, however i'm on a budget and can't quite afford that! I've the choice of either MOMO, Thrustmaster RGT or Saitek R440...now do i go for clutch (thrustmaster) or one of the other 2? I'm guessing everyone is going to say MOMO of DFP!!!!!!!

Cheers

Rob

bealesracing - coming to a LFS server near you soon

Congrats
welcome
enjoy!

Server quality is varied and changeable, can also depend on what time you race online. 11:30pm UK time on Friday catches the drunks coming back from the pub, that can be fun dodging the wrecks. Best thing to do is jump in and try for yourself.

It's true - it varies. Some of the most popular servers have the worst drivers although usually the standard in the CTRA servers is pretty good.

My GFC server is always populated by very clean friendly racers but often it lies empty. However, if you connect there is a good chance someone will join you. We all don't mind sharing setups and are all very friendly because most of us compete in the GFC - see www.gentlefoot.com for more info.

Try all the cars and then choose one to specialise in. That way you will get to know when you have a good set or a bad one. The FOX is a great beginners car. Very easy to drive with a good set. There are plenty of sets for it in the downloads section of my website.

Hope to see ya round mate.

Quote from bealesracing :

Are there any ways of telling which servers will have decent drivers on? Hope this makes sense, many racing games i've played in the past have servers full of people who cannot race, crash into people and drive backwards!

Whats your definition of "decent"? If it does not mean ultra-fast, but fair and sportive, then my advice is: Avoid joining servers with more than 14 racers on it, especially when you´re not yet used to LFS online racing.
Popular and "overpopulated" servers attract a lot of people who cannot race, things get worse in the afternoon/evening, "rush hours".

I guess you´ll have to make those experiences on your own..


Anyway, have fun with S2 and never lose patience

Welcome to S2!

Thanks guys for your words of wisdom

Quote :

Whats your definition of "decent"? If it does not mean ultra-fast, but fair and sportive, then my advice is: Avoid joining servers with more than 14 racers on it, especially when you´re not yet used to LFS online racing.
Popular and "overpopulated" servers attract a lot of people who cannot race, things get worse in the afternoon/evening, "rush hours".

By decent, I didn't necessarily mean fast...just kind, considerate and good racers who know the rules and are there to have fun racing!

Quote :

Try all the cars and then choose one to specialise in. That way you will get to know when you have a good set or a bad one. The FOX is a great beginners car. Very easy to drive with a good set. There are plenty of sets for it in the downloads section of my website.

Thanks for the advice, I will probably start with the FOX or simular as i'm very keen on open wheel racing! I'll give your setups a go and see what sort of laptimes I can do (nice website by the way )

Quote :

Server quality is varied and changeable, can also depend on what time you race online. 11:30pm UK time on Friday catches the drunks coming back from the pub, that can be fun dodging the wrecks. Best thing to do is jump in and try for yourself.

Seems like it's just a case of log on and see what's what then! Saying that, if I log on against the drunks I might have a chance of winning lol!

Cheers,

Rob

If you can't (or don't want to) get a G25, get a DFP. Don't bother pissing around with the Momo or Thrustmaster wheels or whatever, just get a DFP. Seriously.

I also disagree with the stuff about driving the FOX first. It's so easy to drive that it doesn't really teach you anything about driving the harder cars. One advantage of it is that it's easy to find populated FOX servers online, but if you're practicing offline I would stick with cars like the XRT and LX4 to get a good feel for car control.

The XRT is pretty heavy and a bit unpredictable under power because of the laggy turbo. The LX4 can be a bit twitchy at first but because it's light, well-balanced and has a sensible amount of power for the grip it's got, it rewards good driving. If you get your confidence up in the LX4 you're ready for anything.

hey i have a Saitek R440 bought from ccl computers a few months ago, very impressed so far, nice feed back from the wheel once it is setup properly. It is plasticy but it has a nice solid feel to it. I poured coffee on my wheel (by accident) and it still works fine . The pedals aint too bad either, good buy on a low budget.

Quote from Rdcranno :

I poured coffee on my wheel (by accident) and it still works fine .

You don't take sugar then

Yay I can say this for once...

WELCOME TO S2!!! You're gonna love it, but kiss your social life goodbye

See you on the tracks!
~Bryan~

Quote from thisnameistaken :

If you can't (or don't want to) get a G25, get a DFP. Don't bother pissing around with the Momo or Thrustmaster wheels or whatever, just get a DFP. Seriously.

Do the rest feel the same way. Cos I had the old logitech formula force previously for a couple of years from my time with GP2. I had always been thinking about getting a better wheel but never got round to it cos it isnt cheap. Finally a friend happened to want to give up his momo so i got it from him and gave my FF to another friend. I think its better than the FF but have never tried the G25 so wouldnt know if its worth getting cos its a hell of a lot more expensive.

Quote from dropin_biking :

Yay I can say this for once...

WELCOME TO S2!!! You're gonna love it, but kiss your social life goodbye

See you on the tracks!
~Bryan~

my social life went up.

about steering wheels. my momo is fantastic and hasn't broken. (yet)

I had a MOMO for the first year but then had the well documented peddle problems. I replaced it with a G25. The feedback is more refined, it feels more solid and ofcourse you have the H-Shifter and a clutch. It's done plenty of mileage and there are no signs of wear as yet. The only issue I have with the G25 is the lack of buttons actually on the wheel itself. Only 2 - I use for look left and right. The MOMO had 6 buttons on the wheel so I had my pitlane speed limiter on there, light flash and horn.

I mainly drive the FOX so I don't use the H-Shifter that often. This means I use the keyboard for the other options which is a shame.

I would buy the G25 wheel, as when you look at it the build quality makes the wheels worth the price it is - you can pick them up for between £120 and £150 now!

However the big problem for me is space, only in a small house so not really got anywhere to store the G25 while it's not in use!
I'll have to do some more research as to what size the boxes are and see what i can fit in the house!

Definately need a wheel though, rear wheel drive cars with the mouse is proving dificult, and the logitech PS2 style pad I have isn't brilliant and I find myself correcting the back end sliding from too much steering!

I want a wheel Roll on pay day

Rob

Quote from bealesracing :

However the big problem for me is space, only in a small house so not really got anywhere to store the G25 while it's not in use!

Rob

I just stick mine under the desk when it's not in use along with the peddles. As I mentioned, I tend not to use the H-shifter.

Do it mate - you won't regret it

Quote from bealesracing :

However the big problem for me is space, only in a small house so not really got anywhere to store the G25 while it's not in use!

Are you living in a cardboard box? :ices_rofl

Anyhow, the G25 isn't bigger than other wheels and the shifter is maybe 1/3 - 1/2 as big as the wheel. When I don't need the wheel I simply move it to the left and let it clamped on the table, though that obviously depends on the space you have available on it. But if you really wanna know the size of the box, it's 17.33in x 12.6in x 11.81in, or 44cm x 32cm x 30cm if metric is what you prefer.

Don't try learning all teh cars and tracks. You'll suck at all of them, n be good at none. Instead, pick one car/track combo you like alot, and focus on that, and stick at it till you get within 1 second of WR. Then, you'll find it alot easier picking up any car on any track. Because once your fast in one car, you can be pretty fast in most cars. Thats why real racers can switch series and still do well.