I don't normally post comments in the forum, but I have to say I'm disappointed with this 'Progress Report'. It's the sort of thing politicians do... lots of words but it doesn't actually say anything useful. I find it harder and harder to even bother playing LFS these days. The same old cars, the same old tracks and none of the updates which were imminent so long ago. It gets a bit boring after a while. I've had my monies worth from LFS, no complaints there. But if Scawen and co can't see how much damage they're doing to their own product by forever trying to achieve perfection and not bothering to communicate with potential customers... well, don't be surprised if only a handful of people actually buy S3.
Hope everybody has a happy Xmas.
Gromit
Hope everybody has a happy Xmas.
Gromit
How about a companion for the LX cars and the RA? They don't really have direct comparisons with the other cars in LFS. In real life, you'll find a lot of Lotus Elise/Exige or VX220 cars at trackdays etc. Small, light, hardcore, mid-engined. As long as it handles better than the RA (which wouldn't take much doing!). That would make LFS complete for me.
As somebody who passed their (UK) driving test 20 years ago, and who (puts on flat cap, lights pipe and puts slippers on) passed the RoSPA Advanced drivers test this year, I'll give my tuppence worth.
You can certainly use LFS and other sims to practice certain techniques (I also use GTR2 with the excellent Nurburgring). Choose a practice mode on South City for example, as it has lane markings etc. You can use it to measure limit points for bends, you can learn the benefits of smooth steering (and in the UK) how to smooth out pull/push steering, rather than shuffling the wheel! You can learn what over and understeer are, without hurting yourself or running up large repair bills. You can practice braking in a straight line for bends, getting the right gear in plenty of time without rushing and balancing the car on the throttle as you go round the bends.
Choose a lower powered car and try to drive it as you would expect to on the road. Not at hyperspeed, not at the limits of grip, but smoothly, looking ahead and getting cross views wherever possible. Then try it with an LX4/6 or the RA, which are natrually skittish cars. These will highlight the over-application of the steering, brakes and throttle.
There is no substitute for real driving, and no sim will teach you how to drive, but you can use it to test things you learn on real roads.
IMHO of course.
Have fun and good luck
You can certainly use LFS and other sims to practice certain techniques (I also use GTR2 with the excellent Nurburgring). Choose a practice mode on South City for example, as it has lane markings etc. You can use it to measure limit points for bends, you can learn the benefits of smooth steering (and in the UK) how to smooth out pull/push steering, rather than shuffling the wheel! You can learn what over and understeer are, without hurting yourself or running up large repair bills. You can practice braking in a straight line for bends, getting the right gear in plenty of time without rushing and balancing the car on the throttle as you go round the bends.
Choose a lower powered car and try to drive it as you would expect to on the road. Not at hyperspeed, not at the limits of grip, but smoothly, looking ahead and getting cross views wherever possible. Then try it with an LX4/6 or the RA, which are natrually skittish cars. These will highlight the over-application of the steering, brakes and throttle.
There is no substitute for real driving, and no sim will teach you how to drive, but you can use it to test things you learn on real roads.
IMHO of course.
Have fun and good luck
I have to agree that LFS lacks the feel of a real car's steering vibration. GTR2 just feels more real in that respect. As for sound, I think LFS leaves a lot to be desired. The excellent Caterham mod for GTR2 not only feels more realistic than LFS, it sounds far better too. The sound of the LX6 reminds me of some games from the '80s! It's just too artificial 
A few general tips...
Raise your vision: Look further ahead, rather than 20m ahead. As in real life, you go where you look. The earlier you see something, the more time your brain has to process the info and get it right. Be smooth with the controls, hint at the steering as you approach a bend, rather than turn sharply. Don't slam pedals to the floor, but ease off and apply more gently.
Ian
Raise your vision: Look further ahead, rather than 20m ahead. As in real life, you go where you look. The earlier you see something, the more time your brain has to process the info and get it right. Be smooth with the controls, hint at the steering as you approach a bend, rather than turn sharply. Don't slam pedals to the floor, but ease off and apply more gently.
Ian
Boring as hell? Not really. Just because you don't like it, it doesn't mean that others feel the same. My girlfriend is a chartered public finance accountant. Boring as hell to me... but she loves it (and makes a lot of money in the process!
)I drive offline all the time, because I don't want to race online all the time. I don't drive all the cars, again, because I don't want to. Yes, I want some different cars, and some different tracks. If LFS doesn't give me what I want, then I somewhere that does. Hello GTL/GTR/GTR2 and even (cough... only when desperate) TOCA3 and TDU (cough)
Ian
I appeciate that the Devs want to keep a tight reign on their game, but today I downloaded another 15 tracks for GTR2, some real, some fictional, to go along the excellent 'Ring that I already have for that game. Other games have similar situations. There are people who create tracks for free, just because they love doing it.
Why can't the devs let a small number of people come up with high quality tracks (that perhaps even resemble some real life counterpart) and then vet them. If they are good enough, they can be incorporated in to the game by the devs. If they are not good enough, the devs don't include it. As long as the devs control what goes in, and the tracks are deemed to be royalty free by their creators... where is the harm?
Lets face it, nobody is going to to make a million bucks by selling this software, especially if it starts to lag further behind it's cometitors in the quantity and quality of its cars, tracks and graphics. Let it have an injection of new life until the S2 final comes out.
That way, the devs can hopefully work on that awful AI!
Ian
Why can't the devs let a small number of people come up with high quality tracks (that perhaps even resemble some real life counterpart) and then vet them. If they are good enough, they can be incorporated in to the game by the devs. If they are not good enough, the devs don't include it. As long as the devs control what goes in, and the tracks are deemed to be royalty free by their creators... where is the harm?
Lets face it, nobody is going to to make a million bucks by selling this software, especially if it starts to lag further behind it's cometitors in the quantity and quality of its cars, tracks and graphics. Let it have an injection of new life until the S2 final comes out.
That way, the devs can hopefully work on that awful AI!
Ian
FGED GREDG RDFGDR GSFDG