Archmaille

Genius makes a decent twin motor vibration feedback racing wheel… but before I discovered that I got one of these from Genius trying to get my cousin into playing some racing games with me! Uh… yeah… ForceFeedback strength is very low, if it works at all. It clanks and makes a lot of noises that makes you think it’s going to fall apart too! No, you get just as much sensation with the Genius vibration feedback wheel… so I would say don’t waste the extra money. If you’re looking for a super cheap easy way to get into racing games grab a Genius vibration feedback wheel… it’ll serve you better in my opinion

written by Archmaille

Needless to say, some of the recent game titles that have been hyped up for months have turned out to be complete busts in the fun zone. I think the gaming industry is taking too many cues from Hollywood in hopes to become the predominate form of entertainment in America. The lack of creativity is astounding, so many refreshes of old games, series that never die, and lackluster use of new technology. I play most of my games online with my cousin, and if I don’t play with him I just don’t play a game much. So I was looking for a way to get my cousin into racing games… I bought him Grid because it’s the most fun racing game I’ve ever played. The crashes are spectacular, even if you can take more damage that you would in real life… and the driving is the perfect mix of realistic and simplified arcade like features. Anyways… I knew it was the perfect game for him. Grid as a racing game is simply fun, it’s not always my racing game of choice, especially when I’m looking for more realism, but it does a great job of keeping you around, and keeping things fun. Even with a somewhat skimpy track and car selection at times the game is still astoundingly fun!

I still have high hopes for a Grid 2, they could keep the game very similar to what it is now, just give me a few more cars, and some more tracks. Especially the crash derby races! In addition to the two tracks that are there now give me a dirt track with big jumps, and wash board sections that make you fight to stay on the track… and a more open arena. Then add 2 other cars to choose from. That would complete the demolition derby for most people I think… Then just expand the game in general, 5 or 6 more tracks, and 10 – 15 more cars… Most of this stuff would be perfectly acceptable (to me) to be released in content packs… but being an older game I doubt that would come to fruition. Before Codemasters picked up the F1 series they said they were going to do a Grid 2… but now with the dirt series, and the F1 series… I doubt they have the time for such a venture… Would be nice to see for those of us that prefer a fun game with a mixed bag of cars and events… not a huge fan of the F1 and Dirt games because you don’t seem to get enough variety.

written by Archmaille

After 2 years, and over 200 hours of gameplay on my Fanatec 911 Porsche wheel it’s developed some really odd quirks… working on fixing some of them, and it’s going well at times… but while I get some money together to build a fiberglass box around my wheel to mount some fans to I got the cheapest replacement I could find. The Genius Twin Vibration Feedback F1 Racing Wheel is a great stand in. The wheel is a bit small, and it’s not force feedback (vibration feedback) but for a cheap wheel that’s better… you don’t want a force feedback cheap wheel, they break too easily. Heck I paid $200 for my FF wheel and it is now having over heating issues. Just for a cheap racing wheel though I really like this Genius Twin Vibration Feedback F1 Racing Wheel it mounts easily, stays put, and has “lap wings” that allow you to play easily from a couch!!! Seriously there are some insanely expensive wheels that don’t come with lap wings… I mean it only makes sense to me… Anyways looking to try out some digital racing but don’t want to spend a bucket load of money? Get yourself a Genius Twin Vibration Feedback F1 Racing Wheel! I’m gonna keep this one around and let my son play on it when he’s old enough to race against daddy

written by Archmaille

When I first got into racing games it was to get away from playing so many FPS games… I needed an escape that got a little adrenaline rush that did not involve shooting people in the face with a desert eagle It was creating a bit of a violent attitude for me. I figured racing games would be a better release… and for the most part that is correct. I actually became a more careful driver, crashing is no fun, even in a game (it also doesn’t help ya win)… so it taught me how and what to look for in others behavior to detect an accident coming up. However, now that I’ve been playing NFS: Hot Pursuit I’m running into my original problem again it’s a fun game, but I don’t think it should be my main focus with racing games… a game that rewards you for crashing ain’t such a good idea for forming good driving behavior. So it’s back to Grid for me, a good game with realistic crashes

written by Archmaille

Okay, so not really “feelin’ it” today. Kinda programmed myself to have Sundays as my resting time… and I know I did the same thing last Sunday, actually didn’t post anything at all just used some pre-written content. Anyways, don’t have that luxury this time

I’ve been playing NFS: Hot Pursuit (the new one) the last couple of days! Which is nice, I only got to play it an hour before when my pedals crapped out on me… then when I got some Clubsport pedals the game wasn’t working with them. I uninstalled the game, really pissed about spending $50 on it! Just reinstalled it to try it out, and it worked! Also figured with a new driver from Fanatec it was worth a try, don’t know what it was that fixed it, but it works now with the clubsport pedals, so I’m happy. It’s a good game for blowing off steam, I’ve got other racing simulator games that I like, but when I just want a crash ‘em up gimmicky arcade style game it’s awesome! If you loved the original NFS Hot Pursuit, or Cruisin USA this new Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit will be right up your alley! While it’s completely playable from the keyboard, as with all racing games it’s just more fun with a wheel in your hands. Turning seems sluggish (even with 180° turning radius) and you’ve often really gotta crank on the wheel to make sharp turns… it doesn’t really matter too much because you bounce off walls anyways Having some fun toys like spike strips, nitrous, and insane saves from an e-brake slide brings the arcade feel to the 21st century! While the driving isn’t terribly realistic, the gimmicks can actually make it a lot of fun, especially for some friendly competition between peeps online.

written by Archmaille

Colin McRae: Dirt 2 (known as just Dirt 2 outside of Europe) is a racing game released in September 2009, and is the sequel to Colin McRae: Dirt. This is the first game in the McRae series since his death in 2007. It was announced on 19 November 2008 and features the late Colin McRae as well as Ken Block and Travis Pastrana. The game features many new race-events, including stadium events. Along with the player, a mobile home car travels from one event to another, and serves as ‘headquarters’ for the player. It features a roster of contemporary off-road events, taking players to diverse and challenging real-world environments. The game takes place over four continents: Asia, Europe, Africa and North America. The game includes five different event types: rally, rally cross, trailblazer, land rush and raid. This World Tour sees players competing in multi-car and solo races at new locations, from canyon racing and jungle trails to city stadium-based events, and also includes a new multiplayer mode.

A demo of the game was released on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Marketplace on 20 August 2009. The demo appeared for the PC on November 29 2009, it features the same content as the console demo with the addition of higher graphic settings and a benchmark tool.

Colin McRae: Dirt 2 is an official sponsor of Ken Block, Travis Pastrana and Dave Mirra of the Subaru Rally USA.

Dirt 2 will be one of the earliest games to launch with DirectX 11.

I was one of the lucky people to get a free CD key for Dirt 2 buy purchasing one of the new 5000 series ATI video cards. The game will be available for download from Steam as soon as the game is launched. Get your own Dirt 2 CD Key today!

I’ve found that the best way to get a Colin McRae: Dirt 2 CD Key is through legitimate means, that way you don’t have the hassle of illegal software, or the worry of malware.

written by Archmaille

For Christmas Rose is going to get me a racing wheel. Going for the Fanatec Porsche 911 Turbo wheel, it’s pretty much awesome with great force feedback even in the pedals, and a 6 speed shifter (very important to me! What’s the point of a driving sim if it doesn’t feel like you’re driving?) Anyways I also wanted to build a computer gaming chair / racing sim. So this is the concept I’ve come up with! PVC pipe will help me keep the cost down, I’m going to get a PVC welder / bender so that I can make it super strong and get the curves I want. The two light blue sides I want to make out of one piece as with the two green ones on the bottom. Also plan on mounting a 5.1 surround sound setup on here… I’ll post again when I have the full picture. Still working on learning some 3D design things so this is pretty basic, but I’ll get a concept up with the seat and mock up wheel, keyboard, computer, speakers, seat, etc.

written by Archmaille

So I’ve been looking around and the Logitech G27 wheel isn’t the best deal I’ve come across… it’s a nice wheel, but I found another company Fanatec that makes superb wheels and pedals with force feedback… Turns out I can get a much higher quality wheel with more force feedback in the pedals and wheel for $200 instead of the $300 for the G27 plus it comes with two different sets of shifters I’ve heard the 6speed is quite stiff… which is good! Anyways so that is what I’ve been looking at… I also want to get a plastic welder and make a roll cage design gaming chair with PVC pipe! Should be pretty much awesome!

written by Archmaille

I’ve often found myself writing about problems or ideas when I need to make a decision, or think I might be making the wrong decision. I’ve been looking at the Logitech G25 racing wheel for a couple of years now… I distinctly remember when it came out… finally a racing wheel with a 6 speed shifter now THAT is appealing. I know that a lot of people in the racing simulation genre love the sequential shifter because it more closely emulates what is in the cars… That is all fine and dandy, but nothing quite comes close to the feel of a 6 speed H pattern shifter. It makes me feel more like I’m doing something worthwhile as I drive, not just slapping a stick. I’m actually glad I never got the G25 since I’ve heard the shifter is sort of a limp noodle to play with, the G27 is a little firmer which is nice, if nothing else it is a good platform to start from.

Why do I say start from? Well at some point I really want to build a full on racing simulation box/chair I’ve got it planned out pretty well… and when I get bored with the G27 or wear out the shifter I have been considering taking it apart and using the electronics of it and building another shifter box with an actual short throw shifter, pneumatic shifter release (so that it only releases the stick when the clutch pedal is fully depressed), and even a hand brake mounted beside the seat.

My problem with all of this is the question “Do I really want to spend SOOO much money on the G27 just for a six speed shifter especially when I plan on building one myself later on?” So this is where my current conundrum is… I’d like to be able to play some racing simulation games with force feedback… but at what cost? I also definitely want to build my own gaming rig… not just for racing, the seat shakers I plan to mount at the feet and seat would be fun for any game, along with an adjustable bucket seat and roll cage design. I have a trick for how to build it too! Since I don’t know how to weld with metal I was going to build it out of PVC pipe and use a PVC welder to construct most of it.

written by Archmaille