Forza 6 / Sim Racing / Lime Rock / Porsche
 

So, I (finally) upgraded to an XBOX ONE compatible wheel and have been playing Forza Motorsport 6. While I'm not thrilled with the force feedback or sound (Forza 4 was better IMO), the realism and graphics are pretty damn good. I also added some stereo transducers to my seat/racing frame which really adds to the experience.

The game did not come with any Porsche cars, due to a Porsche licensing issue with a Forza competitor. (An add-on pack $$$ was added for Horizon 2, which was really cool. But Horizon is more of an arcade game, whereas Forza is more of a simulator game.) But the good news is that it appears a similar Porsche pack is coming soon for Forza 6!!! March 1 is hopefully the date. The list of cars isn't set yet, but I am hoping at a minimum it will have the new Boxster GTS or Spyder. I'm also hoping for an older 986, but it's rumored to be ~20 cars so I'm not banking on it. Forza 3 was the last to have a 986.

Anyway, one of the cool new tracks in FM6 is Lime Rock Park, which I love. I've never been on the actual track, but I am signed up for a DE event in April, so I'm pretty excited to be able to 'practice' in the meantime. In Forza I've been driving an MR2 as well as my new favorite car, the Ferrari Dino 246 GT. Mid-engine, 6-cyl, 195 HP and ~2300 pounds. While there are some supercars in this game, I cannot get enough of the Dino for somewhat obvious reasons.

So, I cannot wait for the Porsche pack to arrive in the next few weeks, which will only suck up more time that I don't have. But it's really enjoyable, especially when it's freezing out, and/or bad weather for driving a real car. Oh, and I can have a few single malts at night and not worry about any damage I do to the Ferrari F40 or a vintage Lotus!

(For those interested, I have a Fanatec wheelbase with P1 Xbox One wheel, Clubsport V2 pedals and CS shifter, and a GTR metal racing frame with my own sport seat. My DIY wood frame is in the garage now. I'm also happy to see that Assetto Corsa is coming to XBOX in April. That is a great sim on PC, hopefully it translates well to console. But again, no Porsche...maybe just some Ruf.)

I'm still on Forza 3 for the Boxster and because I have the fanatec Porsche GT2 wheel which isn't compatible with Xbox 1. I heard that new pack is going to have VIR too :) might be time to update my wheel :)

There is a Porsche pack available for Forza 5. I love the franchise and play it to death :-)

JPL, there are no Porsche cars available in FM5, just two or three Rufs.

Steve....yes, VIR w/the Porsche pack will be very tempting. Even though there isn't a 986, I highly recommend FM4....you can probably pick up a copy for $8 but would still need to purchase the Porsche DLC, which I think (hope) is still available. I still have my GT2 wheel, and hope to make a Forza 4 triple screen setup as well, once I figure out how to rig up a sturdy, swap able wheel mount.

The Logitech wheel and pedals (all three pedals!) for Xbox one occasionally go on sale for $350...it's not too bad. Especially compared with a $1000+ similar setup from Fanatec (who are rumoured to be releasing a lower cost XB-One setup in the next few months).

The Porsche's as a whole do not handle like the real cars do in that game. I was very disappointed in the Boxster, which is almost un-drivable if you add any performance upgrades.

Forza 6 adds Watkins Glen, Limerock, Circuit if the Americas. Unfortunatly not VIR
Monza, Hockenheim, Brand Hatch, and Rio

You are right, my bad, it was Forza 4 :-)

Let's see your racing rigs
 

Here's mine. There's a 12 volt power supply under the seat so the recline function works. The slider mechanism is also installed for front-back adjustment. The wheel is Fanatec and can be adjusted up-down and forward-backward. The pedal platform has three positions of tilt.

http://members.shaw.ca/mtharris/simchair.jpg

http://members.shaw.ca/mtharris/chair1.jpg

http://members.shaw.ca/mtharris/chair3.jpg

I have been driving Miata's on iRacing.

Its quite challenging and its pretty close to the real thing, so you cant do any dumb tricks to sneak around the track. Outside of practice mode, if you hit other cars you get seriously dinged on points and after too many crashes with other cars you are restricted to practice sessions for a while so as not to be a nuisance to other drivers. No crash derbies allowed.

It also has adjustments for car geometry and tires so you can tweak things just like the real thing.

Its a great way to learn how different geometry changes effect handling and speed.
May actually help you with real car setups as you get a better understanding of how it all interacts.

I come in dead last most times just like I would in a real car race, but I am learning the importance of finishing, and driving your own race, picking your passing very carefully after observing the other drivers patterns and not trying to keep up, which usually results in going off road or crashing for me.

Its exciting and on those laps where I was actually starting to do better I realized that I was actually learning useful skills for the real thing as well.

There is driving line and auto shifting assistance for when your just starting out since you can overheat your motor and blow it, the tires and wear are also modeled so you notice when the tires are hot and get more sticky and after too many laps you notice the tires starting to loose some grip, but you can pit and get new tires, adjust inflation pressures etc.

I think they had a RUF Porsche to drive as well.

I like the road courses and leave the ovals to the Nascar folks. I tried it and it seemed to not require nearly as much driving skill, and is rather boring.

http://members.shaw.ca/mtharris/chair1.jpg

awesome sauce, cool set-up, Mark_T...especially the seat :cheers:

I have been a "casual" sim racer ever since Grand Prix 2
More than happy with Assetto Corsa (PC), waited a long time for such a SIM (love their laser scanned tracks).
Fanatec CSW V2 / Pedals V2 / Shifter V1.5 / official Porsche 918 RSR wheel...I should bolt that one on my Boxster :D
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1455924380.jpg

OOP's your right 3 RUF's it's been a while. The Porsches were just in Forza 4

Porsche DLC now available for Forza 6 :-)

No bloody boxsters though :-(

1955 Porsche 550A Spyder
1957 Porsche 356A Speedster
1960 Porsche 718 RS 60
1970 Porsche 914/6
1982 Porsche 911 Turbo 3.3
1987 Porsche #17 Racing Porsche AG 962c
1987 Porsche 959
1989 Porsche 944 Turbo
1998 Porsche #26 Porsche AG 911 GT1 98
2003 Porsche Carrera GT
2004 Porsche 911 GT3
2008 Porsche #7 Penske Racing RS Spyder Evo
2011 Porsche #45 Flying Lizard 911 GT3 RSR
2012 Porsche 911 GT2 RS
2012 Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 (997)
2012 Porsche Cayenne Turbo
2014 Porsche 911 Turbo S
2014 Porsche 918 Spyder
2015 Porsche #19 Porsche Team 919 Hybrid
2015 Porsche Macan Turbo
2015 Porsche Cayman GTS

Gran Turismo > Forza :)

Agreed. I don't play video games, but got my son Forza 5 when I bought him the Xbox One. I can't believe so many like this game. I thought it was beyond terrible. The physics and mechanics feel sluggish and low class.
Gran Turismo is a classic...let's not forget the great music. ;)

OH MY GOD. My point exactly! On other forums I see people bashing on Gran Turismo game physics all the time about how crap it is..... but let's not forget about how GT Academy takes Gran Turismo gamers and have them compete toe to toe IRL against pro drivers.

I have every version of both Gran Turismo and Forza. I enjoy them both. However, for me, in the current versions of them, Forza provides a greater sense of speed and overall is more fun.

No 986's, but since I usually drive in hood view, the mid-engined 550, 718 and Cayman do the trick

Been having a blast the last two weeks driving all the new cars. The 550 or 718 around VIR is so much fun.