Comparison of racing simulators

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Please check for inaccuracies, and modify and cite sources as needed.

The following tables compare general and technical information for a number of racing simulators. Please see the individual products' articles for further information. This article is not all-inclusive or necessarily up-to-date.

In each table, the simulators list follow the same order; the ordering is by sim engine and evolution:

Contents

[edit] Physics

[edit] Tire simulation - part 1

Mathematical tire model The whole grip formula is re-calculated at every iteration Uses data from tire manufacturers Dynamic wear Dynamic temperature Dynamic pressure
Grand Prix Legends Milliken & Pacejka "Similarity" Model ? No No Yes Yes
NASCAR 2003 Milliken & Pacejka "Similarity" Model ? Goodyear Yes Yes Yes
Racer Pacejka No Partial 7 No No No
GTR Pacejka-like No 6 Yes[citation needed] Yes Yes Yes
GT Legends Pacejka-like No 6 Michelin, Goodyear, Avon, Dunlop Tyres[citation needed] Yes Yes Yes
GTR 2 Pacejka-like No 6 Yes[citation needed] Yes Yes Yes
Race Pacejka-like No ? Yes Yes Yes
rFactor Pacejka-like No 6 ? Yes Yes Yes
netKar Namie (v0.9.9) Milliken & Pacejka "Similarity" Model 1 Yes ? Yes Yes ?
netKar Pro (v1.0) Pacejka 96 full model 2 Yes Avon Yes Yes Yes
Live for Speed (S2) Own System 3 Yes No Yes Yes9 Yes
Richard Burns Rally Own System 3 Yes Michelin and Pirelli No Yes Yes5
Driver's Republic ? ? ? ? ? ?
Virtual Grand Prix 2 Quasi-finite elements Yes Avon Yes Yes Yes

Note 1: with several modifications.[citation needed]

Note 2: "plus some integration for dynamic behaviour for the quick spinning on the Y axis of the tire (quick steer)".[1]

Note 3: similar to models like "string model", "spring model", "brush model", "slip model".[citation needed]

Note 5: tire pressure set at the setup before driving.

Note 6: interpolated lookup tables.

Note 7: All cars available for Racer are user created, so the source of the Pacejka data varies from car to car. There are several manufacturer-sourced Pacejka parameter sets that are commonly used.

[edit] Tire simulation - part 2

Flat spots Flat spots produce physics-derived force feedback Number of flat spot points Dirt on tire affects grip Being off the racing line affects grip Deformations of rolling tires that affect handling Blistering Graining
Grand Prix Legends No No No No No No No No
NASCAR 2003 No No No No Yes No No No
Racer No No No No No No No No
GTR No No No No Yes No No No
GT Legends No No No No Yes No No No
GTR 2 No No No No Yes No No No
Race No No No No Yes No No No
rFactor No No No No No No No No
netKar Namie (v0.9.9) No No No Yes Yes No ? ?
netKar Pro (v1.0) Yes No10 No10 Yes No No ? ?
Live for Speed (S2) Yes Partial8 489 Yes No Yes No No
Richard Burns Rally No No No No No ?4 ? ?
Driver's Republic ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Virtual Grand Prix 2 No No No Yes Yes Yes No No

Note 4: tire data files show parameters related to tire wall deformation, and is likely to have been implemented.

Note 8: Flatspots can be felt through force feedback in extreme cases through corners.

Note 9: Each tire has 48 independent sampling points for heat and wear.[2] The 48 sections per tire are arranged as 3 across the width of the tire by 16 along the circumference of the tire.

Note 10: Removed in version 1.0.2


[edit] Suspensions

Wishbone component Strut bar component Axle component monoshock component Trailing arms Double wishbone multilink Front MacPherson strut Rear MacPherson strut (Chapman strut)
Grand Prix Legends Yes Yes No ? No Yes No No No
NASCAR 2003 Yes ? Yes ? No Yes No No No
Racer No No No No Partial 1 Partial 1 Partial 1 Partial 1 Partial 1
GTR Yes ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
GT Legends Yes ? ? ? ? Yes ? ? ?
GTR 2 Yes ? ? ? ? Yes ? ? ?
Race ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
rFactor Yes ? ? ? ? Yes Support for 4-link rear suspension ? ?
netKar Namie (v0.9.9) Yes No Yes ? No Yes No No No
netKar Pro (v1.0) Yes Yes Yes Yes ? Yes approximated as wishbone + dynamic toe Yes ?
Live for Speed (S2) Yes No No No Partial 2 Yes No Yes Yes
Richard Burns Rally Yes ? ? ? No ? No Yes No
Driver's Republic ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Virtual Grand Prix 2 (v1.06) Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes approximated as wishbone + dynamic toe No No

Note 1: Instead of dynamically modeled suspension components, Racer uses parameters that define linear camber and toe change per unit of suspension deflection. This allows a rough approximation of the camber and toe effects that a dynamically modeled suspension has. Roll centers are static, and their placement is defined by a parameter.

Note 2: Suspension geometry in LFS can move only in X-Y plane, so trailing arm is approximated by moving the wheel up and down along the Y-axis.


[edit] Drivetrain

4wd support Rwd support Fwd support Open (standard differentials) Locked LSD - Clutches 4 LSD - Viscous LSD - EDL LSD - TBD Lockers Active Differentials 3 connected differentials for 4wd Other differentials
Grand Prix Legends No Yes No No ? Salisbury No No No No No No No
NASCAR 2003 No Yes No No ? No No No No Detroit Locker No No No
Racer Partial 6 Yes Yes Yes ? ? Yes ? ? No No No No
GTR Partial 3 Yes Yes Yes ? (clutch pack) ? ? ? Yes No No No
GT Legends Partial 3 Yes Yes Yes ? (clutch pack) ? ? ? Yes No No No
GTR 2 ? 3 Yes Yes Yes ? (clutch pack) ? ? ? Yes ? ? ?
Race ? Yes Yes Yes ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
rFactor Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes ? ? ? Yes No Yes ?
netKar Namie (v0.9.9) ? Yes Yes Yes ? Salisbury No No Torsen No No No No
netKar Pro (v1.0) Yes Yes Yes Yes ? Salisbury ? ? Torsen ? ? Yes ?
Live for Speed (S2) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes (clutch pack) Yes No No No Yes Yes No
Richard Burns Rally Yes Partial 1 Yes Partial 2 ? No ? ? ? Partial 2 Partial 5 Yes No
Driver's Republic ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Virtual Grand Prix 2 (V1.06) No Yes No No ? Electronic Clutch No EDL No Partial 2 No No No

Note 1: No proper RWD support; the RWD cars available for testing are made by switching the front and the back end, therefore handbrake affecting to the front wheels[citation needed].

Note 2: This diff behaviour can be achieved through correct setup of the active differential mappings.

Note 3: No proper 4WD support. Cars can be set to 4WD, but power distribution is always 50%/50% (front/rear), and there are no means to adjust centre diff locking. This gives the 4WD cars a tendency to understeer.

Note 4: Limited Slip Differentials (LSD), are divided in four categories: Viscous Coupling (Syncro), Clutches, EDL and Torque Biasing Differentials. The Clutches category include Passive Clutch, Progressive/Locking Clutch (Positraction or Salisbury type), Simple Hydraulic Clutch and Electronic Clutch.[3]

Note 5: An active diff is a diff which can be set by the driver in the race, it is also constantly varying locks dependent on more factors than just acceleration and deceleration. Starting in 2006, the WRC has ruled that active diffs can only be used by drivers who have not placed in the top 6 in the WRC in the last 5 years. However, active center diffs are still allowed freely in competition. RBR uses simplified active diffs and the diff cannot be changed in an actual race, only in the service areas.[citation needed]

Note 6: Power distribution is customizable. Racer is hardcoded so that only one differential per car is allowed. Therefore in a 4WD car, all four wheels are driven, but only two of the wheels can have a "real" differential. Also, Racer does not implement a center differential for 4WD.


[edit] Road surfaces and covers that affect handling

Asphalt concrete Concrete Tarmac Unpaved, dirt road Unpaved, gravel road Unpaved, ice Water (rain) Snow Hail Dirt (sand/soil) on non-dirt-roads Mud Tire rubber Oil (engine) Rubber marbles
Grand Prix Legends Yes Yes Yes Partial3 ? Partial3 Partial3 Partial3 No Yes No No No ?
NASCAR 2003 Yes Yes No Yes Yes No No No No Yes No No No No
Racer Yes Yes Partial5 Partial5 Partial5 Partial5 Partial5 Partial5 No Partial5 Partial5 No No No
GTR Yes Yes4 Yes4 ? ? ? Yes No No ? ? Yes ? Yes
GT Legends Yes Yes4 Yes4 ? ? ? No No No ? ? Yes ? ?
GTR 2 Yes Yes4 Yes4 ? ? ? Yes ? ? ? ? Yes ? ?
Race ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
rFactor Yes Yes4 Yes4 Partial8 Partial8 Partial8 No9 No No ? Yes4 ? No ?
netKar Namie (v0.9.9) Yes ? ? No No No Partial1 No No No No No No ?
netKar Pro (v1.0) Yes ? ? ? ? ? Partial1 No No ? ? No ? ?
Live for Speed (S2) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Partial6 No No No Partial7 No No No No
Richard Burns Rally2 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes4 Yes No No ?
Driver's Republic ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Virtual Grand Prix 2 (V1.06) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No No No No Yes No ?

Note 1: The physics of the interaction between tire and wet asphalt is fully implemented, but in version 1.0.1 is not used yet[citation needed].
Note 2: RBR initially has a total of 132 different surfaces (be it road surfaces or elements such as different types of rocks, water... even several types of bushes and poles!).
Note 3: There are 3rd party tracks featuring non-conventional surface types, such as snow, dirt (Blackwood for GPL), rain (Nurburgring in rain), and probably more. Also, there is a track surface type (surface type 8) that was supposedly going to be used as water, however it wasn't finished and doesn't work properly. It usually results in the car sinking into it, then being launched.
Note 4: In every surface type, there are parameters such as SoilThickness and SoilDensity in RBR and WetGrip/DryGrip in ISI-based sims that can be adjusted.
Note 5: Racer surface types have several parameters that can be customized on a per track basis. Specifically, these are grip, rolling resistance and viscosity.
Note 6: Ice is only used for internal testing, not present in the official tracks yet.
Note 7: Only visible, no effect on grip.
Note 8: rFactor engine can be adapted to model any kind of surface editing a terrain data file, but at the moment there is no specific support to model the interaction of different tire models with different surfaces.
Note 9: The tire modeling supports a separate beahviour for wet surfaces, but in game there is no option for having a race happen under rain yet.

[edit] Aerodynamics

Downforce simulation Wings Undertray Ground Effect Car pitch affects downforce Car yaw affects downforce Slipstream Flexible wings Aerodynamics damage Aerodynamics dependent engine performance Computational fluid dynamics Wind affects Handling
Grand Prix Legends Yes2 Yes2 No No No No Yes No No No No No
NASCAR 2003 Yes Partial ? Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No Yes
Racer Yes Yes No No No No No No No No No No
GTR Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes ? No No
GT Legends Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes ? No No
GTR 2 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes ? Yes ? ? ?
Race ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
rFactor Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes ? No ?
netKar Namie (v0.9.9) Yes Yes ? ? ? ? ? No ? ? No No
netKar Pro (v1.0) Yes Yes ? ? ? ? ? No ? ? No No
Live for Speed (S2) Yes Yes Partial1 No Partial1 Partial1 Yes No No No No Yes
Richard Burns Rally Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes ? No ? ? No ?
Driver's Republic ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Virtual Grand Prix 2 (V1.06) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Partial (really basic) No No ?

Note 1: The undertray angle is not adjustable and the undertray angle does not vary with the pitch of the car. The ground clearance of the car does not affect undertray downforce.

Note 2: The physics engine that Grand Prix Legends shipped with did not model downforce. Downforce was added to the model with the release of the 1969 mod for GPL.


[edit] Chassis

Anti-roll bars Chassis flex Axle flex Engine torque transmitted onto chassis
Grand Prix Legends Yes No ? Yes
NASCAR 2003 Yes No ? Yes
Racer Yes No No Yes
GTR Yes No No Yes
GT Legends Yes No No Yes
GTR 2 Yes No No Yes
Race Yes No No Yes
rFactor Yes No No Yes
netKar Namie (v0.9.9) Yes No No ?
netKar Pro (v1.0) Yes No No ?
Live for Speed (S2) Yes No No Yes
Richard Burns Rally Yes ? ? Yes
Driver's Republic ? ? ? ?
Virtual Grand Prix 2 Yes No No Yes


[edit] Damage

Visual car body damage Suspension damage Steering alignment damage Engine damage Gearbox damage Aerodynamics damage Brake wear and fade Normal wear and tear Driver injuries
Grand Prix Legends No Yes Yes Yes No No No ? No
NASCAR 2003 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
Racer No No No No No No No No No
GTR Partial 4 Yes Yes Yes ? Yes Yes ? No
GT Legends Partial 4 Yes Yes Yes ? Yes Yes ? No
GTR 2 ? 4 Yes Yes Yes ? Yes Yes ? ?
Race ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
rFactor Partial 4 Yes Yes Yes ? Yes Yes ? No
netKar Namie (v0.9.9) No Yes Yes Yes ? No No ? No
netKar Pro (v1.0) Partial3 Yes Yes Yes Yes Partial2 ? ? Yes
Live for Speed (S2) Partial1 Yes Yes Yes No No No No No
Richard Burns Rally Yes Yes 5 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Driver's Republic ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Virtual Grand Prix 2 Partial 2 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No

Note 1: The car doors and certain side panels cannot be damaged at the moment. This is to prevent the driver's body from being left sticking out of the car due to the vertex damage model.
Note 2: Only wings and suspensions.
Note 3: Front wing.
Note 4: Simple graphical representation, only large body panels fall off.
Note 5: Includes damage vulnerability based on suspension stiffness with stiffer settings on uneven/bumpy surface causing damage more easily.


[edit] Force Feedback

Physics based FF Effects based FF
Grand Prix Legends ? ?
NASCAR 2003 Yes Yes
Racer ? ?
GTR No Yes
GT Legends No Yes
GTR 2 No Yes
Race No Yes
rFactor No Yes
netKar Namie (v0.9.9) Yes Yes
netKar Pro (v1.0) Yes Yes
Live for Speed (S2) Yes No
Richard Burns Rally Yes No
Driver's Republic Yes ?
Virtual Grand Prix 2 Yes No


[edit] Artificial Intelligence

AI Player blocking Dynamic strategy Track learning Faster as tires warm AI mistakes
Grand Prix Legends Yes Partial Partial1 No ? Yes
NASCAR 2003 Yes Partial Partial1 No Yes Partial2
Racer Yes No No No No No
GTR Yes No No No ? ?
GT Legends Yes ? ? No ? ?
GTR 2 Yes ? ? ? ? ?
Race ? ? ? ? ? ?
rFactor Yes No No Yes3 Yes Partial4
netKar Namie (v0.9.9) ? ? ? ? ? ?
netKar Pro (v1.0) No No (Does not apply) No (Does not apply) No (Does not apply) No (Does not apply) No (Does not apply)
Live for Speed (S2) Yes ? ? Yes Yes Yes
Richard Burns Rally No No (Does not apply) No (Does not apply) No (Does not apply) No (Does not apply) No (Does not apply)
Driver's Republic No No (Does not apply) No (Does not apply) No (Does not apply) No (Does not apply) No (Does not apply)
Virtual Grand Prix 2 ? ? ? ? ? ?

Note 1: Of a rather rudimentary sort.

Note 2: Not as shipped-most AI wrecks due to bad LP lines or errors in the .ini file, but some modding has been done in this area.

Note 3: AI track learning is available in V1.087 beta or greater.

Note 4: AI Mistakes are only considered partial in rFactor because they are not convincing to anyone. As of V1.087 beta there is a *.PLR variable called "AI Mistakes".

[edit] Multiplayer

[edit] Connection quality

Includes online multiplayer Max number of peers connected Dynamic throttling 1 Join without significant lag 2 Cars of new peers are loaded directly
Grand Prix Legends Yes 19 ? Yes ?
NASCAR 2003 Yes 42 ? Yes No
Racer Yes ? ? ? ?
GTR Yes ? Yes6 Yes5 ?
GT Legends Yes 32 ? ? ?
GTR 2 Yes ? ? ? Yes
Race ? ? ? ? ?
rFactor Yes 64 Yes[citation needed] Yes Yes4
netKar Namie (v0.9.9) Yes ? ? ? ?
netKar Pro (v1.0.1) Yes 15 ? No Yes
Live for Speed (S2) Yes 23 No Yes Yes
Richard Burns Rally Partial3 12 No Yes ?
Driver's Republic ? ? ? ? ?
Virtual Grand Prix 2 (V1.06) Yes 20 No Yes Unapplicable

Note 1: More data packets are send to peers who are closer on track, network conditions permitting.
Note 2: "Yes" is good. Here, "significant" means any outright freeze of the program or a decrease or stutter of fps significant enough to impact the driving experience negatively (e.g. causing a crash or loss of control).
Note 3: Hotseat included, network game via third-party plug-in. As RBR is a rally sim, no wheel to wheel racing is included.
Note 4: Must be enabled in .PLR settings.
Note 5: Only when cars of new joined players are loaded into garage. It is settable in multiplayer settings or .PLR file
Note 6: Settable in .PLR file

[edit] Configurability options

Configurable sessions (e.g. practice, quali, warmup, race) Track can be changed w/o stopping server or disconnecting peers Allowed cars can be changed w/o stopping server or disconnecting peers Automatic download of personal car textures (aka skins) System keeps track of contact or crash ratio Results consider multi-class racing (e.g. 3rd overall, 1st in class) Statistics can be accessed online Setup changing Driver Changes
Grand Prix Legends Yes No No No No No Partial1 No No
NASCAR 2003 Yes Yes No No Yes No No Yes Partial2
Racer No No No No No No No No No
GTR Yes Yes ? No ? ? ? ? ?
GT Legends Yes Yes ? No ? ? ? Yes ?
GTR 2 Yes Yes ? ? ? ? ? Yes Yes
Race ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
rFactor Yes Yes No No Yes3 Yes Yes Yes Yes
netKar Namie (v0.9.9) ? ? ? No ? ? ? ? ?
netKar Pro (v1.0.1) Yes ? ? No Yes ? ? ? ?
Live for Speed (S2) Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes
Richard Burns Rally ? ? ? No ? No ? ? No
Driver's Republic ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Virtual Grand Prix 2 (V1.06) Yes No No No No No No ? ?

Note 1: Possible by server uploading results to a third-party website.
Note 2: Possible by killing the program then the next driver connecting with the same name.
Note 3: Results (XML) log contacts and incidents and these stats can be viewed, for example, when uploading XML results file for viewing with rFactor Report (one example).


[edit] Sound

Dynamic1 Sampled Echo Doppler effect 3D Sound
Grand Prix Legends No Yes ? Yes No
NASCAR 2003 No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Racer No Yes No No No
GTR No Yes No Yes No
GT Legends No Yes No Yes No
GTR 2 No Yes No Yes No
Race No Yes No Yes No
rFactor No Yes ? Yes3 No
netKar Namie (v0.9.9) No Yes ? Yes No
netKar Pro (v1.0) Yes2 Yes2 ? Yes No
Live for Speed (S2) Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Richard Burns Rally No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Driver's Republic ? ? ? ? ?
Virtual Grand Prix 2 (V1.06) No Yes basic delay filter Yes Yes

Note 1: Typically, this type of sound engine uses very brief samples of individual explosions and manipulates these according to various factors. While longer samples may also be used, e.g. for backfiring, these engines are called "dynamic" because they dynamically synthesize the sound of the engine. They are also known as "synthetic" for that reason.
Note 2: The game has two sound engines.
Note 3: In rFactor doppler effects are simulated, and can be adjusted through the PLR file, as the "Speed Of Sound=" variable.

[edit] Graphics

[edit] part 1

Newest graphics API used Normal mapping Specular mapping Displacement mapping Dynamic lighting (changes with daytime while on track) Dynamic environment reflections Soft shadows Visual tire deformations Visual tire wear Visual dirt on tire Visual 3D suspension travel
Grand Prix Legends DirectX 7 & OpenGL(beta only) No No No No No ? No No No Yes
NASCAR 2003 DirectX 8.1 & OpenGL No Yes No No No No No No No Yes
Racer OpenGL Yes No No Partial Yes ? No No No Partial
GTR DirectX 8.1 Yes Yes No Yes No ? No No No ?
GT Legends DirectX 9 Yes Yes No Yes No ? No No No ?
GTR 2 DirectX 9 Yes Yes ? Yes ? ? ? ? ? ?
Race DirectX 9 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
rFactor DirectX 9 Yes Yes No Yes No Yes No No No Yes
netKar Namie (v0.9.9) ? ? ? No ? ? ? No No No ?
netKar Pro (v1.0.1) DirectX 9 Yes Yes No No Yes ? ? Yes Yes Yes
Live for Speed (S2 U) DirectX 8.1[4] No No No No No No Yes No No Yes1
Richard Burns Rally DirectX 9 Yes Yes No No Yes Partial No No No Yes
Driver's Republic ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Virtual Grand Prix 2 (V1.06) OpenGL No Yes No No Yes Partial No No No Yes

Note 1: Suspension travel is only visible in open wheeler cars (LX4, LX6, MRT, FOX, FO8, BF1). Real-time two-dimensional overlay schematic available for all cars.


[edit] part 2

Rain Raindrops on the wet ground Wind affects raindrops on the ground Animated 3D Box crew View changeable to Topview
Grand Prix Legends Partial1 No No No Partial2
NASCAR 2003 No No No Yes Yes
Racer No No No No Yes
GTR Yes No No No No
GT Legends Yes No No Yes No
GTR 2 Yes No No Yes Yes
Race Yes ? ? ? ?
rFactor No No No Yes ?
netKar Namie (v0.9.9) No No No ? ?
netKar Pro (v1.0.1) No No No ? ?
Live for Speed (S2 U) No No No No Yes
Richard Burns Rally Yes No No Yes ?
Driver's Republic ? ? ? ? ?
Virtual Grand Prix 2 (V1.06) Yes No No ? ?

Note 1: Rain is available for some tracks as a third-party add-on. It does not affect physics.
Note 2: A configuration file hack allows players to change the driving view to the rollbar (top) view.


[edit] References

  1. ^ Post by Stefano "kunos" Casillo on DrivingItalia.net forum, accessed May 07, 2006.
  2. ^ LFS website, News item of Jun. 25th, 2005, 20:00
  3. ^ http://www.houseofthud.com/differentials.htm
  4. ^ LFS S2, Patch U, readme


[edit] External links

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