Comparison of racing simulators

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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:

NASCAR 2003 (all developed with David Kaemmer)
Racer
F1 Challenge 99-02, GTR, GT Legends, GTR 2, rFactor, RACE (using evolutions of the ISI engine)
netKar Namie, netKar Pro (Using Stefano Casillo engine)
Live for Speed (by Scawen Roberts, Eric Bailey and Victor van Vlaardingen - Not to be confused with the Need For Speed series)
Richard Burns Rally, Driver's Republic (1st beta) (different engines, but both physics engines are developed by lead physics designer Eero Piitulainen)
Virtual Grand Prix 2
X Motor Racing
TORCS The Open Racing Car Simulator
Grand Prix Legends (all developed with David Kaemmer)
Grand Prix 4 (developed by Geoff Crammond and the MicroProse label)

[edit] Physics

[edit] Tyre simulation - part 1

	Tyre model	Based on data from tyre manufacturers	Dynamic wear	Dynamic temperature	Dynamic pressure
NASCAR 2003	Milliken & Pacejka "Similarity" Model	Goodyear	Yes	Yes	Yes
Racer	Pacejka	Some	No	No	No
GTR	Pacejka-like	^{[citation needed]}	Yes	Yes	Yes
GT Legends	Pacejka-like	Michelin, Goodyear, Avon, Dunlop Tyres	Yes	Yes	Yes
GTR 2	Pacejka-like	^{[citation needed]}	Yes	Yes	Yes
RACE	Pacejka-like	?	Yes	Yes	Yes
rFactor	Pacejka-like	Some	Yes	Yes	Yes
netKar Namie (v0.9.9)	Milliken & Pacejka "Similarity" Model ¹	^{[citation needed]}	Yes	Yes	?
netKar Pro (v1.0)	Pacejka 96 full model ²	Avon	Yes	Yes	Yes
Live for Speed (S2)	Own System ³	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Richard Burns Rally	Own System ³	? ⁴	No	Yes	?
Driver's Republic (1st beta)	Own System ³	No	No	?	?
Virtual Grand Prix 2	Quasi-finite elements	Avon	Yes	Yes	Yes
X Motor Racing	Own system	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
F1 Challenge '99-'02	Pacejka-like	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
TORCS	Own System	No	No	No	Yes
Grand Prix Legends	Milliken & Pacejka "Similarity" Model	No	No	Yes	Yes
Grand Prix 4	Own System	Bridgestone	?	?	?

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 4: There's one data file per manufacturer, but the files do not differ. Therefore at least one of them is not based on real data.

[edit] Tyre simulation - part 2

	Flat spots	Dirt on tyre affects grip	Racing line affects grip	Walls deformation
NASCAR 2003	No	No	Yes	No
Racer	No	No	No	No
GTR	No	No	Yes	No
GT Legends	No	Yes	Yes	No
GTR 2	No	Yes	Yes	No
RACE	No	No	Yes	No
rFactor	No	Yes	No	No
netKar Namie (v0.9.9)	No	Yes	Yes	No
netKar Pro (v1.0)	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Live for Speed (S2)	Yes ³	Yes ⁴	No	Yes
Richard Burns Rally	No	Yes²	Yes¹	Yes
Driver's Republic (1st beta)	No	No	No	Yes
Virtual Grand Prix 2	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
X Motor Racing	No⁵	Yes	Yes	Yes
F1 Challenge '99-'02	No	No	No	No
TORCS	No	No	No	No
Grand Prix Legends	No	No	No	No
Grand Prix 4	?	No	No	No

Note 1: On non-tarmac stages, there's higher grip after previous cars have swept the racing line.

Note 2: On non-tarmac stages, soil accumulation on sliding tires increase their grip.

Note 3: 48 sampling points, arranged as 16 along the circumference by 3 across the width of the tire.^[2]

Note 4: 16 sampling points along the circumference.

Note 5: 3D wheel simulation.

[edit] Suspensions

	Wishbone component	Strut bar component	Axle component	monoshock component	Trailing arms	Double wishbone	multilink	Front MacPherson strut	Rear MacPherson strut (Chapman strut)
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	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	?
RACE	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
rFactor	Yes	?	?	Yes	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 (1st beta)	Yes ³	Yes ³	Yes ³	Yes ³	Yes ³	Yes ³	Yes ³	Yes ³	Yes ³
Virtual Grand Prix 2 (v1.06)	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	approximated as wishbone + dynamic toe	No	No
X Motor Racing	Yes	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
F1 Challenge '99-'02	Yes	Yes	?	?	?	Yes	?	?	?
TORCS	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	No	?	?	Yes	Yes
Grand Prix Legends	Yes	Yes	No	?	No	Yes	No	No	No
Grand Prix 4	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?

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.

Note 3: As of the beta version, suspension geometry in DR is completely customizable in the number, position and characteristics of any suspension rod, spring, damper and axis.

[edit] Drivetrain

	4wd layout	Rwd layout	Fwd layout	Open diffs	Locked diffs	LSD (Clutches) ⁴	LSD (Viscous)	LSD (EDL)	LSD (TBD)	Active diffs
NASCAR 2003	No	Yes	No	No	Detroit Locker	No	No	No	No	No
Racer	Partial ⁶	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	?	Yes	?	?	No
GTR	Partial ³	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	(clutch pack)	?	?	?	No
GT Legends	Partial ³	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	(clutch pack)	?	?	?	No
GTR 2	Partial ³	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	(clutch pack)	?	?	?	?
RACE	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?
rFactor	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	?	?	No
netKar Namie (v0.9.9)	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Salisbury	No	No	Torsen	No
netKar Pro (v1.0)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	Salisbury	?	?	Torsen	No
Live for Speed (S2)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	(clutch pack)	Yes	No	No	No
Richard Burns Rally	Yes	Partial ¹	Yes	Partial ²	Partial ²	No	?	?	?	Yes ⁵
Driver's Republic (1st beta)	Yes ⁷	Yes ⁷	Yes ⁷	?	?	?	?	?	?	No
Virtual Grand Prix 2 (V1.06)	No	Yes	No	No	Partial ²	Electronic Clutch	No	EDL	No	No
X Motor Racing	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	?	Yes
F1 Challenge '99-'02	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	?	?	?
TORCS	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No
Grand Prix Legends	No	Yes	No	No	No	Salisbury	No	No	No	No
Grand Prix 4	?	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?

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 Differential. The Clutches category include Passive Clutch, Progressive/Locking Clutch (Positraction or Salisbury type), Simple Hydraulic Clutch and Electronic Clutch.^[3]

Note 5: Their settings cannot be changed while driving, unlike in real life WRC.

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.

Note 7: Transmission layout, as of 1st beta version, is completely customizable in DR. Only one type of differential is provided, probably an open one, but not verifiable.

[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
NASCAR 2003	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Partial¹⁰	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	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	?	?	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
rFactor	Yes	Yes⁴	Yes⁴	Partial⁸	Partial⁸	Partial⁸	No⁹	No	No	?	Yes⁴	?	No	No
netKar Namie (v0.9.9)	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Partial¹	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
netKar Pro (v1.0)	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Partial¹	No	No	No	No	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	No
Driver's Republic (1st beta)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No
Virtual Grand Prix 2 (V1.06)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	?
X Motor Racing	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	?	?	?
F1 Challenge '99-'02	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No
TORCS	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Grand Prix Legends	Yes	Yes	Yes	Partial³	?	Partial³	Partial³	Partial³	No	Yes	No	No	No	No
Grand Prix 4	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	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 event version of rFactor, that taken to demonstrations with BMW and Intel supports full wet weather, wet lines and rain drop particles. ISI have stated that this feature will reach the public version of rFactor at some point.
Note 10: A 3rd party track (Watkins Glen Wet) has modified grip values to resemble wet-weather racing.

[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	Wind affects Handling
NASCAR 2003	Yes	Partial	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Racer	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
GTR	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	?	No
GT Legends	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	?	No
GTR 2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	?	?
RACE	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
rFactor	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	?	?
netKar Namie (v0.9.9)	Yes	Yes	?	?	Yes	Yes	?	No	No	No	No
netKar Pro (v1.0)	Yes	Yes	?	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	?	No	No
Live for Speed (S2)	Yes	Yes	Partial¹	No	Partial¹	Partial¹	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
Richard Burns Rally	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	?
Driver's Republic (1st beta)	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	?
Virtual Grand Prix 2 (V1.06)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Partial (really basic)	No	?
X Motor Racing	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
F1 Challenge '99-'02	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
TORCS	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No
Grand Prix Legends	Yes²	Yes²	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No
Grand Prix 4	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	?	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. For its 1966 Mod, this was changed to 'upforce' since the wingless F1 cars of 1966 tended to generate lift at higher speeds.

[edit] Chassis

	3 axis Moment of inertia (pitch, yaw, roll)	Anti-roll bars	Chassis flex	Axle flex	Engine torque transmitted onto chassis
NASCAR 2003	?	Yes	No	?	Yes
Racer	Yes¹	Yes	No	No	Yes
GTR	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
GT Legends	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
GTR 2	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
RACE	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
rFactor	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
netKar Namie (v0.9.9)	?	Yes	No	No	Yes
netKar Pro (v1.0)	?	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Live for Speed (S2)	Yes²	Yes	No	No	Yes
Richard Burns Rally	?	Yes	No	No	Yes
Driver's Republic (1st beta)	?	Yes	No	No	Yes
Virtual Grand Prix 2	?	Yes	No	No	Yes
X Motor Racing	?	?	?	?	Yes
F1 Challenge '99-'02	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
TORCS	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
Grand Prix Legends	?	Yes	No	?	Yes
Grand Prix 4	?	Yes	No	No	Yes

Note 1: see Car.ini fields reference [1]

Note 2: Uses a 3x3 inertia matrix (thus allowing for combined pitch and roll to have different inertia to separate pitching then rolling) that is dynamically generated from a group of masses distributed around the vehicle body; thus adding passengers and fuel usage, automatically effect the inertia matrix in a realistic manner.

[edit] Damage

	Visual car body damage	Suspension damage	Steering alignment damage	Engine damage	Gearbox damage	Clutch slip/ temperature	Aerodynamics damage	Brake wear and fade	Normal wear and tear	Driver injuries
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	No	?	Yes	Yes	?	No
GT Legends	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	?	Yes	Yes	?	No
GTR 2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	?
RACE	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	?	Yes	Yes	?	?
rFactor	Partial ⁴	Yes	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	?	Yes	?	?	No
Live for Speed (S2)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Partial⁶	No	Yes	No	No	No	No
Richard Burns Rally	Yes	Yes ⁵	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Driver's Republic (1st beta)	No	No	No	No	No	?	No	No	No	No
Virtual Grand Prix 2	Partial ²	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	No	Yes	No
X Motor Racing	No	No	No	No	No	?	No	No	No	No
F1 Challenge '99-'02	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	?	No	Yes	Yes	No
TORCS	No	No	No	Yes	No	?	Yes	No	No	No
Grand Prix Legends	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	?	No	No	?	No
Grand Prix 4	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	?	No

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.
Note 6: Engine damage does not result from impacts - only from over-revving the engine.

[edit] Force Feedback

	Avoids predefined effects	Flat spots
NASCAR 2003	No	No
Racer	?	No
GTR	No	No
GT Legends	No	No
GTR 2	No	No
RACE	No	No
rFactor	Yes¹	No
netKar Namie (v0.9.9)	Yes	No
netKar Pro (v1.0)	Yes	Yes²
Live for Speed (S2)	Yes	Yes
Richard Burns Rally	Yes	No
Driver's Republic (1st beta)	Yes	No
Virtual Grand Prix 2	?	No
X Motor Racing	Yes	No
F1 Challenge '99-'02	Yes	No
TORCS	?	?
Grand Prix Legends	Yes	No
Grand Prix 4	?	?

Note 1: Available using the 3rd party Real Feel plugin.
Note 2: Disabled in netKar Pro version 1.02.

[edit] Artificial Intelligence

	AI	Player blocking	Dynamic strategy	Track learning	Faster as tires warm	AI mistakes
NASCAR 2003	Yes	Partial	Partial¹	No	Yes	Partial²
Racer	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
GTR	Yes	No	No	No	?	Yes
GT Legends	Yes	?	?	No	?	Yes
GTR 2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
RACE	?	?	?	?	?	Yes
rFactor	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Partial⁴
netKar Namie (v0.9.9)	No	?	?	?	?	?
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	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Richard Burns Rally	Yes	No (Does not apply)	No (Does not apply)	No (Does not apply)	No (Does not apply)	Yes
Driver's Republic (1st beta)	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	Yes	?	No	?	?	?
X Motor Racing	Yes	?	Yes	?	?	Yes
F1 Challenge '99-'02	Yes	Partial	Yes	?	Yes	Yes
TORCS	Yes	Yes	Partial	Yes	No	Yes
Grand Prix Legends	Yes	Partial	Partial¹	No	?	Yes
Grand Prix 4	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes

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 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

	Max offline human drivers	Max online peers	Max online human drivers	Max online spectators	Dynamic throttling ¹	Avoids join lag ²	New peers' cars loaded directly
NASCAR 2003	1	42	42	?	Yes	Yes	No
Racer	1	24	24	?	?	No	No
GTR	1	?	?	?	Yes	Yes⁵	?
GT Legends	1	36	27⁷	?	?	?	?
GTR 2	1	27	27	?	?	?	Yes
RACE	1	?	?	?	?	?	?
rFactor	1	64	?	?	Yes^{[citation needed]}	Yes	Yes⁴
netKar Namie (v0.9.9)	1	?	?	0	?	?	?
netKar Pro (v1.0.1)	1	15	15	15	?	No	Yes
Live for Speed (S2)	1	48⁸	32	48	No	Yes	Yes
Richard Burns Rally	4⁶	12³	12	?	No	Yes	?
Driver's Republic (1st beta)	1	unlimited	unlimited	0	?	?	?
Virtual Grand Prix 2 (V1.06)	?	20	?	?	No	Yes	Unapplicable
X Motor Racing	1	?	?	?	?	?	?
F1 Challenge '99-'02	1	22	22	0	No	No	No
TORCS	4	0	0	0	No	No	No
Grand Prix Legends	1	20	20	?	?	Yes	?
Grand Prix 4	1	8	8	0	No	No	?

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: Third-party plug-in needed.
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: Hotseat mode.
Note 7: "Every time there are more than 27 racers on the track, the excess players are unable to race properly due to all kinds of strange errors."
Note 8: The dedicated host program takes up one of the peer slots.

[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
NASCAR 2003	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Partial¹	Yes	Partial²
Racer	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
GTR	Yes	Yes	?	No	?	?	?	?	?
GT Legends	Yes	Yes	?	No	?	?	?	Yes	No
GTR 2	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
RACE	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
rFactor	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes³	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
netKar Namie (v0.9.9)	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No
netKar Pro (v1.0.1)	Yes	?	?	No	Yes	?	Yes	No	No
Live for Speed (S2)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Partial⁵	Partial⁴	Yes	Yes	Yes
Richard Burns Rally	Yes	?	?	No	No	No	Yes	?	No
Driver's Republic (1st beta)	Yes	No	No	Yes (P2P)	No	No	No	No	No
Virtual Grand Prix 2 (V1.06)	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	?	?
X Motor Racing	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
F1 Challenge '99-'02	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No
TORCS	Yes	N/A	N/A	Yes	No	No	Partial	Yes	No
Grand Prix Legends	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Partial¹	Yes	No
Grand Prix 4	Yes	?	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	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).
Note 4: Ability for multi-class results possible in the CTRA servers.
Note 5: Ability for Crash Ratio via yellow flags possible in the CTRA servers.

[edit] Sound

	Synthesized vehicle engine sound system¹	Recorded vehicle engine sound system¹	Echo	3D
NASCAR 2003	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Racer	No	Yes	No	No
GTR	No	Yes	No	Yes
GT Legends	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
GTR 2	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
RACE	No	Yes	No	No
rFactor	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
netKar Namie (v0.9.9)	No	Yes	?	No
netKar Pro (v1.0)	Yes²	Yes²	?	No
Live for Speed (S2)	Yes	Yes³	Yes	No
Richard Burns Rally	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Driver's Republic (1st beta)	No	Yes	?	No
Virtual Grand Prix 2 (V1.06)	No	Yes	Basic delay filter	Yes
X Motor Racing	No	Yes	No	Yes
F1 Challenge '99-'02	No	Yes	Yes	No
TORCS	No	Yes	No	Yes
Grand Prix Legends	No	Yes	No	No
Grand Prix 4	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Note 1: "Recorded" if long microphone-recorded sound samples (>=0.3 secs) were used for the vehicle engine main sound; "Synthesized" otherwise.
Note 2: The user can choose any of the two systems.
Note 3: Sample based sounds available using 3rd party Car Sound Remixer utility/plugin.

[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
NASCAR 2003	DirectX 8.1 & OpenGL	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes
Racer	OpenGL	Yes	No	No	Partial	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Partial
GTR	DirectX 8.1	Yes	No	No	No	No	?	No	No	No	Yes
GT Legends	DirectX 9	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	?	No	No	No	Yes
GTR 2	DirectX 9	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	?	?	No	No	No	Yes
RACE	DirectX 9	Yes	Yes	?	?	?	?	No	No	No	Yes
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 (1st beta)	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
Virtual Grand Prix 2 (V1.06)	OpenGL	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Partial	No	No	No	Yes
X Motor Racing	DirectX 9	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
F1 Challenge '99-'02	DirectX 8.1	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
TORCS	OpenGL	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
Grand Prix Legends	DirectX 7 & OpenGL(beta only)	No	No	No	No	No	?	No	No	No	Yes
Grand Prix 4	DirectX 8.1	Yes	?	?	No	Yes	Yes	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	Animated 3D Box crew	Movable Driver Arms	View changeable to Topview
NASCAR 2003	No	Yes	No	Yes
Racer	Yes	No	No	Yes
GTR	Yes	No	No	Yes
GT Legends	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
GTR 2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
RACE	Yes	?	Yes	?
rFactor	No³	No	Yes⁴	Yes
netKar Namie (v0.9.9)	No	No	Yes	Yes
netKar Pro (v1.0.1)	No	No	Yes	Yes
Live for Speed (S2 U)	No	No	Yes	Yes
Richard Burns Rally	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Driver's Republic (1st beta)	No	No	No	Yes
Virtual Grand Prix 2 (V1.06)	Yes	No	No	?
X Motor Racing	?	?	No	Yes
F1 Challenge '99-'02	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
TORCS	No	No	No	Yes
Grand Prix Legends	Partial¹	No	Yes	Partial²
Grand Prix 4	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

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.
Note 3: Currently implemented in the demonstration build taken with BMW and Intel to demos based on the current 1.250 build, to be implemented in the public version at a later date.
Note 4: Available as 3rd-Party add-on for some mods.

[edit] References

^ Post by Stefano "kunos" Casillo on DrivingItalia.net forum, accessed May 07, 2006.
^ LFS website, News item of Jun. 25th, 2005, 20:00
^ Differentials (Open, LSD and so on)
^ LFS S2, Patch U, readme

[edit] External links

Driving and racing simulation video games at the Open Directory Project

Categories: Software comparisons | Racing simulators

Hidden categories: Articles needing additional references from February 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007