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Author Topic: Racing Sim  (Read 14174 times)
VariousNames
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« on: September 16, 2016, 09:08:40 PM »

Thought I'd share something I'm hoping I can bring to NeXus.  I've sent in a ticket and we'll see what they say, but keeping fingers crossed.

I'd love for people to try this thing out.  There's a fair amount to post about this thing, so I figured I'd break things up into tasty bites to make it more easily digestible.  If you have any questions, feel free to post about it.

Tech:
Logitech G29 Racing Wheel
Logitech Pedals
Logitech Driving Force shifter
Logitech Extreme 3D Flight Stick
22 inch ASUS 1080p IPS monitor (60Hz)
Cleer BT lossless wireless headphones

The racing wheel has full force feedback.  For those that aren't into racing sims, that means that the wheel reacts like an actual car does.  It stiffens when you take a corner hard, or shudders when you run over bumps.  It'll even snap your arm when you wreck.  The pedals all have different stiffness, and the brake's stiffness increases the farther the pedal is pushed down.  The shifter is a 6-speed H-pattern.  The flight stick is actually used as a handbrake.  I pulled the guts out of a spare logitech stick, and then put a plate to restrict its motion.  After mounting it, I added a leather boot and adjustable handle to complete the look.  Pull the brake back, and it snaps forwards.  It doesn't have as much resistance as a real handbrake, but hey - it's bonus.  

The monitor/mount are a spare monitor I'm using currently.  I understand that IPS monitors aren't the best for latency or framerate, but I had it, and I really can't give up that beautiful color reproduction.  Later on, the rig will undergo an upgrade to VR status, and that monitor will be used for showing others what the player's doing and for navigating/gaming when VR isn't practical, so the framerate and response time will be a non-issue. 

The headphones are low audiophile-grade and feature lossless audio over a wireless connection, and should make engines a lot more satisfying.  This way there aren't any cables hindering the driver or speakers annoying bystanders.  They're over-ear headphones, and are the only example of that style I find to be very comfortable.  The battery life is 20 hours, which should be plenty.

PC:

Intel i3-4130T (full desktop CPU, low power edition)
8GB RAM
Nvidia 860M 2GB (equivalent to 750ti)
500GB 5400 RPM potato drive (an SSD would help, but that costs money)

An Alienware Alpha will nestle in underneath the seat to power the rig.  I wouldn't expect maximum settings, but it will be able to provide a constant 1080p 60fps without any difficulty.  Overheating shouldn't be a problem with the multiple vents in the lock box and the 110w maximum of the PC.

Games:
Dirt: Rally
Project: Cars
Distance
Burnout: Paradise

Dirt: Rally and Project: Cars are somewhat self-explanatory for a racing sim.  Distance is an early-access arcade platformer survival racing game... thing.  It's easily my favorite game of the 3, and I wholly recommend it.  
P.S. - No, I don't have Assetto Corsa.  Yes, I kind of want Assetto Corsa.

Sim Frame/Construction:
Aftermarket BMW racing seat/seat tracks
1 inch square steel tubing, 11-gauge
1 inch square steel tubing, 14-gauge
Steel hinges I found laying around
Rubber feet w/screws I found
Misc. hardware
Thin aluminum sheet metal
Pop rivets
Old lock and key I found

The frame was all cut and welded by me.  It's all full custom.  I would have gotten a frame online, but they were either immobile, extremely heavy, didn't fold/break down, or were obscenely expensive.  When the brackets are released, the entire top half of the rig folds down into the seat.  In addition, the top, bottom, and seat/box assembly all detach for transport.  The entire rig is very solid for a mobile unit.  The seat is fully adjustable, and both slides back and forth and reclines.  The pedals and wheel distance are not adjustable.  The metal box underneath the seat is a lockable storage area for the gaming PC to power the rig.  There are holes on the sides and front to allow access to hardware to detach the box or run cables.  In addition, both those holes and the top of the box serve as ventilation for the PC.  The seat rack sits directly on top of the box, leaving a roughly 2-inch gap to let heat escape.



If anybody has any questions, feel free to ask.
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Positron
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« Reply #1 on: September 17, 2016, 11:08:06 AM »

That is a pretty nice setup. I look forward to seeing it.

Racing Sims are the only games I am any good at and that is only because I cheat by using a Logitech MOMO Racing Force Wheel. I plan to bring it with me to NeXus LAN #18.

I agree with your choice of games and have a few more (Oldies but goodies).

I find Project CARS too hard. One of the studio's previous games that I really enjoyed was Need for Speed: SHIFT.
Same with DiRT: Rally. DiRT 2 is challenging without being a pain in the butt too hard.
One game that is awesome fun and great at LAN parties is FlatOut 2 or FO: Ultimate Carnage (FO2 with a graphics update). Racing where cheating by crashing is encouraged.
In 2012 I went to the 1st Formula 1 race at Circuit of the America's in Austin, TX. So naturally I have the game, F1-2012.

I know nobody will be interested but I think the best LAN party racing game would be Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. I used to have so much fun racing Cops and Speeders online.
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Creel
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« Reply #2 on: September 18, 2016, 06:08:36 AM »

Just broke down the 2x4 sim I had built.  Any chance you plan to make any or have an idea of what you would charge?  I've been looking to buy a metal frame one since I don't have access to any metal working equipment anymore and one that folds up and is portable would be excellent.

As far as AC I have played a bit of it but I consider myself more of a casual racing sim person.  I have all the Dirt series and NFS as well as some more "realistic" sims but always find myself playing the Dirt and NFS franchise the most.
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VariousNames
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« Reply #3 on: September 19, 2016, 12:57:36 AM »

General:

I found a solid deal on a different Alienware Alpha to run the rig, so the machine should now be self-contained and won't need a LAN cable.

I've also gotten Burnout up and running, and that is far too much fun to be entirely legal.

Positron:

I haven't tried FlatOut yet, but a good old-fashioned smash-the-heck-outta everything game sounds like something my library could really use.  I agree with you on Project: Cars.  I've seen a lot of the cars in that lineup racing, and no, a Porsche doesn't get unstable at 40mph in a normal turn.  I feel like it's the opposite of arcade racers.  Instead of making the cars grip and handle better than real life, they made them worse. -_-

Also, I do have NFS: Hot Pursuit, but I've always been a bigger fan of Burnout: Paradise.  I feel like NFS tried to be at least a tiny bit serious with the game, and Burnout just went unabashedly crazy with it.  If I'm racing an arcade game, I'm going full crazy.  As far as Dirt 2 vs Dirt: Rally, I'd have to say that Dirt: Rally is a phenomenal game, and easily the best and most accurate rallying simulator game out there.  That being said - it is the Dark Souls of racing games.  I happen to be a huge souls fan, so crushing difficulty done right is something I really enjoy, but I can see where you're coming from.

Creel:

I hadn't thought about selling any frames.  I can't really say as of yet, because I'm in college, so the only time I would have to work on them would be weekends, which I generally use for Soccer.  I would probably say that unless I suddenly have more free time, I won't be making any.  If you would like schematics though, I'd have no problem providing those.
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Creel
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« Reply #4 on: September 29, 2016, 02:04:26 AM »

Yeah I'll probably just bite the bullet and just order one online.
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