Racing newbie help?

[Sn00ks]

With the recent surge in racing games popularity I was thinking about getting a steering wheel and stuff so I can give it a go and see if I enjoy it.

What do people think about this http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?TabID=...=48740&doy=15m2 ? Not top-end stuff but if I don't like the genre then I don't really want to buy stuff I'll never use.


Also gameswise, I've got;
NFS, won it at a LAN, never loaded it so don't know if it is any good.
Big Mother Truckers, tried it, not impressed.
LFS, loaded free version, tried it a couple of times but with a keyboard it wasn't too successful.

[delanvital]

Originally posted by Sn00ks@Feb 15 2006, 01:04 PM
With the recent surge in racing games popularity I was thinking about getting a steering wheel and stuff so I can give it a go and see if I enjoy it.

What do people think about this http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?TabID=...=48740&doy=15m2 ? Not top-end stuff but if I don't like the genre then I don't really want to buy stuff I'll never use.
Also gameswise, I've got;
NFS, won it at a LAN, never loaded it so don't know if it is any good.
Big Mother Truckers, tried it, not impressed.
LFS, loaded free version, tried it a couple of times but with a keyboard it wasn't too successful.

[post=112473]Quoted post[/post]

[/b]

Steering wheel:
if you feel like putting a little time into it, then I would recommend checking it out IRL before you buy. If you have the opportunity to do that, then check the following:
a: typical problem is that the tightening mechanism is not strong enough. Check that the wheel sticks.
b: check how well the wheel and rod is attached to the box itself. Does the wheel wiggle up and down?

Apart from that it will work fine, but maybe not for so long Over time you get two problems:
a: gear shifters start to fail as they get worn.
b: potentiometers will start to malfunction and you will get calibration issues.
After 1+ year imho though.

Games:
Go for GTL. Graphics, car handling, tracks and cars make this great fun.

Hope that helped.

[Blunt]

I'm considering getting a wheel...but I'm thinking I will leave it till after the LAN, where (hopefully) I may get to try a few wheels, and I'll have more of an idea about which sort I prefer/can afford

[suicidal_monkey]

my wheel is a little rough and ready but it is still reasonable (I shall re-judge it's reasonableness once I've had a go with Ron's setup...) and better than it's reasonableness, it was very cheap

[Doorman]

Originally posted by Sn00ks@Feb 15 2006, 01:04 PM
With the recent surge in racing games popularity I was thinking about getting a steering wheel and stuff so I can give it a go and see if I enjoy it.

What do people think about this http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?TabID=...=48740&doy=15m2 ? Not top-end stuff but if I don't like the genre then I don't really want to buy stuff I'll never use.
Also gameswise, I've got;
NFS, won it at a LAN, never loaded it so don't know if it is any good.
Big Mother Truckers, tried it, not impressed.
LFS, loaded free version, tried it a couple of times but with a keyboard it wasn't too successful.

[post=112473]Quoted post[/post]

[/b]

1: NFS is an arcade game not a simulator.
2: Simulators are hard to come to grips with but once you have......you're hooked.
3: A keyboard for a driver is no substitute. In early lfs it worked because undue help was given. Made you feel you were good.
4: If you like the idea of racing a race car, you'll love it.
5: Surge?
6: That wheel. A better thing to do with your money is to push it down a drain hole.
Force feedback is, imho, a necessity.
/steps off soapbox and gives someone else a chance.