gallery: 5 racing games that nailed realistic driving physics – and 3 that didn't

Sim or game?

In the early 1980s Japanese gaming powerhouse Namco was riding high following the huge success of Pac-Man, but the company didn't stop innovating there. In 1982 it released Pole Position to both arcades and home computer, and the game came to define the driving simulation. It introduced many of the game features we now consider standard, including checkpoints, qualifying laps and use of a racing wheel.

At the time it was warmly received by critics too, receiving praise for its cutting-edge graphics and realism. By today's standards it looks hilariously antiquated, but since then developers have continued to work hard to build increasingly realistic driving simulations.

James Dover, Sim Engineer at Lets Race, a racing simulation experience where you actually get to sit in a racing car, told us: "There's a massive difference between a game and a simulation, and yet there's a fine line that separates them."

In other words, he's alluding to the fact that depending on whether you're making a 'game' or a 'simulation', there are subtly different objectives: simulations aim to be as realistic as possible, recreating real-world conditions whether or not it makes the experience more or less enjoyable.

Games, meanwhile, place an emphasis on, well, having fun. And if you're a game developer wanting to maximise enjoyment for the player, then compromises on realism will almost certainly be necessary.

"The main consideration is how the end user will 'play' the game," adds James. "Controller? Keyboard/mouse? No – any real sim will be aimed at using a steering wheel and pedal combo, and will offer the capacity to tweak those settings until the cows come home."

So, with these criteria in mind, here are five games that endeavour to provide a thoroughly realistic driving experience – and three that sped off down the road signposted 'Game'.

rFactor and rFactor 2

rFactor was first released in 2005 for Windows, and did away with the expensive real-world F1 licences in favour of pitching itself directly at the simulation nerds. Developed by Image Space Incorporated, the game is perhaps not the most accessible to newbies, but offers lots of flexibility.

The game was particularly praised for its tire modelling, which at the time was viewed as the best out there, as well as its approach to aerodynamics.

There are thousands of mods available for the game, so you can configure things exactly how you want them, and the software has even been used by industry to build simulations. Of the many unofficial mods, perhaps unsurprisingly some of the most popular port over tracks and real-world vehicles from other games.

Some updates to the official game also started out as mods, such as recreations of a number of famous circuits including home of British racing, Silverstone, and the notorious Nürburgring in Germany.

A sequel, rFactor 2, was released in 2009 and introduced even more advanced physics, as well as weather effects and better shadows. The game is so realistic that it's even used to teach real-life trainee racing drivers; apparently drivers who are part of the Gran Turismo Academy programme, which is jointly run by Sony and Nissan, use rF2 instead of the game that gave the programme its name.

One mod developer, MAK-Corp, has even claimed that its clients will ask it to build new components as mods for rFactor 2 so they can be tested in-game, long before they're built and tested in real-life cars.

Perhaps the only area where rFactor 2 doesn't fully succeed is graphics. James Dover says that, in his opinion, "rFactor 2 has an incredibly diverse physics engine and it's very customisable, but it doesn't look as visually stunning as Assetto Corsa or Project Cars".

Assetto Corsa

Assetto Corsa is developed by Italian studio Kunos Simulazion – and don't worry, the name translates as 'Racing Setup', so you'll be able to drive cars a little more exciting than a Vauxhall Corsa.

Released last year for Windows, the game will be coming to PS4 and Xbox One next year, and while remaining a fully paid-up member of the 'racing sim' club, it does cede a little more ground to the notion that 'game' isn't such a dirty word.

According to James Dover, the game can be happily played with a controller, although obviously hardcore players will pick the wheel every time. But while the game does deliver in terms of graphics, James reckons its physics engine "lacks seriousness".

Project Cars

Project Cars heads further down the game path, but has still won sim acclaim. The game was released last May on PC, PS4 and Xbox One, and is for the time being probably the best driving simulator available for console players. (Amazingly, a WiiU version was planned at one point, but was cancelled when the developers presumably attempted to draw a venn diagram showing the intersection between the number of hardcore racing fans and WiiU owners.)

The game includes 74 cars, 30 unique locations and over 110 courses (23 of them recreations of real places). The developers have also announced plans to support the Oculus Rift and Sony's Morpheus VR headset, which could make the game even more immersive, even if the physics aren't recreated in the same punishing detail as rFactor 2.

One thing the game has going for it is some incredibly clever artificial intelligence on the part of your opponents on the track – so while the game might give you access to all vehicles and tracks from the get-go (no grinding through with crappy cars to unlock them), don't expect an easy ride.

iRacing

iRacing was first released back in 2008 for PC, Mac and Linux, and has been receiving updates ever since. It's perhaps best known for the claim that the developers have laser-scanned all of the tracks in the game; using a 'proprietary' technology the company has apparently mapped the cambers, bumps, cracks and contours of a whole host of world-famous racing circuits, so that when you hit a bump and fly off at the wrong angle in the game you can bet the professionals feel your pain too.

This dedication to accuracy has led to the developers partnering with real-life racing organisations including NASCAR and the McClaren and Williams F1 teams to help them better prepare for forthcoming real-life battlefields.

Richard Burns Rally

Way back in 2004 Richard Burns Rally was released for Windows, as well as PS2, Xbox and even the ill-fated Gizmondo handheld (remember that?). Astonishingly, the PC iteration at least maintains a small following today, due to its realistic physics and continued updates in the form of fan-made mods. In 2015 the 'Next Generation Physics' mod kept the game, on the inside at least, up to date and still competitive with its more glamorous successors.

Sadly, Richard Burns, the rally driver who lent the game his name and expertise, died in 2005.

Gran Turismo

In pole position on our list of games that sacrificed realism for sheer seat-of-the-pants playability is Gran Turismo, which, despite positioning itself as an ultra-serious racer, falls into what the hardcore racers call the 'sim-cade' category.

Essentially, in a bid to make the game more exciting you're able to drive much faster than would be possible in real life, and your car will be better at sticking to the road. Worse still, according to the pros, the faster you go the more the physics break down compared to real life – so next time you're tearing up the track in GT, don't get any ideas about trying it out for real.

Forza

Microsoft's Forza series is found wanting in much the same way as its Playstation cousin. Despite the prestige brand and sleek marketing, ultimately Forza 5 on Xbox One is 'sim-cade' at best.

That's not to say the game is without merit – it's received plaudits for its graphics, online play and breadth of customisation options – but ultimately the wheels come off when it comes to the realism of its in-game physics.

Mario Kart

Bringing up the rear in the realism stakes is Mario Kart, and it's pretty stunning how badly Nintendo dropped the ball on this one. Despite being one of the biggest companies in gaming, the Japanese giant failed to even get the basics right. Surely everyone knows that bananas don't really make karts spin like that in real life?

And for racing sim purists, the physics on the red shells were a huge disappointment. Are we supposed to believe that they're capable of jumping over gaps in the road to hit their target?

Not even the speed boosts in the countdown were convincing. In Mario Kart, you get the boost if you hit the accelerator on 2 – yet any professional racing driver will tell you that you actually get a rocket boost if you put the pedal to the metal on 3. Come on Nintendo, you're better than this.

October 01, 2015 at 05:39PM
James O'Malley