OS Neutral Racing Games

[Huntn]

First of all, I looked in the forum for good old threads to revive and there are simply no good ones with more than a couple of replies so here is a new thread.

I've liked Burnout Paradise City on Xbox 360 for several years now. Recently (early 2017) I picked up Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (PC) for sale on Steam and found myself hooked again, for a while. You can play racer or cop chaser. I really like how these cars feel when racing. I'm pretty sure that it would be described as arcade, but it feels pretty darn good. Cars drift pretty easily.

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit

I'll ask here instead of digging up a racing wheel thread, what do you use keyboard and mouse or something else? Right now I'm basically using keyboard and mouse, a Razer Nostromo device. I'm wondering how much improvement a wheel would be. I would not be buying pedals. Can a wheel along handle the needed inputs?
Thoughts? Thanks!

Update: A quick look on Amazon and I see that wheels are expensive and many include pedals.

 

[Garrod]

I tried a wheel and pedals a few years ago (can't remember for the life of me what make it was) but never really got on with so it was soon put on eBay. For racing games now (on macOS and Windows) I just use my trusty Xbox 360 controller - it suits my needs fine!

 

[Huntn]

I tried a wheel and pedals a few years ago (can't remember for the life of me what make it was) but never really got on with so it was soon put on eBay. For racing games now (on macOS and Windows) I just use my trusty Xbox 360 controller - it suits my needs fine!

I have one of those. I need to see how compatible it is with NFS it it will recognize and map controller inputs. I'll let you know. Question, if you are using a joystick to steer, I assume you are using buttons for everything else?

 

[Garrod]

...Question, if you are using a joystick to steer, I assume you are using buttons for everything else?

Yeah, it's seems to be the norm these days to use the analogue triggers for braking and accelerating though, rather than the front-facing buttons.

 

[admwright]

Yeah, it's seems to be the norm these days to use the analogue triggers for braking and accelerating though, rather than the front-facing buttons.

Yes, the analog triggers are better for accelerator and brakes as they give more control, think gentle tap of the brakes rather than full slam on stop. The buttons are on/off so not so good.

 

[gkarris]

I love the futuristic Anti-Gravity racing games (like PS Wipeout)

AFA PC's, Formula Fusion looks fun (most of the racing games I have are on Consoles):

 

[xb2003]

You have to spend a lot of racing wheels before I feel that they are an adequate replacement for a PS4 controller (or any other).

I'm not a big fan of Racing games nowadays. I don't know if it's them or me. I don't like that so many of them are so heavily online. My favorites include Midnight Club 3 and LA, NFS UG2, Carbon, and most wanted being my favorite one ever.

I'm not into the simulator aspect that Forza has going on (usually). I want to drive cool cars at unrealistic speeds in street races.

 

[Huntn]

Yeah, it's seems to be the norm these days to use the analogue triggers for braking and accelerating though, rather than the front-facing buttons.

You have to spend a lot of racing wheels before I feel that they are an adequate replacement for a PS4 controller (or any other).

I'm not a big fan of Racing games nowadays. I don't know if it's them or me. I don't like that so many of them are so heavily online. My favorites include Midnight Club 3 and LA, NFS UG2, Carbon, and most wanted being my favorite one ever.

I'm not into the simulator aspect that Forza has going on (usually). I want to drive cool cars at unrealistic speeds in street races.

Asseto Corsa is on sale for $15 at Steam. I'll have to try both this and Need for Speed using by PC xbox controller.

I've got to ask, how is a handbrake supposed to be used?

 

[BillyBobBongo]

I've got to ask, how is a handbrake supposed to be used?

As well as racing you can also try your hand at 'drifting', that's where the handbrake comes in.

Assetto Corsa is really good fun, well worth a look at just $15.

 

[Huntn]

As well as racing you can also try your hand at 'drifting', that's where the handbrake comes in.

Assetto Corsa is really good fun, well worth a look at just $15.

I'm experimenting, but it seems like I get too much brake when I try it. I am using a button on the Xbox controller so it seems to be all or nothing. Can you or anyone describe a technique coming into a curve? Tap it?

 

[BillyBobBongo]

To be fair I tend to not use it too much and rather opt to control the slide via use of the accelerator and brakes, I use a wheel and not a controller. General rule, as far as I'm aware, is that you should tap it. You just need to get the car to start to slide/drift and then you should be able to control in from that point onwards using the torque of the engine.