Best driving similation game?

[jebus197]

Hi, is there such a thing as just a pure driving simulator? I mean I a interested in something that isn't even really a game - and that is more like a flight simulator. I know there are racing games and games that involve driving (such as GTA etc), but that's not what I'm looking for. All I really want is a pure driving simulator.

There are two reasons why I would like this - first it might help my sister learn how to drive and second, I don't think the idea of being able to drive practically any car on practically any road in the world in whatever way I want is really all that bad. (Sort of like Google Earth on Steroids).

I know it might not qualify as 'gameplay', but hey if flight sims can be interesting for some people, driving sims should be interesting to a lot of driving enthusiasts too.

So does anything like this exist? If not I sure wish someone would make one. It's something I have wanted to be able to do for years. (Maybe I'm just a really dull person - but I do like driving and cars and lets face it, how many of us are ever going to get to drive some of the world's best cars, or indeed supercars at potentially suicidal speed's over the Alps to Italy? Or even just to drive on some roads we might not otherwise get the chance to drive on?).

Edited June 15, 2008 by jebus197

[Shekers]

I think the reason why flight sim is such a big success is because of the complexity of flying an aircraft. I do not know of any car simulation game that doesnt involve racing. TBH, i wouldn't play such a game considering I would just go drive a real car. I can't do the same with an airplane or even a train.

I do realize where you are getting at though. To be more constructive...the best game I feel that gives the best simulation of a car is definitely the Gran Turismo series. The latest one the GT5 prologue is the best (realism-wise). If you don't have a PS3, the GT4 for the PS2 is pretty damn good as well. The driver license tests can give you some pretty awesome realism; for example, how a FF/FR/4WD car would handle through corners or how to handle a S-Turn. Obviously, some of those tests you do, you won't see in real-live or at that kinds of speed, but it is closest thing to reality you can get from a game.

[+shift. MVC]

Gran Turismo series in terms of physics, mechanics and all the little subtle things.

Otherwise just grab a drivers license and drive a real car. :D

[sn00pie]

There is only one real choice for you and that is the Gran Turismo series by Polyphony Digital for Playstation. If you have a PS2 I would recommend picking up GT3 or GT4. But if you want the real experience of sitting inside a car GT5: Prologue on the PS3 is your best option. GT5:P comes with in-car camera view that captures detail like no other game has ever.

Edited October 20, 2009 by giga

[Draconian Guppy]

Live for speed ! Although it's for PC

[jebus197]

Those are racing games though. I'm sure some people wouldn't play a pure driving simulator. But hey, surely there is some attraction in being able to drive almost any car on almost any road in the world and to perhaps learn something about it's handling and characteristics?

Besides that I wish I just had a pure driving simulator that would help my sister learn how to drive (she is only 15, but she is bugging me to help her learn) it wouldn't be such a bad thing if I could park her down in front of the PC for a few hours now and then and let her practice and learn the rules of the road.

I guess it's inevitable that if you come to a gaming forum you are going to get a lot of gaming type answers - even though I'm still pretty sure that this is not what I'm looking for.

[HawkMan]

There is only one real choice for you and that is the Gran Turismo series by Polyphony Digital for Playstation. If you have a PS2 I would recommend picking up GT3 or GT4. But if you want the real experience of sitting inside a car GT5: Prologue on the PS3 is your best option. GT5:P comes with in-car camera view that captures detail like no other game has ever.

Well there's also Forza 1and 2 for Xbox/360.

Edited October 20, 2009 by giga

[metallithrax]

I'd love a pure driving simulator as long as it was real time and real world.

Sort of Google earth with the flight sim changed to a driving sim. As was stated in the 1st post (which I have only just read properly) :laugh:

Edited June 15, 2008 by metallithrax

[Draconian Guppy]

Those are racing games though. I'm sure some people wouldn't play a pure driving simulator. But hey, surely there is some attraction in being able to drive almost any car on almost any road in the world and to perhaps learn something about it's handling and characteristics?

Besides that I wish I just had a pure driving simulator that would help my sister learn how to drive (she is only 15, but she is bugging me to help her learn) it wouldn't be such a bad thing if I could park her down in front of the PC for a few hours now and then and let her practice and learn the rules of the road.

I guess it's inevitable that if you come to a gaming forum you are going to get a lot of gaming type answers - even though I'm still pretty sure that this is not what I'm looking for.

Agreed, but in any case, live for speed Has everything to "teach" some to drive, specially if you have a PC steering wheel and pedals, without it being have to be a race.

[Nickyyy]

Forza 2? not sure what console you have....

[Orange]

Live For Speed. End :p or Forza 2

[JMann Veteran]

It really depends what kind of Gaming platform you most prefer, for instance I have an Xbox 360 and have fallen in love with Driving games on it because of the Graphics/Game play/Realism and the Controller having Triggers for Accelerating & Braking brought a whole new level of gaming to my TV.

For Xbox 360 I have got PGR3/4, Forza 2, DiRT, GRID, Burnout Paradise, Test Drive Unlimited (Test Drive gives the most freedom, but is slightly outdated on looks now). All I would have to say amazing Games, Forza I found to be a lot more involved for example what Tyres/Suspension settings etc it brought forward the more realistic details to any Race car driver.

PS3 - GT:5 Prologue, I haven't played it but it looks fantastic. Everyone complained about the "No Damage" aspect in previous GT's (I think it's still the same in GT:5) but it shouldn't matter as Game play in previous GT's are fantastic.

PC - Honestly, can't say I know of any apart from Midtown Madness. :laugh:

Edit: Wasn't there a game a long time ago which taught people how to drive with like general rules of the Road and you could drive a Motobike on the Highway? Might have to look around Google for it!

[Chicane-UK Veteran]

Test Drive Unlimited is pretty good - its set on normal roads, with traffic, and its up to you whether you drive around like a maniac or just dawdle around doing the speed limit. 1000 miles of open road to enjoy as well - it's an excellent game!

[Stetson]

http://geoquake.jp/en/webgame/DrivingSimulatorGM/

[Deletedforeverhaha]

Test Drive Unlimited + Logitech G25 Steering Wheel is what you want.

Hundreds of miles of REAL road on an island in Hawaii.

[jebus197]

Test Drive Unlimited + Logitech G25 Steering Wheel is what you want.

Hundreds of miles of REAL road on an island in Hawaii.

Except it's a game and not a simulation - and as I'm in Europe (the UK to be exact) and have no plans to visit Hawaii (or America in general) ever in this lifetime, driving around Hawaii is so far removed from reality for me that I might as well spend time driving around the moon.

Fun for 10 minutes I suppose, but I would like to imagine that one day I might actually really do it too.

[Alex_is_Axel]

Simax Driving Simulator

However i dont think its out yet.. i think they are still doing stuff to it but the video does look promising

Take alook :). I just want to point out, it isnt a game, it is purely a simulator for driving

simax driving simulator v0.8b is the first product of the company. It is a hardware-software driving simulator focused in the training industry. It is 95% finished and features the simEngine, a software package specially designed for simulator. In includes:

* Graphics Engine (DirectX, shader model2 based)

* Sound Engine

* Real physics engine

* Data acquiring

* Autonomous traffic based on A.I with real physics and collisions

* Virtual cockpit technology

* Custom 3d modelling package

* Scene division&management and intelligent occlusion system

* Automatic geometry generation for roads, intersections, tunnels, etc

Currently, the simulator provides three kind of environments: 7 km of a real mountain road, 10 km of a real freeway and a urban scene.

It gives the user the chance to train his driving skills under any weather and pavement conditions, at day, night, dawn or dusk.

Regards

[Deletedforeverhaha]

Except it's a game and not a simulation - and as I'm in Europe (the UK to be exact) and have no plans to visit Hawaii (or America in general) ever in this lifetime, driving around Hawaii is so far removed from reality for me that I might as well spend time driving around the moon.

Fun for 10 minutes I suppose, but I would like to imagine that one day I might actually really do it too.

Wow, calm down. I was trying my best to answer your question. There are no simulations for driving cars in the real world that are sold as mainstream games. It's not something someone can't afford. People can't afford racing expensive cars or fly a jumbo jet or even fight with fighter jets, that's why those type of simulations exist. Driving simulations don't seem to have a market since everyone can afford to drive and it's not a luxury.

Test Drive Unlimited is as close as you can get to driving regular roads, etc without any racing feel.

Simax Driving Simulator

The graphics looks horrendous. :|

[giantpotato]

rFactor, Although it is a racing simulation. With a Logitech G25 the "feel" is much closer to real driving than most other games.

[jebus197]

Wow, calm down. I was trying my best to answer your question. There are no simulations for driving cars in the real world that are sold as mainstream games. It's not something someone can't afford. People can't afford racing expensive cars or fly a jumbo jet or even fight with fighter jets, that's why those type of simulations exist. Driving simulations don't seem to have a market since everyone can afford to drive and it's not a luxury.

Test Drive Unlimited is as close as you can get to driving regular roads, etc without any racing feel.

The graphics looks horrendous. :|

I was calm when I said that. I was merely stating a fact. No offence intended. The Simax thing is a commercial simulator, i.e. not for public consumption.

[+jamesyfx Subscriber²]

A real driving simulator should handle collision properly.

When you hit someone, you both get out of each others cars and have a little argument, then talk about the insurance. I mean, you need more subtle physics. Cars dont flip and do barrel-rolls that easily.

That simulator I just saw was rubbish. The physics were worse than the original V-Rally on the PlayStation.

[HawkMan]

I always though MS shoudl take the Forza engine, use regular cars and create a "small" simulation or training game for driving, where you can drive around a real city, or test varius situations from regular road crosses to emergiencies and such. They could even use the camera to track your eyes to make sure you to the correct order for checkign mirrors and blind spot and such, and use it to move the view on the screen as wel, so when you check the blind spot, it actually changes to a side view.

They could sell it to peopl learnign to drive, to driving schools and regular schools.

And it might help make young drivers less of idiots with no clue what they're doing :) (won't help in nations that actually allow 16 years olds to drive unsupervised in traffic though... :p)

[J400uk]

The Getaway/ Getaway Black Monday on PS2?

Granted its not much of a *simulator* as such compared to the likes of GT4 or Test Drive Unlimited, and the graphics are poor....but it allows you to drive real cars that you can actually go out and buy today arround a very realitsic reprensentation of the streets of london. There are obviosuley various missions etc, but you dont have to complete these as the game has a free roam mode.

[sn00pie]

As for damage not being in GT5: Prologue that will be in a coming update. That's what the company behind the game promised.

[Acceleration]

I got bored of waiting for GT5 to be complete so I was rolling with Forza 2.