While I'm no alien, I'm far and away the best sim racer of my friends. My rig is a usual late night hotspot due to its wow factor, so everyone always wants a go. The problem I usually run into is deciding what to put people on so they have fun, as its not the easiest to drive a DD wheel motion rig while (usually) drunk. Any suggestions? I used to have people on the hillclimb since they couldn't really go off track, but then they don't really get the repetition benefit of racing against their ghost for improvement. Then I switched to Brands Hatch, since its shaped like a banana, but everyone always goes off turn 1. I did Zandvoort for a while, but it has a few blind turns. Even if I put the settings on amateur, my friends can still spin out as they lose control. I need a car suggestion that has a good amount of grip, not too fast, but still sounds exciting. Then a track to pair it with. What does everyone suggest?
Natural choice would be the NSU TTS of course, but I guess that's not exciting enough. TC Classics/DTM '92 aren't too quick and quite manageable, plus you have some sweet sound. The upcoming M235i is a very good beginners RWD, plus it comes with all the safety features the rl car has. Tatuus F4 is a pretty stable/safe open wheeler, better suited than the FR Jr. due to the better aero. Definitely still recommend using Amateur with any of these. You can have them chase their ghost on hillclimbs too, but they aren't good tracks for beginners, too long and twisty. Chang is a pretty straight forward track, especially the short layout, no blind spots and - which shouldn't be underestimated - no trees, meaning no shadows that can add to the confusion. Maybe short layouts are your best bet anyway, like Monza Jr., Stowe (ultra short, plus it has loads of cones that kinda guide you trough), Norisring (least amount of turns) or Spielberg Südschleife. Suzuka East is fun, tho it has the blind right hander up on the crest.
I'd suggest Norisring for noobs because it's easy to learn and if you make a mistake rather than sliding off and getting stuck in the gravel you just bounce off the walls and stay on the track.
Thanks for the suggestions everyone. The DTM'92 cars are easily my favorite in the entire game, so I usually put people in those, but some still struggle with them. I only bought one of the early open-wheelers, not sure which it was, but I'll have to give both of those a quick test drive to see which might work best for the application. I remember when I test drove the NSU when it first came out, I thought it was a little boring on the test track, but I bet its a riot on a tighter track with a full grid though. I think the track suggestions are good ones, thanks.
@switchface Another idea for your funny drunk friends, so they will be able to drive any car on any track: enable pit limiter!
TTS at Stowe is usually a good race, cars stay pretty packed together, so usually lots of passing opportunities. I have had good luck with drunk friends at Salzburgring and any "medium" powered car (DTM 92, Tatuus, WTCC, TT Cup, etc.) It's an easy track to memorize (although everyone blows through the first chicane the first time) and enough turns that are generally pretty fast and not too technical. Also agree about Norisring above, but I always seem to run DTM 201x there
I usually put up the NSU TTS with the Red Bull Ring. He knows the track because he watches Formula 1 with me, and it's probably one of his favourites (except for Monaco) on the calendar so he knows it good enough to try. The TTS because it's fun!
NSU is a lot of fun, I had a race online on Brands Hatch and when you get used with the car it's a really enjoyable driving.
I always use Brands Hatch Indy with the NSU for my 8 yr old daughter. She seemed to be able to pick it up pretty quickly.
I tried the new BMW on the Nurburgring today, and I would say it's a fairly easy combination. The car is very forgiving and the track is easy to learn, while the AI are not homicidal with such a setup.
The Ring being easy for noobs? Can't tell if trolling, lol. Tried the new BMW, no offense to those that like it, but the engine's pitch sounds so sterile and boring, so that's out. Stowe had a gnarly left-hander (I think) that kept throwing everyone off track. Norisring the straights are so long, the under-powered cars I'm putting them in makes for uneventful. Salzburgring is fun, I'll give that a try. One thing that might help, noticing from all your comments, is that I should try putting them in a race at maybe 87 difficulty, rather than hot lapping. While they won't get the benefits of improving on their ghost, they would at least have the other cars to judge the turns by. Either that, or I need new friends! lol
See, this is what I get for responding before I've had any coffee. Good call. Lol @ pit limiter...its like a mini earthquake when you have a motion rig!