Which would be the better sim to buy, RF2 or GSCE? I only have money for one when taxes get here. I plan on purchasing a bunch from R3E, but I would like another racing sim as well
I like GSCE better, but it wiil be soon "replaced" by Automobilista, the "new" game from Reiza. It seems to be a big improvement to GSCE so in that case I would wait.
There is the Copa Petrobas de Marcas demo on Steam. Basically it is the Marcas touring cars which are part of SCE, and this is a demo of the full game. Comes with 4 cars and 6 tracks. rF2 also has a demo and has 2 cars, 1 kart, and 2 tracks with 1 karting track. I would probably recommend waiting until AMS comes out within a month or two. Not a huge fan of rF2 and how you have to pay to play online. Both games will feel similar since they are both made from the ISI motor.
Tough choice as both are great sims. rFactor 2: rF2 features a lot of tech shared/borrowed with rF Pro and is a big step up technology wise from isiMotor 2 based sims such as SCE, rFactor and all of Simbin's releases. During the later part of 2015, ISI increased their content output for rF2 adding lots of new tracks and some new cars (most notable being the Stock Cars) and the modding scene is also slowing getting better. Content can be limited - unlike Sector 3 who will fill out most of their categories - rF2 can be lean in various classes; I presume ISI hoped that modders would fill the blanks using their cars as templates. The full feature list for rF2 can be found here: http://rfactor.net/web/rf2/rf2features/ - with rF2 you will get 24 hour time cycle, full & changable weather, real road where the track rubbers in over time, great AI and some of the best physics available. FFB is great too Stock Car Extreme: Stock Car Extreme is a sublime sim, with the majority of tracks you won't see elsewhere, stellar open wheel cars, great tin-tops and sublime FFB and vehicle physics, thanks to isiMotor 2 (the basis for the physics in R3E too). SCE won sim of the year two times in a row on Race Department! Because SCE is using gMotor (as in graphics motor from isiMotor 2), SCE looks a little dated, even with the custom shaders and various tweaks Reiza Studios have done over the years. Thats said, there are many, many mods for SCE (because of its connections to rFactor) and you'll find most of the best ones on Race Department Buying SCE now is a little difficult to recommend with Automobilista on the horizon. This isn't the new DX12 powered game Reiza have promised but a 'rolling up' of the features that were coming to SCE such as new content (Supertrucks, Rallycross Evo X and V10 F1 cars) and features such as dynamic tracks (ala rF2) and tyre flat spotting and futher graphical improvements. TL;DR: If it were my cash, I'd try the rF2 demo (http://rfactor.net/web/2015/12/09/rfactor-2-demo/) and the SCE demo (http://game-stockcar.com.br/downloads-2/?lang=en) - try both while you wait for Automobilista to be released and then decide.
Copa Petrobras de Marcas is a great touring class but it does not represent all you can find in SCE: V8s, Openwheelers, Minis...
I would go for SCE or Automobilista as @Gerbuho said, much better imo. Don't really like rF2 that much, to much unfinished / "badly made" / dated mods, actually prefer rF1 over 2..
I wouldn't get GSCE now - better to wait till Automobilista is out. The RF2 demo and the Copa Petrobras de Marcas free game are both very accurate indicators of the quality of the two full games. Because I'm an optimist I bought both games, despite thinking both 'demos' were rubbish. I ended up getting a refund on GSCE and never playing RF2. If I had to choose between them right now I'd probably go for RF2, but I'd honestly save your money and see what Automobilista is like. I respect the depth and attention to detail that RF2 offers, and the variety that GSCE offers, but I didn't have any fun with either of them.
That's a very good post @Travis Petrovic. Nice little synopsis for both titles that was rather informative. Either sim is a good choice really. They both have things they offer that are quite good. As @heppsan said though, there arent a whole lot of mods for rF2 that are good. Most are just super old converted mods from ~10 yrs ago. The driving in rF2 is pretty good though. Certainly enjoyable. Also, dont forget to watch for sales on Steam. Since both are on that platform now. You can get either for relatively little money when they go on sale
Despite an ugly interface, Stock Car Extreme is a lot of fun. It has an unusual and interesting roster of cars and tracks, excellent FFB, very acceptable graphics (especially for those of us with weak PCs and graphics cards)... and it's reliable. I've never tried rF2, having not enjoyed rF1 very much. Have you thought of Race 07? Pound for pound, I think it's the best racing sim on the market, especially at the current price of £2.49 on Steam. It's a blast to play - the driving "feel" is excellent. The graphics are outdated, but set everything to max, or as near as possible, bump up the AA and tweak Nvidia Inspector and it looks fine. The expansion packs are a bargain, too. A recent enthusiastic review gives more information.
the sce demo is terrible (crappy fwd touring cars(someone knows how to give me a bad first imprssion)). not a good representation of what i would say is a solid but dated sim. i agree with scraper try race 07 it is also a solid if slightly more dated sim. i had all expansions not long after buying it the game is that much fun .
Rf2 has an own large modified isi engine with a new TM and you feel it trought the FFB when you drive, cars are really different in the FFB and when you drive a TA... you soon realize.."ohhh this is a TA".....so RF2 it is a step forward to gse..reiza will get a own modified isi engine with Automobilista...imo RF2 is a great sim and grafic is eye realistic but not photo realistic...in RF2, good mods are very few, I think because it is so hard to mod it because there are so many parameters in the physic files..I own both but if I had to choose I choose RF2 but check with the demo if your pc support it cos RF2 is hard demand in power
SCE all day long (although wait for the upcoming Automobilista as others have said). rF2 feels like a tech demo to me. Lots of great features and innovations but there's not much of a 'game' there. Content is quite 'eclectic' to put it politely (read: uninspiring). Graphics are bland and flat. The modding scene hasn't latched on to rF2 as was hoped. SCE is the best all-round racing simulation on the market as far as I'm concerned. A feature-rich sim that just works well in every regard. Great physics and FFB, interesting content, strong modding scene. It's the most competent, complete simulation out there.
It is a really tough choice if I'd had to get just one of those. RF2 has the most advanced physics and features of current sims, but so far is bit light on content IMO. If you are looking especially open wheelers, then I'd suggest GSCE. CART Extreme mod is alone worth the price of the GSCE and I don't actually play much anything else with it. rF2 has also some terrific open wheelers, like ISI made DW12 and ASR mods, but I still think that GSCE nails open wheelers really well. Both games have terrific AI although in the future, rF2 can be a good single player oval sim too. Neither of the sims can do ovals well at this point, but ISI guys are at least aiming to nail that feature. rF2 can be really taxing on your system, so that is something to take into consideration, especially if running triples. rF2 can be really good looking if you have right cars and tracks and you can crank the settings up. RF2 definitely isn't an eyecatcher, but is still a decent looking sim on right conditions. GSCE on the otherhand looks like rF1, but it also runs really well. Edit: And one thing to notice, all gmotor sims, that is GSCE, rF1 and even rF2 really like PCIE 3.0. That means significantly improved FPS, if your MB chipset and graphics card support that. Difference can easily be 30-40%. It is well documented feature and I have first hand experience on this: I have X79 chipset and I need to force PCIE 3.0 with a registry hack every time I install new drivers. I have launched GSCE and rF2 a couple of times after fresh driver install without doing the registry stuff and FPS hit was huge. It really can be literally 40-50FPS and up depending on your setup between PCIE 2.0 and PCIE 3.0. The graphics engine is really ancient on both sims and lots of stuff is done in CPU, so there is huge overhead there. All in all, GSCE is a lot more forgiving in FPS, but still something to take in consideration especially if with triple monitors.
I bought rf2 since it was on sale, but haven't hardly touched it because of the content I bought on R3E
im a backer and tried AMS last night.. and just wow, imagine gsc just better with elements of RF2 in it. Tyres spotting, dirt pickup rubber on track.. The new v10 is simply awesome.! Not to mention visuals are up there with current sims bar a few special affects imo
While I like SCE/AMS, I wouldn't give up rF2 for it though. AMS beta is looking good, having fun with it. Granted, I would buy both if I were you. There are things in rF2 that aren't available in any other sim, it is unique. Many don't give rF2, or SCE for that matter, a chance as they feel the graphics are not "next gen" but with tweaks both can be very good.
Tried Automobilista for the first time yesterday and must say, those new Super Trucks is tremendous fun!! The Lanccer Evo X Rallycross wasn't bad either.