Jun 11, 2009 -- 10:41AM, Mush wrote:

HeyJoe did something simular but for a car see here

Dr Tyms story further down is a classic

Your not going to believe this Mush but I've just this minute finished up-dating my "pod". Flatscreen, sub-woofer, all black now. Bit miffed 'cause in my excitement I blew the neons :(

Still trying to sort out a transponder thingy majig for vibration under the seat.

PS when I saw this www.metacafe.com/watch/540760/pneumatic_... I got my bag of spanners out, the missus stated it's divorce or that....tough decision

Jun 11, 2009 -- 9:58AM, Mush wrote:

Steve,

Have you got or can get hold of one of these? It's designed to teach motorcycle safety, but comes closer than playing a game with a pad. Or can we have one like we do with Rock Band's equipment. 

That is awesome! But it would need to be adjusted for a sports bike.

With all "sims", there is a fine balance between playability and realism. I just got my hands on GP500. Quite honestly, I am not that impressed. Nice graphics and it's cool that there are folks still making add-ons like new bikes for it. But the playability isn't too hot. Arcade mode is WAY too tough. And seeing ALL the other bikes fly by you and get lapped time after time is pretty discouraging. I am also playing MotoGP 3 and the fun factor is MUCH higher. It only took me a few laps in arcade mode to really get the hang of the controls and how and when to brake and accelerate. In career mode I have already finished 3rd and 1st. That makes me want to play again and again. And that is the key to a game being a success. Capcom has a tough job. They have to make EVERYONE happy, not just those who want 110% realism. Once I master the easiest mode, I'll move up to the next one. I've got Moto Gp 08 on order and am looking forward to it with great anticipation. I am also aquiring SBK 09 Superbike. So I will get to test them all out and compare.

Jun 24, 2009 -- 8:53AM, Ronin05 wrote:

Deputy to me you hit on exactly what I've been trying to point out.  Games like GP500 or the SBK titles in sim mode appear "hard" at first because the learning curve is high and when going against the AI it's easy to get discouraged.  Where as in an arcade game it's easier to put the work in because you get the results (higher placings) faster.  Once you've gotten over the learning curve the games aren't very hard at all.

But IMHO if instead of making the physics modes easier or harder, if the AI was made faster and slower the learning curve would be easier to tolerate because you would be rewarded with success for your effort. Newer players crash in the "sim" modes because they are trying to hard to go fast without understanding how.  But if they could gain that understanding while going slower yet at the same time being competative it would be easier for them to procress naturally to harder (faster) modes.  They'd have the foundation and would only need to refine it as opposed to having to relearn a whole new set of fundamentals when changing modes.  150mph only seems slow if someone passes you going 180mps....

Just like real racing where the classes are divided by skill level. Amatuer, CLub, pro , etc....... Riding is riding in all of them but the difference is in the speeds and refinement of techniques required for the different bikes.

Well said Ronin. I actually got the hang of SBK 09 pretty quickly. But I am waiting for a patch to fix the controller option. I can't reprogram any of the buttons and knobs like I would like to do (using a CH Combatstick). So I have to use the throttle wheel set at full power and fiddle with the brakes (which is actually a hat switch). I can do it, but it's not as good as Moto Gp 3. And GP 500 has the same problem. Controller reprogramming isn't possible. But GP 500 is pretty old so it has that excuse.

I agree 100% that AI tweaking in different levels should be done. It's perfect in Moto GP 3. But in GP 500 they are EXPERT no matter if you are arcade or expert. I don't see that in Moto GP 3. The only drivers that are really good and tough to beat are the top 3 in Moto GP. But they ARE beatable. I think also that once new players get the techniques of the controller down where it becomes second nature instead of having to think which button is brake, etc., driving skill improves dramatically. 

Dep