Slightly Mad has apparently announced that PCars 2 will no longer be available on Steam beginning 21 September, and PCars 1 will be gone 3 October, due to license expirations for content. It looks like AMS2 will be the only Madness engine-based racing sim left. I don't count PCars 3, because from what I can tell, that went off in some RPG-type direction after Slightly Mad was bought up by a publisher that doesn't have a history in racing sims. I didn't buy it after reading the official description and community opinion. This suits me fine because I prefer Reiza's interpretation of things. I've owned every Reiza Studios title since the beginning. I guess I'm well disposed toward Brazil and Brazilians, probably because my cousin practiced medicine in Brazil for several years and loves Brazil, she still visits, and I used to chat with Emerson Fittipaldi around the garage when I was a young man, and he was a great guy, though back then I hadn't lived all over the world yet and I had to pay close attention when he spoke due to his accent. Now that I'm old, I'd probably have no trouble as I've become used to so many different accents over the years. So anyway, I quite like the Brazilian spin on things. So now that I've indulged in that digression, if you want any PCars 1 or 2 stuff, you better get after it while you can. Full story at Race Department.
For clarity, it's useful to list the actual notification: Project CARS 1 and 2 will soon be delisted from Steam The games are being delisted for sale on steam. Current owners / users are unaffected.
R.I.P. PCars 2 may not be the best game out there. I personally hated the tendency to oversteer and especially, ESPECIALLY, the black hole kerbs that would suck you in never to be seen again. But before AMS2 came up I considered PCars2 to be the perfect example of what a racing game should be. LOTS OF CONTENTS FOR A FAIR PRICE. It had all kinds of cars for every taste, from classical to modern. It had a huge selection of tracks, both real and fictional. It had the best weather system. And it had a lot of immersion, with pit stops, fuel, tyres usage and heat, etc. Maybe physics were not what a "professional sim racer" would appreciate... whatever "professional sim racer" means. But it was fun. Really fun. I played that game for many hours, learned a lot from it. Unfortunately I can't feel anything more than sadness for what Codemasters has become in recent years. Reiza proved that the Madness Engine is indeed a very good platform and that is possible to create another great game on top of it, developing physics even further than PCars 1 and 2. Here's a meme for every PCARS fan out there. Do not lose hope!
Well I think they deserved a lot more recognition. The physics in AMS2 are done in top of the madness engine using their tire model, suspension, etc. and of course tunning and adding more things to the table. The graphics engine was done in house. Livetrack is awesome with its quirks. ... A lot of so called hardcore sim racers don't have a clue of the depth of the simulation in PCARS.
Yes, thank you, muz_j. I may not have been clear enough, Pcars1 and Pcars 2 and their respective DLC will still work, they just won't be listed for sale on Steam after those dates. I have both, with all the DLC, and I'd say that they're very underrated. I've had a lot of fun with them. Automobilista 2 is my primary racing sim, but after that I probably play Pcars 1 & 2 the most. I also like rF2, AC, and ACC, but for specific things with each title. AMS2 gets launched far more often than any other racing sim that I own.
PC2 made me reconnect with racing games. It's a good game that deserved a better following. I don't know why there wasn't a longer season pass to allow time to polish this game. I'm always ready to buy when the content is good and I like it. It was PC2 that brought me to AMS2.
PC1 and 2 were my gateway into simracing back when I was stuck with a base model Xbox One and a controller, and for all of their flaws I still have a huge soft spot for them Seeing them get delisted is kinda like seeing an old friend leave but licenses can't last forever I guess
PCars2 was a great game. My favorite racing game of all time. I wouldn't be on this site at all except that I heard that AMS2 licensed the Madness Engine.
PCars 2 is great, but my favorite racing sims come from... I have all the Reiza Studios stuff from the beginning, and it's all installed and operational, though Automobilista 2 gets the most play time.
Noted. Oubaas! is a popular nickname. I was also born in Johannesburg, but now I've relocated to Port Elizabeth due to the high crime rate.
Yeah, my wife is quite a bit younger than me. She tagged me with that nickname. I told her, "Moe nie my mal maak nie!", but it stuck.
I played PC2 less than PC1 as I found it was buggy as and did not deliver much more on PC1. I believe there were also some broken promises on PC2 so I did not stay engaged with it. AMS2 has been my go-to Sim since it released. I already have more hours on this than any other one.
I met my wife while I was at Kyalami. What in the world might I have been doing there? I'm sure that if you contemplate the issue, it will eventually dawn on you why I might like to remain just another anonymous face in the crowd in a racing sim forum. We're quite finished with discussing the matter.