This is just one guy's opinion but, for me, of all the sims, AMS2 is the one I've found that most closely replicates the real feel of driving a race car at speed. I am a long time sim racer - I've played and enjoyed many sims over the years (really, decades). I have enjoyed Reiza's work going all the way back to Game Stock Car Extreme (I probably still have a backup of the offline installer somewhere!) I was also happy to have supported the AMS1 kickstarter back in the day. Over the last 6 or so years, I have gone from thinking of myself as a sim racer, to a sim racer who dabbles in some irl racing, to an irl racer who dabbles in sim racing (though, truth be told, I still log way more laps/year virtually than I do irl!) I have always enjoyed playing a variety of sims and probably always will. I like seeing how different devs approach things and, with very few exceptions, I think every sim I've ever lapped in has done at least one thing really well. I am also a strong believer that NO sim (not even a $20M custom F1 team simulator rig) is going to be able to fully replicate The Real Thing. There are just too many variables and, ultimately, way too much subjectivity to ever say any one sim is "it". You can learn something different about the art of race driving from each of them! All that being said, there is no question that, as I've ramped up my involvement in irl racing and, gratifyingly, seen my skills and results improve in that world, my taste in sims has gotten, I suppose, "pickier". This is not a newsflash, but a real race car is just immensely more informative in terms of feedback than any sim will ever be (this includes the $20M F1 team rig!) We can (and have and will continue to) argue "physics" all day long. This sim vs that sim, this update vs the previous update, etc. But, for my own tastes, it ultimately comes down to *feel*. The "flow state" that I feel in the real racecar when everything is clicking is indescribably wonderful...on the other side of that coin, I have also come to realize how hard it is (for me) to consistently attain that same "flow state" in a simulator. That is, except for one exception: AMS2! I don't know what it is, but I suspect it is the subtle combination of a lot of things. FFB, visual cues, audio cues...something about what AMS2 delivers seems to consistently scratch the same (or at least similar) places in my "lizard brain" that the real experience does. I'm able to drive the car almost subconsciously (which is how I'd describe the real world experience). Couple all this with a great car/track selection and some very serviceable AI and it makes for some really great racing! I will not blow smoke up anyone's butt and say AMS2 is the *only* sim that gives me this buzz, only that AMS2 is the sim that, far and away, most consistently gets (and keeps) me in that zone. I really, really appreciate Reiza's efforts. I also appreciate that, with only a few exceptions (in my subjective opinion), Reiza seem to have taken the time to give us very reasonable, suitably racey, default setups across the various cars and classes. AMS1 is the only other sim I've ever played where I'd say the same thing about the default setup quality (I would probably give Raceroom "honorable mention" credit in this regard). Most sims, the default setups are a house of horrors with all manner of excuses proffered by "fanboys" ("oh, those are so you can drive with a controller" or "noobs like a lot of understeer" or "any good driver is going to totally redo the setup from scratch" blah, blah, blah...when, in reality, its mostly just lazy carelessness on the part of the devs! /rant) Anyways, keep up the good work, Reiza! I have spent many happy hours with the sim and looking forward to many more! It's a great winter boredom killer that allows me to periodically dip my brain into "race mode" during the off season.
For me, AMS1 is still the sim that gives me the real feeling, but AMS2 is a close second and is getting closer and closer to the feeling I experience with AMS1. Now I also play Race 07 and no matter how old this sim is, it's a wonderful sim in every way. I also prefer to race with touring cars and not GT2, 3, or 4 classes, and not endurance either, just a 20- or 30-minute race, door-to-door through the corners, such as a Clio Cup or old WTCC class.
I've been saying something very similarfor years; that AMS2 is the only sim that doesn't feel digital. When I put my VR headset on it's the closest to sensation of the real rubber and metal thing than anything else.
Compared to what? Other games or driving a real race car on the track? ^This! Amongst the current gen sims, personally AMS2 is the most intuitive to drive at the limit. There are still a few areas where it could improve but those issues are minor, IMHO. It's why I can't relate to some of the people complaining about the "floaty" physics.
