I'm really atrocious at racing games. How bad? Here is a short recording:

As you can see: Really bad. 

(Video is from Race 07 with the STCC - The Game expansion (Race 07 came with the expansion, which feels like a slightly backwards way of doing things

The problem is that the racing games that I'm interested in are the simulation-style racing games, and they don't seem to offer much in the way of tutorials (not that I have a whole lot of racing games though). They seem to take for granted that you know how a care acts under these conditions and how you should react in said conditions. I don't though. I've never really given it much thought, and thus I'm really struggling with racing games. I can drive arcadey games (the more arcadey the better I am at them, and I even consider myself being good at Mario Kart)

So are there any good simulation-style racing games that either offers a more gentle learning curve or alternatively good tutorials for a complete beginner (who does not even have a drivers licence in real life as he lives in an area where using public transportation is more convenient than driving a car)?

HA! you drive about as well as I do on these. Although I am FAR more aggressive (PIT Maneuvers and the like)

The only thing I've learned with these games to even slightly help with placement and driving is slow down a lot on turns and when you hit grass or dirt slow down/ stop because attempting to adjust yourself on it is useless, the terrian magically becomes ice and no amount of turning your vehicle will save you.

As far as other racing games that seem to be a decent mix of real/cartoony (from realistic to cartoony) would be the Burnout series, Midnight Club series, and the Need For Speed series.

Of course you could always just say "forget this" and play Carmageddon or Vigilante 8 

I actually have Midnight Club 2 (got it for free for joining Rockstar's Steam group a while ago), though I have not played it. I'll see if I do better in that game than in Race 07. 

Ah, and Carmageddon, that was a game that my younger self enjoyed quite a bit. I wonder if I still have the stomach for it.

Test Drive unlimited 2 offers some tutorials and even I can drive properly in that game.

You don't have to race all the time, you can joyride the island as much as you please

I'm a good driver irl. But i also suck at driving in games, which is partly caused by the keyboard that isn't really suitable. A steering wheel or joystick is a better choice if you really want to play racing games properly.

I actually have a driving wheel, which I got through a trade. It is not a great one though, just a Logitech Formula Force GT (which also lacks the force feedback adapter as the previous owner had misplaced it)

Having raised my two boys with this kind of game playing constantly on the TV, you'd think I'd know a thing or two by now.  However, the most important thing I've learned is that I suck at this kind of driving.  We started them off with the lovely arcade game Ignition and I never mastered that one. 

So, good luck - you big kid you. 

Stuntman!!!

Cause when you crash on this one you're usually doing it right! Rofl

The newer San Francisco RUSH games tend to have some decent driving, not much in the way of tutorials but not super hard to drive either. The one that pops to mind is San Francisco RUSH: 2049. Futuristic sorta and a lot of fun because you have deployable wings for stunts and the like

Watching this reminds me, it has a handy little feature where when you mess up (cause we all have those days) you can reset your car with the hit of a button

Originally Posted By Support (11 OCT 2012 4:53pm)

Stuntman!!!

 

Cause when you crash on this one you're usually doing it right! Rofl

*chuckles* Yea, that would probably be something that I would be good at

And Caroline, I've not really grown out of anything I've started since I was 10, I've just added more childish things to do on my spare time

Originally Posted By Fnord (12 OCT 2012 9:31am)

Originally Posted By Support (11 OCT 2012 4:53pm)

Stuntman!!!

 

Cause when you crash on this one you're usually doing it right! Rofl

 

 

And Caroline, I've not really grown out of anything I've started since I was 10, I've just added more childish things to do on my spare time

Amen to that 

I decided to document my very first attempt at doing a championship in the game (I only had 1 race between my previous recording & this)

It is nice to see that I'm improving at least (there is a huge difference between the early & later races in terms of curve handling)

Note that I only speak at the very start of the video, during the rest of the race I'm quiet (or at least you don't get to hear any of the sounds I made

"Improving" is a highly modest word. It's amazing to see how much has changed. I'm a gamer and I haven't seen such dramatic change in anyone that fast ever. What you've achieved has taken others at LEAST a month.

I found myself cheering for you and made the mistake of yelling "AW COME ON!" at my monitor when you rear ended the car in the beginning. The one where your car spun wildly and he kept driving as if nothing had happened. Good thing the boss thought it was funny. 

That was a lot of fun to watch, you're doing really great! 

What helped me in regards to the more "sim" style of racing was playing the Colin McRae series ralley games. (After his untimely death, RIP, they eventually took the series into another name and direction with the "Dirt" name and it's gotten a bit more arcadey as time went on.

It wasn't because of oany tutorial really but rather the way the races are, it's not you fighting for position but just your car on the road going for a time, not quite as tense as other racing sims but after a while I just got used to it more and more.

Also a huge up to it is having a decent wheel to use instead of a keyboard, or even a controller. Using a keyboard is just not as good because of the analogue input of a joystick/wheel to handle the movements.

I also would like to point out if you didn't know, since you say you enjoy Arcade racers the new Need for Speed coming out in just two weeks or so from now , Need for Speed: Most Wanted, is looking to be awesome. It's from the Burnout developer (one of the most fun arcade racers out there) and seems to be a lot like their last game, Burnout Paradise. Can't wait to get it.

Originally Posted By Support (15 OCT 2012 1:07pm)

That was a lot of fun to watch, you're doing really great! 

Thanks, they were quite fun to make as well! The last one that I recored did end up being on a very hard level, which resulted in a horrible result, but the easier levels did at least go a lot better. 

And the whole thing spurred me to find out what was wrong with my dosbox recording, and now I'm on my way to finish my Crusader: No Remorse let's play. 

Originally Posted By Stiler (15 OCT 2012 11:15pm)

What helped me in regards to the more "sim" style of racing was playing the Colin McRae series ralley games. (After his untimely death, RIP, they eventually took the series into another name and direction with the "Dirt" name and it's gotten a bit more arcadey as time went on.

 

It wasn't because of oany tutorial really but rather the way the races are, it's not you fighting for position but just your car on the road going for a time, not quite as tense as other racing sims but after a while I just got used to it more and more.

 

Also a huge up to it is having a decent wheel to use instead of a keyboard, or even a controller. Using a keyboard is just not as good because of the analogue input of a joystick/wheel to handle the movements.

 

I also would like to point out if you didn't know, since you say you enjoy Arcade racers the new Need for Speed coming out in just two weeks or so from now , Need for Speed: Most Wanted, is looking to be awesome. It's from the Burnout developer (one of the most fun arcade racers out there) and seems to be a lot like their last game, Burnout Paradise. Can't wait to get it.

 

I did not know that he had passed away, but that explains why they are not sold online anywhere. I guess I'll have to check Amazon for the older games. 

And I have a wheel. A Logitech Formula Force GP (which I guess is a budget wheel. I got it through a trade, and it lacks its force feedback adapter

I sadly don't think my computer will be able to handle the new Need for Speed game. It really shows its age, and in racing games, slowdown can be a real joykiller. 

Yeah it was quite sad, he was killed in a helicopter crash that he was piloting along with his 5yr old son and his son's friend and another friend of the family.

If you want an even "harder" rally sim there's also the Richard Burns rally games, those will force you to get better if you want to do good lol.