Halloo
I feel the need..... etc. So i'm considering buying Rfactor or NFS Shift2.
I want to race around the Nurburgring or Donnington (or the Top Gear track) in a variety of "cars I could almost afford or have driven." Last time I tried Rfactor (ages ago) the AI tried to kill me. I know about turning down the aggression and matching cars on the track, but has it been improved in the current release? I quite like the idea of grown up multiplayer, but I'm a bit of a liability on the track so I need a good offline experience to get me into shape. I know I'll give up if I keep getting wiped out.

I like the idea of NFS cos it's got loads of cars, but the amount of brilliant SimHQ material on getting the most out of Rfactor appeals to me too.

My kit:
i5 750 @ 4.0Ghz
GTX 460
Logitech DFPro

Thankyou!

rFactor was never really designed as a single player sim so the AI sucks. With some heavy tweaking it's possible to get a barely acceptable standard but it's still pretty poor. If you're looking for a heavy duty sim experience with decent single player then take a look at Simbin's offerengs. GTR2 has a large amount of mods and still one of the finest single player racing experiences available but it's hard to find these days (due for a digital re-release soon) . Race07/GTREvo is also very good in that department.

Shift/Shift 2 have quite a lot to get your teeth into and the AI is OK but it's not a thoroughbred simulation like rFactor/GTR2. Just depends what you are looking for really.

Also, if you can hold your line on track and get around the track safely then you really should consider joining us online. there is room for all abilities here. I know, lol. I frequently finish last! But as long as you race clean you will be made very welcome here. You will find it a vastly different experience from the open pickup races on public servers you may have experienced before. Give it a try and you will never want to go back to offline.

There are small things you can do yourself to improve the AI's line at a specific track...it takes a little time investment, but it works.

Autocalibrate AI

It does work, but all it will do is make improvements on them finding their quickest way around a track, per the .aiw file. And, it doesn't make them any smarter really, just faster. GTR2, as Darren said, is great at single player and for me....it's got the best AI by far of the gMotor series so far.

There's one rFactor mod with good AI - VLN 2005 Nordschleife.

I've had some good experiences with the AI there, especially when being lapped they seem pretty good compared to the other rF blind/suicidal AI.

There's two now, IMO: DRM Revival v1.1

Thanks everyone... I D'Led the Rfactor demo. I have about 15 minutes left to sort out the steering. The cars feel not connected to the track and the steering is not what I'd expect. The brakes are also not very good. I realise this is probably a learning curve/fidelity issue as you lot are all fine with Rfactor. Its not so much a learning curve, as a learning cliff. Any quick setup tips to help me out?

My kit:
i5 750 @ 4.0Ghz
GTX 460
Logitech DFPro

Thanks for the heads-up on that Chunx, I love this mod (especially the Porsche 935) but had not tried the AI, will do so soon.

+1

Simbin titles plus mods can keep one busy with offline racing for years

Get to where you can consistently lap the car, then try out the AI, probably with a setting below 100% (or something that matches your lap times).

Although the cars will bump and jostle you, they do the same to the other AI cars. It's pretty well done, and certainly miles better than most other rF mods. I've found I can actually race the AI with this mod, something I can't really do in any other mod. Also, with the cars all on different pit strategies, you can also shorten tire wear and fuel to add some extra single-player challenge.

BTW, my personal favorites: The BMW M1 (loooove that engine sound) and the Capri (wonderful cockpit detail).