GRID2 Multiplayer. Redefined?

Just started it up, give me a couple hours.

Not very impressed with the indycar/Indianapolis. The car feels like its drifting around each turn, they are way way way to easy to drive, just like in real life, top speed is only 213, I got 214 in a draft. I put it in the grass at 210 and turned the wheels all the way left and never lost control. Damage system is weird...

how do u know what a indy car drives like ?

u a indy car driver? lol

I know enough about them to know they are probably the easiest kind of racecar to drive.

They are probably some of the hardest cars to drive, save for F1. But what really matters is online play. The reviews are saying this is a whole different experience than single player in GRID2.

Can you tune the cars at all? Regarding the IndyCars, if you go into a lobby, what are the options to set up a race? Can each car be pained separately? How does the penalty system work? Do you drive with a wheel?

I get mine tomorrow hopefully, so I'll do a full report on the online and IndyCar aspect when I get it.

I did not pick mine up today! And I was across the street from it for 4 hours or so!

OctoberDusk06 wrote:They are probably some of the hardest cars to drive, save for F1. But what really matters is online play. The reviews are saying this is a whole different experience than single player in GRID2.

Can you tune the cars at all? Regarding the IndyCars, if you go into a lobby, what are the options to set up a race? Can each car be pained separately? How does the penalty system work? Do you drive with a wheel?

I get mine tomorrow hopefully, so I'll do a full report on the online and IndyCar aspect when I get it.

When I get back on later I'll check out online. I only played a little campaign.

Hopefully we can more laps and paint and stuff. That would be awesome in the indycars

Here are some reports off the Codemasters Forums that might interest us:
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I've given it an hour, maybe two hours of play over the last week and a bit, and personally I think the handling strikes a really impressive balance.

Do the cars spin out with too much?
It's definitely possible to spin out. It's not like a full sim where you will spin merely for hitting the trigger out of any corner, but unlike Grid 1, the possibility of going in too hard and oversteering into the wall is definitely there.

Can you ever lock the wheels under braking?
I think I've experienced some lock ups. I've definitely had times where I was way, way too quick for a corner, slammed on the brakes, and lost all ability to turn as I ploughed forward.

Cornering, is it all drifty or can you hold a fast line?
You can kind of do either, which is one of the things I really like about the model. In sims, drifting is slower, in most arcade titles, drifting is quicker, but in GRID it's a lot closer. Obviously the whole thing is OTT, you'll be taking corners far faster than real life, but you can drive in a 'grip' style and hold up.

Does understeer and oversteer feel right ?
Very subjective question, but yeah, I think they've got a good balance.
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GRID 2 supports a number of steering wheels, including:
Official Xbox 360 Wheels
Official Xbox 360 Wheel
Official Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel
Unofficial Xbox 360 Wheels
Logitech Drive FX Wheel
Fanatec Porsche 911 Turbo S Wheel
Fanatec Porsche 911 Turbo Wheel
Fanatec CSR Elite
MadCatz Wireless Racing Wheel
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Can I customize my car? If so, how?
Answer: You can add performance upgrades in GRID 2’s multiplayer mode and customize the livery of your cars.
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I like just about everything so far ... just cracked it into the WSR series but haven't raced yet. Really digging the feel of the cars, arcade like but also with some weight and character to them.

The graphics fidelity and audio deserve special mention as they are stellar.The car detail and tyre smoke deserve special mention along with the nice and smooth framerates, sense of speed is awesome and gets the heart thumping.
Anyone on the fence or scared off by Dirt 3 or Dirt Showdown ( absolute stinkers imho ) should go for it without regret! Well done Grid 2 Team you guys did real good .... easy 8.5 outta 10 for me!
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The wheel support in the menus is better than most and I had zero trouble getting enough FFB for my liking. The physics cant be judged until you escape the first races and get into the options screen. Once done, and basing this on literally two cars (difficulty set to the highest, or 'Very Hard') the driving is satisfying for a couple of reasons. 1, you dont have to drift like an idiot all the time to go fast. 2, the car balance is sophisticated enough that sometimes feathering the lift off the gas becomes the most important skill.. the cars are prone to some throttle-lift oversteer, and so feathering the lift is the way to keep from hanging the back out and is a satisfying skill in itself. The brakes work fine without being too harsh or too weak.
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And this is an interesting review, saying that GRID2 will "feel" the same as GRID, handling-wise, which, I believe, is about like F1, without the ability to fine tune, except in multi-player. which is what we want. When you add to that the apparently mind-blowing graphics and large track selection, we may have a go here:

GRiD 2 reviewed: A safe ride, but a fun one nonetheless
"It’s almost offensive when you put it like that, almost as if Codies haven’t tried hard enough or haven’t changed the formula enough. But it’s a sign of just how well Codies have nailed that sense of speed, that line between being able to enjoy circuit races or drift challenges while straddling ever so gently into real-world physics and handling.

"This is why sim racers will be completely disconsolate with GRID 2, because from their perspective, it’s basically GRID 1. And in that narrow, isolated world, it’s true. The fundamental GRID experience hasn’t changed, although there are plenty of new bells and whistles that gamers from all walks of life would enjoy.

"For a start, every track is more alive. The updated engine can render over 30,000 fans in the crowd without skipping a beat, and the clever use of blurring, lighting and the various other improvements are quite impressive. The more rural tracks make up for the lack of spectators with scenery, although I found tracks like Paris, which combine the tightness of an inner-city circuit with views of the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower, the most appealing.

"Like the DiRT series before, players can upload their highlights directly to YouTube. Dedicated YouTube streamers, however, won’t abandon their love of Premiere Pro and Sony Vegas for cutting and exporting — and it’s a service most gamers will ignore. Some might appreciate the ease of use factor, though, although the actual video quality is unknown at this stage: the feature wasn’t available in the review code.

But the YouTube functionality, Liveroutes, Racenet and all the other features really boil down to one thing: more GRID. If you played GRID, loved GRID and have waited five years for more GRID, then its sequel is everything you ever wanted and more. If GRID wasn’t realistic enough, was too forgiving and too simplified: this isn’t the game for you."

http://games.on.net/2013/05/grid-2-reviewed-pc-a-safe-ride-but-a-fun-one-nonetheless/
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And this was a very interesting exchange between Codemasters and a reviewer:

"All the assists are wrapped-up into the TrueFeel handling system, so there's no toggling of stability control and things like that. With tuning and tweaking -- on the multiplayer side of the game we have mechanical upgrading of vehicles, so you'll be able to upgrade your handling, engine, drivetrain; if a vehicle isn't performing quite as you want in the corners, you can spend a bit of your online currency and improve the handling. It's a very easy-to-use system as well.

"Over time, there's been other games that are quite technically-oriented. You almost need a mechanics degree to make heads or tails of it. We've come up with an easy-to-use system where you can highlight an upgrade package, it'll tell you what it's going to do, which components are being added, what the performance difference will be. You can apply it and improve the car within its native tier or bump it up to the next tier, so if you wanted to upgrade a classic mustang to compete with a modern mustang, you can do that.

"We've been hard at work balancing these upgrades against one another, so we've reviewed a lot of good players in poor cars and bad players in good cars. We've found that whilst upgrading a car can give advantage to weaker players, it really is still down to who's the best driver. The system's so balanced, and there won't be any problem of, say, getting a 4KA and upgrading it to outrun a Bugatti Veyron."

The very first sentence of the above block highlights the most important indicator of Grid 2's emphasis on mechanical feel: Codemasters' TrueFeel system has eliminated artificial assists to reduce the gap between the player and their vehicles, mechanically-speaking. This improves real-world portrayal of track racing and encourages skill-based gameplay, rather than abusing auto-assists that have historically simplified racing games.
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IndyCar Trailer:

I now have GRID2 w/ IndyCar. No question that it's neither Forza nor F1. But it's just as much sim as arcade, at least with a wheel. Graphics that are mind blowing. A series will definitely work. I'll be on tonight.

I played a bunch of multiplayer last nite. It is tough. Nobody knows the tracks and there are no driving assists so it is a mash up. Once space is created it is good. Although getting hit from behind is usually disaster for that person. People dont know when to brake and just boot you off the track and they stay on.

Anyway I dont expect to get sim style racing with any racing game unless you are with people you know. Unfortunately it is tough to level up unless you are in a full room. So you will need to grind to unlock alot of the stuff in MP. Single player and Multi player are totally separate.

Right now I am just running multi player.

The game does look better than forza and sounds a bit better. Just expect a hit and run style online. I did manage to run into some good racers for a few races.

Look for me online.

So, what's the best way to unlock stuff in multiplayer and gain cash for upgrades? (Tuning, by the way, for your tune-heads, is practically non-existent). Do you just jump into lobby races, or can you run events on your own and unlock points and money? Or Rivals? Is that the way? I think there is a WRS Challenge or something too.

You can design the livery. It's not as detailed as Forza, but it's much easier to use for novice "painters" like me. And once you have the IndyCar, it can't be upgraded, so no additional cost or credit needed there. If we all have one, then my personal belief, from playing about 3 hours or so in a Dodge Charger, is that I was in a "drift" car, whereas other cars are specifically labeled "grip" or "balanced" and these are the ones we want. Once in a fast one (or slow, if that's what you like) I think you will find the texture to the individual car quite nuanced and the driving solid. Then, you get the real bang for the buck...the visuals.

My wheel (Fanatec CSR) was immediately recognized and detailed settings are there. Unlike Forza, but more like F1. Plus the on wheel settings, of course. I think jms is right...there is a drift segment that CM is trying to capture, but they want to hold on to the serious circuit racers at the same time. It does straddle the line and make compromises, but overall, I think you will find it enjoyable. Especially in the circuit cars on real tracks with a bunch of Realistic guys who race clean.

Perfect for an IndyCar series. The wheels are already spinning.

Problem is going to be : getting us to buy the game. I already heard it was arcadey in gameplay, tuning blah, painting not that great. I already preordered it, or I would be questioning it right now. A friend of mine called it "like need for speed". Hmmmmm

I'm probably going to buy this on the PC as it's nearly half the price i will race online but probably not extensively

Lots of people are calling it lots of things. Since I have not played Need for Speed or Grand Tourismo, I can't compare. But I can say that the first few cars that you are able to unlock or get right away are "drift/RWD" cars. Other higher end cars are labeled "Grip" or "balanced" but only come at higher levels. Since the handling is so dependent on the car, my guess is that this game will take some playing, and not just a few hours of tinkering, to get an accurate feel to it's depth. I remember when I first got on Forza, I hated it. I was in some shit-hole Toyota or Alfa and was sliding all over the place. I was way too used to F1. GRID2 kind of gave me the same feel -- different, a bit drifty (as well as a 1971 Dodge Challenger should be I guess, lol), and unfamiliar. But once in, I didn't want to get off. It was the same with Forza. The fact that I could whip the A.I. in Forza right away, and not here in GRID2 is a good sign.
Once again, if you are a Forza junkie, or even a tuning or painting guy, these cars will probably not feel as good to you. I hate the "no cockpit" idea, but I must say I sort of forgot about it once I got used to a few hood cam races. and I kept trying to beat jms' time at Indy.

Well, looks like four of us already have it and more are readily considering it. I have done almost exclusively Online Multiplayer.

Danger, you are right, the lobbies are a mash up. I usually end up getting whacked at the start then just driving around and learning the track. And it's totally separate from single player career. So, I don't even think you can PAY to by cars or credits. But the good news is that the IndyCar download is only like 500 MS points. You get the car and the track. And you can then run them in multiplayer. I was finally able to do this.

Pros:
*New tracks. The scenery is really awesome, with places like Brands Hatch, Yas Marina at night, and Big Sur simply visually stunning. There are plenty of options. They separate the tracks into "cities" and then give you many many options from there, like 5-8 circuits per location, many with night races. This sort of flexibility will easily support the kind of series that cannot be run on Forza or a series that is played with different equipment.

*No assists. This is a pro to me but may be a con to others. Be sure not to judge the game by the initial forum posts, because 90% of the cars are inaccessible and WILL be exactly the kind of car you would WANT if you had a perfect tune on, say, a McLaren. For instance, they started me off with a Dodge Challenger. You all know how good I am with muscle cars! lol. I could practically not take a turn without the back end sliding away. This held true even when I upgraded the "handling" of the cars labeled as "drift" cars. Problem is, you can't seem to tune the "drift" out of them. But there are plenty of other options. Fast forward to my IndyCar. It handled like a dream. Like a perfectly tuned F1 car without assists. And once the Alfa Romeo was upgraded, it handled the same way, only it was slower, of course. In short, this lets drivers drive instead of trying to figure out how to tune. It also levels the playing field.

*Clean racing is rewarded. (you would never know it by racing in public lobbies, though). Although I'm not sure how things would work if damage were turned "on" my suspicion is that it would affect the handling in the endurance races. If you cut a corner, your car automatically slows down for a couple of seconds. It would be interesting to know if i) you can pit and, if so, what it does; and ii) how the damage system works. I will say this -- the damage effects *visually* will blow you away. I've never seen a muffler hang off a car or sheet metal actually crumpled and windshields cracked. If this

*Diversity. You have many wheels that are supported and they have all the advanced wheel settings that F1 does. Plug and play. There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of track variations, so for those of you who like to race NOT from memory, it's a great thing. Also, creating your own online session is easy and has many variables that are simple to choose from, like F1, but many many more track options and no assists to fool with. You cannot race more that 5 laps at a time, but they do have "endurance" mode, which allows you to race 5, 10, 20, or 40 minutes. To me, the perfect race is about 40 mins. anyway and either timed or laps it matters not. To others it may matter, but you could do back to back chunks of time and get the same effect as lap races.

Cons:
*Lack of ovals. The only true "oval" I can find is Indy as a DLC. There are many street "loops" and oval-ish circuits, but I only see one true oval. However, there are so many track variations, I may not have had a chance to check all of them out in detail.

*Handling. For those of you who are used to pure grip racing and "sticking" to the track all the time either because you are great tuners or because you are great assist adders, you may be disappointed. One of Forza's strengths is that it allows you to make a car handle how you drive or gives you the ability to (TC) drive a mustang with no rear slip. Although this is somewhat artificial, at least the flexibility is there. It's not here in GRID2. You get the car and the way it drives is the way it drives. Personally, I like that better because you can concentrate on the driving and KNOW that the other guy does not have some sort of an advantage. For this reason alone, the game will get bashed.

*Lack of cars. This may be the one thing that keeps me from really getting into the game, as driving an Dodge on every track just gets boring. But I have already noticed that if you can win races (unlike me) many cars are unlocked and there are many cool cars out there. I'll probably use it as a platform to play IndyCar, unless I can manage to get some fancy, fast, grippy cars.

Middle:
*Cockpit view sort of looks like hood view minus the wheel (but you have the bigger telemetry, which is better) in an IndyCar. Otherwise, I wish they had cockpit.

*Livery. While you can now easily paint your car and put a number on it and spice it up with fancy patterns and sponsor logos, these all come at a price and are only available at certain "levels" and money is hard to come by without playing. You can't gift or sell as far as I can tell. So you have to play the game to get the upgrades. But then, IF you play the game and love to drive instead of tinker, then a whole new world opens up to you and is graphically stunning.

Some comments from the forum I thought were accurate:
-The cars seem to pivot from their center
-Braking feels fairly disconnected from the game. I think the TruFeel model is really coming into full effect under heavy braking and it feels very artificial.
-The cars sound vaguely like their real life counterparts, crowds cheer, and objects make swishing noises as you pass them at high speed. Crash effects are nice but overall there's nothing here that set Grid 2 above other race games.
-Overall this is a solid, easy to play racing game. It doesn't do anything especially wrong nor does it do anything outstandingly brilliant.

Check out this damage model (I only hope you can be negatively impacted in a custom lobby and can pit to repair, but the visuals are like nothiing I have seen before):

You can still go 185 mph with that much damage?

My guess is that the damage was set to "off" in this lobby. I have yet to be in a race where there was any damage effect other than visual.