I had a particular question for those who play GT4 and also have specific knowledge of real life racing. To determine how a car will react in GT4, one uses the sounds, sights, and also if you have a wheel, the force feedback gives A LOT of information.
Just to let you know I have not actively raced, but I do work in the motor industry and have been a driving and car nut since a young age. In addition I have spent a considerable amount of time on test tracks, proving grounds, ect.
In regard to GT4 and any other sim for that matter, they do and try to approximate the feedback and feel that the steering will give you in the real world, but to be honest most of its not that great. It gives you an idea of what is happening rather than true communication.
Visual information is also limited in game, as you don't have the ability to move your head and look around you, the fixed view results in a kind of tunnel vision.
Sound really does depend on the game in question and the system you have it hooked up to, a descent surround sound or set of headphones is a major plus here. However games do tend to over-use sound to try and make up for a lack of real feel. Hideous amounts of tyre noise to indicate the slightest loss of traction being the main issue.
However the single biggest problem with a sim/game is the lack of real forces on the body, a powerful car will push you head back as you accelerate, any car will throw you forward under full threshold braking and without the right seats and/or harness you will struggle to stay in your seat when cornering hard. None of these things can be recreated in a sim and are for me the single biggest 'problem' with attempting to simulate driving. Its the one area that most people have never truly experienced, the forces involved are quite massive and full braking from 100mph is far more violent than most people imagine, you can struggle to even keep your feet on the pedals.
In actual racing, what are the most important elements of feedback that a driver relies upon, and how does he interpret those? I assume that there is nothing like a force feedback feeling through the steering wheel. Basically, what main differences are their, and how does the driver know what they mean?
Many books have been written on these very subjects (and quite a few of them read by me) and the following is a very quick summary.
The single most important sense when driving is sight, without using it correctly you hamper yourself so much that almost anything else becomes irelevent. Besides the obvious of just being able to see where you are going, I'm talking about being able to see how the car is reacting, looking into and aroundthe next bend and planning how you will place the car their (too many people drive by looking 10ft in front of them rather than using the whole field of vision avaliable). This applies as much (if not more) on the road as on the track.
Following on from sight I would have to list feel next, and as live4speed has already said (and thanks to him for the kind words) its not just through the steering wheel, but also the pedals, the seat and how the forces react to your body. I must confess that at times its difficult to describe exactly how these sensations feel, but when you place a car well in a car it does just feel right. The tyres tell you what is going on through the steering, the pedals allow you to modulate throttle and brakes, and the whole car talks to you about its attitude. I swear you can honestly feel a car as it rotates through a corner, and its a wonderful feeling.
Hearing does come into play, allowing you to hear what the engine and tyres are telling you, but they are most certainly secondary to the other factors mentioned above, particularly as at high speed wind noise can drown every other sound out.
How you get to know what they mean is simple, experience, I honestly know of no other way. The more you drive and the more you think about how you drive the more you will understand what is happening and relate it to how you feel. It then becomes quite circular in that it becomes easier to understand more of what the car is trying to tell you and you gain more from it. You do have to keep in mind that you need a car that communicates well in the first place, and that does not always need to be an expensive car, for example I have driven an Audi RS6 and I have to say my wife's Ford Ka has better communication through the steering (both are in GT4 so take a look).
I would also recommend reading up on the physics of what is happening with the car, as this will help you understand both what to look out for and why it is occurring. The GT4 tuning guides linked to in my sig are a start, and for further reading I would recomend the following books.
Speed Secrets by Ross Bentley
A great introduction to the basic elements of car behaviour and driving.
Going Faster - the Skip Barber Race School Handbook
For when you want much more detailed information, in my opinion one of the best single reference works currently published.
Roadcraft - The Police Drivers Handbook
The British police drivers handbook, one of the best coverages on the use and importance of observation and sight when driving.
Hope the above helps
Scaff
