Returning to GTR2

[MountainWave]

Guys
Not played gtr2 for 3 years. Didn't have it installed via Steam. Had 10th Anni patch installed.
Great game!
Want to give it a go again.
Once i have it installed from Steam, is it possible to run it with the latest patch this way?
Could I copy game files to a folder on my C drive and run it off there outside Steam like I had before?
Any appropriate tips for Win 11 pc would help.
Thanks for the help.

[The Iron Wolf]

Yes, GTR2 does not need Steam to run, so you will be able to copy it out (I actually recommend doing it that way, in fact I use separate copy for each mod I use, less problems that way + faster startup).

Due to game's age, you may have difficulty starting the game, but this plugin fixes startup issues and adds many new things to the game: https://thecrewchief.org/showthread.php?2012-Crew-Chief-GTR2-Enhancements-Plugin-Setup-Instructions-Known-Issues-and-Changelog

Have fun! ;)

[MountainWave]

Thanks for the help Iron Wolf

[Vlad Tepes]

You guys are really getting me interested in this again..hmm I play AMS2, AC, RR, .. but GTR2.. some things about it always bring me back. ..

[The Iron Wolf]

Originally posted by Vlad Tepes:

You guys are really getting me interested in this again..hmm I play AMS2, AC, RR, .. but GTR2.. some things about it always bring me back. ..

You might be pleasantly surprised ;) I never got into AMS2/AC as they are missing some features I need, but I came back to GTR2 from rF2 in 2020 and was pleasantly surprised by the offline experience in GTR2, something I care about the most. Since then, I do not miss rF2 and I implemented most features I was missing in my plugin, so no reasons to leave GTR2 at the moment.

[SlimShanks]

The only real drawbacks for this game are FFB compatibility and graphics. The actual racing experience is very good in the vanilla game, with the AI managing to feel astonishingly like actual pro drivers. I love the fact that they are assertive and fast, but also very fair about track space. I have never experienced that in another sim.
That said, the AI tire heating and wear is... whack to put it mildly. It really ruins races, as it rarely matches your own heat and wear. Buuuut... using a combination of SHO tire, physics, and AI mods, you can fix that. And improve the AI significantly at the same time. Highly recommended, and included in the anniversary patch everyone uses anyways.

[Vlad Tepes]

I seem to remember the vanilla game being really good in all aspects when running a full 3 hour endurance race. AI pitted when they should... some dropped out due to mechanical failures, some crashed.. the races were always good for me once I figured out where I "fit" (around 93 to 97 strength if I remember correctly. I'm not very fast so it all seemed to work out well.
The graphics are sort of hard to look at after playing AMS2 (I mean they really hurt my eyes lol)... but the two things I really liked about GTR2 which no game has done yet are (1) you can stop in the pits and THEN decide what to fix.. you don't have to be struggling to stay on the track, set up what you want changed (tires, damage, etc. ) WHILE DRIVING lol.. you park your car in the pits and the game pauses!!
(2) .. related to #1 above.. you can save the game ANYTIME!!!.. so I could do really long races and not have to use up my entire weekend.. WHY does NO OTHER SIM do this?
I would have had a #3, which would be the ability to let the AI driver take over in the pits.. but we can do that in AMS2 so... I guess it is ok there.

[The Iron Wolf]

Originally posted by Vlad Tepes:

I seem to remember the vanilla game being really good in all aspects when running a full 3 hour endurance race. AI pitted when they should... some dropped out due to mechanical failures, some crashed.. the races were always good for me once I figured out where I "fit" (around 93 to 97 strength if I remember correctly. I'm not very fast so it all seemed to work out well.
The graphics are sort of hard to look at after playing AMS2 (I mean they really hurt my eyes lol)... but the two things I really liked about GTR2 which no game has done yet are (1) you can stop in the pits and THEN decide what to fix.. you don't have to be struggling to stay on the track, set up what you want changed (tires, damage, etc. ) WHILE DRIVING lol.. you park your car in the pits and the game pauses!!
(2) .. related to #1 above.. you can save the game ANYTIME!!!.. so I could do really long races and not have to use up my entire weekend.. WHY does NO OTHER SIM do this?
I would have had a #3, which would be the ability to let the AI driver take over in the pits.. but we can do that in AMS2 so... I guess it is ok there.

Without any doubt game is falling behind in Graphics and Physics, but both looks and and physics depend a lot on what you actually run. See how fully enhanced game looks like:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1emcxbUaMrs&t=4s
And not even this video is accurate. Person who took video did not enable Motec enhancements.

I am however not obsessed with neither graphics nor physics, both are good enough and with RFP FFB is actually very good.

AI racing is exactly what surprised me the most. rF2 clearly tries to focus on online racing, and while I love rF2, I had to leave it. I got really fed up when SC was blocking the road in _official_ content. That to me was clear indication S397 does not care about AI. Stuff like that never happens in GTR2 to me.

Yes, I am really looking forward to moving to AMS2. What stops me at the moment is:

* ghosting during formation lap, SC phase and in pits
* small grid size
* Incorrect DRS rules (my plugin partially implements correct F1 and DTM DRS rules in GTR2, so moving to incorrect rules is hard to swallow).

Fingers crossed Reiza fixes those things, they seem to be on the way to finally be a worthy replacement.

[SlimShanks]

What I noticed when playing with vanilla AI, is that they start really fast, with almost fully warmed tires. But then it takes forever for them to reach full grip, like five to 10 laps. After that it seems like they preserve their tires way too well. So, too fast, then too slow, then too fast again, in the course of a half hour.
Like I mentioned, SHO mods help, but now the AI are pulling impossible G's through sweepers, so... still searching for an ideal solution.

[Vlad Tepes]

Wow I can't get my GTR2 graphics to look as great as you have shown. Hard to explain but everything seems small, and very rough. It hurt my eyes after a few laps so I gave up and went back to AMS2.
I do have an older computer but it runs AMS2 just fine (and looks great) so I don't understand what I'm doing wrong with GTR2. Mine looks terrible compared to yours.
I don't need super graphics but it seems like I'm looking through someones glasses that aren't prescribed for me lol

[The Iron Wolf]

Originally posted by Vlad Tepes:

Wow I can't get my GTR2 graphics to look as great as you have shown. Hard to explain but everything seems small, and very rough. It hurt my eyes after a few laps so I gave up and went back to AMS2.
I do have an older computer but it runs AMS2 just fine (and looks great) so I don't understand what I'm doing wrong with GTR2. Mine looks terrible compared to yours.
I don't need super graphics but it seems like I'm looking through someones glasses that aren't prescribed for me lol

this is stuff is _not_ plug and play for sure. A lot of additions, settings applied in that video - work by many people. But yes, game does look that way and even better. It really frustrates me when people on youtube turn on vanilla gtr2, spend half an hour in it, and make conclusions based on that, like they know the game. But people are people, oh well.

[SlimShanks]

Sounds like someone doesn't have their resolution set properly. You must run the graphics config, when you press play on steam it is an option. Set resolution, put shader version on auto, and pick highest antialiasing. Boom, pretty good image quality. Then crank all the in game options.

[Vlad Tepes]

I "thought" I was setting the graphics up correctly. I followed the read-me in HQ download.. but I will take a look again.

[SlimShanks]

Well I hope you get it sorted : ) The game is fuuuuun!