Is it worth it?

jackolson · 8 August 12, 03:26

Hi guys,

RBR mods (2010, 2011, 2012)...are they really worth it?

The only reason why I really adore and admire RBR (original version) is because it's one heck of a drive, one hell of a sim. The notorious popularity of RBR being the most difficult and most realistic rally sim game got me hook. NOTHING else.

I mean, I can play with just the decent graphics, I am not looking for theatrical and dramatic slow mos and replays. The original RBR graphics WORKS perfectly fine for me. I am not into so many cars as well. I am a Toyota guy in real life. I only drive Toyota cars in all my games. I do like Subaru and Xzara as well. But I have driven the real life counterparts of Toyota cars, so I don't really need all the rally cars in the world. I have an AE86 Trueno in real life and that I would want in my RBR garage. On the other hand, more tracks are welcome for me. But in the same sense, I don't want stunning seven wonders of the world scenery track graphics. What matters to me most is the realism of the grip on such tracks, the ride, the go and the drive on it and off it most often when crashing and hugging trees.

I also mean, why would I want memory hugging skins. All I want is a black or red or white paint job. That's it.

The setup modification environment of RBR for me is enough.You get results even with minor changes. That's very good.

In short, I want my RBR to be more of a driving game, not a scenery, not a showcase of colors and sparks and movie-making prowess. I want RBR to be simply, the most realistic DRIVING game that it is in the original RBR.

So, 2010 mod, 2011 mod, 2012 mod...what's in them? Do I get even more realistic physics? Do I get even more realistic ride? Do I get to tinker more with the car as I would habitually do in real life with real cars? I like 10psi on my left front tire so I can run flat as an excuse for a bad run, can I do that? Can I deliberately wank the camber settings just for the heck of it? Can I mess about and make the turbo pop more? Because in real life, that's possible. It may not be part of rallying, wanking car settings, but how good it is to know that there are no limits in what I can do, right?

RBR is very nice to run on my pc. I play RBR on an old laptop, keyboard only, no controllers of whatever, I don't like outboard controllers. Keyboard controls are trickier thus more fun.

I am skeptic with the new mods because they just might drain out the resources of my primitive computer.

Just joking, my laptop can run RBR all settings MAX with no problems.

So again, my question...new mods, are they really worth it?

What's in them?

I have seen that one of them has the AE86 Trueno pack, I want that, but just that.

And people are saying it's a pain in the ass to install the new mods.

I am not shying away from a challenge, but if I am going to spend days configuring the install, whereas I could have been driving instead.

If I can compare RBR...It's just like my women. I want them to look good, decent, just fine. I don't want a super model or a miss universe or a sexy bombshell. I want one that is intelligent, smart, witty, humble, and with one heck of a sense of humor.

Thanks and more horsepower to all.

JPO

wad53 · 9 August 12, 01:28

I assume you may be referring to the RSRBR2012 Mod???

If so, I highly recommend it. It's a huge mod, lots of downloading and updating needed, but all of the installs are usually straight forward. Just follow the proceedures carefully and let the installers do their job automatically. Once installed, the interface can seem a bit daunting initially for some, but once you get used to it, no problems.

In terms of what the mod delivers, it is not about fancy graphics etc. It basically delivers a huge amount of new content, extra cars, extra tracks, extra surfaces. The graphics quality is basically as per the original RBR (although most of the new cars are much better graphic quality), which I agree is fine. The cars physics vary as expected depending on the cars used, but I find the physics even better than the default RBR (in most cars).
RSRBR also adds the ability to play on-line, which is a huge boost for those who enjoy on-line community based gaming. This may not interest you, but you can still use RSRBR for off-line gaming, the brilliance of the default RBR is still there.

After installing RSRBR2012, the base RBR game is still available if wanted. It doesn't really use much in the way of additional resources, if you can run RBR, then RSRBR should be fine. It does occupy a large amount of HD space though, if this is a concern.

The Toyota AE86 is also included.

If you are interested in RSRBR1012, here is a tutorial I have written to help understand the installation and usage better:
http://www.racedepartment.com/forum/...delines.12743/

BTW, you wouldn't need the earlier versions of RSRBR (2010, 2011) as the 2012 version updates everything. RallyeSim also updates the RSRBR mod on a regular basis (usually adding more content or improvements), so you would need to update occasionally (usually about 6 times per year), but again, the updates are auto installers.

EDIT: Oops, just read your other post. Looks like you may not be interested in a full mod update, only specific addons.
There used to be site which included separate addons (Blackhole Motorsports), but it doesn't seem to be available any more.
Maybe someone else can point you in the direction of a place to still get their addon content separately, but I'm not aware of one.

jackolson · 9 August 12, 08:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by wad53

I assume you may be referring to the RSRBR2012 Mod???

If so, I highly recommend it.............

Thanks for sharing. Appreciate the motivation for the mod. I must say I am really quite tempted to load the 2012 mod. Maybe I just needed more justification for its value. I am still enjoying RBR, 5 years and counting, and I still play it like a kid. BTW, I'm 34.

Thanks for the link.

I'll give it a go.

JPO

jackolson · 9 August 12, 11:14

@Wad53,

Just wanna ask some help, please.

I have installed the 2 patches, the game works well, BUT, the tire animation during replay is very twitchy, I mean, it's jerking around. I play keyboards only but I have setup my control filters in a decent rate, rise rate 0.3, return rate 0.8, and before the patch, the tire animation is okay.

Regarding MOD2012, I see in the Rallyesim site that when you apply the updates, you have to complete weekend races first??? What if don't apply the updates 1,2,3,4,5, so on, will it hamper the game? I mean, can I still have a decent gameplay even with the updates? I saw that those updates contains corrections on tracks, physics, cars, etc...but can I make do without them?

Thanks and more power.

JPO

wad53 · 10 August 12, 01:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackolson

@Wad53,

I have installed the 2 patches, the game works well, BUT, the tire animation during replay is very twitchy, I mean, it's jerking around. I play keyboards only but I have setup my control filters in a decent rate, rise rate 0.3, return rate 0.8, and before the patch, the tire animation is okay.

Can't help much with this one. I don't use the keyboard, and I'd be hopeless with it.

.
However, I can't see how the Official RBR Patches could affect it, they mainly add support for more Wheels and a couple of bug fixes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackolson

Regarding MOD2012, I see in the Rallyesim site that when you apply the updates, you have to complete weekend races first??? What if don't apply the updates 1,2,3,4,5, so on, will it hamper the game? I mean, can I still have a decent gameplay even with the updates? I saw that those updates contains corrections on tracks, physics, cars, etc...but can I make do without them?

Just ignore the comments on RallyeSim regarding completing weekend races, that only refers to anyone who is driving in their on-line Championships.
Yes, you can make do without the Updates to RSRBR 2012 if you only play off-line. However, I'd recommend doing the updates when you can, they do add new content and fix a few niggling bugs, and only cost you the time and HD space to download them. The installations of the Updates are dead easy and automated.
Of course, with some of the Updates you may need to re-download some individual car packs if they were updated (the installers notify which ones need updating).
Also, you may see that the BTB Country Packs can be downloaded and installed too. You don't need these unless you want to run those Stages. Some are good, some are not so good. They are rather large downloads too, so maybe you might want to give those a miss until you are getting bored with the other Stages.

jackolson · 10 August 12, 02:23

@ Wad53,

Thanks again. Sorry my mistake with the "wheel animation" issue. And I also made a mistake saying 0.3 & 0.8, I mean, it's 3.0 and 8.0 rates. I did once have a racing controller but that was at my hometown. I travel a lot and I cannot really afford to have a desktop computer dedicated for gaming because I need to move about a lot in my work. Good thing my laptop can "entertain" me enough. LOL.

Yup, installation is easy, what's taking time is downloading stuff, LOL. I'd be tinkering with RSRBR 2012 for the following days for sure. So much for sleeping.

Thanks again and more power.

Cheers,
JPO

DurgeDriven · 10 August 12, 04:11

I said it before RBR was/is the best.

If you have to have Rally well you have to have RBR imo.

But what I find incredulous today when you say you dropped it for the it's physics
you get pillared but its okay for people to bag the modern sims we currently test
which have advanced physics.

The solid rear axle just does not do it for me anymore you hit the deck and just power on.

Without decent suspension modelling I would have given up GPL 10 years ago.

jgf · 10 August 12, 06:55

When it turned out Rally Trophy wasn't compatible with Vista, I tried RBR... and was sorely disappointed. From the moment I first hit the menus - and decided the programmers had never heard of a mouse - to spending an hour online researching why I had no dashboards or gauges (only to find those generic grey silhouettes with that arcade display in the lower corner were all you got), to cursing that the game doesn't save settings (must remember to select "manual" gearbox EVERY blessed time), to engines that rev faster than F1 cars (so using manual shifting means you're tapping the shift paddles as if you're sending morse code), to the fact that the default cars all seem to be one 3D model with merely different graphics, I fail to see the allure of this game. I have tried to like it, I have spent time with it, patched it, tweaked it, modded it... but it still screams "arcade" to me.

I installed the much hyped 1gig+ mod for it and, after wading through its turgid loader (more thorough documentation would help), it seemed to be just more of the same. Not looking to start any arguments here, just expressing a dissenting opinion. Recently I've spent more time exploring getting RT to run on my Vista system than using RBR (FWIW, dual booting with XP seems the simplest solution ...and that's just too much trouble).

Kazumi · 10 August 12, 16:56

Totally worth it, however I doubt like the one in all approach of RSRBR either. If you want to change something (for offline use) you can't, or even small things are harder to modify then, compared to a clean install. So if you want to try other mods, you better keep one install clean and make a second for the mod packages, even if you can launch a mostly unmodified RBR from the RSRBR install.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jgf

From the moment I first hit the menus - and decided the programmers had never heard of a mouse

I doubt the programmers had to use that interface

Quote:

Originally Posted by jgf

to engines that rev faster than F1 cars (so using manual shifting means you're tapping the shift paddles as if you're sending morse code)

Engine power and short gearing can cause that. There is little drivetrain loss on the cars, so even if the gearing can be build with WRC specs, they are a bit too quick. I can't imagine AWD turbo cars at its time create that little drivetrain loss even with expensive parts. Even in rFactor where you got more (moddable) parameters for drivetrain losses some modders build it directly into the engine power output.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DurgeDriven

I said it before RBR was/is the best.

If you have to have Rally well you have to have RBR imo.

But what I find incredulous today when you say you dropped it for the it's physics
you get pillared but its okay for people to bag the modern sims we currently test
which have advanced physics.

The solid rear axle just does not do it for me anymore you hit the deck and just power on.

Without decent suspension modelling I would have given up GPL 10 years ago.

No sim models suspension 100% accurately. And if, our computers aren't fast enough

What really helps the suspension is the surface interaction which dampens vertical motion and tire deflection under load and effects of dynamic toe and camber due to suspension motion which don't work out in many sims as one would expect. And double A-Arms can even create more of that.

And which sim models strut suspension? The 2001 Subaru WRC car uses struts on both front and rear (with 2 links on rear) . I don't have data on the included models (2000 and 2003) .

jackolson · 14 August 12, 18:29

Thanks for all the inputs.

As of tonight (here) well, I must say, yes, RSRBR mod deserve the credit due...BUT, I was a little bit frustrated or I might have just expected too much from it, physics wise, comparing it to the vanilla version of RBR. I mean, I was expecting something more, I don't know. Maybe Kazumi's right. The one-in-all approach can be overwhelming at times. Maybe it's just me. I really don't fancy driving all the great cars in the world, even in real life, even if I get lucky and have the money. Even with RSRBR, I still play one car only and on just my favorite tracks. Or I maybe just alienated by it all. I mean, a lot of people are praising RSRBR, but the hype didn't quite got my attention. The vanilla RBR can keep me awake all night long, just trying to outdo my last fastest time over and over again. In RSRBR, yes I can do that, BUT, the other mods are just sitting there. Not that I'm not intrigued by the other cars and tracks...but for me, the driving physics comes first, no matter what car, no matter what track, one or many...as long as the drive can "feel" as real as possible, then I'd take that.

I really don't see myself reviewing RSRBR because I just couldn't get myself to enjoy ALL of it's seemed glory and all.

I am removing RSRBR and RBR. I will then re-install a clean RBR and maybe, re-add patch 1 & 2 and that's it. I'll drive RBR vanilla as long as my keyboard can take the beating.

More power to sim racing, more power RBR. RIP Richard Burns.

OzzyNeil · 17 August 12, 11:58

Hi jackolson, I think you are right and here's my perspective on things. I'm 42 years old almost 43, I've been gaming since games were invented, and from what i remember, I enjoyed it much more back then.
I think the reason was getting to know the game to it's full extent because there was nothing else to bugger about with. There were no other temptations. No decent internet You learn't every little aspect of it, Here is the game, now play it.

The Xwing series was without doubt the best gaming i have ever known. that was like a Sci Fi Sim, I couldnt wait to get home and kick my mate of my 486 DX2 66 with 8 meg of ram and a massive 14 inch monitor. That PC cost me $3500, i had to pay it off weekly on a traineeship wage.

Then things went wrong, A friend of mine and myself went halves in an external CD burner back in the early 90's, it cost us around $650.00 . We use to go to the Video store and hire out PC games and burn them, then spend a week trying to find a no cd patch from astalavista, which most of the time was a virus or something.
What ended up happening was we would just go and hire another game, and if we couldnt find a patch or the game was a tad boring at first we would hire another one and so on. We never reallly got into the game.

And so we are here now with the problem being that we all have is extremely short attention spans, or we are constantly bombarded with advertising that we must have this and that. I bought RBR when it first came out and found it extremely difficult to master with the equipment i had. Same with GPLegends.
I hadn't played RBR for many years until just recently. I have purchased Project Cars and
Rfactor2 and there seems to be something missing. I know they are Betas or Alphas or Charlies, but they just aren't doin it for me. Why dont these companies concentrate on getting one car and track perfected and then release others instead of releasing 10 half arsed efforts, I know it sucks in more people to invest if theres more content but shit.
So..

I thought what the hey I'll install RBR again and give it a run and F@#$ me, what a pleasure it is to feel great force feedback and a car that responds to your inputs, It has the best Replays bar nothing, and with the Eyefinity support it is simply amazing.

So i thought i would download and install RSRBR 2012 so i could jump into a Ford Focus or a Fiesta or an Escort (love me fords), but this is where i think you are right.

I am now constantly farting around with cars, Sounds, Tracks, Tyres, Packs, Mods, camhacks, FOV's, FFB, INI files, etc, I am starting to neglect the game itself.

I started a championship, did Britain, started Japan, had trouble so tried a different car...

What am i doing, Forget all this extra stuff, get back to the core game and master it.
Start from the start and finish it the way it was intended, I wish i could do this and will now try.

Don't get me wrong, RSRBR is simply amazing and credit goes to all modders, but i do think your right, Vanillla is a great flavour, and should be devoured without Icemagic, nuts or sprinkles.

Anyway, this article was written under the influence, so if alot of it doesn't make sense then let me know and i will drown my sorrows.

Cheers, Neil.

jgf · 17 August 12, 13:25

"I am now constantly farting around with cars, Sounds, Tracks, Tyres, Packs, Mods, camhacks, FOV's, FFB, INI files, etc, I am starting to neglect the game itself."

Compound that with the online time wasted...er, spent, tracking down all those cars, Sounds, Tracks, Tyres, Packs, Mods, etc.

You install Bill's mod, which is great, then you install Joe's mod, which is also great. Two weeks later you drive Bill's mod again but now it has no speedometer; eventually, in message number 146 of a three year old thread on an obscure forum, you find that Joe's mod overwrites part of Bill's mod, but there is a patch which allows the two to work together ...but the link is "404". An evening of diligent internet searching finds many references but no patch, so you ask on a well trafficked forum where to find said patch ...only to be chastised for mentioning an illegal mod ...but PMs from members give you links. Then you find the patch only works for V1.2.0.68b of the game and you have V1.8 ...and all this time you could have been racing.

In spite of vast improvements in graphics, sound, control, options, etc. I don't think any other sim has given me the overall enjoyment that I got from Indycar Racing II fourteen years ago. Only three cars, two tire options, and fifteen tracks but I enjoyed hours of testing, tweaking setups, racing, and competing in two offline leagues. By comparison, in the past few years I've probably spent more time just tweaking AI in GTR2 than actually racing in it.

jackolson · 18 August 12, 15:37

Hey guys, thanks for all the inputs. I appreciate it.

First, I salute the makers of the mod, really. Honestly, I admire your passion to create. I have been tinkering the ENG files of GTR Evo and damn it's hard. It's easy to edit but to make it work to please me, let alone please others, is a very daunting task indeed.

BUT...how can you make something GOOD into something BETTER. Well, take the good and make it better. The asset of RBR (vanilla) is it's driving physics...

You know what, I have a lot of things to say...but I'm ditching my wordpad and instead, maybe close my case on this post.

If someone can create a plugin for RBR where when activated, the pc will suck you into the screen and put you in the car, then after playing you can crawl out of the LCD back into the real world...I'll make me a slave for that modder.

Even if RBR was just with one car, one track, oh my lord god, I will still enjoy it. Because RBR is simply the BEST.

So how can you make the BEST into something BETTER?

I really wanted to say more but you know what, my co-driver is calling me now in the other window, we have a 1:23 to beat in Rally School stage...I have to try, damn keyboard controls, LOL...oh there he is...

3...2...1...GO!
fast left, fast right, hairpin, jump, don't cut, 90 right, put your hands in the air and give me all your money...what the???

Cheers guys,
JPO

KellySummersUSA · 24 August 12, 01:53

"Why dont these companies concentrate on getting one car and track perfected and then release others instead of releasing 10 half arsed efforts, I know it sucks in more people to invest if theres more content but shit."

These big corporations are concerned with just cranking out the flavors of the month and the game never evolves, much less gets all the bugs fixed. I've only had RBR for a year and was surprised that it's been out there for 8 years I think. The basic GUI is the same, the graphics may be a bit dated, (but at 124 kph, can you really tell or care?) but it's still holding its own because it's a monster to master and people keep adding on to it. I love it. Favorite driving game, hands down, second favorite (I love my Civ V!) over-all.

Kazumi · 1 September 12, 20:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackolson

You know what, I have a lot of things to say...but I'm ditching my wordpad and instead, maybe close my case on this post.
(...)

So how can you make the BEST into something BETTER?

Maybe

. I responded to your post in the other thread http://www.nogripracing.com/forum/sh...59&postcount=4 . It's not that hard to add manually engine sounds and the plug-in tracks. I'm just unable to describe how-to

Maybe someone else can.

That way you wouldn't lose anything even in the same install of RBR

Topkartracer · 22 October 12, 20:28

If you download say RSRBR 2012 do you need to constantly update it if you just want to play offline?

wad53 · 22 October 12, 22:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Topkartracer

If you download say RSRBR 2012 do you need to constantly update it if you just want to play offline?

No, you just miss out on any new content.
For on-line though, yes it is adviseable.

NWRAP_Golly · 25 October 12, 06:42

Can you still buy RBR Vanilla ? and if so where digitally ?

guybo · 31 October 12, 13:49

I've been trying out the various mods for RBR, here's what I have found:

http://www.realrally.it/ I can't get FFB to work with this mod, so I can't say much for it. It was a PITA to set up because I do not speak Italian. But they claim to carry over damage from one stage to the next, the extrnal manager interface is slick, they have the night plugin built in. They also have some unique stages, some of the new stages, LOTS of cars (including Group B and Pikes Peak) and when you d/l the mod files all the content comes with it. I have a feeling if I spoke Italian and could get FFB to work, this would be THE mod to get. C'est la guerre. This one uses an executable and a is a total game mod.

http://www.rbr-world.com/index.php These guys have an excellent interface, easy to set up, easy to use, lots of cars. They have a few new stages and the site is very friendly for English language speakers. The external manager executable they use lets you choose the cars and content you want to d/l. Night mode is included. Damage does not carry over from one stage to the next.

http://www.rallysimfans.hu/ Very much like RBR world. This one uses a plugin rather than a manager that you execute. You d/l 1 huge file and that's it- this one is the easiest to get set up. In-game you d/l the cars and it can be a bit confusing the way they do it but it's not too bad. There is no night mode included. This is also a great plugin. Damage does not carry over from one stage to the next.

http://rbr.onlineracing.cz/ One of the originals and IMHO still the best. The plugin itself is the easy to setup since you d/l one file that's small and that's it. This is a plugin, not a total mod with a mod manager. The Czech plugin doesn't have cars and tracks included by default, you can just go with the stock content if you want. Installing cars and tracks are a PITA. But the great thing about this plugin is once you install cars, those are YOUR cars and you get to know them, work on setups with just a few cars and develop the cars in your stable. There are tracks that are unique to this plugin. Night mode is not included. Damage does carry over from one stage to the next. IMHO that puts them over the top because it turns a series of hotlap stages into a rally.

http://www.rallyesim.com/accueil/index.html This one has a lot of cars and tracks and is very flexible. These guys develop the game more than other sites and are very active. This mod is worst to install as they constantly come out with patches and I have always had problems with the way they sync my system clock. I haven't done many rallies with them, I'm not sure if damage carries over. It's so difficult to get started with them that I never got into this much. This is another total mod with a mod manager executable. RSRBR12 is probably used online the most and has a huge community. Night mode is included.

Topkartracer · 1 November 12, 01:55

Can you do offline championships or full rallys in RSRBR or just single stages?

guybo · 1 November 12, 15:11

offline single stages and online championships or online single stages (depends on what events are posted- but someone could put up a rally with one stage I suppose). RBR_World actually has a hot lap mode where you hotlap a stage and upload your time. I wish it worked with Pikes Peak though!!!

guybo · 14 November 12, 12:57

Update: RSRBR12 does support cumulative damage. This mod has everything except unlive rallies. RallySimFans and the Czech plugin are the 2 that I have seen that do unlive online rally.

The problem with offline championships is that you are racing against the clock. If you tweak some files you can make ANY championship you want because you can set the stages times the AI do. But if you stick with the times in the championships that the game provides, I don't know how those times would stack up against faster cars or slower ones- the times were made up with the WRC cars that came with the stock game in mind.

Rumbly · 15 November 12, 09:02

Personally I don't care too much for RSRBR2012. Mostly because it f**ks up the main game with shitty sound mods that I didn't even ask for, but also because I don't want to play the game through some weird looking browser that only lets me do one stage at a time.. without even letting me watch the replay afterwards.

"Vanilla" is the best for me, accompanied by Camhack.

Hellward · 19 November 12, 16:47

Rsrbr2012 has a 2CV...so it's obviously worth it !

guybo · 19 November 12, 20:19

Does anyone know how to watch a replay I saved of a Pike's Peak run? I saved the replay after but now I can't figure out how to watch it. I did the run through RSRBR12, but now there's no way to watch it

wad53 · 20 November 12, 05:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by guybo

Does anyone know how to watch a replay I saved of a Pike's Peak run? I saved the replay after but now I can't figure out how to watch it. I did the run through RSRBR12, but now there's no way to watch it

You can't save BTB Stage rallys to watch later. It's a limitation of BTB.
You can view the replay straight after driving the Stage, but you can't use the TV view, only the other cam views.

guybo · 20 November 12, 13:45

I just did a 10:13 run at Pike's and I wanted to use FRAPS to screen capture the replay. So after the stage I hit Exit To Main Menu and chose Replay. Well, I tried to anyway. There's lots of issues with BTB- it wouldn't let me choose replay. I guess it's just not meant to be.

intakexhaust · 26 November 12, 18:42

Many thanks to all here who share and provide the support to this sim. Along with GPL and rFactor, RBR has always been one of my faves, primarily for the physics. I've been a long time away from them but now back in it. I don't have all the time to devote and just want to experience enough quality physics without too much arcade numbness plus I'd like the ability to tweak car set-ups. I recently reloaded the original RBR 2004 with patch 1.02 and the file Nocd, using Win 7 64 bit OS. Hardware used is just a mid-grade laptop 3rd gen i5 with a dedicated GPU, second monitor, P-GT3 Fanatec wheel and Logitech pedals. The patch was a godsend on getting the FFB to work. Other than that, all is working beautiful but have some questions.

Is the the RBR2012 a stand alone program or does it overwrite / upgrade my old RBR 2004? Does the new version or upgrade retain the same level of physics? Thanks again.

wad53 · 26 November 12, 22:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by intakexhaust

Is the the RBR2012 a stand alone program or does it overwrite / upgrade my old RBR 2004? Does the new version or upgrade retain the same level of physics?

RSRBR2012 is a complete addon, but it still allows you to run the default (base RBR) as normal too.

RSRBR2012 will make a few changes to a few key files (eg. Audio.dat which gets unpacked)) so that it can more easily introduce it's new mods, but that has no affect on any of the default RBR stuff.

So, basically, if you install RSRBR2012, you can still launch the original default RBR from your desktop icon and will not notice any differences (physics, cars, sounds, etc are all still default).
You can also Launch the default RBR from within RSRBR2012 (from RSCenter) in a few different forms: eg.

1. Base RBR but with the new addon cars (physics will be altered though to suit the cars)
2. Full RSRBR2012 mod
3. RBR.DLL which introduces a few mods for video editing etc.

If you are considering installing RSRBR2012, you might want to wait a few weeks. There will be a new version RSRBR2013 released soon (they update the whole mod every year). To install RSRBR2012 now will involve a huge amount of downloads, and it may not be worth it when the new version is around the corner.

8 August 12, 03:26	#1
jackolson Join Date: Dec 2011	Is it worth it? Hi guys, RBR mods (2010, 2011, 2012)...are they really worth it? The only reason why I really adore and admire RBR (original version) is because it's one heck of a drive, one hell of a sim. The notorious popularity of RBR being the most difficult and most realistic rally sim game got me hook. NOTHING else. I mean, I can play with just the decent graphics, I am not looking for theatrical and dramatic slow mos and replays. The original RBR graphics WORKS perfectly fine for me. I am not into so many cars as well. I am a Toyota guy in real life. I only drive Toyota cars in all my games. I do like Subaru and Xzara as well. But I have driven the real life counterparts of Toyota cars, so I don't really need all the rally cars in the world. I have an AE86 Trueno in real life and that I would want in my RBR garage. On the other hand, more tracks are welcome for me. But in the same sense, I don't want stunning seven wonders of the world scenery track graphics. What matters to me most is the realism of the grip on such tracks, the ride, the go and the drive on it and off it most often when crashing and hugging trees. I also mean, why would I want memory hugging skins. All I want is a black or red or white paint job. That's it. The setup modification environment of RBR for me is enough.You get results even with minor changes. That's very good. In short, I want my RBR to be more of a driving game, not a scenery, not a showcase of colors and sparks and movie-making prowess. I want RBR to be simply, the most realistic DRIVING game that it is in the original RBR. So, 2010 mod, 2011 mod, 2012 mod...what's in them? Do I get even more realistic physics? Do I get even more realistic ride? Do I get to tinker more with the car as I would habitually do in real life with real cars? I like 10psi on my left front tire so I can run flat as an excuse for a bad run, can I do that? Can I deliberately wank the camber settings just for the heck of it? Can I mess about and make the turbo pop more? Because in real life, that's possible. It may not be part of rallying, wanking car settings, but how good it is to know that there are no limits in what I can do, right? RBR is very nice to run on my pc. I play RBR on an old laptop, keyboard only, no controllers of whatever, I don't like outboard controllers. Keyboard controls are trickier thus more fun. I am skeptic with the new mods because they just might drain out the resources of my primitive computer. Just joking, my laptop can run RBR all settings MAX with no problems. So again, my question...new mods, are they really worth it? What's in them? I have seen that one of them has the AE86 Trueno pack, I want that, but just that. And people are saying it's a pain in the ass to install the new mods. I am not shying away from a challenge, but if I am going to spend days configuring the install, whereas I could have been driving instead. If I can compare RBR...It's just like my women. I want them to look good, decent, just fine. I don't want a super model or a miss universe or a sexy bombshell. I want one that is intelligent, smart, witty, humble, and with one heck of a sense of humor. Thanks and more horsepower to all. JPO

9 August 12, 01:28	#2
wad53 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Hervey Bay, Australia Age: 63	I assume you may be referring to the RSRBR2012 Mod??? If so, I highly recommend it. It's a huge mod, lots of downloading and updating needed, but all of the installs are usually straight forward. Just follow the proceedures carefully and let the installers do their job automatically. Once installed, the interface can seem a bit daunting initially for some, but once you get used to it, no problems. In terms of what the mod delivers, it is not about fancy graphics etc. It basically delivers a huge amount of new content, extra cars, extra tracks, extra surfaces. The graphics quality is basically as per the original RBR (although most of the new cars are much better graphic quality), which I agree is fine. The cars physics vary as expected depending on the cars used, but I find the physics even better than the default RBR (in most cars). RSRBR also adds the ability to play on-line, which is a huge boost for those who enjoy on-line community based gaming. This may not interest you, but you can still use RSRBR for off-line gaming, the brilliance of the default RBR is still there. After installing RSRBR2012, the base RBR game is still available if wanted. It doesn't really use much in the way of additional resources, if you can run RBR, then RSRBR should be fine. It does occupy a large amount of HD space though, if this is a concern. The Toyota AE86 is also included. If you are interested in RSRBR1012, here is a tutorial I have written to help understand the installation and usage better: http://www.racedepartment.com/forum/...delines.12743/ BTW, you wouldn't need the earlier versions of RSRBR (2010, 2011) as the 2012 version updates everything. RallyeSim also updates the RSRBR mod on a regular basis (usually adding more content or improvements), so you would need to update occasionally (usually about 6 times per year), but again, the updates are auto installers. EDIT: Oops, just read your other post. Looks like you may not be interested in a full mod update, only specific addons. There used to be site which included separate addons (Blackhole Motorsports), but it doesn't seem to be available any more. Maybe someone else can point you in the direction of a place to still get their addon content separately, but I'm not aware of one.

9 August 12, 11:14	#4
jackolson Join Date: Dec 2011	@Wad53, Just wanna ask some help, please. I have installed the 2 patches, the game works well, BUT, the tire animation during replay is very twitchy, I mean, it's jerking around. I play keyboards only but I have setup my control filters in a decent rate, rise rate 0.3, return rate 0.8, and before the patch, the tire animation is okay. Regarding MOD2012, I see in the Rallyesim site that when you apply the updates, you have to complete weekend races first??? What if don't apply the updates 1,2,3,4,5, so on, will it hamper the game? I mean, can I still have a decent gameplay even with the updates? I saw that those updates contains corrections on tracks, physics, cars, etc...but can I make do without them? Thanks and more power. JPO

10 August 12, 02:23	#6
jackolson Join Date: Dec 2011	@ Wad53, Thanks again. Sorry my mistake with the "wheel animation" issue. And I also made a mistake saying 0.3 & 0.8, I mean, it's 3.0 and 8.0 rates. I did once have a racing controller but that was at my hometown. I travel a lot and I cannot really afford to have a desktop computer dedicated for gaming because I need to move about a lot in my work. Good thing my laptop can "entertain" me enough. LOL. Yup, installation is easy, what's taking time is downloading stuff, LOL. I'd be tinkering with RSRBR 2012 for the following days for sure. So much for sleeping. Thanks again and more power. Cheers, JPO

10 August 12, 04:11	#7
DurgeDriven Join Date: Jan 2011	I said it before RBR was/is the best. If you have to have Rally well you have to have RBR imo. But what I find incredulous today when you say you dropped it for the it's physics you get pillared but its okay for people to bag the modern sims we currently test which have advanced physics. The solid rear axle just does not do it for me anymore you hit the deck and just power on. Without decent suspension modelling I would have given up GPL 10 years ago.

10 August 12, 06:55	#8
jgf Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Columbus, OH Age: 59	When it turned out Rally Trophy wasn't compatible with Vista, I tried RBR... and was sorely disappointed. From the moment I first hit the menus - and decided the programmers had never heard of a mouse - to spending an hour online researching why I had no dashboards or gauges (only to find those generic grey silhouettes with that arcade display in the lower corner were all you got), to cursing that the game doesn't save settings (must remember to select "manual" gearbox EVERY blessed time), to engines that rev faster than F1 cars (so using manual shifting means you're tapping the shift paddles as if you're sending morse code), to the fact that the default cars all seem to be one 3D model with merely different graphics, I fail to see the allure of this game. I have tried to like it, I have spent time with it, patched it, tweaked it, modded it... but it still screams "arcade" to me. I installed the much hyped 1gig+ mod for it and, after wading through its turgid loader (more thorough documentation would help), it seemed to be just more of the same. Not looking to start any arguments here, just expressing a dissenting opinion. Recently I've spent more time exploring getting RT to run on my Vista system than using RBR (FWIW, dual booting with XP seems the simplest solution ...and that's just too much trouble).

14 August 12, 18:29	#10
jackolson Join Date: Dec 2011	Thanks for all the inputs. As of tonight (here) well, I must say, yes, RSRBR mod deserve the credit due...BUT, I was a little bit frustrated or I might have just expected too much from it, physics wise, comparing it to the vanilla version of RBR. I mean, I was expecting something more, I don't know. Maybe Kazumi's right. The one-in-all approach can be overwhelming at times. Maybe it's just me. I really don't fancy driving all the great cars in the world, even in real life, even if I get lucky and have the money. Even with RSRBR, I still play one car only and on just my favorite tracks. Or I maybe just alienated by it all. I mean, a lot of people are praising RSRBR, but the hype didn't quite got my attention. The vanilla RBR can keep me awake all night long, just trying to outdo my last fastest time over and over again. In RSRBR, yes I can do that, BUT, the other mods are just sitting there. Not that I'm not intrigued by the other cars and tracks...but for me, the driving physics comes first, no matter what car, no matter what track, one or many...as long as the drive can "feel" as real as possible, then I'd take that. I really don't see myself reviewing RSRBR because I just couldn't get myself to enjoy ALL of it's seemed glory and all. I am removing RSRBR and RBR. I will then re-install a clean RBR and maybe, re-add patch 1 & 2 and that's it. I'll drive RBR vanilla as long as my keyboard can take the beating. More power to sim racing, more power RBR. RIP Richard Burns.

17 August 12, 11:58	#11
OzzyNeil Join Date: Oct 2007	Hi jackolson, I think you are right and here's my perspective on things. I'm 42 years old almost 43, I've been gaming since games were invented, and from what i remember, I enjoyed it much more back then. I think the reason was getting to know the game to it's full extent because there was nothing else to bugger about with. There were no other temptations. No decent internet You learn't every little aspect of it, Here is the game, now play it. The Xwing series was without doubt the best gaming i have ever known. that was like a Sci Fi Sim, I couldnt wait to get home and kick my mate of my 486 DX2 66 with 8 meg of ram and a massive 14 inch monitor. That PC cost me $3500, i had to pay it off weekly on a traineeship wage. Then things went wrong, A friend of mine and myself went halves in an external CD burner back in the early 90's, it cost us around $650.00 . We use to go to the Video store and hire out PC games and burn them, then spend a week trying to find a no cd patch from astalavista, which most of the time was a virus or something. What ended up happening was we would just go and hire another game, and if we couldnt find a patch or the game was a tad boring at first we would hire another one and so on. We never reallly got into the game. And so we are here now with the problem being that we all have is extremely short attention spans, or we are constantly bombarded with advertising that we must have this and that. I bought RBR when it first came out and found it extremely difficult to master with the equipment i had. Same with GPLegends. I hadn't played RBR for many years until just recently. I have purchased Project Cars and Rfactor2 and there seems to be something missing. I know they are Betas or Alphas or Charlies, but they just aren't doin it for me. Why dont these companies concentrate on getting one car and track perfected and then release others instead of releasing 10 half arsed efforts, I know it sucks in more people to invest if theres more content but shit. So.. I thought what the hey I'll install RBR again and give it a run and F@#$ me, what a pleasure it is to feel great force feedback and a car that responds to your inputs, It has the best Replays bar nothing, and with the Eyefinity support it is simply amazing. So i thought i would download and install RSRBR 2012 so i could jump into a Ford Focus or a Fiesta or an Escort (love me fords), but this is where i think you are right. I am now constantly farting around with cars, Sounds, Tracks, Tyres, Packs, Mods, camhacks, FOV's, FFB, INI files, etc, I am starting to neglect the game itself. I started a championship, did Britain, started Japan, had trouble so tried a different car... What am i doing, Forget all this extra stuff, get back to the core game and master it. Start from the start and finish it the way it was intended, I wish i could do this and will now try. Don't get me wrong, RSRBR is simply amazing and credit goes to all modders, but i do think your right, Vanillla is a great flavour, and should be devoured without Icemagic, nuts or sprinkles. Anyway, this article was written under the influence, so if alot of it doesn't make sense then let me know and i will drown my sorrows. Cheers, Neil.

17 August 12, 13:25	#12
jgf Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Columbus, OH Age: 59	"I am now constantly farting around with cars, Sounds, Tracks, Tyres, Packs, Mods, camhacks, FOV's, FFB, INI files, etc, I am starting to neglect the game itself." Compound that with the online time wasted...er, spent, tracking down all those cars, Sounds, Tracks, Tyres, Packs, Mods, etc. You install Bill's mod, which is great, then you install Joe's mod, which is also great. Two weeks later you drive Bill's mod again but now it has no speedometer; eventually, in message number 146 of a three year old thread on an obscure forum, you find that Joe's mod overwrites part of Bill's mod, but there is a patch which allows the two to work together ...but the link is "404". An evening of diligent internet searching finds many references but no patch, so you ask on a well trafficked forum where to find said patch ...only to be chastised for mentioning an illegal mod ...but PMs from members give you links. Then you find the patch only works for V1.2.0.68b of the game and you have V1.8 ...and all this time you could have been racing. In spite of vast improvements in graphics, sound, control, options, etc. I don't think any other sim has given me the overall enjoyment that I got from Indycar Racing II fourteen years ago. Only three cars, two tire options, and fifteen tracks but I enjoyed hours of testing, tweaking setups, racing, and competing in two offline leagues. By comparison, in the past few years I've probably spent more time just tweaking AI in GTR2 than actually racing in it.

18 August 12, 15:37	#13
jackolson Join Date: Dec 2011	Hey guys, thanks for all the inputs. I appreciate it. First, I salute the makers of the mod, really. Honestly, I admire your passion to create. I have been tinkering the ENG files of GTR Evo and damn it's hard. It's easy to edit but to make it work to please me, let alone please others, is a very daunting task indeed. BUT...how can you make something GOOD into something BETTER. Well, take the good and make it better. The asset of RBR (vanilla) is it's driving physics... You know what, I have a lot of things to say...but I'm ditching my wordpad and instead, maybe close my case on this post. If someone can create a plugin for RBR where when activated, the pc will suck you into the screen and put you in the car, then after playing you can crawl out of the LCD back into the real world...I'll make me a slave for that modder. Even if RBR was just with one car, one track, oh my lord god, I will still enjoy it. Because RBR is simply the BEST. So how can you make the BEST into something BETTER? I really wanted to say more but you know what, my co-driver is calling me now in the other window, we have a 1:23 to beat in Rally School stage...I have to try, damn keyboard controls, LOL...oh there he is... 3...2...1...GO! fast left, fast right, hairpin, jump, don't cut, 90 right, put your hands in the air and give me all your money...what the??? Cheers guys, JPO

24 August 12, 01:53	#14
KellySummersUSA Join Date: May 2012	"Why dont these companies concentrate on getting one car and track perfected and then release others instead of releasing 10 half arsed efforts, I know it sucks in more people to invest if theres more content but shit." These big corporations are concerned with just cranking out the flavors of the month and the game never evolves, much less gets all the bugs fixed. I've only had RBR for a year and was surprised that it's been out there for 8 years I think. The basic GUI is the same, the graphics may be a bit dated, (but at 124 kph, can you really tell or care?) but it's still holding its own because it's a monster to master and people keep adding on to it. I love it. Favorite driving game, hands down, second favorite (I love my Civ V!) over-all.

22 October 12, 20:28	#16
Topkartracer Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Ohio Age: 20	If you download say RSRBR 2012 do you need to constantly update it if you just want to play offline?

25 October 12, 06:42	#18
NWRAP_Golly Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Perth, Western Australia Age: 40	Can you still buy RBR Vanilla ? and if so where digitally ?

31 October 12, 13:49	#19
guybo Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Tampa, FL Age: 42	I've been trying out the various mods for RBR, here's what I have found: http://www.realrally.it/ I can't get FFB to work with this mod, so I can't say much for it. It was a PITA to set up because I do not speak Italian. But they claim to carry over damage from one stage to the next, the extrnal manager interface is slick, they have the night plugin built in. They also have some unique stages, some of the new stages, LOTS of cars (including Group B and Pikes Peak) and when you d/l the mod files all the content comes with it. I have a feeling if I spoke Italian and could get FFB to work, this would be THE mod to get. C'est la guerre. This one uses an executable and a is a total game mod. http://www.rbr-world.com/index.php These guys have an excellent interface, easy to set up, easy to use, lots of cars. They have a few new stages and the site is very friendly for English language speakers. The external manager executable they use lets you choose the cars and content you want to d/l. Night mode is included. Damage does not carry over from one stage to the next. http://www.rallysimfans.hu/ Very much like RBR world. This one uses a plugin rather than a manager that you execute. You d/l 1 huge file and that's it- this one is the easiest to get set up. In-game you d/l the cars and it can be a bit confusing the way they do it but it's not too bad. There is no night mode included. This is also a great plugin. Damage does not carry over from one stage to the next. http://rbr.onlineracing.cz/ One of the originals and IMHO still the best. The plugin itself is the easy to setup since you d/l one file that's small and that's it. This is a plugin, not a total mod with a mod manager. The Czech plugin doesn't have cars and tracks included by default, you can just go with the stock content if you want. Installing cars and tracks are a PITA. But the great thing about this plugin is once you install cars, those are YOUR cars and you get to know them, work on setups with just a few cars and develop the cars in your stable. There are tracks that are unique to this plugin. Night mode is not included. Damage does carry over from one stage to the next. IMHO that puts them over the top because it turns a series of hotlap stages into a rally. http://www.rallyesim.com/accueil/index.html This one has a lot of cars and tracks and is very flexible. These guys develop the game more than other sites and are very active. This mod is worst to install as they constantly come out with patches and I have always had problems with the way they sync my system clock. I haven't done many rallies with them, I'm not sure if damage carries over. It's so difficult to get started with them that I never got into this much. This is another total mod with a mod manager executable. RSRBR12 is probably used online the most and has a huge community. Night mode is included.

1 November 12, 01:55	#20
Topkartracer Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Ohio Age: 20	Can you do offline championships or full rallys in RSRBR or just single stages?

1 November 12, 15:11	#21
guybo Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Tampa, FL Age: 42	offline single stages and online championships or online single stages (depends on what events are posted- but someone could put up a rally with one stage I suppose). RBR_World actually has a hot lap mode where you hotlap a stage and upload your time. I wish it worked with Pikes Peak though!!!

14 November 12, 12:57	#22
guybo Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Tampa, FL Age: 42	Update: RSRBR12 does support cumulative damage. This mod has everything except unlive rallies. RallySimFans and the Czech plugin are the 2 that I have seen that do unlive online rally. The problem with offline championships is that you are racing against the clock. If you tweak some files you can make ANY championship you want because you can set the stages times the AI do. But if you stick with the times in the championships that the game provides, I don't know how those times would stack up against faster cars or slower ones- the times were made up with the WRC cars that came with the stock game in mind.

15 November 12, 09:02	#23
Rumbly Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Sweden	Personally I don't care too much for RSRBR2012. Mostly because it f**ks up the main game with shitty sound mods that I didn't even ask for, but also because I don't want to play the game through some weird looking browser that only lets me do one stage at a time.. without even letting me watch the replay afterwards. "Vanilla" is the best for me, accompanied by Camhack.

19 November 12, 16:47	#24
Hellward Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Tydraw, Swansea, South Wales, U.K.	Rsrbr2012 has a 2CV...so it's obviously worth it !

19 November 12, 20:19	#25
guybo Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Tampa, FL Age: 42	Does anyone know how to watch a replay I saved of a Pike's Peak run? I saved the replay after but now I can't figure out how to watch it. I did the run through RSRBR12, but now there's no way to watch it

20 November 12, 13:45	#27
guybo Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Tampa, FL Age: 42	I just did a 10:13 run at Pike's and I wanted to use FRAPS to screen capture the replay. So after the stage I hit Exit To Main Menu and chose Replay. Well, I tried to anyway. There's lots of issues with BTB- it wouldn't let me choose replay. I guess it's just not meant to be.

26 November 12, 18:42	#28
intakexhaust Join Date: Feb 2011	Many thanks to all here who share and provide the support to this sim. Along with GPL and rFactor, RBR has always been one of my faves, primarily for the physics. I've been a long time away from them but now back in it. I don't have all the time to devote and just want to experience enough quality physics without too much arcade numbness plus I'd like the ability to tweak car set-ups. I recently reloaded the original RBR 2004 with patch 1.02 and the file Nocd, using Win 7 64 bit OS. Hardware used is just a mid-grade laptop 3rd gen i5 with a dedicated GPU, second monitor, P-GT3 Fanatec wheel and Logitech pedals. The patch was a godsend on getting the FFB to work. Other than that, all is working beautiful but have some questions. Is the the RBR2012 a stand alone program or does it overwrite / upgrade my old RBR 2004? Does the new version or upgrade retain the same level of physics? Thanks again.