I'm now playing the GRID 2019 reboot of the original Race Driver GRID. It works as well if not better with Keyboard than the original, and I have yet to experience the dreaded now and then freezes the original had at certain points of some tracks, which would often make me lose my place or crash. It's easy to arc a turn via holding down your steer keys, but it takes a bit of time to figure out the timing of it. Still resorting to tapping keys out of habit.
I started out on the Medium preset where the AI have just average skill and damage is only visual, and all assists are at max, plus 5 flashbacks allowed per race. I went through the first events in each discipline, easily getting the fastest lap for pole position. The races felt a bit too easy to win, so I stepped it up to Hard level. On Hard, damage is full, you only get 3 flashbacks, assists are set to level 3, and of course the main thing is, the AI are more competent.
On Hard it takes me several tries just to get a hotlap time good enough to start in the top 3, and so far after 2 touring races I've started at position 3 and 2. You really have to hit the turns well and keep up momentum, but I managed to win both of these races, again, after several tries. I've not yet once used flashback, preferring to restart the whole race. I've also managed to race pretty clean, which is imperative in the reboot as it adds the Nemesis AI system.
I'm not sure if Nemesis is much different from how the AI reacted in the original, but here you know for sure whom you've offended and you'll see such an indicator onscreen, plus your race manager will tell you over the coms. On Hard I've yet to accumulate enough damage to affect performance, but that is also due to trying to drive clean due to Nemesis. The graphics are great for the most part, but one track on replay in cockpit view seemed too washed out.
My main nitpicks so far are...
1. There's only about 16 tracks. Initially there were about a dozen, and they added a few via free DLC.
2. The damage model apparently is weak compared to the original, taking some hard smacks even on open wheel cars before performance is affected. I won't know until further testing though, as that was a comment made on a pre-release build sent out for review.
3. Sadly the replay in multiview is not nearly as good as the original. There's too many closeup views, often ones that limit view of the race too much. There's also no camera shake or nice pans like the original had .It just feels robotic and non immersive.
4. Even before Nemesis kicks in, AI at times drive wildly. They'll sometimes swerve radically toward you if you are in a line they'd prefer to be in when approaching a tough turn. They are also inconsistent in their skill. Some turns they can handle incredibly well, others, very badly.
5. As I said, at times the lighting makes the game look really washed out.
6. Though it feels maybe a bit more accessible to keyboard users, the AI are so challenging I'm doubting if I'll be able to win most races on the hardest mode, like I did in the original, save for 24 Hour Le Mans (due to the AI driving crazy fast at night), and a couple of the seasonal day races held at Le Mans. I'm think it will be pretty much impossible to get in a hotlap fast enough to get a top 3 start position on Ultra Hard, and I may not even be able to place in the top 3 in a lot if not most races on that mode.
7. There likely won't be as much replay value for me on keyboard due to less difficulty modes than the original had, and the more challenging AI. It very well could be Medium and Hard are the only two modes practical for me to play.
8. Only two open wheel cars in game.
My main praises are...
1. No more dreaded freezing at certain points on a lot of tracks. That was my biggest gripe about the original, and to this day the one thing that keeps me from wanting to go back and play it.
2. As I said, arcing a turn on keyboard is much easier due to holding down your steer keys. It can build confidence, but also go against you if you don't time it right and hit the right speed while doing so.
3. There's now weather effects, mainly rain. It looks realistic, but I've yet to test it's affect on traction much. I did get in one race in a Honda S2000 though in a hard rain, and on Medium preset, the traction seemed ridiculously good considering the conditions.
4. There's a good amount of cars, and new types of vehicles added like trucks.
5. Granted this is a minus for some, but I personally am not bothered at all by the omission of drift events.
6. Another thing that some might consider a minus, is events are generally fairly short, in the 3 to 4 laps range. In the original, the combination of having to start at the back, even if you won races in that event prior, plus longer distances, made it a long slog to get to the front.
7. Yet another thing some might consider a minus, is being able to qualify for start position via hotlaps makes the game a lot easier. However the AI are challenging enough to make it pretty hard if there were no qualifying. Again though, this is from a keyboard perspective.
8. Audio is very good, even better than recent GRID titles.
9. The driving physics are easy to get used to and fun, even on keyboard. SIM racers will likely be off put by many things, like th edamage model and lack of nuances in tuning and maintenance, but they should also know GRID never intended to be a SIM title.
10. Cockpit view looks great, but FOV choices are limited.
11. Support for latest hardware, including HDR, but apparently no official Ray Tracing support. I have read it's possible via a graphics mod though.
Some other notables that could go either way for many are, no VR or triple screen support, and no tire wear or fuel loss to manage. These things don't bother me at all, though I could see how some would be. It's so arcade now there's even points awarded for powerslides, so this may or may not mean I may be able to handle the hardest mode after all if I can get used to driving more aggressively. I've already noticed I can more easily go into a fishtail on some tracks (like Brands Hatch) without a decent line through some corners, on Hard with level 3 assists, so I'm kinda doubting being able to powerslide consistently on Ultra Hard will be very doable or advantageous on keyboard.
Here's SIM Racing Paddock's Review
I'll upload the replays of the two touring races on Hard later.
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