Initial Comments:
I set the game to "Pro", which set assists to off, and AI to challenging
Forcefeedback is a global setting (might be able to be changed per car), but is by default probably too weak for most players. I think it was set at 80-85% by default. Turn it up a bit.
There are many FFB settings that I don't yet know what to do with, so I'm sure the perfect blend is out there, and after I tweak this a bit I'll be able to compare to Assetto Corsa, which is the standard for FFB ATM.
Overall, the menus need better tips and explanation.
Presentation is really good in this game. From menu to menu, it makes you feel special and like you are on a real mission to be a race driver. Some of the menus are confusing, and on the PC verison, there is only a little "Back" arrow to exit a screen, which can be hard to click and hard to find. Some menu items are burried or in strange places, like GT used to be.
The handling does not feel as sharp or easy to "feel" compared to AC, but that might have something to do with not having FFB configured right just yet, which may be causing me to give improper inputs to the wheels...
The sounds on the one car I tried were not amazing (Evo X FQ400), but more like it was trying really hard to sound right. Not sure I can explain that very well, but you'll see. Sounds are very "tinny", which some EQ might cure. I end up using some EQ on most of the PC games I've been playing...
The surround sound needs a complete overhaul. I can't believe they didn't get this figured out in the time allotted. There is no presence of other cars around you, and no track echo at all. You hear other engine sounds, to be sure, but do not hear a car pass you as it does so. That is kind of critical. GTA V does a much better job at this. (FWIW, AC is still working on getting this right too, but has recently made a big improvement in this area)
AI is really good at certain things, and really bad at others. I think this is where the franchise sets itself apart from the other 3. The AI really do try to race you, but if I'm honest, they are a bit dirty and if real drivers did the things they did to me last night, there would be a fistfight! (diving to your inside when it should be clear you are already turning in)
The race radio isn't as annoying as it seemed in one of the videos I watched. It is more subdued, and you can turn it Off or just down a bit.
Graphics - I can't say much except that it should look really good if your PC can handle it. Mine can't. Not even on medium settings. I am a bit dissappointed that they couldn't optimize this aspect of the game better so that people who have the recommended specs can't even get a smooth frame rate. (My PC meets the recommended, so I take it they didn't want to scare people away?)
It is annoying that one must restart the entire game to make a graphics setting change, rather than have a launcher that does not load the whole game, Like AC.
There were some bugs and glitches, including some crashes just from trying to change a setting or something...
Overall, I think there is a lot of promise with this, but if it doesn't look at least as good as GT or AC when I play it, I probably won't. There are a few games now, that I'd like to turn up the graphics settings for, and can't, so this might push be towards a stronger card. Though, Ireally don't see why this game is pushing it so hard. The fucking trees are far too complex, and cars even on low detail cause frame-rate drops with only a few cars visible at any time.
My 3.6ghz quad-core i5 is showing it is over 70% used (all cores) when running just 12 cars...
Are they really doing that many calculations per second that this is all necessary?
One thing I will say, now that I've played a few other similar games to GT, is that no game is without it's ridiculous faults, and we will always be left scratching or banging our heads about bonehead decisions that developers make. It's not just a PD thing...
