ARCA Sim Racing is a stock-car racing simulator for Windows developed by The Sim Factory LLC. This simulator is based on the rFactor engine since The Sim Factory licensed it from Image Space Incorporated and modified it to be more accurate for oval racing. It is officially licensed by ARCA Incorporated, Ford, GM (Chevrolet, Pontiac), Chrysler and Toyota. I will review this simulator using a D-BOX SRP-120 Motion Platform (see my previous review for more details) to experience motion.
Don't be fooled by the first impression you might get from this simulator! Once you receive your package from the mail (you order it online), you will notice that the box art is pretty basic: while it gets the job done, it still looks home made (see my pictures). The installation process is straight forward and standard. Then you should install the patch to get the latest version. I managed to find the update page on the official web site but the download links for the patches are invalid... I did a search on Google and found the patches on other web sites. The Sim Factory did not digitally sign the patches and you don't download them from the official site so you have to hope for the best and have your anti-virus software running. Right now, 3 patches need to be installed. One to get to version 1128C, one to get to 1128D and one to get to 1128G. These patches are not cumulative so you have to install each of them separately. The first 2 patches need to be ran from the folder where ARCA Sim Racing is installed but the third one asks you where the simulator is installed (they are getting better!). You are finally ready to play but if you are running Windows Vista, the configuration window will pop-up forever without letting you start the game... You have to right-click on the shortcut and select "run as administrator". At last you can start the game and create your driver profile... Not so fast, first you need to exit the game then you can use your profile! The D-BOX Motion Code add-on installation is standard and you'll notice the now familiar motion/vibration configuration settings to tweak the effects.
Don't be fooled by the first impression you might get from this simulator! Once you receive your package from the mail (you order it online), you will notice that the box art is pretty basic: while it gets the job done, it still looks home made (see my pictures). The installation process is straight forward and standard. Then you should install the patch to get the latest version. I managed to find the update page on the official web site but the download links for the patches are invalid... I did a search on Google and found the patches on other web sites. The Sim Factory did not digitally sign the patches and you don't download them from the official site so you have to hope for the best and have your anti-virus software running. Right now, 3 patches need to be installed. One to get to version 1128C, one to get to 1128D and one to get to 1128G. These patches are not cumulative so you have to install each of them separately. The first 2 patches need to be ran from the folder where ARCA Sim Racing is installed but the third one asks you where the simulator is installed (they are getting better!). You are finally ready to play but if you are running Windows Vista, the configuration window will pop-up forever without letting you start the game... You have to right-click on the shortcut and select "run as administrator". At last you can start the game and create your driver profile... Not so fast, first you need to exit the game then you can use your profile! The D-BOX Motion Code add-on installation is standard and you'll notice the now familiar motion/vibration configuration settings to tweak the effects.
Many consider this simulator to be the best stock-car simulator on the market since Nascar 2003 and I have to agree. My first impression was not so good but overall these problems are minor and are likely to be fixed in the future. ARCA Sim Racing only needs more polishing on the user friendliness side. On the other hand, the game delivers when it comes to racing and that is what really matters!
All the different events are simulated starting from the practice, qualifying session, warmup and the race. Furthermore all the major tracks (oval and road course) are included: Daytona International Speedway, Duquoin State Fairgrounds, Iowa Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Michigan International Speedway, Montréal Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Nashville Superspeedway, Pocono Raceway, Rockingham Speedway, Salem Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, The Milwaukee Mile, Toledo Speedway as well as USA International Speedway. While the graphic engine is not the most recent, you'll notice that all the tracks are nicely detailed. All the official cars (Ford, GM, Chrysler and Toyota) are available and look like the real ones but their most impressive feature is the sound coming from their engines. On top of that, many settings are available to tune the handling of your car.
The physic engine is really good, which is not a surprise coming from a modified version of the rFactor engine. It probably has a direct impact on the D-BOX motion rendering which is, again, awesome. The whole experience really benefits from the motion system since you can feel the acceleration, even taking into effect the shifting of the gears. I felt the lateral G-Force when turning left or right as I would probably feel driving a real stock-car. And I told you that the sound of the car engine was impressive but when you add the simulated engine vibration produced by the D-BOX system to that, it is even better.
I tried to explain the motion effects as best as I could but it is not easy to describe them until you try a D-BOX motion system. I made 2 videos to show the motion in action (unfortunately you cannot really see the vibration in these videos, you would need to sit on the chair to feel them). Oh and don't worry, as I wrote earlier, the oval tracks are available but I chose the Montréal road course for these videos:
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