Driving Games

"Tripper" (tripe46) 04/22/2020 at 09:30 • Filed to: None

3

51

My nearly 2 year old daughter LOVES driving. I’ve been letting her pilot the 02 around the neighborhood. W hile she’s not strong enough to turn it she tries and she is able to keep it straight !

Anyway the roads won’t be open forever and I’ve got enough stuff laying around to build her a little kiddo driving sim. I’ve got a Logitech G27 wheel and pedals for which I am fabricating a pint sized drivers seat with the wheel and pedals mounted. A 32" TV mounted on a gas spring arm, and most of what I’ll need for a PC to support whatever game I install.

Herein lies the issue. There are tons of games, but they’re all racing games. I used to have this game waaaaay back in the day, I think it was called “Midtown Madness”. T here was some kind of racing aspect to it, but you could just drive around town.

I just want a game where she can drive around however she pleases, maybe a reset button on the wheel for when she gets herself stuck?

Any recommendations oppo?  

Boxer_4 > Tripper 04/22/2020 at 09:42

1

That used to be the Midnight Club series for me - the racing was fun, but I enjoyed driving around the open world maps  quite a bit. They haven’t made one in over 10 years though, and the earlier ones were better in my opinion.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Tripper 04/22/2020 at 09:43

4

Forza Horizon is open world, and there is a reset. 

3point8isgreat > Tripper 04/22/2020 at 09:44

4

Forza horizon would let her just drive around.  And even has rewind.

My first thought was the obviously not appropriate GTA. It even has the aggressive pedestrians and other drivers part!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Tripper 04/22/2020 at 09:48

7

MIDTOWN MADNESS 2!!!!!!!!!!

My friends and I used to play multiplayer over LAN and internet in High School, there was a mode called Gold Rush which is sortof like capture the flag....a gold bar appears on the map, somebody picks it up and has to drive it to a certain place. If they do, they get such and such amount of points, and it takes so many points to win the round. Other players can ram you and then they get the Gold to do the same! The ENTIRE game map was open in a round of Gold Rush, so you could go anywhere to try and get away from other players and such, great fun!

There were a lot of mod cars you could download for it too...we used to play MTM2 with these hilarious Fleetwood RV mod vehicles that made Gold Rush incredibly funny...I even still have some screenshots of us playing it back in the day :P

facw > Tripper 04/22/2020 at 09:50

4

Euro Truck Simulator 2/American Truck Simulator!

GTA games are good for just driving around, but probably not age appropriate.

Thisismydisplayname > Tripper 04/22/2020 at 09:57

3

Forza has an open world aspect to it. And wreckfest has been pretty fun so far. But it’s a racing-ish game. But you can beat on the cars and it has demo derbies as well. My boys are enjoying it with me.

Then there’s always a good power wheels.  Drop in the 18v Milwaukee batteries and you have a fun little ride.  My 3yo has been drifting his corvette around the basement for the past three weeks or so.  

Thisismydisplayname > 3point8isgreat 04/22/2020 at 09:58

1

Yeah GTA let’s you just drive around...  but yeah then there’s the other part of the game that’s not so kid friendly....  

ClassicDatsunDebate > Tripper 04/22/2020 at 10:00

1

When my daughter was your daughters age, she loved motocross madness. 

Tripper > facw 04/22/2020 at 10:03

2

Lol yeah gonna have to wait a few years for GTA, although she’s already rattled off most of what she’d hear from it. I’ve never played the truck sim games gonna have to now.

Tripper > Thisismydisplayname 04/22/2020 at 10:05

2

Oh yeah! I’ve been scouring CL for a GT3 power wheels 

facw > Tripper 04/22/2020 at 10:08

0

If you do try ETS2/ATS I highly recommend Jazzycat’s AI traffic mod:  https://ets2mods.lt/euro-truck-simulator-2-mods/ai-traffic-pack-by-jazzycat-v12-5/ (there’s an ATS version as well). Adds a bunch more real world cars, that are roughly location correct and weighted so that you get mostly “normal” cars.

I also use Jazzycat’s truck traffic pack, bus traffic pack, painted truck traffic pack, and painted bdf traffic pack, as well as their trailers and cargo pack, though I think all of those are less noticeable than having a broad range of cars on the roads.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 04/22/2020 at 10:19

0

I was late to the party so this was a little old when I played it, being released in 2002 on the original Xbox. I played splitscreen with my brother all the time. The maps were Paris and Washington D.C. but I never got to experience online multiplayer.

Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney > Tripper 04/22/2020 at 10:33

4

Beam.ng drive is actually a super great casual open-world driver.

feather-throttle-not-hair > Tripper 04/22/2020 at 10:33

0

People have already mentioned Forza horizon (I’ve been done with racing in that game for at least six months, but I keep coming back just to cruise around) but beamng would be another possibility if she likes crashing cars.

I think most need for speed games are open world, and burnout paradise is as well, I bet that game is like 5 dollars these days though I’m not sure a wheel would work with that game. The crew and the crew 2 have the biggest map and are totally open world as well. I believe those games are compatible with a wheel.

My bird IS the word > Tripper 04/22/2020 at 10:46

0

Newer? The forza horizon series. Less new, if you could get the original test drive unlimited, that would be the game to beat...

Thisismydisplayname > Tripper 04/22/2020 at 10:54

0

Really any of them will do nicely.  Best part is people get rid of them when the battery dies.  So the drill battery mod is a great way to fix and get a good ride for cheap.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > Tripper 04/22/2020 at 11:09

0

2nd’ing Forza Horizon 4, tonnes of cars and you can do what I’ve done with my nieces. Give them a 50 hp 1963 Volkswagen Beetle and they can drive around to their hearts content. It’s nice and slow so crashing is less likely. 

hike > Tripper 04/22/2020 at 11:19

0

I’m pretty sure I learned to drive on Midtown Madness 2. I had a steering wheel attachment that was so old it used the old style port with all the pins on the Gateway PC we had.

Forza Horizon is your best bet for newer open world games. There aren't many open world racing games anymore. Just Cause and GTA are great open world games, but a little on the violent side. 

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/22/2020 at 11:27

1

MTM2 with Gold Rush mode and friends was a huge hoot....we would play online and once and awhile 6 of us would get together for ‘LAN Parties’...anybody remember those? :)

VW Max > Tripper 04/22/2020 at 11:29

2

Beam.NG Drive is very open world

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 04/22/2020 at 11:38

0

No, but I didn’t have anyone to play with to begin with. That game, Roller Coaster Tycoon 3, and Burnout 3 Takedown were basically my first video games. MTM3 was somewhat difficult if I remember. I really want to play it again (first mistake) but the disk is long gone from the case :(

I still regularly play Burnout 3 with friends because that game is still just as fun as it was 15 years ago.

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > facw 04/22/2020 at 11:57

2

I was going to say GTA.

bwp240 > Tripper 04/22/2020 at 12:02

1

Midtown Madness is arguably the most underr ated racing series in video games. Those games were awesome and mods made it even more hilarious.

As far as driving games with no racing and no big rigs. Take a look at this: https://store.steampowered.com/app/493490/City_Car_Driving/ . I haven’t played it, but it seems to fill the criteria.

The only thing similar I do have is Drivers education 98. It is the most anal driving game I have ever played. Rub the curb, game over; go 36 in a 35, game over; brake too hard because it is mapped to the keyboard instead of pedals, game over. All while driving a 1993 Ford Escort Wagon.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Tripper 04/22/2020 at 12:18

0

I wish there was a game just like GTA that was kid-appropriate! 

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 04/22/2020 at 12:20

2

Like giving my kid a 2CV in Gran Turismo - ha!

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > Tripper 04/22/2020 at 13:20

1

Check out some of the free stuff on the Microsoft store. There are some that are more driving lesson than racer and may be good for this kind of project. I don’t know about the reset question as I haven’t tried any of these - sorry.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/top-free/games/pc?category=Simulation

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/22/2020 at 13:22

1

If you play games on PC online at all, try Flatout Ultimate Carnage...it’s a pretty fun racing game for mplayer with friends! Wreckfest is great as well....it’s like the modern descendant of the original Flatout.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 04/22/2020 at 13:27

0

I don’t own a desktop at all and my laptop isn’t powerful so I mostly play console. I’ve dumped many many hours into Wreckfest for good returns, but I haven't done much multiplayer. Do you play it?

nikescar > Tripper 04/22/2020 at 13:39

0

This would be perfect for arcade racing game emulation. Those games keep the car driving, making  forward progress, no matter how poorly the player is driving. There are many options here but one of the coolest is TecknoParrot for playing Mario Kart, Daytona USA, Outrun, etc.

bob and john > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/22/2020 at 13:43

1

oh man...burn out 3....the nostalgia...

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > bob and john 04/22/2020 at 13:46

0

That is actually one game that doesn’t look any different through rose tinted glasses. The gameplay really holds up.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/22/2020 at 13:48

0

I do on occasion ! I go by Darkstrike on Steam if you wanted to add me sometime! (or RallyDarkstrike...? I forget which, haha! Try Darkstrike first :P)

Cody > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney 04/22/2020 at 13:51

3

Came here to say this! My 3 year old nephew loves cruising around the southern Utah map in the Jeep knockoff. He just uses an Xbox controller, but the game is compatible with a wheel and pedals.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 04/22/2020 at 13:59

1

Sadly I don’t own a desktop and my laptop isn’t up to the task for most games. I’ll add you but it might be a while before I even own a game on steam. I’ve been sticking to the Xbox One for this reason, but is Wreckfest cross platform?

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Tripper 04/22/2020 at 14:15

1

Similar to GTA as otherwise mentioned, but including no random crimes/shootings, and only having violence at specific crime locations which are very far apart - L. A. Noire. One could spend hours driving around 1947 LA doing nothing.

It *probably* could be set up how you want with the wheel, though I haven’t tried such a thing.

Tripper > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 04/22/2020 at 14:17

0

OOO that is a game I was excited for and never played. Any good?

bob and john > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/22/2020 at 14:23

0

I had it for the original Xbox which I still have in the house somewhere..I’m tempted to see if it starts and if I can run it again. 

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Tripper 04/22/2020 at 14:30

1

I enjoyed it a lot. The crime scene investigation can be a little clunky, and some of the crimes are graphic, but for all that it’s less... I dunno, mean-spirited than a GTA game. It’s grim and dark and not really *affirming*, I suppose you’d say, but good sort-of triumphs in the end. The sort-of part making it much like a hollywood noir, which is sort of the point: the worst guys get put away, the best guy only sort of gets what he wants, the good guy who wasn’t really that good (but tried to be) has a heroic end, and the “helpful” good guy effectively strikes a truce with the sleazy but least-worst elements to carry on. It’s well-plotted, even if the story has a lot of people to hate, possibly including the main protagonist.

The car physics aren’t the best in the world, but I liked them better than GTA by a lot. They get by without being as arcadey-but-natural as Saints Row, for example.

Following clues for cases is a lot easier since they changed it from the awkwardly-chosen “Lie/doubt/truth” interrogation choices that were slapped on at release. It was meant to be that if you knew you didn’t have evidence on a claim, you could pressure them “bad cop” style for an answer to the question, and if you knew they were lying based on evidence , you could contradict them, but that got muddled. Saying “doubt” as an equivalent to “I AM GOING TO SAY BAD THINGS ABOUT YOU HOW ABOUT THAT” has now been changed to “bad cop” or something like, and “truth” is now “good cop”. Although some conversations a one-man good cop/bad cop routine can be jarring.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > bob and john 04/22/2020 at 14:33

0

All Xbox games work on the 360 and the controllers are much better and the graphics/frame rate can usually be at the maximum. I’d recommend that if you have one. 

bob and john > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/22/2020 at 14:37

0

an OG, 2 360s (after my dad broke one) and a Xbone.

i should be able to make SOMETHING work

Tripper > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 04/22/2020 at 14:41

0

Thanks for the rundown! I’ll give it a whack!

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Tripper 04/22/2020 at 14:58

2

I have recommended it before on its strengths as a “drive a Packard for no reason” simulator alone.

Tripper > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 04/22/2020 at 15:01

0

Can’t argue with that, old sport.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/22/2020 at 15:02

1

Not sure, but I doubt it! :(

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Tripper 04/22/2020 at 15:28

2

Test drive unlimited and burnout paradise

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney 04/22/2020 at 15:33

1

YES! this.

Klaus Schmoll > Tripper 04/22/2020 at 15:36

1

I also have to put in my vote for the Forza Horizon series. It lets you drive around an open world on a pretty big and diverse map, which is sanitary and child friendly. It’s consequence free, as in no wre cking cars, and there’s a reverse button. Horizon 4 even has a Lego extension which she would probably like but you have to put in a couple hourse of competetitive driving to unlock it.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > hike 04/22/2020 at 15:41

0

Midtown Madness 3 clearly taught me well

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 04/22/2020 at 15:42

0

Yes these! You can spend hours doing absolutely nothing on those and they classics at this point that can give the kid’s video game career an auspicious start.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Tripper 04/22/2020 at 15:43

0

Ooh also BeamNG. It’s just you on huge maps where you get to roam around and play with physics.

SmugAardvark > Tripper 04/22/2020 at 17:21

1

Forza Horizon 4? You can drive all day long without ever having to race if you do not want to.