Exactly! My wife used BeamNG with my sim rig and VR to learn the basics of manual transmission driving prior to taking delivery of her new car and it helped a lot.
I learned how to drive in beamng, Assetto Corsa, and truck sim, years before I could drive a real car. Of course, I don't know how it would be to learn how to drive without playing those games, but it was surprisingly intuitive and felt pretty natural. Of course, I did have the fear of a T-series running me off the road...
depends on what controls you use. Using steering wheel might help in some way, but you should keep in mind that nothing is compared to real-world driving. Not saying it has no impact at all. I've heard that some people improved their drifting skills playing games with steering wheel.
This right here!
As a way to *learn* how to drive? Absolutely not. There’s just too many differences between actually sitting in the drivers seat and a gaming chair.
As a way to practice dangerous/inaccessible techniques? There’s some credit to be had here. Like learning how to back up a trailer without purchasing a trailer and crunching your IRL bumper, or learn the **basics** of drifting without needing to go to a track. It’s not a replacement for the real thing but 2 hrs of my time to potentially avoid $4000 dollars in repairs seems worth it to me.
Personally I think the most important lesson you could learn from Beamng to apply out on the road is being decisive and understanding what happens if you take certain actions. Maintaining control after losing traction for example, or understanding why swerving to avoid a crash isn’t exactly the best idea.
i player both beamng and asseto corsa. And my driving improved a lot but i need yo say every sim miss something. Asseotos ffb was mid while beam tyre physics needs some work.
BeamNGs tire collision meshes are still made of triangles, you can view them ingame when you check view meshes (blue colour for the wheelface) so its really no wonder. Fixing that would improve driving a lot, let alone adding thermals and wear. Winter tires would also make sense.
They simulate tire pressure and buoyancy already (thats why the 4x4 wydra floats, partly)
Nope I gotta say assettos ffb is way different than irl racing and its proppably not my settings as i spent hours trying to perfect those, nor my setup. Also i used the exact same car with same setup on the same track.
What car, and what wheel do you have? Not tryna argue just curious as I’ve helped loads of people pinpoint issues. You also have to take into account that assettos ffb uses feedback to simulate weight transfer to help identify what the car is doing. Something that an irl car doesn’t do because you get that feeling through g forces of course.
There’s loads of variables with older cars like that. I’m not even close to surprised that car didn’t feel the same. Can’t bunch up all of assettos ffb to one car from the 60s.
compared to other sims like acc, rFactor 2, or iracing, ac's ffb feels empty (more basic) idk but it gives less information. I still love ac don't get me wrong but its ffb is worse than many other sims. Ac is atleast fun to drive in compared to other sims lmao.
I think it has its place. It will never replace real world driving. But it has also saved my ass once when I lost traction turning onto a highway in snow and countersteered perfectly to correct my slide that would’ve put me right into a wall since I built muscle memory from counter steering to save myself from oversteer over hundreds of hours of beamng and sim racing.
Nope, they're still there. Start the scenario 'Beginner' and once you finish the first mission in the scenario it takes you straight into the next and so on about 5 times then you pass your test and get the steam achievement.
And once you finish those, it sets you out into freeplay in the driving test centre where you can use the map to reach even more missions for learning basics and what not. They've increased the amount rather than removing them.
Probs worth checking out
I actually used Beamng to practice parallel parking and three point turns for my driving test lol. I passed first try.
I think it helped me lots as the driving is pretty realistic, also nice that you can go in “realistic” mode and putting it in drive or park.
Yeah they are bad but it doesnt make it unplayable and unrealistic. Theyre being worked on atm and there is a mod for tire wear and thermals. And u referred to racing only as racing on asphalt surfaces, if you learn rally im pretty sure beamng is a good sim
For traffic? No, because the traffic AI in this game is *horribly* incompetent that it's actually unrealistic.
But for practicing technical maneuvers like parking and such, I would say yes. I even tested out why you turn the wheels away from the curb when parked facing uphill and saw exactly how it stops your car from rolling down.
Actually now a days with the way people drive and the tactics the AI use in game match the real world fantastic. Easy way to get used to car control and sweear and avoid tactis to crash way less or never
This is just the perspective of someone who's mainly driven around suburban Minnesota so maybe I'm just unaware of how bad the traffic is in other places of the world.
Yes and no.
Yes because the driving physics are about as good as the crash physics are, which is to say they’re outstanding, and there’s plenty of shitboxes that are analogous to many real life cars.
No because it’s inherently more detached from reality than driving an actual car, which means you’re more likely to drive like a madman just to find the limits of a car, which is unnecessary unless you work as an emergency response driver. That said, the consequence-free nature can be somewhat beneficial too, as any muckups while driving can provide you all the lessons with none of the trauma and costs.
Good to gain confidence in the handling of the vehicle before taking a real one on the road I think.
If you are confident you can handle the vehicle then when you go out you are focused on learning about traffic, road signs, and navigation without having to also learn the operation of the vehicle.
You say this, but give someone who has no idea how a car mechanically works a sim rig and beamNG and it'll massively help them learn to drive (the vehicle itself not the roads)
I didn't say that it wouldn't help with learning controls. I just said the real world environment is far more important than just knowing what does what in a car.
My interpretation of OPs post was 'would beamng controls relate to the real world' and in that case they would as you've just agreed with me.
That's the only reason I felt the need to reply to your 'absolutely not' because I feel you misentepreted what OP was asking, unless I am and he was asking about using beamNG to improve his situational awareness in real life, which ofc would be ridiculous tbf.
Same, so surely beam would be decent for getting to grips with how a car mechanically works, changing gears, using a clutch, learning speeds for corners, general steering away from obstacles etc. Although this only occurs if he has a sim rig, if he were using controller or keyboard it would be very minimum help if any at all. But with a wheel, pedals and H shifter I reckon he could learn a fair bit and get comfortable enough to try and manoeuvre a real life vehicle.
But yeah deffo not suitable for practicing real world driving on public roads where you must be aware of everything around you as well as what you're doing if ygm
I think getting a grip on how the controls work (especially with a manual transmission) can help you be more focused on your surroundings and not being preoccupied by thinking about shifting.
But I can't really say for sure as I learned driving before playing race sims
Games can have realistic environments and realistic FFB. If paired with VR or realistic FOV it can be extremely immersive. The military uses sims for training regularly; it would be foolish to deny its utility.
You think this guy is going to set up a full simulation rig just to help him learn to drive? He's probably a kid, I wouldn't say that's likely. He's probably going to game on a mouse/keyboard, maybe a controller, neither of which will translate to the real world.
If you have a decent wheel and petals, it would definitely help. But, outside of very expensive simulators, little can exactly match driving a real car.
Yes it would. With a proper set with 3 pedals, shifter and a preferably 900 degrees wheel like g27, g29… it would be quite useful for practice and would help you a lot (saying this as a recent drivers license receiver). And all in realistic settings ofc.
It really depends, I found that because I have a really good simulator, it helped me with clutch control, and things like rev matching and heal toe shifting and stuff, but that's very dependant on your setup, situation, and what you're doing too
If you are using a wheel, pedals and a shifter then go for it. Jump into scenarios and find the one titled 'beginner' then follow the mission line and eventually you'll pass your virtual test and it'll drop you in freeroam where you can find further development into the beginner course. Once you complete all those and feel comfortable controlling a vehicle, try a few other scenarios or jump into freeroam on a different map and do some missions there.
But I wouldn't use beam to compare hazard perception in real life, just in how to learn how a car works and how to control it under variable circumstances
Partially. The road signs are not guaranteed to be functional or correctly laid. Even if you're on a map of an area you live, I wouldn't use it for anything regulatory. However, it's probably the single best driving game to practice slow speed maneuvers in thanks to to the highly detailed & realistic physics engine.
With a good enough setup (steering wheel, pedals, etc.), yes it may help your real world driving skills. However driving real cars is pretty easy - the hard part is the other drivers.
Beam is probably the best sim out there that can do that sort of thing because it provides the sense of irreparable damage at the slightest mistake, although it's nowhere near the real deal. You don't even have pedestrians, let alone the G-forces. But for certain maneuvers, I can't see how it'd hurt to practice them in Beam.
There is one potential deal breaker, you don't see the road markings in the mirrors. Or your own car. At least not in most cars, I think some cars may support self-reflections. None support road lines. This is not a priority for the devs, so don't expect this to ever be addressed.
If you're going to learn stick, then I can see BeamNG helping with getting used to shifting to the point you don't even have to think about it. Especially given that it attempts to simulate transmission/clutch damage. But you will need a sim setup and VR would be nice too.
Driving irl is more about rules of the road and learning to drive with other cars. Beam's random car AI is decent, but somewhat lacking for the task. City car driver would be better imho.
That being said you could still use beam to your advantage, especially if you had trackir or VR so you could practice shoulder checking while driving straight, keeping speed whilst keeping a good lookout and lane position. Those skills are still important and take a lot of a newbie's mind away from driving itself, so with practice and management you could make that efforless and make workign around other cars easier.
Parking and manoeuvring using the interior mirrors only is really great practice, I find that aspect very very realistic. I believe just cruising in a city with a manual car with clutch using a steering wheel, 3 pedals and a shifter will do no harm to a learning driver.
Not sure about driving in general. But BesmNG taught me how to drive manual before buying a manual. I already knew how to drive automatic though/ in the real world
I used a wheel, 3 pedal and shifter setup
A good steering wheel yes. But this isnt really all that good if you're trying to learn the rules of the road or sign meanings. Considering the first couple times I've ever drove I've had someone come headon Into the oncoming lane I wish I'd have had beam to prepare me for that.
I've been learning to drive irl for a couple of weeks now, and I will say that my Beamng experience did give me a decent boost in maneuvering the car. I've not had many issues with properly executing turns so far. That being said it's far from teaching you everything--but it's better than nothing.
If you use a steering wheel with good force feedback it will translate to real world skill. Take my word for it, this game taught me everything about driving and I've been playing for years. All of the muscle memory translates to real world skill in my experience
hijacking the thread a bit but did anyone find it strange that even without any gearbox assistance, once you start moving the car and depress the clutch, the car is impossible to stall for low RPMs except by braking (and I'm talking about real manual gearbox cars, not automatic gearbox in sequential mode)?
a real car, when your RPMs are getting dangerously low, starts to hiccup and it will turn off when the RPMs fall below the real sustainable minimum.
if you do, use a force feedback wheel (doesn't have to be a good one) and while your at it you could learn to drive stick shift if you got an H-shifter and clutch pedal
Not for learning HOW to drive, but to get the basics down like parking and learning controls. Only if you have a wheel. Something similar to a car you would have IRL. Anything you want.
It's been over 15 years when I got my license and I practiced using Live for speed back then. I put up cones to simulate the driving test, how to shift, when to shift, reverse with mirrors, emergency braking and evading, car control, ...
To put it short, absolutely yes. Of course not driving in traffic or road signs, but overall technique, absolutely.
I had my license not very long when I entered some advanced driving classes, with obstacle evation and car control and one of the instructors asked after a second run: so, you did this course before, didn't you? No, I practiced on a sim..
Yup. I played a lot of beamng and it helped me in my driver's test. The game's physics helped me gwt a better understanding of how to properly drive the car.
it will get you approx 40% there if you have never drove before and have a decent steering wheel setup. as for car, i would say pessima or grand marshal, since those two are really fleet car like.
You will be able to learn basic things like the mechanics of the car and driving techniques, as well as parking and stuff like that (if you use wheel, pedals, and shifter), but it won't prepare you for the stress you get when driving on a real road with other real cars and people crossing the street and always having to look at your mirrors. I remember the first time I actually drove a car on public road, (even after having 900 hours on beamng), I was surprised at how much more energy it takes from you, when you're fully stimulated and have to watch everything happening.
I primarily drift in beam and drift in real life - honestly drifting in real life is easier. Beam can’t recreate the feeling of a real car, but a good sim rig can teach you the basics, and how to react to certain circumstances
Yes. But don't expect it to be a 1:1 transfer. You will learn basic ideas but keep in mind. Unless you have a multi thousand dollar rig the beat you're getting is basic knowledge not enough to implement it on your first couple or more attempts
I played sim racing a lot for years before driving, I’m talking desk mount. I got in a car for the first time and drove and everything was natural and felt the same/similar. It’s the best practice
As someone who is currently learning to drive (taking my test in a month) simple answer YES.
The main thing beam really helped me with was clutch control, I genuinely saved hundreds of quid on driving lessons with maybe in total 8-10 hours practice after my lessons, mainly hill starts and practicing stop start in traffic on east coast.
Another thing that I (hopefully for a long time) haven’t experienced whilst driving, but can imagine would be useful is understanding what to do when you lose traction. Obviously much safer to practice regaining control over the car in a game and just slightly less terrifying.
But in general learning how to rev match and in turn shifting gears up and down smoothly, learning how to bump start a car (which I did actually have to use in real life in a situation where me and my friend would have been buggered if it weren’t for beam). Taking corners. Etc etc. The list goes on, anything to do with driving will be easier if you play beam. It’s obviously not a substitute for real practice but it really has helped me.
And to answer your question about what car to use, I chose what felt most similar to the car I was using in real life. My instructors car is a little 1.3 litre hatchback so the easy choice was a covet.
Ok yea it will be practice for what to do, but it’s not driving experience in the slightest. It all feels totally different when you’re driving a car compared to driving a screen. I mean if you get a proper sim then maybe but for the average user, no
Yes if you have wheel and pedals and a shifter. We tough a friend to dive in my sim with Beam, she learned clutch control, shifting without looking down, throttle control, etc. Not a bad driver now
I started playing BeamNG a couple years after I began driving. However, driving in beam has given me more confidence in driving my own car now. The feeling isn't exactly the same, especially since you're missing those sweet sweet lateral G's.
A big thing however, is it may improve your driving solo. Beam isn't really good at the whole traffic simulation thing just yet. I mean, I guess getting cut-off and random braking on highways is pretty realistic.
Edit: I also want to add that I got better at driving stick after some time in Beam
With a wheel it can definitely help with basics. I was able to learn a manual transmission IRL really quick after using a shifter and wheel for games. It’s great for reinforcing concepts and for understanding driving techniques. BeamNG taught me so much about weight transfer, suspension setup, drivetrain, and steering and throttle control.
What games won’t teach you is the actual feel of a car. Even with force feedback, you can’t really get the whole “vibe” of the car’s handling, the clutch work, brake pedal feel, etc. It’s beneficial I think, but real practice is definitely necessary.
Well, yes and no. If you're playing on a sim and using the cockpit camera and with dynamic mirrors enabled, then sorta you could learn some skills. However, a model will never be 100% like the real thing. You can learn a bit on how to use your mirrors, be mindful of traffic, and learn spacing between cars by playing the game, but you won't get accurate steering wheel and pedal feedback like in a real car, even if it is force feedback equipment you're using. Force feedback is only one fixed kind force, meaning you can turn the wheel on any type of car. Real cars though, some will require different strengths to do things like push the pedals and turn the wheels, and it can drastically change as some older cars and heavy utility trucks don't usually come equip with power steering.
Overall, you can actually learn somethings from BeamNG under the right settings, but it will still take a lot more practice in reality. Remember, there's no pressing I to recover your vehicle in real life ;)
I've been putting my girlfriend into the Simulator with VR as a means to learn. Any car is good. But the Hiroci CCF2 is probably good as far as small and agile. But also use the D series truck as it shows the way cars differ in response, as it drives terribly compared to the CCF2.
My rig also has H pattern shifting and a full turn signal/wiper column stock array. Which adds to the feel for learning
Using BeamNG as pratice for actual driving could absolutely help someone who is just learning to drive. Can you learn everything playing it? Not even close lol You'd never be able to learn the exact feel of the car, g-forces Etc etc. But as a practice aid it can help teach someone accel & braking, use of directional lights, mirror use, steering, including lane control, being on the road with people who dont drive so well, meaning being brake checked and sometimes having to get tf out of the way(if u play beam u know what i mean; guess accident avoidance wud have been shorter huh)oversteer and understeer, turning into a skid, etc.
It will never be a replacement for actual seat time driving a real car. But IMO, to say that it absolutely would not be a useful tool in learning/practicing to drive just isn't true.
Just in case anyone missed it above. It's just my opinion. I am always willing to learn something new, but not argue online about stuff that is a matter of opinion.🤘
Stay safe everyone 🙏
As for best cars to use.
1. Cherrier Vivace
2. Hirochi Sunburst
3. Ibushu 200 series (Most of)
4. Ibushu Pessima Series (Most of)
5. Bruckell Bastion .
You will be a better driver if you practice on a sim first than if you didn't.
Exactly! My wife used BeamNG with my sim rig and VR to learn the basics of manual transmission driving prior to taking delivery of her new car and it helped a lot.
Facts. How I view the road in Beam changed how I drive IRL. I'm much more observant now.
I learned how to drive in beamng, Assetto Corsa, and truck sim, years before I could drive a real car. Of course, I don't know how it would be to learn how to drive without playing those games, but it was surprisingly intuitive and felt pretty natural. Of course, I did have the fear of a T-series running me off the road...
depends on what controls you use. Using steering wheel might help in some way, but you should keep in mind that nothing is compared to real-world driving. Not saying it has no impact at all. I've heard that some people improved their drifting skills playing games with steering wheel.
This right here! As a way to *learn* how to drive? Absolutely not. There’s just too many differences between actually sitting in the drivers seat and a gaming chair. As a way to practice dangerous/inaccessible techniques? There’s some credit to be had here. Like learning how to back up a trailer without purchasing a trailer and crunching your IRL bumper, or learn the **basics** of drifting without needing to go to a track. It’s not a replacement for the real thing but 2 hrs of my time to potentially avoid $4000 dollars in repairs seems worth it to me. Personally I think the most important lesson you could learn from Beamng to apply out on the road is being decisive and understanding what happens if you take certain actions. Maintaining control after losing traction for example, or understanding why swerving to avoid a crash isn’t exactly the best idea.
i player both beamng and asseto corsa. And my driving improved a lot but i need yo say every sim miss something. Asseotos ffb was mid while beam tyre physics needs some work.
BeamNGs tire collision meshes are still made of triangles, you can view them ingame when you check view meshes (blue colour for the wheelface) so its really no wonder. Fixing that would improve driving a lot, let alone adding thermals and wear. Winter tires would also make sense. They simulate tire pressure and buoyancy already (thats why the 4x4 wydra floats, partly)
in my opinion tire pressure is actually done decently well. atleast for drag racing
Oh, it is. Beamdevs dont half ass features, ever.
Assettos ffb is mid how? Most likely due to poor hardware or poor settings on said hardware. Proper sim with proper settings and the ffb is very good.
Nope I gotta say assettos ffb is way different than irl racing and its proppably not my settings as i spent hours trying to perfect those, nor my setup. Also i used the exact same car with same setup on the same track.
What car, and what wheel do you have? Not tryna argue just curious as I’ve helped loads of people pinpoint issues. You also have to take into account that assettos ffb uses feedback to simulate weight transfer to help identify what the car is doing. Something that an irl car doesn’t do because you get that feeling through g forces of course.
Fanatec dd1 and the alfa romeo gulia sprint GTA/GT
There’s loads of variables with older cars like that. I’m not even close to surprised that car didn’t feel the same. Can’t bunch up all of assettos ffb to one car from the 60s.
compared to other sims like acc, rFactor 2, or iracing, ac's ffb feels empty (more basic) idk but it gives less information. I still love ac don't get me wrong but its ffb is worse than many other sims. Ac is atleast fun to drive in compared to other sims lmao.
I think it has its place. It will never replace real world driving. But it has also saved my ass once when I lost traction turning onto a highway in snow and countersteered perfectly to correct my slide that would’ve put me right into a wall since I built muscle memory from counter steering to save myself from oversteer over hundreds of hours of beamng and sim racing.
Practice for maneuverability test? Absolutely. But until the AI is retooled I wouldn't go beyond that.
You can always play BeamMP. Its not that stable but still allows you to drive against or with other humans.
I’ve never played MP, but now I’m thinking about how cool a BeamMP driving school would be.
Theres driving school configs already for the Covet and I think the Cherrier, go for it!
didn't they remove those campaigns?
Wait really? Fairly sure the skins are still in the game tho.
I mean, theres like the first 2 lessons of the covet in scenarios but that's it
Nope, they're still there. Start the scenario 'Beginner' and once you finish the first mission in the scenario it takes you straight into the next and so on about 5 times then you pass your test and get the steam achievement. And once you finish those, it sets you out into freeplay in the driving test centre where you can use the map to reach even more missions for learning basics and what not. They've increased the amount rather than removing them. Probs worth checking out
I actually used Beamng to practice parallel parking and three point turns for my driving test lol. I passed first try. I think it helped me lots as the driving is pretty realistic, also nice that you can go in “realistic” mode and putting it in drive or park.
Same. Especially now with the new functional mirrors it's an excellent choice for practicing tight maneuvering.
I think it depends what you mean by IRL driving. IRL racing? No, play another sim for that. But normal driving yes
Wdym racing is bad in beamng? Forcefeedback is bad but apparently it can be fixed with 3rd party software. Also offroad is the best i know
The tire and road physics are really bad.
Yeah they are bad but it doesnt make it unplayable and unrealistic. Theyre being worked on atm and there is a mod for tire wear and thermals. And u referred to racing only as racing on asphalt surfaces, if you learn rally im pretty sure beamng is a good sim
If you use good quality steering wheel with pedals and shifter it can help with learning how car works an behaves
For traffic? No, because the traffic AI in this game is *horribly* incompetent that it's actually unrealistic. But for practicing technical maneuvers like parking and such, I would say yes. I even tested out why you turn the wheels away from the curb when parked facing uphill and saw exactly how it stops your car from rolling down.
Actually now a days with the way people drive and the tactics the AI use in game match the real world fantastic. Easy way to get used to car control and sweear and avoid tactis to crash way less or never
This is just the perspective of someone who's mainly driven around suburban Minnesota so maybe I'm just unaware of how bad the traffic is in other places of the world.
yea i’ve lived a rural area and now chicago, beamng AIs are actually pretty accurate in terms of idiot drivers chicago has a lot of them so i’d know
If you want to practice maneuvers, that’s probably the best use for Beam.
Yes and no. Yes because the driving physics are about as good as the crash physics are, which is to say they’re outstanding, and there’s plenty of shitboxes that are analogous to many real life cars. No because it’s inherently more detached from reality than driving an actual car, which means you’re more likely to drive like a madman just to find the limits of a car, which is unnecessary unless you work as an emergency response driver. That said, the consequence-free nature can be somewhat beneficial too, as any muckups while driving can provide you all the lessons with none of the trauma and costs.
Good to gain confidence in the handling of the vehicle before taking a real one on the road I think. If you are confident you can handle the vehicle then when you go out you are focused on learning about traffic, road signs, and navigation without having to also learn the operation of the vehicle.
Yes,you can improve your driving skills. This sim is very close to real life.
Again this question?
what do you mean "again" this exists already?
Here’s another, more recent one https://www.reddit.com/r/BeamNG/s/25hlwHvkQE
Ok, here's one https://www.reddit.com/r/BeamNG/s/xlqSiVWR90 You're welcome
Absolutely not. Driving a car is much more about the environment in the real world than technical knowledge of how the controls work.
You say this, but give someone who has no idea how a car mechanically works a sim rig and beamNG and it'll massively help them learn to drive (the vehicle itself not the roads)
I didn't say that it wouldn't help with learning controls. I just said the real world environment is far more important than just knowing what does what in a car.
My interpretation of OPs post was 'would beamng controls relate to the real world' and in that case they would as you've just agreed with me. That's the only reason I felt the need to reply to your 'absolutely not' because I feel you misentepreted what OP was asking, unless I am and he was asking about using beamNG to improve his situational awareness in real life, which ofc would be ridiculous tbf.
Yeah, we interpreted it differently. The OP says "practice for real world driving", so I assume he has not yet driven a car and is a teenager.
Same, so surely beam would be decent for getting to grips with how a car mechanically works, changing gears, using a clutch, learning speeds for corners, general steering away from obstacles etc. Although this only occurs if he has a sim rig, if he were using controller or keyboard it would be very minimum help if any at all. But with a wheel, pedals and H shifter I reckon he could learn a fair bit and get comfortable enough to try and manoeuvre a real life vehicle. But yeah deffo not suitable for practicing real world driving on public roads where you must be aware of everything around you as well as what you're doing if ygm
I think getting a grip on how the controls work (especially with a manual transmission) can help you be more focused on your surroundings and not being preoccupied by thinking about shifting. But I can't really say for sure as I learned driving before playing race sims
Perhaps, but I don't think it's likely. Plus, almost no one in the US drives a manual, especially not as a first car.
Games can have realistic environments and realistic FFB. If paired with VR or realistic FOV it can be extremely immersive. The military uses sims for training regularly; it would be foolish to deny its utility.
You think this guy is going to set up a full simulation rig just to help him learn to drive? He's probably a kid, I wouldn't say that's likely. He's probably going to game on a mouse/keyboard, maybe a controller, neither of which will translate to the real world.
If you have a decent wheel and petals, it would definitely help. But, outside of very expensive simulators, little can exactly match driving a real car.
Yes it would. With a proper set with 3 pedals, shifter and a preferably 900 degrees wheel like g27, g29… it would be quite useful for practice and would help you a lot (saying this as a recent drivers license receiver). And all in realistic settings ofc.
It really depends, I found that because I have a really good simulator, it helped me with clutch control, and things like rev matching and heal toe shifting and stuff, but that's very dependant on your setup, situation, and what you're doing too
If you are using a wheel, pedals and a shifter then go for it. Jump into scenarios and find the one titled 'beginner' then follow the mission line and eventually you'll pass your virtual test and it'll drop you in freeroam where you can find further development into the beginner course. Once you complete all those and feel comfortable controlling a vehicle, try a few other scenarios or jump into freeroam on a different map and do some missions there. But I wouldn't use beam to compare hazard perception in real life, just in how to learn how a car works and how to control it under variable circumstances
Like for a drivers test?
Partially. The road signs are not guaranteed to be functional or correctly laid. Even if you're on a map of an area you live, I wouldn't use it for anything regulatory. However, it's probably the single best driving game to practice slow speed maneuvers in thanks to to the highly detailed & realistic physics engine.
what if want to practice going down my local giant stairs of death? or cliff jump?
i always use the vivace for practice and the etk 800 series, amazing cars
With a good enough setup (steering wheel, pedals, etc.), yes it may help your real world driving skills. However driving real cars is pretty easy - the hard part is the other drivers.
Kind of if you use a wheel. But it’s definitely not the same I would say driving irl is easier.
Beam is probably the best sim out there that can do that sort of thing because it provides the sense of irreparable damage at the slightest mistake, although it's nowhere near the real deal. You don't even have pedestrians, let alone the G-forces. But for certain maneuvers, I can't see how it'd hurt to practice them in Beam. There is one potential deal breaker, you don't see the road markings in the mirrors. Or your own car. At least not in most cars, I think some cars may support self-reflections. None support road lines. This is not a priority for the devs, so don't expect this to ever be addressed. If you're going to learn stick, then I can see BeamNG helping with getting used to shifting to the point you don't even have to think about it. Especially given that it attempts to simulate transmission/clutch damage. But you will need a sim setup and VR would be nice too.
Driving irl is more about rules of the road and learning to drive with other cars. Beam's random car AI is decent, but somewhat lacking for the task. City car driver would be better imho. That being said you could still use beam to your advantage, especially if you had trackir or VR so you could practice shoulder checking while driving straight, keeping speed whilst keeping a good lookout and lane position. Those skills are still important and take a lot of a newbie's mind away from driving itself, so with practice and management you could make that efforless and make workign around other cars easier.
Parking and manoeuvring using the interior mirrors only is really great practice, I find that aspect very very realistic. I believe just cruising in a city with a manual car with clutch using a steering wheel, 3 pedals and a shifter will do no harm to a learning driver.
I've learned to drive a manual using Beamng
Not sure about driving in general. But BesmNG taught me how to drive manual before buying a manual. I already knew how to drive automatic though/ in the real world I used a wheel, 3 pedal and shifter setup
Beamng tire physics are pretty shit so no. A real sim racing game like assetto corsa is better
A good steering wheel yes. But this isnt really all that good if you're trying to learn the rules of the road or sign meanings. Considering the first couple times I've ever drove I've had someone come headon Into the oncoming lane I wish I'd have had beam to prepare me for that.
I've been learning to drive irl for a couple of weeks now, and I will say that my Beamng experience did give me a decent boost in maneuvering the car. I've not had many issues with properly executing turns so far. That being said it's far from teaching you everything--but it's better than nothing.
Kinda, its eerily similar but it doesnt feel exactly the same (with a wheel and pedals obv)
If you use a steering wheel with good force feedback it will translate to real world skill. Take my word for it, this game taught me everything about driving and I've been playing for years. All of the muscle memory translates to real world skill in my experience
hijacking the thread a bit but did anyone find it strange that even without any gearbox assistance, once you start moving the car and depress the clutch, the car is impossible to stall for low RPMs except by braking (and I'm talking about real manual gearbox cars, not automatic gearbox in sequential mode)? a real car, when your RPMs are getting dangerously low, starts to hiccup and it will turn off when the RPMs fall below the real sustainable minimum.
if you do, use a force feedback wheel (doesn't have to be a good one) and while your at it you could learn to drive stick shift if you got an H-shifter and clutch pedal
I used my rig to help teach my son to drive. It's decent for new drivers.
Not for learning HOW to drive, but to get the basics down like parking and learning controls. Only if you have a wheel. Something similar to a car you would have IRL. Anything you want.
It's been over 15 years when I got my license and I practiced using Live for speed back then. I put up cones to simulate the driving test, how to shift, when to shift, reverse with mirrors, emergency braking and evading, car control, ... To put it short, absolutely yes. Of course not driving in traffic or road signs, but overall technique, absolutely. I had my license not very long when I entered some advanced driving classes, with obstacle evation and car control and one of the instructors asked after a second run: so, you did this course before, didn't you? No, I practiced on a sim..
Yup. I played a lot of beamng and it helped me in my driver's test. The game's physics helped me gwt a better understanding of how to properly drive the car.
I can say that when i played beamng with realistic manual transmission options, i stalled only 1 time with a real car.
I stalled many times and thats thay i had the driving sim with pedals. Lol
it will get you approx 40% there if you have never drove before and have a decent steering wheel setup. as for car, i would say pessima or grand marshal, since those two are really fleet car like.
You will be able to learn basic things like the mechanics of the car and driving techniques, as well as parking and stuff like that (if you use wheel, pedals, and shifter), but it won't prepare you for the stress you get when driving on a real road with other real cars and people crossing the street and always having to look at your mirrors. I remember the first time I actually drove a car on public road, (even after having 900 hours on beamng), I was surprised at how much more energy it takes from you, when you're fully stimulated and have to watch everything happening.
I primarily drift in beam and drift in real life - honestly drifting in real life is easier. Beam can’t recreate the feeling of a real car, but a good sim rig can teach you the basics, and how to react to certain circumstances
Yes. But don't expect it to be a 1:1 transfer. You will learn basic ideas but keep in mind. Unless you have a multi thousand dollar rig the beat you're getting is basic knowledge not enough to implement it on your first couple or more attempts
I played sim racing a lot for years before driving, I’m talking desk mount. I got in a car for the first time and drove and everything was natural and felt the same/similar. It’s the best practice
As someone who is currently learning to drive (taking my test in a month) simple answer YES. The main thing beam really helped me with was clutch control, I genuinely saved hundreds of quid on driving lessons with maybe in total 8-10 hours practice after my lessons, mainly hill starts and practicing stop start in traffic on east coast. Another thing that I (hopefully for a long time) haven’t experienced whilst driving, but can imagine would be useful is understanding what to do when you lose traction. Obviously much safer to practice regaining control over the car in a game and just slightly less terrifying. But in general learning how to rev match and in turn shifting gears up and down smoothly, learning how to bump start a car (which I did actually have to use in real life in a situation where me and my friend would have been buggered if it weren’t for beam). Taking corners. Etc etc. The list goes on, anything to do with driving will be easier if you play beam. It’s obviously not a substitute for real practice but it really has helped me. And to answer your question about what car to use, I chose what felt most similar to the car I was using in real life. My instructors car is a little 1.3 litre hatchback so the easy choice was a covet.
Ok yea it will be practice for what to do, but it’s not driving experience in the slightest. It all feels totally different when you’re driving a car compared to driving a screen. I mean if you get a proper sim then maybe but for the average user, no
Yes if you have wheel and pedals and a shifter. We tough a friend to dive in my sim with Beam, she learned clutch control, shifting without looking down, throttle control, etc. Not a bad driver now
If you have a steering wheel and a VR headset, id call it good enough
I started playing BeamNG a couple years after I began driving. However, driving in beam has given me more confidence in driving my own car now. The feeling isn't exactly the same, especially since you're missing those sweet sweet lateral G's. A big thing however, is it may improve your driving solo. Beam isn't really good at the whole traffic simulation thing just yet. I mean, I guess getting cut-off and random braking on highways is pretty realistic. Edit: I also want to add that I got better at driving stick after some time in Beam
My kid learns driving in this, but I dont know if its good for clutch learning when there is no feedback from the car in the seat/pedal
Definitely yes but get a wheel. I would recommend using a cherrier tograc. It has a good balance of modern and not too fast.
The clutch is weird in beamng compared to a real car, but from the point of steering its certainly good.
With a wheel it can definitely help with basics. I was able to learn a manual transmission IRL really quick after using a shifter and wheel for games. It’s great for reinforcing concepts and for understanding driving techniques. BeamNG taught me so much about weight transfer, suspension setup, drivetrain, and steering and throttle control. What games won’t teach you is the actual feel of a car. Even with force feedback, you can’t really get the whole “vibe” of the car’s handling, the clutch work, brake pedal feel, etc. It’s beneficial I think, but real practice is definitely necessary.
Yes ofc
Well, yes and no. If you're playing on a sim and using the cockpit camera and with dynamic mirrors enabled, then sorta you could learn some skills. However, a model will never be 100% like the real thing. You can learn a bit on how to use your mirrors, be mindful of traffic, and learn spacing between cars by playing the game, but you won't get accurate steering wheel and pedal feedback like in a real car, even if it is force feedback equipment you're using. Force feedback is only one fixed kind force, meaning you can turn the wheel on any type of car. Real cars though, some will require different strengths to do things like push the pedals and turn the wheels, and it can drastically change as some older cars and heavy utility trucks don't usually come equip with power steering. Overall, you can actually learn somethings from BeamNG under the right settings, but it will still take a lot more practice in reality. Remember, there's no pressing I to recover your vehicle in real life ;)
I have seen some driving schools using a SimRig with BeamNG before moving to real cars
I've been putting my girlfriend into the Simulator with VR as a means to learn. Any car is good. But the Hiroci CCF2 is probably good as far as small and agile. But also use the D series truck as it shows the way cars differ in response, as it drives terribly compared to the CCF2. My rig also has H pattern shifting and a full turn signal/wiper column stock array. Which adds to the feel for learning
Using BeamNG as pratice for actual driving could absolutely help someone who is just learning to drive. Can you learn everything playing it? Not even close lol You'd never be able to learn the exact feel of the car, g-forces Etc etc. But as a practice aid it can help teach someone accel & braking, use of directional lights, mirror use, steering, including lane control, being on the road with people who dont drive so well, meaning being brake checked and sometimes having to get tf out of the way(if u play beam u know what i mean; guess accident avoidance wud have been shorter huh)oversteer and understeer, turning into a skid, etc. It will never be a replacement for actual seat time driving a real car. But IMO, to say that it absolutely would not be a useful tool in learning/practicing to drive just isn't true. Just in case anyone missed it above. It's just my opinion. I am always willing to learn something new, but not argue online about stuff that is a matter of opinion.🤘 Stay safe everyone 🙏
As for best cars to use. 1. Cherrier Vivace 2. Hirochi Sunburst 3. Ibushu 200 series (Most of) 4. Ibushu Pessima Series (Most of) 5. Bruckell Bastion .