Other games?...

[Matei]

Actually, physics simulations existed much earlier than that:

https://fshistory.simflight.com/fsh/index.htm

The knowledge is even older:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton's_laws_of_motion

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooke%27s_Law

But that was exactly my idea, that Stunts is more realistic than most driving games that came after it, which gives it a historical significance.

[Chulk]

I think it's because people who play driving games don't want realistic physics.

You shouldn't speak as if you knew every answer to every question only because you posted about it in your blog. I don't think there is one thing in this world you can name and 100% of people would agree, and that is even more true when talking about leisure activities and what people find fun. Heck, you can't even get 100% asking people "do you want to live?".
Also, you keep saying "this or that is better". Better is completely subjective and while many people may think X is better, other may say Y is better. And they are both entitled to their opinion.
We are here because we think Stunts is better than most (if not the best) racing game, whether you like or not.

So please, be a little more careful about the words you choose and how you phrase your opinions. Remember they are opinions and not universal truths.

[Duplode]

In any case, I don't think there's anything on the table here to justify a passionate argument. On the one hand, it's obvious that Stunts doesn't provide a comprehensive, realistic physics model; on the other hand, it does incorporate a number of aspects of car dynamics, perhaps more than would be expected for an arcade racing game of the era. There's no need to argue semantics, it's clear enough what everyone means.

[Overdrijf]

Actually, physics simulations existed much earlier than that:

https://fshistory.simflight.com/fsh/index.htm

Actually, would Deltar count? It was a purpose build analog computer, first put in use in 1960 but with prototyping going back as far as 1944, in which electrical current, voltage, resistance and capacity were used to model the equivalent principles in water. It ran simulations/calculations for building the Delta Works, the famous Dutch dike system in the province of Zeeland. I've always thought that was a cool bit of simulation, if distressingly lacking in a way to race in it. The graphics presumably sucked too.

Although I guess if I'm counting that I may have to count the computers the US army and navy pursued during WW2 for ballistics calculations as well. That might cross the border from simulation into just calculation though.

[Matei]

Deltar doesn't count, because the simulation method used there wouldn't work on a 286 CPU, to which we were referring, while the method used in the flight simulator would and actually did, because there were versions for IBM PC.

[Daniel3D]

Flight sims and racing sims are very different. I dare to say that a flight sim is easier.

But to give a bit of perspective in what made stunts I'll summarise some bits and pieces from elsewhere on the forum.
It started with another project by other people. They designed a driving simulator that they wanted to sell as instructional setup. It had a real cabin and controls and was very expensive.
It worked, but they couldn't sell it. Until they were asked to make a game of it. It went into the arcades as "hard driving".
It was a hit. Well worth the heavy investments. But it was bound to the arcades.
When home computers evolved and became "strong enough" to run something similar several companies tried to make one for home computers.
Stunt driver is one, it's ok. Didn't last.
DSI started a game with the title "skid marks" and in an early promotion it has a track that is very similar to hard driving with even the barn in the right place.
Before the release they added more track elements and changed the name to STUNTS.
But the inspiration that was taken from hard driving is unmistakable.

Hard driving was ported to pc later. But in my opinion is STUNTS still the best racing game of that time.