Racing Simulator Thread

[Tyler.M]

Salutations, gents and femstigs.

My tax return is coming soon, and I'm strongly considering building a PC based racing sim rig. Force feedback wheel, three-monitors, mounted shifter and pedals. Maybe utilize my tablet for some fancy telemetrics apps that sync with the game. I'm going to do it piece by piece. I used to do some sim racing back before Forza was a thing, and looking at how Project CARS, iRacing and other racing sims seem to be pretty decent, I'm going to jump back into it. First thing first is the PC.

I've had my current Dell XPS M1530 since 2008. I don't want to admit what it cost me with the specs it has now, but I will say that my system would probably be outpaced by a $500 Lenovo. Guys, I'm still running Vista.

6.5 years is an insane amount of time to have any type of modern gadget and it has been my trusty battleaxe. Now that I'm no longer a student and don't have to carry a computer with me, I think its time to finally build a PC. I already have all of that sorted out, that's the easy part. The hard part is figuring out what wheel I want to use and what game I should focus the rig around. Project CARS keeps getting pushed back (Feb first, then March 17th, now April 2) and I'm dubious about anything that bills itself as "community focused". iRacing is just !$#king expensive, all around. 50$ a year, plus microtransactions? Then you have Raceroom. Also, Race:Injection. I'm sure there are others.

Disclaimer: I'm building a PC regardless. It's not just for the gaming rig. I'm an aspiring web developer (laugh, i dare ya :finger and I want something that I can upgrade with as little computer-manufacturer shitware as possible.

I also have a PS4 and I'm not opposed to building a console based sim, but my options on wheel choice are more limited (something about some security chip you have to have now?) and games are limited, too. Gran Turismo isn't coming out until like, a billion years from now, so I don't really care about that. Also, what if I wanted to go super bachelor-pad and have three monitors or get one of dem there oculus rifts? PS4 is cheaper but not as flexible.

Any thoughts? Doesn't seem to be a huge simracing community at MM yet, but some of these games are getting so good, you can learn a lot of the basics without, you know, threatening your life and the lives of those around you.

[CaptainHenreh]

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[BLINGMW]

There's a few questions embedded in there and I am qualified to answer 0 of them, but a few cents worth:

iRacing is the most expensive, true. That being said, compared to all the $ you’re about to spend on hardware, it’s minor. And compared to actually going to the track… it’s nothing. Ok to be fair it also pales in comparison to even go-kart racing or going to the track. :dunno:

There’s no console game that comes close to iRacing, so if you want a “rig”, then you can scrap the console idea.
I haven’t been watching CARS, Raceroom, others so I cannot offer any up-to-date comparisons. The last other sims I played were LFS and rFactor. iRacing shines not only in the track scans and models, but in the race scheduling and rules that actually make practice and qualifying kind of necessary, and crashing bad. And also like real life, the learning curve is steep.

There’s only a handful of good wheels out there to choose from, and if you are using one, chances are it will be supported by whatever sim(s) you chose to run. There’s still nothing out there that has me convinced to spend $300+ when there’s still no force feedback brake pedal. I’m still using my RGT and a G27 would probably be its replacement if it died.

3 screens is relatively cheap fun these days, go for it! I'll keep my eye out for iRacing "try a month for free" offers and the like and pass them your way.

[Evan]

Getting into sim racing was on my winter todo list, so Im kind of in the same boat. Ive tinkered with it here and there for years but never really put the hours into it to really make it rewarding. My soon to be finished basement mancave has a corner earmarked just for a sim cockpit. though I think channing wins with his 120" projector screen

Check out Assetto Corsa on steam, ive been playing around with it since it was beta and it just went 1.0. Its quite good, though the track list is mostly european tracks (The dev team office is at Vallelunga after all)
I do think that if youre serious, iRacing is the way to go long term.

G27 is still the best reasonably priced wheel to have when I last checked.

[Tyler.M]

http://mmsports.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=9482

Thanks for the thread. I dun goofed by not googling effectively. I'm surprised so many have gone/continue on iRacing since car selection is anemic and graphics are...old.

Getting into sim racing was on my winter todo list, so Im kind of in the same boat. Ive tinkered with it here and there for years but never really put the hours into it to really make it rewarding. My soon to be finished basement mancave has a corner earmarked just for a sim cockpit. though I think channing wins with his 120" projector screen

Check out Assetto Corsa on steam, ive been playing around with it since it was beta and it just went 1.0. Its quite good, though the track list is mostly european tracks (The dev team office is at Vallelunga after all)
I do think that if youre serious, iRacing is the way to go long term.

G27 is still the best reasonably priced wheel to have when I last checked.

I've always be a huge gamer, but I'm getting to the point of not wanting to do anything unless it offers me something demonstrable in the real world or augments a hobby. Sim racing might be able the help me with some of the basics....

G27 ftw. I'm surprised people love a logitech periph so much and also surprised that people still recommend it after all this time.

[Tyler.M]

There's a few questions embedded in there and I am qualified to answer 0 of them, but a few cents worth:

iRacing is the most expensive, true. That being said, compared to all the $ you’re about to spend on hardware, it’s minor. And compared to actually going to the track… it’s nothing. Ok to be fair it also pales in comparison to even go-kart racing or going to the track. :dunno:

There’s no console game that comes close to iRacing, so if you want a “rig”, then you can scrap the console idea.
I haven’t been watching CARS, Raceroom, others so I cannot offer any up-to-date comparisons. The last other sims I played were LFS and rFactor. iRacing shines not only in the track scans and models, but in the race scheduling and rules that actually make practice and qualifying kind of necessary, and crashing bad. And also like real life, the learning curve is steep.

There’s only a handful of good wheels out there to choose from, and if you are using one, chances are it will be supported by whatever sim(s) you chose to run. There’s still nothing out there that has me convinced to spend $300+ when there’s still no force feedback brake pedal. I’m still using my RGT and a G27 would probably be its replacement if it died.

3 screens is relatively cheap fun these days, go for it! I'll keep my eye out for iRacing "try a month for free" offers and the like and pass them your way.

All excellent points. I still need to build my pc, so I have a little time to figure it all out. Project CARS certainly looks interesting too, just as a good testing platform before I committ to somethinf as hardcore as iRacing.

[D_Eclipse9916]

I really want to build a rig. I saved the passenger seat from my old race car for the starting point. I get a new laptop from work next month that should be able to handle IRacing. That said, I just don't think I am going to have time to get it together till next winter.

IRacing may not be for people that just want to do it for fun. It is more geared towards serious simulation instead of newest graphics and multiple cars.

[Tyler.M]

I did some research last night and it looks like iRacing is popular not necessarily for the driving dynamics but for the online community. Some things I read noted that rFactor 2 and AC actually had better physics modeling and driving was a little more authentic. It looks like when I build this, I'll probably do several different games in preparation for iRacing. Maybe not iRacing right away

[BLINGMW]

I'm surprised so many have gone/continue on iRacing since car selection is anemic and graphics are...old.

As far as car selection goes, unless you're playing a WHOLE lot, are an alien, or just don't care to get very good with any one car, you're probably going to play 2 cars tops per season. There's only 4 cars I even like driving. They could make a bunch more cars by just re-skinning them, relocating the wheels, and recording an engine note, but that's not what they do.
If the graphics are dated, well, so be it. I don't know any better and my graphics card can't handle any more anyway. :dunno:

iRacing may not be for people that just want to do it for fun. It is more geared towards serious simulation instead of newest graphics and multiple cars.

Honestly half the time, it's not even fun! Trying to run clean qualifying laps is frustrating as is trying to manage tire temps on heavy cars. Then I spend a lot of time on the forums watching hotlaps and trying to figure out what other people are doing for setups.

[.RJ]

Stupid question: How does iRacing compare to Forza?

[BLINGMW]

Stupid question: How does iRacing compare to Forza?

Last Forza I played was 3, but there's no comparison. It's a game like the GT series is. Could (did) play drunk.

[Tyler.M]

I've played them all and the series peaked at 4. 5 is pretty disappointing. For me, it was great to learn really basic stuff but the Xbox has pretty limited wheel options, meaning everything is optimized for a controller.

Forza is really great for customizing, though. I usually just buy up cars I'd love to own, put them on wheels and suspension that I like and see how fast I can get them on the Oval Test track, with full engine mods.

[Tyler.M]

Stupid question: How does iRacing compare to Forza?

Last Forza I played was 3, but there's no comparison. It's a game like the GT series is. Could (did) play drunk.

Doesn't it have that GT academy thing where they pick the best racers to race real cars? I heard a few years ago that some of these guys were actually prevented from driving for being too fast.

[D_Eclipse9916]

I heard a few years ago that some of these guys were actually prevented from driving for being too fast.

Oy, because Jalopnik "titles"

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They aren't "too fast". They were just not allowed to compete in the amateur division. Some of these Pro-AM racing series regulate who is "pro" and who is "amateur". They were fast enough to qualify to be pros, not amateurs (Who are typically just gentlemen drivers who have money but aren't considered professional.

You win GT Academy and get "paid-for" rides by Nissan... . and you want to say you are an amateur and compete that way? Sounds like a bunch of whiners. Once you get paid to drive a race car, I would dare say you aren't considered an amateur anymore.

[Tyler.M]

They aren't "too fast". They were just not allowed to compete in the amateur division. Some of these Pro-AM racing series regulate who is "pro" and who is "amateur". They were fast enough to qualify to be pros, not amateurs (Who are typically just gentlemen drivers who have money but aren't considered professional.

You win GT Academy and get "paid-for" rides by Nissan... . and you want to say you are an amateur and compete that way? Sounds like a bunch of whiners. Once you get paid to drive a race car, I would dare say you aren't considered an amateur anymore.

Interesting. The point I was trying to make is that if these guys can become proficient racing in GT, there is a benefit in looking into some of the more mass market racing sims out there, besides iRacing. Im sure if you put an expert GT racer into an iRacing season it might not go well for him. If I also want to do some GT when it comes out eventually later this year, this complicates my wheel choice since the G27 isnt compatible with the PS4 out of the box. I know I said earlier it doesnt matter but it is a consideration.

[Evan]

I'm surprised so many have gone/continue on iRacing since car selection is anemic and graphics are...old.

this is why Gran Turismo is the worst thing to ever happen to *sim* racing.
The number of cars is largely irrelevant in a racing sim. The driving dynamics and physics are far and away the most important followed very closely by the tracks.
GT made everyone think that 48 versions of the toyota prius is what racing simulators should have.

a small collection of cars to represent the different types of racing and styles of cars is all you need. Anything more is just diverting development resources away from elements of the game that will actually make it better.

[G.Irish]

I've played them all and the series peaked at 4. 5 is pretty disappointing.

Agreed. I would say Forza provides a bit more of realistic driving experience than GT in that it actually penalizes you for hitting cars and barriers and the handling is about as good as GT. The other thing is that Forza does sound infinitely better than GT and customization is far more sophisticated too.

That said, Forza takes some license with things to make it easier for the typical gamer. If you turn off the driving assists it is properly challenging but even then the track layouts are stretched to convey a greater sense of speed. iRacing doesn't stretch the tracks or any sort of nonsense and it punishes you brutally for mistakes.

Oy, because Jalopnik "titles"

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://jalopnik.com/5982998/gt-academy-">http://jalopnik.com/5982998/gt-academy-</a><!-- m --> ... e-too-fast

They aren't "too fast". They were just not allowed to compete in the amateur division. Some of these Pro-AM racing series regulate who is "pro" and who is "amateur". They were fast enough to qualify to be pros, not amateurs (Who are typically just gentlemen drivers who have money but aren't considered professional.

You win GT Academy and get "paid-for" rides by Nissan... . and you want to say you are an amateur and compete that way? Sounds like a bunch of whiners. Once you get paid to drive a race car, I would dare say you aren't considered an amateur anymore.

Totally agreed. I don't know how big a deal Nissan or the GT Academy drivers made of it but once you're getting paid to race you're not an amateur anymore. I mean even a NBA rookie wouldn't be allowed to register as an amateur in a Pro-Am tournament.

[D_Eclipse9916]

They aren't "too fast". They were just not allowed to compete in the amateur division. Some of these Pro-AM racing series regulate who is "pro" and who is "amateur". They were fast enough to qualify to be pros, not amateurs (Who are typically just gentlemen drivers who have money but aren't considered professional.

You win GT Academy and get "paid-for" rides by Nissan... . and you want to say you are an amateur and compete that way? Sounds like a bunch of whiners. Once you get paid to drive a race car, I would dare say you aren't considered an amateur anymore.

Interesting. The point I was trying to make is that if these guys can become proficient racing in GT, there is a benefit in looking into some of the more mass market racing sims out there, besides iRacing. Im sure if you put an expert GT racer into an iRacing season it might not go well for him. If I also want to do some GT when it comes out eventually later this year, this complicates my wheel choice since the G27 isnt compatible with the PS4 out of the box. I know I said earlier it doesnt matter but it is a consideration.

Just FYI, some of these guys did autocross and track work coinciding with GT Academy. See: Bryan Heitkotter That said, simulations are not a bad way to get into the sport. When you take the .000001% of the population of sim drivers, seems likely that some of them might be very good in a car anyway. When 90% of pro motorsports is paying gentleman drivers, it is not exactly a leap to think the tippy tippy top of simulation drivers would be able to at least compete against those "pro gentleman" drivers.

[G.Irish]

I'm surprised so many have gone/continue on iRacing since car selection is anemic and graphics are...old.

this is why Gran Turismo is the worst thing to ever happen to *sim* racing.
The number of cars is largely irrelevant in a racing sim. The driving dynamics and physics are far and away the most important followed very closely by the tracks.
GT made everyone think that 48 versions of the toyota prius is what racing simulators should have.

a small collection of cars to represent the different types of racing and styles of cars is all you need. Anything more is just diverting development resources away from elements of the game that will actually make it better.

Gran Turismo can definitely be credited for being a landmark racing game that showed that a more hardcore game could sell millions of copies. It's just that the lead guy on the series got further and further off the rails with each release. It's clear he was obsessed with making a kitchen-sink racing RPG rather than the purest driving experience possible. That's why after all these years the sound still sucks, hitting stuff incurs little penalty, and there are hundreds of irrelevant cars.

I just wish that something like Ferrari Challenge could've been iterated on. One car, done extremely well, with a bunch of very detailed tracks. If they wanted to get fancy they could have included some of the Ferrari one-off track/race cars like the FXX, 599XX, F50 GT etc. But I would definitely buy that game with just one car.

[Tyler.M]

You know, I haven't played GT since the PS2 days. Forza was my thing for a long time and GT never interested me for a lot of the reasons you mention, G. I didn't know it stretched tracks, though! Thats a little disappointing. All this time....