Racing Simulator Thread

[Jake]

I naturally assume anyone with raceka(s) is either a dentist or a computer hax0r.

If you want to call "managing web projects" haxx0ring, then yep, that's me. But I don't code, I just sit in meetings and figure out what we need to code, and when, and what's wrong with the stuff that got coded last week.

[SlimKlim]

I'm a sooper haxxor. I write HTML, like, all day. :lol:

In all seriousness I wish I had the mind to write real code, or had put more effort into it in high school/college.

Programming seems like one of the few lucrative fields left in this country where you're still "producing" something. You're building a tool that does a thing as a programmer, it's just code on a screen instead of something physical. That's pretty unique in such a service based economy, and I think if you have the mind to do well at it and keep up with evolving technology, you'll probably never have problems finding a job.

[RawrImAMonster]

I heard about that... I'm going to have to do some more research. Haven't bought my card yet, thankfully. I'm still going to stick with NVIDIA for a card but I might try to find a OC'd 960 or something. EVGA makes a great version.

I'm running a similar setup thats a year or two old now. Using a i5 4670k with a GTX 770 and 8 GB of ram. The hyper threading in the i7 vs the i5 doesn't really make much of a difference for gaming if that's mostly what you're using it for. Also, you can overclock the 4670k pretty significantly with just an upgraded heat sink/fan. Mine runs cod 4 on ultra at 1080p with no problems. So anything better than that will be more than enough for gaming.

Edit: BATTLEFIELD 4 not COD :lol:

[Evan]

I found a good pic that demonstrates what running a single 25-27" is like if you run the correct FOV and don't have it less than a foot from your face. You cannot even look through to an exit of a tight corner, let alone have any idea of what's beside you.



Now if you're thinking of single screen, but like a 42" 4K TV or something 18" away from you, that might be cool. Just make sure you check the input and display lag, which is often not so hot on TVs and you'll be many frames behind reality.

whats wrong with increasing the FOV? does it make it too fisheye to feel realistic?

assetto corsa does this thing where it moves the 'camera' with the steerign wheel just a little bit, like its your head. so when you turn into apex, it rotates the view down to the apex. its not perfect (especially in S corners) but it helps

[.RJ]

I naturally assume anyone with raceka(s) is either a dentist or a computer hax0r.

If you want to call "managing web projects" haxx0ring, then yep, that's me. But I don't code, I just sit in meetings and figure out what we need to code, and when, and what's wrong with the stuff that got coded last week.

Dont for get emails. Lots and lots of emails, probably. And then more emails.

[RawrImAMonster]

I'm a sooper haxxor. I write HTML, like, all day. :lol:

In all seriousness I wish I had the mind to write real code, or had put more effort into it in high school/college.

Programming seems like one of the few lucrative fields left in this country where you're still "producing" something. You're building a tool that does a thing as a programmer, it's just code on a screen instead of something physical. That's pretty unique in such a service based economy, and I think if you have the mind to do well at it and keep up with evolving technology, you'll probably never have problems finding a job.

Might be worth it to do some tutorials. It's not that hard to pick up the basics and its much more fun to work with than HTML/CSS/JS. I feel like you're constantly fighting html/css/js to get it to do what you want. With an actual programming language it tends to do more or less what you expect and has a ton of flexibility.

[SlimKlim]

Might be worth it to do some tutorials. It's not that hard to pick up the basics and its much more fun to work with than HTML/CSS/JS. I feel like you're constantly fighting html/css/js to get it to do what you want. With an actual programming language it tends to do more or less what you expect and has a ton of flexibility.

Maybe it's a cop out but I honestly feel like I have a learning disability when it comes to Object-Oriented Languages. I busted my ass in the Javascript class I took and it took all my effort just to get an assignment in and get a passing grade on it, I retained practically nothing. I spent some time working with SQL databases and some other stuff at AOL, and the best I could manage was maybe, just maybe, identify a problem, but not how to fix it.

Right now I'm a "content producer" so I essentially take plain pre-written content and format/edit it to go live. It's plug and chug CMS, HTML and Photoshop work but I like it well enough.

[RawrImAMonster]

Might be worth it to do some tutorials. It's not that hard to pick up the basics and its much more fun to work with than HTML/CSS/JS. I feel like you're constantly fighting html/css/js to get it to do what you want. With an actual programming language it tends to do more or less what you expect and has a ton of flexibility.

Maybe it's a cop out but I honestly feel like I have a learning disability when it comes to Object-Oriented Languages. I busted my ass in the Javascript class I took and it took all my effort just to get an assignment in and get a passing grade on it, I retained practically nothing. I spent some time working with SQL databases and some other stuff at AOL, and the best I could manage was maybe, just maybe, identify a problem, but not how to fix it.

Right now I'm a "content producer" so I essentially take plain pre-written content and format/edit it to go live. It's plug and chug CMS, HTML and Photoshop work but I like it well enough.

Javascript isn't really what I would consider a "real" programming language. I guess it can technically be used that way, but it's awful. VB.net is easy to learn, very powerful, and you can download visual studio for free from Microsoft.

SQL also isn't a programming language, it's just what you use to get information from relational databases.

[Tyler.M]

Im decent at HTML and CSS now JS is the next step. taking a class now and working towards a "real" language like ruby or python and do some app development and wnd web development to make some money on the side. Eventually, I want to do the fancy stuff you guys do with a job that requires me to know more about computers than how to turn it on. You guys really do have dream jobs from my perspective. I should've done something technical in college. Right now I'm just bootstrapping it.

[RawrImAMonster]

I'm a software engineer and most of my job consists of browsing reddit on my phone all day. It sounds nice but it gets old pretty quickly.

When I'm actually making something, work goes by pretty quick, but busy days don't happen too often.

[Tyler.M]

You can do a lot with that skill though. A lot more than an English degree. Hindsight is 20/20 and I fortunately found a great job after school but I'm not under any impression that my lack of a marketable hard skill will make me desirable to an employer when its time to move on.

I honestly want to be in business for myself and be as mobile as possible in the long term but I have a lot of catching up and networking to do before thats possible. For me, that means developing my skills through education now and paying off student loans with a guarenteed paycheck and doing some resume building free lance work so I can prove I know what the eff I'm doing even though I don't have the degree. It also means silly certifications through community colleges and maybe, just maybe, some time in the military as a reservist to tack on some additional lines of resume shit.

[HAULN-SS]

Certs are for IT guys..don't worry about that as much if you want to be a real programmer..just keep doing it. I was writing C++ and VB code at about 14...have a degree in CS but not a single cert

[RawrImAMonster]

Certs are for IT guys..don't worry about that as much if you want to be a real programmer..just keep doing it. I was writing C++ and VB code at about 14...have a degree in CS but not a single cert

Truth. No one cares about certs if you're a programmer. Experience is the only thing that matters. Even degrees don't really mean much. Most jobs will take experience in lieu of education.

[Tyler.M]

Is my thinking right on doing freelance work to build up some experience?

[BLINGMW]

Thats awesome. I'm still trying to figure out how the monitors fit into my budget. Three monitors is the best option but either that or a 4k means I'd have to reduce the quality of my components.... Three monitors might be an eventual thing.

I didn't look up the prices for what you listed, but it seems you're going all out on the box. I know you said you're using it for other things, but it's waaaaay more than iRacing would need FWIW. You could save a few hundred bucks there and have 2 or 3 monitors instead, they're cheap. Wouldn't hurt to try one of those TVs though and see what you think. And yes, i5 would be better than i7 (that being said, I happen to have an i7, but it's like a first gen one. And a video card that's just as old). I have about $300 in my box and 3 times that on my projector setup. :oops:

whats wrong with increasing the FOV? does it make it too fisheye to feel realistic?

I did when I was on single screen, and you can get away with it a little without it feeling too wrong. But go too far and... not sure how to explain it, distorted, slow visual response to rotation? Then set the FOV right and suddenly you're a second faster because it's actually how it looks IRL. :dunno:
As far as rotating view to apex, head tilt, other cues to movement, iRacing has that too, and there's a plugin for even more options. I tried some of that and found it more disorienting, but I could see how some would like it. For me, I think that with the lack of actual motion, the only thing my brain can count on for detecting rotation is that the scene is moving in some predictible way vs the display frame and in-car components. When I let the virtual eye move around, and the cockpit moves relative to the screen too, I have a harder time sliding the car. People adapt differently to the environment I guess. Some pro racers love sims, some totally suck at them. Probably the best people are kids who've never driven a real car.

[Evan]

Programming seems like one of the few lucrative fields left in this country where you're still "producing" something. You're building a tool that does a thing as a programmer, it's just code on a screen instead of something physical.

funny you mention that, Ive been programming since I was 12 and lately Ive grown a little tired of making lights blink on a screen. real world stuff seems more...real to me so ive yearning more to build something real and physical. So I bought a an arduino,a raspberry pi and a bucket full of chips, resistors, relays and sensors and ive got some plans for some neat projects.
grass is always greener i guess

[Evan]

for anyone who wants to become a programmer, I highly recommend looking into data science / data analytics. demand (and salaries) are through the roof, but most importantly its a lot of fun when you start seeing real results out of real data (ever read fivethirtyeight?)
the amount of free online university level education on data science is staggering. there is so much demand that companies are funding top quality free online education programs for data science. Ive been a programmer and CBT/online education junkie a loooong time and Ive never seen such high quality comprehensive free education on any topic.

it isnt easy though, will take a lot of time (and stats, and math) and studying but if you end up enjoying it, you could real build a great career

[BLINGMW]

So I bought a an arduino,a raspberry pi and a bucket full of chips, resistors, relays and sensors...

I did too! Turns out I didn't do much with it. If I didn't have a job...
You know what Evan, make me this please
[youtube]QNlG-Zp_zwM[/youtube]

[Tyler.M]

Im considering that actually. After I'm done with my current course I might try to find a good class for data stuff

[Tyler.M]

So I bought a an arduino,a raspberry pi and a bucket full of chips, resistors, relays and sensors...

I did too! Turns out I didn't do much with it. If I didn't have a job...
You know what Evan, make me this please
[youtube]QNlG-Zp_zwM[/youtube]

im so confused on how this works.