How realistic is Sim Racing?

Skybird · 10-11-21, 04:50 PM

Good reasoning from a pro.

Threadfin · 10-14-21, 09:54 AM

I'll need to watch the video later. Is it Max giving the opinion?

I can't know what he goes on to say, but yes, sim racing is awesome. I've been a sim racer since the early 90s. My first real racing sim was Papyrus' Indy Car. Then Indy Car 2, then Grand Prix 2, on to GPL, GTR, the EA F1 games (like F1 Challenge 99-02), Papy's NASCAR games (especially NASCAR 2003).

I've skipped a few popular ones like iRacing and rFactor, and now my sim of choice is Codemaster's F1 2021. I love it and run a couple races a week in career modes. The genre has come so far, and seemingly simple things like the ability to use voice to communicate with your pitwall and dynamic weather have a dramatic effect on the experience.

I've been simming for a long time now. Two things in all those decades stand out as the best experiences I've had in this hobby. One is my time in Falcon 4, especially MP campaigns with my friends and squadron mates. The other is running online GPL leagues. For a number of years I ran Frugalsworld's GPL leagues, and there's been little in my life that I have approached with as much dedication and commitment as I did with GPL. If I had put just a fraction of that much effort in to say, my marriage, I would probably still gotten divorced but it would have lasted longer! haha

The memories, the competition, the camaraderie from those leagues were fantastic and I miss it to this day. Great people, and great times.

It was about a year ago Tuesday that I found F1 2020. I documented my experience in a thread over at SimHQ. If anyone is interested in my take on all aspects of this sim, particularly the career modes, you can read it here

F1 2020/21 Thread @ SimHQ

Skybird · 10-15-21, 08:37 AM

Falcon 4, Frugalsworld, I hear you. My serious time with Falcon was the RP series, espoecially 3-5, and then a revivla some yars later with allied Force. Some of my best PC sim experiences. Later then, both Steel beasts Pro and sim racing took ovr from my sim flying (FS2002, 2004, X).

My racing sims of choice are Assetto Corsa, AC Competizione and Raceroom. I use VR exlcusively, and mid-range Fanatec wheel and their pro pedals. No VR, no drive - once VR, always VR. No way back. Competizione at night in thunderstorm and VR is frightening, an experience second to none in PC simming. Only seeing is believing.

Other highlights of my sim racing career were Grand Prix 1 Amiga and Gran Prix 3 PC, Nascar Season 2003, GTR2. There were more, but these stand out.

Threadfin · 10-15-21, 09:07 AM

You've got good gear. I've been using the red Momo wheel for nearly twenty years now. I bought three of them actually, so that if one ever went down I'd have a backup so I wouldn't miss that week's GPL race

Aside from Raceroom and the civie flight sims (never did get in to them) I've played all of those too. GP1! That's starting at the ground floor haha.

Yeah, I was on Frug's staff from the start, back when we were known more for XCom than Falcon 4. But it didn't take long before F4 became the thing Frug's was best known for, the center of the F4 community if I may be so bold. Too bad it's gone now.

I started my MP racing with a great group at a little-known site called Crash Test Dummies. We did GPL and the first GTR sim mostly. But then we migrated it all over to Frugs and I set up our GPL leagues. We ran the '67 and '65 cars.

We had drivers from all over the world. Austraila, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, England, Scotland, United States, and it was a truly remarkable that we could all come together on Saturday nights (Sunday morning down under). To be in with such a global group blew my mind. The fastest driver was a German, a man named Frank Steinbach. In those days we used the term 'alien' to describe drivers whose ability seemed out of this world. Frank was the apex alien haha. So fast in fact that he would intentionally handicap himself and drive the Cooper or the BRM or the White Whale while the rest of us drove Lotii, Eagles and Ferraris. The Eagle was my weapon of choice, because as we all know it was the finest Formula 1 car of all time. The Brabham was my '65 car for league racing.

So yes, now it's F1 2021, which I have a blast with. The reasons are all spelled out in the thread I linked to above so no need to repeat it. I'm a massive fan of the sport, never miss a race, and I love having my own Formula 1 fantasy world to live in, where I feel like a rising star on the biggest stage in motorsport. And by the way, Codemasters has recently released both Portimao and Imola as free DLC tracks since they were not ready in time for July's game launch.

Yeah, sim racing is good

mapuc · 10-15-21, 09:13 AM

Realisme isn't only what's in the game-such as graphic a.s.o it's also what things the player has.

Playing a race sim with your keyboard isn't exactly fun.

Markus

Skybird · 10-15-21, 10:20 AM

Threadfin, you should try out Raceroom. It has gone a longer way than any other sim out there, maybe. After SimBin' collapse the sim wea spoicke dup and redone froms cratch by suriovivors of that desaster. I came to it when that happened, and I never regretted it.

The best sim for GT3 and GT4 class, is Competizione. In these domains, Competizione reigns, is second to none. Cockpit immersion is overwhelming, too (talking from VR perspective).

Assetto Corsa Classic is still a superb platform and has one overwhelming argument in its favour: modding, tracks. When they released their tech demonstrator with the Lotus Elise, I think, in 2013, I was hooked from day one on. It was lightyears ahead of any driving sim I had tried until then.

That both Raceroom's and Assetto Corsa's physics gurus both hold eal world racing licenses and have experience (Raceroom's Alex Hodgkinson logged his first training laps in courses together with a certain David Hamilton...), and also studied the physics and engineering aspect of the business, unites for both sims practical driving experience and mathematical background knowledge. And this shows. Better it does not get: theory meets practice, practice meets theory.

10-11-21, 04:50 PM	#1
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 40,517 Downloads: 9 Uploads: 0	How realistic is Sim Racing? Good reasoning from a pro. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

10-14-21, 09:54 AM	#2
Threadfin Ace of the Deep Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 1,076 Downloads: 38 Uploads: 0	I'll need to watch the video later. Is it Max giving the opinion? I can't know what he goes on to say, but yes, sim racing is awesome. I've been a sim racer since the early 90s. My first real racing sim was Papyrus' Indy Car. Then Indy Car 2, then Grand Prix 2, on to GPL, GTR, the EA F1 games (like F1 Challenge 99-02), Papy's NASCAR games (especially NASCAR 2003). I've skipped a few popular ones like iRacing and rFactor, and now my sim of choice is Codemaster's F1 2021. I love it and run a couple races a week in career modes. The genre has come so far, and seemingly simple things like the ability to use voice to communicate with your pitwall and dynamic weather have a dramatic effect on the experience. I've been simming for a long time now. Two things in all those decades stand out as the best experiences I've had in this hobby. One is my time in Falcon 4, especially MP campaigns with my friends and squadron mates. The other is running online GPL leagues. For a number of years I ran Frugalsworld's GPL leagues, and there's been little in my life that I have approached with as much dedication and commitment as I did with GPL. If I had put just a fraction of that much effort in to say, my marriage, I would probably still gotten divorced but it would have lasted longer! haha The memories, the competition, the camaraderie from those leagues were fantastic and I miss it to this day. Great people, and great times. It was about a year ago Tuesday that I found F1 2020. I documented my experience in a thread over at SimHQ. If anyone is interested in my take on all aspects of this sim, particularly the career modes, you can read it here F1 2020/21 Thread @ SimHQ __________________ What? Behind the rabbit? Last edited by Threadfin; 10-14-21 at 01:38 PM.

10-15-21, 08:37 AM	#3
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 40,517 Downloads: 9 Uploads: 0	Falcon 4, Frugalsworld, I hear you. My serious time with Falcon was the RP series, espoecially 3-5, and then a revivla some yars later with allied Force. Some of my best PC sim experiences. Later then, both Steel beasts Pro and sim racing took ovr from my sim flying (FS2002, 2004, X). My racing sims of choice are Assetto Corsa, AC Competizione and Raceroom. I use VR exlcusively, and mid-range Fanatec wheel and their pro pedals. No VR, no drive - once VR, always VR. No way back. Competizione at night in thunderstorm and VR is frightening, an experience second to none in PC simming. Only seeing is believing. Other highlights of my sim racing career were Grand Prix 1 Amiga and Gran Prix 3 PC, Nascar Season 2003, GTR2. There were more, but these stand out. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

10-15-21, 09:07 AM	#4
Threadfin Ace of the Deep Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 1,076 Downloads: 38 Uploads: 0	You've got good gear. I've been using the red Momo wheel for nearly twenty years now. I bought three of them actually, so that if one ever went down I'd have a backup so I wouldn't miss that week's GPL race Aside from Raceroom and the civie flight sims (never did get in to them) I've played all of those too. GP1! That's starting at the ground floor haha. Yeah, I was on Frug's staff from the start, back when we were known more for XCom than Falcon 4. But it didn't take long before F4 became the thing Frug's was best known for, the center of the F4 community if I may be so bold. Too bad it's gone now. I started my MP racing with a great group at a little-known site called Crash Test Dummies. We did GPL and the first GTR sim mostly. But then we migrated it all over to Frugs and I set up our GPL leagues. We ran the '67 and '65 cars. We had drivers from all over the world. Austraila, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, England, Scotland, United States, and it was a truly remarkable that we could all come together on Saturday nights (Sunday morning down under). To be in with such a global group blew my mind. The fastest driver was a German, a man named Frank Steinbach. In those days we used the term 'alien' to describe drivers whose ability seemed out of this world. Frank was the apex alien haha. So fast in fact that he would intentionally handicap himself and drive the Cooper or the BRM or the White Whale while the rest of us drove Lotii, Eagles and Ferraris. The Eagle was my weapon of choice, because as we all know it was the finest Formula 1 car of all time. The Brabham was my '65 car for league racing. So yes, now it's F1 2021, which I have a blast with. The reasons are all spelled out in the thread I linked to above so no need to repeat it. I'm a massive fan of the sport, never miss a race, and I love having my own Formula 1 fantasy world to live in, where I feel like a rising star on the biggest stage in motorsport. And by the way, Codemasters has recently released both Portimao and Imola as free DLC tracks since they were not ready in time for July's game launch. Yeah, sim racing is good __________________ What? Behind the rabbit?

10-15-21, 09:13 AM	#5
mapuc Fleet Admiral Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Denmark Posts: 17,908 Downloads: 37 Uploads: 0	Realisme isn't only what's in the game-such as graphic a.s.o it's also what things the player has. Playing a race sim with your keyboard isn't exactly fun. Markus __________________ My little lovely female cat

10-15-21, 10:20 AM	#6
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 40,517 Downloads: 9 Uploads: 0	Threadfin, you should try out Raceroom. It has gone a longer way than any other sim out there, maybe. After SimBin' collapse the sim wea spoicke dup and redone froms cratch by suriovivors of that desaster. I came to it when that happened, and I never regretted it. The best sim for GT3 and GT4 class, is Competizione. In these domains, Competizione reigns, is second to none. Cockpit immersion is overwhelming, too (talking from VR perspective). Assetto Corsa Classic is still a superb platform and has one overwhelming argument in its favour: modding, tracks. When they released their tech demonstrator with the Lotus Elise, I think, in 2013, I was hooked from day one on. It was lightyears ahead of any driving sim I had tried until then. That both Raceroom's and Assetto Corsa's physics gurus both hold eal world racing licenses and have experience (Raceroom's Alex Hodgkinson logged his first training laps in courses together with a certain David Hamilton...), and also studied the physics and engineering aspect of the business, unites for both sims practical driving experience and mathematical background knowledge. And this shows. Better it does not get: theory meets practice, practice meets theory. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.