So.....

[Jeff H.]

Okay, I've been doing some racing in iRacing and here are my thoughts. First, this game is very stressful with the SR, MPR, PCP, XYZ, Blah Blah Blah.....You are up, then you are down, gain a little, lose a little. Aggravating to say the least. And I know what you're all going to say, start from the pits, lay back, etc. The thing is, I like to race. Why would I want to start from the pits? Why would I try to avoid being around other cars? I'm just not getting it I guess.

[F1Fan07]

Once I got through all the BS advancing through license levels I started enjoying it more. For me it's serious racing and provides a different experience to rFactor.

I can totally see how it wouldn't appeal to some people though. If you wish you can ignore the full licence progression. There's nothing magical that happens when you get a B or A licence other than opening up some new race series.

There are a lot of drivers with high ratings and C-class licenses. They've advanced enough to get into the series they want to race.

[zedarchitect]

I agree with F1. I think we get too wrapped up with ratings and licenses. I think I would have more fun if I said F-it and just raced a season of the Skippy. Right now I am afraid to enter a race because I know that car will make a mess of my SR. You really need to get out if rookie though. That place is pitiful.

[Kelly G]

Yeah the whole thing seems pretty intimidating. I did an open practice session today at Laguna with the FR500S. There were 4 other cars on track.

I ran one down pretty quick but he was well behaved, let me go around and we both just continued on. I'm going to try and get a race in tonight just to actually race!

I'm going to try some ghost racing as well to get a good feel for how the packs can be in a bigger race.

Cheers!

[zero7159]

Stinky, you want to get to a higher license level so that you can have your pick of series, cars and tracks, and so you can race with higher level, more professional competition. Life really gets good once you hit a C license in ovals, since you can drive the trucks at that point, which I know you love!!! Jarhead's approach certainly works, but I did not use that technique (the starting in the pits and letting guys pass). Rather, I focused on qualifying. You likely can get faster laps than most guys in qualifying, which means you will start higher up the grid, ahead of the dumbshits. Once you level out of Rookie, stay out, unless you become addicted to the Cadillac Cup, like I am. In any event, qualify for each and every official race you do, don't rage quit and avoid three wides. If you follow those rules, you will quickly be joining Jarhead, Spaz and I in the trucks!!!

I looked over your profile and last 10 races. I too would be bummed if I were doing as many short track races as you are. Do what you can to get your SR above 4.0 and then fast track to C, at which time you can run the trucks and say good bye to the wreckfest short tracks. You had a bad race in the National car at USA. 19 incident points is enough to cause anyone to want to drink!!! Don't worry, the next race will be better.

[Jeff H.]

Yeah, I qualified and my time started me third in that race, got spun in the FIRST corner by the guy that started 5th and hit the inside wall. Then after my pit, I came out several laps down and apparently I didn't give this douche bag enough room to pass me on the outside and he wrecked us both. And THEN he talked to me like I was some piece of shit white trash. I don't need that. F'n Timmy.

[zero7159]

That bites, you gotta get out of D and into C.

Sent from my HTC One X using proboards

[Seahawks1Fan]

I understand where you are coming from Jeff. It does get better after getting out of rookie class, but still don't enjoy it near as much at rFactor. I've never got used to the physics of Iracing and do get annoyed with their SR system as well. I have renewed several times over the past couple of years (I just renewed again for that 3 month special promo), but it just doesn't have that "fun" factor I'm looking for in my racing. Now that several GBR guys are running it, I will give it another go (I don't give up easily).

I do understand how other guys like it as it claims to be the most "realistic" sim out there. However, I've seen a few interviews with real drivers who say the cars in Iracing have much less grip than their real life counterparts.

[spazsterian]

Ive seen some of those interviews too Jason. I have my iracing membership to run gbr events. Its too much like the pc version of Forza for me to take it seriously. Timmies and lack of grip make it FEEL like FM4 to me hence it doesn't get alot of my time. My only real beefs have to do with the stupid SR and cost...and the fact of how much time some of the membership is devoting to it. We could be running other Gbr series in rfactor.

[Jarhead]

Feb 3, 2013 9:04:59 GMT -8 spazsterian said:

Ive seen some of those interviews too Jason. I have my iracing membership to run gbr events. Its too much like the pc version of Forza for me to take it seriously. Timmies and lack of grip make it FEEL like FM4 to me hence it doesn't get alot of my time. My only real beefs have to do with the stupid SR and cost...and the fact of how much time some of the membership is devoting to it. We could be running other Gbr series in rfactor.

Come on Spaz, different strokes for different folks. I'm sure I fit that description of "how much some of the membership is devoting to it." I used to race the GBR events every week night they were running and still would if my work schedule allowed it.

But things change, I got moved to a different shift, not by choice. I work until 11:30 Eastern time so I don't get home in time for the GBR events now. I can go in early once in a while, but not everyday. I really have to pick and choose my GBR events now.

I will agree that iRacing is not perfect and some of the cars lack grip, but I wouldn't compare it to Forza at all. I tried Forza last week for the first time in 5 months and that game has no grip. I felt like I was driving on ice.

Now compare that to running the iRacing IndyCar at Richmond. That car has grip to spare just like it should. I can run laps in the high 15s with just a slight lift of the throttle in turns 1 and 3. The Star Mazda has plenty of grip too. I also feel a decent amount of grip in the Corvette, and that is a powerful car.

The one car I can't get a handle on is the SRF. Now that car feels like the rear wheels are on ice. I don't have the Skippy and don't plan to buy it because I hear that car is on ice also.

Please don't criticize us that have found a different place to enjoy our racing. With my current schedule iRacing is the only place for me to race in the wee hours of the morning. If you can get everyone at GBR to stay up a couple of hours later and race, I will be at every race. But I don't expect that.

[oldslowfred]

I was trying out the new Corvette C.6 in rF2 this morning on the new Top Gear Test track (awesome! but needs more cones ), Oran Park and Watkins Glen. Love this car in rF2.
I then tried out the iRacing Corvette C.6 on Watkins Glen to compare. For the tracks graphically the iRacing version owns the rF2 version of Watkins Glen (which I think is just a direct rF1 port). But for me graphically the car interiors are much closer, will have to try both out a bit more but at this time I think I prefer the rF2 version.
Also the rF2 version of C.6 sounds a lot better imo than the iRacing version (more deep rumble, etc).
Feel wise the iRacing version was not bad, not as slippery as I feared it may be. But again here imo the rF2 version is superior. Put the rF2 version of the C.6 on a graphically comparable track and I don't think there would be any question. The feedback you get (using Fanatec CSR) in rF2 with the Corvette is great. You can feel the shuddering when braking, etc.
That said the Corvette in iRacing is still a lot of fun.

But as an aside, the way your environment is setup or is working can have a 'big' impact on your impressions of a sim, car, track, etc.
I had Race07 working great on my old PC, lots of great feel when driving easily one of the best.
But when I switched to new PC late last year I did not get the FFB settings back to where they were at (have to look into my backup files see if I can figure them out) and Race07 has lost a lot of that magic for me
Also, last evening was running the Nordschieffe endurance race and after my 2nd (unplanned ) pitstop I went to switch off the pit limiter and somehow switched the wheel into PS/3 mode (I think). Anyways had to power off the wheel to get it working again, but in the process lost all my FFB. What a huge difference, last couple laps had no more enjoyment for me with a dead lifeless wheel

And I also need to configure the HDR or something in my rF2 environment. Currently it is way too bright so quite often my rF2 tracks are very washed out. I know they can look a lot better and the problem is my configuration, but it does reduce the desire to run rF2 when the eyestrain is so much less in rF1.

Finally, I was playing with my iRacing graphics settings after I noticed that in the rF2 Corvette I appeared to be sitting much farther forward. I measured my monitors and the angles and entered all that into the graphics options. It gave a FOV of 117 I think where it had been a 'lot' higher previously.
So now I was actually sitting in the iRacing Corvette very comparable to rF2 version, but the car was now almost undriveable. Was back to the twitchy problem, just turn the wheel a little bit and the car would respond hugely, no smoothness at all and not at all fun So I used the keyboard to move the FOV back up to a lot higher number and this mostly got rid of the twitch, but still seems to be a little bit there, perhaps just in my mind now.

Anyways it all just goes to show I think how ones impressions of a particular sim game, car or track can be completely skewed if there is something(s) not quite setup right in your environment...

[spazsterian]

Troy.... I mentioned the slippery feel (in general- what i've experienced) in iRacing makes it "FEEL" like a pc version of FM4 to me, timmies included. It's user perception, but I was also picking up on the point Jason made about real world drivers comments on the Sim. I'm not criticizing or poking fun at folks who are racing there , i was mentioning more the fact that we could be running other series here at GBR that are similiar to what the Iracing series are, but in rFactor...where it's free. But like you said , it's like race2play, it offers compatible time slots for folks with different schedules so that works for some.
To be honest I couldn't give a fuck where anyone races on their off time , but if it starts interferring with our planned scheduled events here at GBR and participation suffers because of it, then I get a little disappointed is all.

[zero7159]

Feb 3, 2013 9:04:59 GMT -8 spazsterian said:

My only real beefs have to do with the stupid SR and cost...and the fact of how much time some of the membership is devoting to it. We could be running other Gbr series in rfactor.

I agree with you as to SR and cost. Cost is relative though, I don't spend nearly this much $$$ on any other hobbies. Some of you guys are in to cars, I cannot even change my own oil hence I do not spend $$$ on real life cars, other than my daily driver. I also agree regarding SR, but I can tell you guys that if you just gave it a chance and got your A licenses, you would have a very different attitude about the sim. Once you get the A license, you can run basically any series and so there is much more available.

I do not agree with you as to our running iRacing at the expense of rFactor events. As you and Hawks know, rFactor has been a source of great personal enjoyment AND frustration for me. Hawks, for example, spent several hours on a Sunday afternoon in the Fall of 2011 helping me troubleshoot my rFactor install. That was time he otherwise could have been racing and spending with his family. The sim is great, but it requires a lot of effort by us to set it up, and even more effort from guys like you, Hawks, F1, Helios, Wolf, Kelly, Stinky and others to keep it going. You guys have to maintain servers and help troubleshoot installations. You give up a lot of time you otherwise could be racing to help us figure out a program that really was not designed with our powerful hardware in mind. On the other hand, with iRacing, we simply schedule a league race and go. I can do a lot more iRacing in an hour's time than rFactor. So, for me, iRacing works better for my schedule.

IMO, there is room for both rFactor and iRacing in GBR. The rFactor V8 Supercars mod is absolutely sublime and Hawks and F1 do a great job of keeping it going. I also applaud you for Spazcar. I am so excited for the upcoming Nationwide series. I also regularly do the MX-5 series, which is just good fun. I put up with the technical issues because of the fun factor, although I do think that you, Hawks, F1 and others do more than your fair share in troubleshooting rFactor related issues. Part of why I was willing to do the iRacing events was to take some of the load off you guys in running series, since it does take a lot of your personal time. iRacing events cost me my season participation and loyalty money which is a small price to pay. But, I do not think what we do in iRacing comes at the cost of rFactor events. The GBR guys want to run both rFactor and iRacing and so I think its wise for us to keep both going.

My two cents, as always take em or leave em.

[zero7159]

Feb 3, 2013 9:33:10 GMT -8 oldslowfred said:

I was trying out the new Corvette C.6 in rF2 this morning on the new Top Gear Test track (awesome! but needs more cones ), Oran Park and Watkins Glen. Love this car in rF2.
I then tried out the iRacing Corvette C.6 on Watkins Glen to compare. For the tracks graphically the iRacing version owns the rF2 version of Watkins Glen (which I think is just a direct rF1 port). But for me graphically the car interiors are much closer, will have to try both out a bit more but at this time I think I prefer the rF2 version.
Also the rF2 version of C.6 sounds a lot better imo than the iRacing version (more deep rumble, etc).
Feel wise the iRacing version was not bad, not as slippery as I feared it may be. But again here imo the rF2 version is superior. Put the rF2 version of the C.6 on a graphically comparable track and I don't think there would be any question. The feedback you get (using Fanatec CSR) in rF2 with the Corvette is great. You can feel the shuddering when braking, etc.
That said the Corvette in iRacing is still a lot of fun.

But as an aside, the way your environment is setup or is working can have a 'big' impact on your impressions of a sim, car, track, etc.
I had Race07 working great on my old PC, lots of great feel when driving easily one of the best.
But when I switched to new PC late last year I did not get the FFB settings back to where they were at (have to look into my backup files see if I can figure them out) and Race07 has lost a lot of that magic for me
Also, last evening was running the Nordschieffe endurance race and after my 2nd (unplanned ) pitstop I went to switch off the pit limiter and somehow switched the wheel into PS/3 mode (I think). Anyways had to power off the wheel to get it working again, but in the process lost all my FFB. What a huge difference, last couple laps had no more enjoyment for me with a dead lifeless wheel

And I also need to configure the HDR or something in my rF2 environment. Currently it is way too bright so quite often my rF2 tracks are very washed out. I know they can look a lot better and the problem is my configuration, but it does reduce the desire to run rF2 when the eyestrain is so much less in rF1.

Finally, I was playing with my iRacing graphics settings after I noticed that in the rF2 Corvette I appeared to be sitting much farther forward. I measured my monitors and the angles and entered all that into the graphics options. It gave a FOV of 117 I think where it had been a 'lot' higher previously.
So now I was actually sitting in the iRacing Corvette very comparable to rF2 version, but the car was now almost undriveable. Was back to the twitchy problem, just turn the wheel a little bit and the car would respond hugely, no smoothness at all and not at all fun So I used the keyboard to move the FOV back up to a lot higher number and this mostly got rid of the twitch, but still seems to be a little bit there, perhaps just in my mind now.

Anyways it all just goes to show I think how ones impressions of a particular sim game, car or track can be completely skewed if there is something(s) not quite setup right in your environment...

Good points Sheldon. I also cannot drive the iRacing Corvette for crap. Jarhead, on the other hand, loves it.

Different strokes for different folks.

[zero7159]

Feb 3, 2013 8:56:08 GMT -8 Seahawks1Fan said:

However, I've seen a few interviews with real drivers who say the cars in Iracing have much less grip than their real life counterparts.

I drove the iRacing V8 Supercar yesterday and its crap, even with the new sounds. I just cannot figure out what the heck that car is doing. The Cadillac is similarly manic, but at least I can figure it out. I don't understand how the iRacing V8 Supercar is so wrong, and the rFactor V8 Supercar is so right.