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Iracing


rustrocket

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  • 7 months later...

Well, I'm gonna necro this thread instead of starting one....:D (search first, right?)

 

I just joined iracing. Got in just days before Nascar announced their sanctioning of an iRacing series. Gonna be fun. If anybody wants to try it, I think I've got a couple free month trial codes left.

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I've tried all sorts of sim games, and whilst they're all fun, this whole "learn to race at home" thing is bogus. Sure, you can learn a track and some good lines, but you DO NOT get the feedback that a car gives you. You can't feel the wheels slipping/sliding/locking, you can't feel how fast you're going, you can't feel how close you are to the limit, you just are so removed from the car. Pretty obvious, considering you're using a computer, but i still think that the learn-to-drive spin is a bit much.

 

Don't get me wrong, I love sim racing, and it's a good way to have abit of fun. But it just doesn't compare to the real thing.

 

Personally, i'd rather save my $160/yr subscription and buy another racer/sim with better graphics...

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  • 6 months later...

Ive recently started Iracing and its actualy pretty good. I purchased Mosport because its my "home track" and I would say its very realistic. For sure not the real thing but damn decent.

 

I have a much harder time driving the track on line than in real life because you dont have the sense of speed. Its extremely important that you look as far ahead as possible and get use to looking into the corner of the screen to look into the corner......all basic driving principals applied in a different media.

 

No you dont get actual car sensations but my G25 force feedback steering and peddle setup is decent and can give you a good work out. Not just vibrations and shudders but real bump and irregularities in the track over the curb kind if feelings. Its pretty cool.

 

I honestly believe it will help make one a better driver as it does give you track "time" but...... there is no substitue for real life experience. It wont allow you to hit the track like a pro after a 1000 hours of vitual time....and I dont expect the most expereince driver in the world will be able to sit in front of the TV and drive like a Virtual pro the first time out. Like anything else its learned and depends on the individuals natural ability. Like any SIM, when used properly Im pretty sure it will help in real life.

 

The best part about Iracing is that it encourages....insists.... that you drive with all the same principals as real track driving.......you cant just bouce off walls and never use your brakes in order to get a good time. You must have the right line, the right speed, the right gear....you have have to shift correctly or you will spin out....you cant creep to far out over the grass ...cant bump others and it even damaged your engine with too many revs....etc,etc..... And the graphics are pretty damn good. Not flashy....just real and representative to the track your on. So for example....If I have never driven Lime Rock and have a chance too, Iracing will allow me to learn the track at home so when I do arrive at the real track I wont appear to be a total rookie. You will have a chance to memorize the track and its corners, you will learn the various track markers....(ie...head for that pole for the right line) and you will have an idea of expected speeds and brake points......

 

So for the critics and doubters out there.....dont knock it till you try it!! :nono:And besides...winters are long around here and its a nice way to burn up a bit of late night time. It fun.....:mrgreen:

 

My biggest problem is frame rate.....Im not yet sure if its my connection or just lack of enough video card....or perhaps a bit of both. I use my sons mulimedia laptop and believe the video card is just enough. Any suggestions??

 

Now for some early morning track time! :burnout:

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With a good steering wheel and simulator, you can learn to be a better driver. You DO feel the wheel slip, bumps, and steering forces in a FF wheel, and if you play enough, you won't miss the g-forces. Your eyes will learn to see what the car is doing and "translate" the visuals into g-force-like reactions.

 

I practiced Watkins Glen on GTR2 sim for about a year. I had gotten as fast as I was going to get on the Simulator. Then, I went to Watkins Glen for real with an instructor. The instructor taught me a bunch of tricks to be faster on the real track. When I got back home, and got back on the sim, I picked up seconds over my previous year's worth of practice best times on the sim. Now, that tells you that track-sim and sim-track relationship is REAL.

 

Playing Richard Burns Rally, has made me a much better REAL LIFE driver in adverse conditions such as rain, dirt, and snow.

 

Sims are not a 100% substitute for the real thing, but they are effective. Just ask the FAA and the Military.

 

To give it an HONEST try, you really do need state of the art hardware. Not many laptops can handle the needed power, despite what their specs say. Laptops are still POWER limited and I mean COOLING. You just can't put enough power through a run of the mill laptop to push the kinds of graphics this stuff requires. They would overheat if they pushed "desktop" kinds of power through them. A solid desktop less than 4 years old, with a $200 video card, and 2+ Gigs of ram should do fine.

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