FifaInspected wrote:PK.. I downloaded that just a bit ago.. It's a challenge. I was using my xbox controller and that did not work real well as I could not find a way to map the controls to my controller. Gas was A button, brake was B button.... Seemed to me that there was a little downforce missing
Looking forward to a wheel.
Downforce? Jimmy Clark didn't need no stinkin' downforce!
Regarding Rod and Fifa being reluctant to join our online racing in rFactor:
You all have nothing to worry about. I have been buying, installing, writing about, testing, and even sometimes actually "playing" racing sims since 1989 and I SUCK!! However, I still always have a great time when I have a chance to get online and race with the DSP crowd. You guys definitely need to get online and join us. We could have 8-12 in race if we could get everyone who has been interested lately able to make it at the same time.
FifaInspected wrote:PK.. I downloaded that just a bit ago.. It's a challenge. I was using my xbox controller and that did not work real well as I could not find a way to map the controls to my controller. Gas was A button, brake was B button.... Seemed to me that there was a little downforce missing
Looking forward to a wheel.
GPL with a gamepad? I'd rather shear my testicles with a hedge trimmer, man.
Seriously, that game requires about the most deft touch in sim racing, even with a wheel. About the only game I've played that requires comparable smoothness on the throttle and brake is Richard Burns Rally.
And to reinforce Don's sentiments: Rod and FIFA, please join us for online rFactor racing. We have a wide variety of skill levels among us, and we always have a good time. Everyone is very generous with tips, too.
Take care,
PK
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
That being said, i'm looking for the "must have" mods that you guys run on any sort of regular basis so I don't have to cram at the last minute to get what I need to run with you guys. If you could please provide a links to the mods I need on hand I would appreciate that very much.
Just peruse back through the trhead and you'll see links to most of them.
That being said, the Indycar 2007-2008 mod is a must have for us. Also the Porsche Cup and F1 1979 mods have been popular. Usually when requesting a poker night the guys will include links to the mods.
I don't believe we have ever raced these before on DSP Poker nights, but below are a few of my personal favorites due to how well they are done, and that I do not believe these tracks are available in any other sims to date.
Just received my Rfactor in the mail and inserted it into the drive in my PC.... what do you know.. nothing happened. Upon further review, my PC does not have a DVD drive.. CD only. Damn those old PC's found under the basement stairs.
Just received my Rfactor in the mail and inserted it into the drive in my PC.... what do you know.. nothing happened. Upon further review, my PC does not have a DVD drive.. CD only. Damn those old PC's found under the basement stairs.
~ Ahh boogers.
Newegg is your friend. DVD/Rom drive $15.99 plus $7.00 shipping
Just received my Rfactor in the mail and inserted it into the drive in my PC.... what do you know.. nothing happened. Upon further review, my PC does not have a DVD drive.. CD only. Damn those old PC's found under the basement stairs.
~ Ahh boogers.
Newegg is your friend. DVD/Rom drive $15.99 plus $7.00 shipping
Just received my Rfactor in the mail and inserted it into the drive in my PC.... what do you know.. nothing happened. Upon further review, my PC does not have a DVD drive.. CD only. Damn those old PC's found under the basement stairs.
~ Ahh boogers.
Newegg is your friend. DVD/Rom drive $15.99 plus $7.00 shipping
If you want to race tonight, then don't hesitate to use the digital download. Most of us have used it here, with minimal to no problems.
If you think you're going to change computers often in the next few years, then get the DVD. Otherwise, the digital download -- especially the new rFactor Lite -- is a very viable option.
Take care,
PK
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
Outside of the ridiculous hours I have had to put in the last year or so at work, I have also had an opportunity to beta test the new iRacing service from Dave Kaemmer, Papyrus founder (Grand Prix Legends, Indycar Racing II, Nascar Racing 2003), and John Henry, owner of the Red Sox and avid sim racer.
Well tonight the NDA was lifted and we are allowed to talk about the service. More importantly, l also have the opportunity to nominate 10 friends to jump to the head of the invitation line as they begin the limited-access public launch of the service starting June 11. Anyone who would like to get on the list, please PM me your full name and e-mail address ASAP. This does not obligate you to purchase anything, just gives you a chance to be part of first launch.
This service will not be for everyone. It may not even be for me in the long run, but I can say that it is the most serious racing sim I have ever driven. If you are looking for an official governing body with extremely well thought out rules, points, penalties, etc. this is it. This is more that just a league, it is racing sim as a sport.
For now, it will not replace the beauty of the rFactor DSP poker nights for grab and go fun, but they are working on features that would accomodate private leagues and non-points racing.
I just finished running about an hours worth of laps by myself in a USAC Silver Crown at my "home" track of Lanier Speedway (just across the street from Road Atlanta). Great fun.
I will try to post some more organized impressions and screenshots later, but feel free to ask if you are interested. My guess is the RaceSim Central forums will soon be full of more beneficial info and screenshots about the iRacing sim service than I can provide.
I admit I'm interested, but the whole "serious" thing is what worries me.
Not to say I want a free for all on the track, but I have been in a few online racing leagues and some of them took being serious to a whole new level. Penalties were handed out for the silliest things, and never consistently.
Also, the skill level of those on the service will do doubt be pretty darn high, where does that leave the slower drivers like myself? I don't mind being slow as long as I'm welcome!
And being a more casual driver, is there a rigid schedule you must stick to come hell or high water, or can you race when you are able? This was another sticking point for one of the leagues I was in (they found it insulting that I dared take my family on vacation and miss a couple races.) Needless to say that was the straw that broke that camels back...
I share the same concerns as Grant. The haughty, self-righteous attitude of the iRacing group has really turned me off. I know Kaemmer's group is legendary in the industry, but it has reached Sid Meier-Firaxis levels of annoyance and ego to me, seemingly acting as if they're Moses with the tablets every time they open their mouth about iRacing.
I'm interested in your observations and preview opinions, Don. But I don't think iRacing is for me, for three reasons.
One, I doubt I have the hardware to run the sim. Two, I don't like paying a monthly fee for a service I already can get for free -- online racing. Three, I love my sim racing, but this game appears to be for only the most hardcore 1 percent of people in the hobby.
Thanks for the first impressions.
Take care,
PK
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
pk500 wrote:I share the same concerns as Grant. The haughty, self-righteous attitude of the iRacing group has really turned me off. I know Kaemmer's group is legendary in the industry, but it has reached Sid Meier-Firaxis levels of annoyance and ego to me, seemingly acting as if they're Moses with the tablets every time they open their mouth about iRacing.
Take care,
PK
You might as well add the name John Romero. What turned me off to these guys was when they went out of their way to shut down NR2003. They knew how good it was and a lot of the simmers out there haven't forgotten that.
Btw thanks for the racing invite. I need to install rfactor on my new laptop as my desktop rig is strictly for offline gaming. Is there a way to play online with a cracked exe file?
The hardware requirements are not at all as steep as I expected. The software does a very good job of automatically adjusting the settings for your system to get consistent frame rates in traffic. Of course this can be overridden. I would say if you can run NR2003 with an average level of detail you should be good to go. The graphics will not look like the screenshots that are posted at iRacing. I am running at med to low settings and some tracks look great (Lanier, South Boston, Laguna Seca), but others look very sparse (Virginia, Daytona Road Course). Definitely not revolutionary eye candy (ie Grid, Dirt), but they definitely know how to make an oval look and feel realistic.
The way the series work is there is a venue per week for a number of weeks (4-8?). Time trials, practices, qualifying, and races go on all week at rotating times all day and night. So theoretically you can race when you can find the time. Of course you may not find someone racing at 3:00am, but there will be sessions available.
You start at with a rookie license and you can only compete in series that allow rookies. You can test/practice any car at any track (provided you have purchased the content), but for example I have not advanced in my license ratings enough to compete in Late Models or Skip Barber. There will probably be "unofficial" races that will allow the restrictions to be removed and private races to be held for no points.
Right now I am in the Rookie Legends series racing at South Boston and the Rookie Pontiac Solstice series racing at Laguna Seca. The only people I am competing against are other rookies that are either new and just have not worked their way up yet, or they suck like I do. Both of these series are actually really fun. Limited setup options if any, so it is all about learning how to drive clean and get the most out of the car in its out of the box state.
The same reasons you both posted, are the same reasons I may not be a full time subscriber, but there are many levels of racing skills or lack thereof.
Since it is all server based, the stat tracking is automatic and comprehensive and will continue to expand.
I hear you on the ego thing too Paul, but their passion for the sport and for making this something new and different is pretty impressive.
Last edited by DChaps on Fri Jun 06, 2008 12:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
DChaps wrote:I hear you on the ego thing to Paul, but their passion for the sport and for making this something new and different is pretty impressive.
Fair enough, and agreed.
But what, other than the organization of the game, makes iRacing so special? You have intimated that the graphics aren't otherworldly. Are the racing AI and physics and damage models that much superior to anything you've played before?
Also, I wonder if top-notch hardware is necessary to extract everything possible from the physics model? If I'm driving with a DFP on a laptop, am I going to experience everything this game has to offer?
Thanks,
PK
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
Dude took the existing DB9 mod, with permission, and modified the physics and sounds. The suspension is made with CarFactory, so it should respond really well to RealFeel.
Take care,
PK
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
I do have one question after watching the video. They say racing takes place on one track each week. What happens when they are racing on a track I haven't purchased? Can I only run practice laps on the tracks I own during that week? It's those kind of issues that have me concerned.
I love what I see about all of the stat tracking and career progression. I can see how this would hook me like levelling in an MMO.
