Racing Sim Thread, Part II

[DChaps]

The new Season 4 2010 iRacing build has been released and it is looking like the best build yet.

Full release notes can be found here:

http://members.iracing.com/jforum/posts ... 04408.page

The Season 4 build includes two (actually three) of the most eagerly anticipated cars in iRacing history: the Williams-Toyota FW31 and the Mazda MX-5/Roadster. The Williams-Toyota FW 31 is the fastest and most sophisticated racecar ever built by iRacing, while the left hand drive Mazda MX-5 and right hand drive Mazda Roadster are among the world’s most often raced cars, from autocrosses and club racing up to entry level pro series.

But there’s more to Season 4 than these exciting new cars. We’ve enhanced the spectator function introduced in Season 3; now, in addition to watching races you’ll be able to “drive” in them as well, albeit in a ghost car - invisible to the real competitors but able to get a close-up view of their driving and, ideally, improving your own driving as a result. We’ll also debut enhanced graphics that deliver more accurate illumination levels, properly calibrated textures and much faster shadows based on shadow map technology.

The profile widget now enables you to upload pictures, enter information on personal interests and browse other member’s profiles, while the personal section of the stats pages now include the same information as the profile widget as well as a tab displaying the driving certificates and abilities of those other drivers.

I think the ghost spectator mode is a really cool feature. I can see this as a great practice and confidence building tool. This will allow me to jump in and out of actual races without the worry of screwing up somebody's race and safety rating, and if I end up without enough time to complete the session, no worries. Come to think of it, this pretty much eliminates any need for AI for me. My only reason for wanting to have AI was to be able to practice racing situations without the pressure and class requirements of the normal racing mode. This gives me the best of both worlds. Cool.... Unfortunately, we are living with my sister in law for the next several days until some construction on our house is finished, therefore I am not going to be able to give the build a go until next week.

Also, they have released the Season 4 2010 scehdule which begins next week with some very cool changes (see highlighted in bold below). The mixed car class racing with the Spec Racer Ford and the Pontiac Solstive could be fun, as well as the officially sponsored new Grand-Am Class C series with the Daytona Prototype and the Mustang.

Some highlights from the schedule:

IndyCar is going to move to class B
Radical is moving in with the Corvette open setup series.
NASCAR B open and fixed and NASCAR A will have some tweaks to follow real world schedule.
Mazda MX-5 Cup and Roadster will be the new rookie road series in the same fixed setup class.
Solstice and SRF will be a mixed class series at advanced road and it is now sponsored by inRacingNews.com.
Launching a class A series with FW31
Launching a fun series with the FW31 at Zandvoort, Silverstone, Laguna and lime rock that runs every day.
Launching a fun series with the cup car at dega, daytona and charlotte that runs every day.
Daytona Prototype and Mustang will race in the GRAND-AM iRacing.com Online Sports Car Series. It will be a class C series.

Full schedule can be found here:

http://members.iracing.com/jforum/posts ... 10007.page

[DChaps]

Apparently the Williams setup options are so complex that they have released an official quick setup guide:

http://membersmedia.iracing.com/pdfs/Qu ... a_FW31.pdf

[pk500]

There goes my evenings for the rest of my vacation! This wasn't supposed to be released until November. Thanks for the head's up, The Donald!

[Gurantsu]

Wow, that is some awesome stuff. The Grand-Am series really interests me, but you all knew that it would!

[GB_Simo]

I, on the other hand, fancied doing something completely out of character so I downloaded the Williams earlier and oh hang on that's not right is it?

You'll be equally shocked and staggered to learn that my test track was Silverstone, knowing as you do how much I hate the place. After an inauspicious start, during which I forgot about the new transmission model and spent 30 seconds believing my shift paddle was broken before crashing a few yards short of the pit limiter line, I took to the track and prepared to test my skills.

The run through Maggotts and Becketts is perhaps not the ideal place to learn a new car, in the same way that the Pamplona bull run isn't the best location for a spot of light jogging, but I pressed on undaunted. The pros probably need to brake now through the new, tighter exit, but iRacing has Silverstone in pre-2010 spec so on light fuel and hot tyres it's flat through the first left-right, a lift and a downshift for the next left, another downshift for the longer right and then power again for Hangar Straight. For a bloke with a G25, a PC and some cold virtual tyres it surely wouldn't be that simple but I felt it was worth a crack anyway.

The bloody thing didn't even blink.

I can barely begin to explain how much usable grip the FW31 has. I used the Silverstone Fixed setup (I've read no release notes at all but I'm betting this is a fixed setup for the fun series they're running - for reasons you'll see shortly, I'm hoping it's not a perfect setup for flying laps) and couldn't find a corner entry it didn't like. I kept on hammering through the complex without braking, I needed the merest lift into Copse and I could throw it into Stowe and Priory without fear, knowing the back end would stick. Some of this is down to the setup - Silverstone Fixed has a touch more understeer than is perhaps ideal - but it's obvious that the car is lithe and responsive, just as you'd expect.

What you mightn't expect, or else might not fully appreciate until you go booming into a braking zone for the first time, is how phenomenally good the anchors are. I had a couple of lock ups and had the back end moving around once, all the while trying to wrap my head around how short the braking distances really are. It's standard drill when feeling for the level of grip to go exploring the surroundings at least once, the result of some hopelessly optimistic attempt at slowing down. I haven't done that once in the Williams.

As is usual with high-powered formula cars, the traction zones are where you'll be gyrating like a rhythmic gymnast, this being particularly true for the exit of Abbey chicane and the entirety of Club corner, designed in 1990 by a man who foresaw the adult I would become and decided he wouldn't like me very much. Once you're above a certain level - say high revs in 3rd for a very rough starting point - or have the car straight enough you can stand on the power just as hard as you want to, but until then the gentle touch pays dividends. As you're doing that you'll notice that the engine sounds bloody awful, but then I don't like the sound of a modern F1 V8 to start with. Your mileage will undoubtedly vary.

The qualifier is that I'm basing these impressions on something like 7 completed laps, but during those laps I stuck together a couple that I was reasonably happy with. I know that on my best lap to date I didn't get the front into Stowe or the final part of Becketts, and I drove like a Mary-Ellen through Abbey, but I was content enough with everything else. The lap time was a 1:25.075. The slower Williams in qualifying at Silverstone in 2009, that of Nico Rosberg, ran 1:20.361 with race fuel on board. The potential is there, locked up inside this awesome car, but the thought of how hard I'd need to push to find it scares me silly.

[Gurantsu]

I haven't bought the Williams, but I have to say that the MX-5's are a complete blast to drive. Much more responsive than the Solstace, with enough room to push hard and recover from most mistakes. I haven't raced them yet, only practice, but they are a lot of fun and can take a bit of banging.

[WPatrick]

I haven't bought the Williams, but I have to say that the MX-5's are a complete blast to drive. Much more responsive than the Solstace, with enough room to push hard and recover from most mistakes. I haven't raced them yet, only practice, but they are a lot of fun and can take a bit of banging.

Agree, the MX-5 is fun and forgiving. It's the entry level road car iRacing should have launched with.

I can't stay away from iRacing for over a month or so without re subscribing. It's like a drug I can't break my addiction to.

[Gurantsu]

Saw this while reading an article on the Grand-Am website about their sponsorship of a series in iRacing:

"Join iRacing.com today and get three months for the price of one! Join today and get a three-month membership for just $12. Enter promo code PR-GA12 to receive your discount."

So if anybody out there wants to give it a spin this is a great deal.

[DChaps]

Saw this while reading an article on the Grand-Am website about their sponsorship of a series in iRacing:

"Join iRacing.com today and get three months for the price of one! Join today and get a three-month membership for just $12. Enter promo code PR-GA12 to receive your discount."

So if anybody out there wants to give it a spin this is a great deal.

Grant is correct. There are some great deals out there right now for anyone wanting to try out iRacing for the first time.

The new 12 week season starts this week (today), and there has never been a better time to try out the service.

Buy One, get Two Free. That’s 3 months of racing for only $12!

http://www.iracing.com//buy-1-get-2/

Promo Code = PR-2FREE

First, for a 3 month entry membership you get more cars and tracks than ever before. Legends for Ovals; Mazda MX-5/Roadster, Spec Racer Ford, and Pontiac Solstice for Road Racing. 8 tracks with 14 variations.

Likewise, the new graphics update have seemed to improve FPS while allowing better visuals, particularly with shadows.

Also, the new "ghost" spectator mode allows you to race against real world opponents, without having to worry about crashing, pissing people off, completing the race, etc. For me it is the single biggest improvement to iRacing in the last two years. It basically has eliminated my need for AI, as this gives me the ability to practice racing without feeling like I need to be ready to compete as a real world F1 driver.

And if you want to try the new Williams F1 car, there is a great deal that allows you to get 3 months, the F1 car, and two of the remaining road courses needed to participate in the F1 Fun Racing series (Silverstone Circuit and Circuit Park Zandvoort). The Williams is a Class A License car and normally that would mean you would need to compete for months to move from a rookie license to Class A to compete with the car, however, iRacing has just implemented this new fun series that allows drivers from all licenses levels to compete in the F1 car with no hit to safety ratings. Anyway, normally all that content would cost around $72 for three months, but they are offering it now for:

3 months for $35 or 1 Year for $75

http://www.iracing.com//grand-prix-racing/

Both offers include the following:

•Unlimited head-to-head racing and open practice 24/7 in the world’s premier online racing game
•The all new Williams-Toyota FW31 racecar
•Silverstone Circuit race track (including 5 variations)
•Circuit Park Zandvoort race track (including 5 variations)
•5 additional cars and 8 more tracks with 14 configurations are included, and modeled flawlessly after their real-world counterparts
•Rookie road and oval licenses to start your online racing career
•Customizable race leagues or fun race sessions for you and your friends, using any car and track combination
•Our interactive iRacing video driving school
*Offer valid for new accounts only. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Expires 12/31/2010.

In fact, I am so convinced that this is the best version of iRacing yet, that I am willing to pay the $12 for 3 months subscription for the first 5 DSP members to PM me who have yet to try iRacing and want to give it a shot. All I ask in return is to try and participate in any DSP iRacing Poker nights that I try to setup in the next few months, and to put in my email address as a referral when you sign up (I will PM you the email address to use after you have contacted me).

[Gurantsu]

I don't know how many of you guys have android phones, but I just downloaded an app called irace planner that is awesome. It has all of the schedules for the season, and you can pick and choose any session that you want to compete in, and it will then set up a notification for you. Its unofficial but has plenty of options, tons of info, and even will open up google maps to show you pictures of the real world track. A great app and completely free.

[DChaps]

In fact, I am so convinced that this is the best version of iRacing yet, that I am willing to pay the $12 for 3 months subscription for the first 5 DSP members to PM me who have yet to try iRacing and want to give it a shot. All I ask in return is to try and participate in any DSP iRacing Poker nights that I try to setup in the next few months, and to put in my email address as a referral when you sign up (I will PM you the email address to use after you have contacted me).

Man, I have had no takers on the three months of iRacing for free offer. iRacing is definitely not for everyone, but I figured free might at least entice someone who had been on the fence.

On a completely different note: To date I have not been overly excited about the info and previews that have been released regarding rFactor 2. However, that changed today when I saw their two lap preview of 1967 Spa. It looks like GPL 2! This could be the one thing that gets me back into rFactor. Check it out here:

http://www.virtualr.net/rfactor-2-spa-f ... lay-video/

Following the car body reflection preview released yesterday, Image Space Incorporated has now released a preview video of rFactor 2, showing off the historical Spa Francorchamps Circuit.

The video shows two laps on the historical version of the Belgian track that was used until 1979. Even though Spa Francorchamps is still considered a thrilling and dangerous track in today’s motorsport world, the current layout is pale in comparion to the highspeed 14 kilometer monster you get to check out in the video.

ISI points out that the shown version is work in progress that does not reflect the quality of the final version as some draw & animation issues are visible, there’s no audio either so don’t bother checking your sound equipment.

[Rodster]

Don that's a generous offer on your part. I would take you up on it if I had a steering wheel. I know you elitist sim racers look down on us racer with a gamepad controller.

I saw that 67 Spa Youtube video and rFactor 2 is looking good. My biggest beef with rfactor has always been the AI in the mods created by the community. Nothing like trying to have a proper race when all of a sudden it turns into a drunken Ben Hur Chariot race.

[GB_Simo]

Don that's a generous offer on your part. I would take you up on it if I had a steering wheel. I know you elitist sim racers look down on us racer with a gamepad controller.

I saw that 67 Spa Youtube video and rFactor 2 is looking good. My biggest beef with rfactor has always been the AI in the mods created by the community. Nothing like trying to have a proper race when all of a sudden it turns into a drunken Ben Hur Chariot race.

That's not the AI. That's PK after two glasses of scotch.

[Jimmydeicide]

Don that's a generous offer on your part. I would take you up on it if I had a steering wheel. I know you elitist sim racers look down on us racer with a gamepad controller.

I saw that 67 Spa Youtube video and rFactor 2 is looking good. My biggest beef with rfactor has always been the AI in the mods created by the community. Nothing like trying to have a proper race when all of a sudden it turns into a drunken Ben Hur Chariot race.

That's not the AI. That's PK after two glasses of scotch.

Good times

[pk500]

Don that's a generous offer on your part. I would take you up on it if I had a steering wheel. I know you elitist sim racers look down on us racer with a gamepad controller.

I saw that 67 Spa Youtube video and rFactor 2 is looking good. My biggest beef with rfactor has always been the AI in the mods created by the community. Nothing like trying to have a proper race when all of a sudden it turns into a drunken Ben Hur Chariot race.

That's not the AI. That's PK after two glasses of scotch.

F*ckers.

[Gurantsu]

Just got finished a mixed class race, Corvettes and Radicals at Seabring. I was holding on to last place like a bulldog, until a brush with the wall threw my suspension so out of whack that I couldn't drive without being a menace to the other drivers (sort of like if I had a couple glasses of scotch in me! ). Still, had a blast in my Radical, and they actually hold their own quite well against the 'vettes. Well, from what I could see looking at the other drivers anyway...

[pk500]

The Williams FW31 at Lime Rock in Formula Fun: Holy f*cking SH*T. Mind-boggling speed and performance. Gobs of grip and power, the shortest braking distances I've ever experienced in any sim racing car.

39.503 for one lap around Lime Rock Park No Chicane. F*ck, that was gripping.

[pk500]

39.503 for one lap around Lime Rock Park No Chicane. F*ck, that was gripping.

P.S.: That's an average speed of 139.432 mph around that little joint. What a mind-boggling car.

[GB_Simo]

The Williams FW31 at Lime Rock in Formula Fun: Holy f*cking SH*T. Mind-boggling speed and performance. Gobs of grip and power, the shortest braking distances I've ever experienced in any sim racing car.

39.503 for one lap around Lime Rock Park No Chicane. F*ck, that was gripping.

I haven't given it a Formula Funning yet but I was inspired to run a little solo test session with the same car and track. That was mind-boggling. I got down to 37.286 with the Lime Rock Fixed setup, which leads me to suggest that when you said your ageing reflexes couldn't keep up with the Dallara, you sold yourself a bit short. 39.503 is shifting plenty fast enough.

Those who've ran the Mazda MX-5 at Lime Rock know the safe braking point for turn 1 is somewhere near to the 2 marker. In the last Poker Night I passed PK into the same turn by braking at that point and went past him in a cloud of front tyre smoke. FW31 approaches the braking zone at somewhere around 180 mph, you brake at the 1 marker and the car doesn't care a jot. Downshift, turn in, away you go.

You're in 6th gear for the big uphill right and, incredibly, you don't lift. You barely lift for the right hander after that - if you absolutely nail the turn in it's probably flat, but I haven't absolutely nailed the turn in once so I couldn't tell you. The last corner is easy flat, as in barely-even-a-corner flat, which is quite something when I remember how many Solstices and Star Mazdas I've completely broken by getting a bit off line there.

If you don't lift for the big uphill right (which is good) but find yourself slightly off line (which is bad) you'll have an aircraft accident. If you clip the kerb on the inside two corners from home you'll have spun into the outside wall before you've had time to register that you've lost control. If you clip the kerb turning into the last corner...:



165 at the apex, 110 when it connected with the outer wall, 20 feet up in the air a moment later.

[pk500]

Jesus, that's quick, Adam. I think I can find another second. But another 2-plus seconds? No, sir.

Well done!

[Gurantsu]

I may just have to snag the FW31 soon. I can't imagine running those suckers at Lime Rock. The Star Mazdas there were crazy enough.

Speaking of which, I ran a Star Mazda race at Mid-Ohio the other morning, and finally had a clean race. Only 9 guys in the race, but I still had a couple near me that I could race with now and then. When I logged in I had 3 minutes till the start, so I grabbed a setup from the forums and off I went (which bit me in the ass a bit as I ran out of gas with 1 lap to go!) Ended up finishingseventh. They are pretty fun at that track, stable but quick enough to make you pay if you hit one of those off camber turns the wrong way.

The Corvettes and Radicals also race there this week, so I hope to get a race with them in. My DP/Mustangs race at Road America, I really want to try that also. The Grand Am races are 50 minutes long (with last weeks Daytona Road being 80 minutes), so they are a bit longer than the usual races.

[pk500]

Dropped my best Williams FW31 time at Lime Rock to 38.9 with relative ease -- first flying lap -- after watching a YouTube video of a dude running a smooth 37.4. I think low 38's -- maybe even high 37's -- are attainable for me, as there are spots where I'm still losing chunks of time.

But how some dudes are running low 36's and high 35's at Lime Rock is beyond me. They must be close to flat the entire damn lap, except for Turns 2, 3 and 4.

These cars at Lime Rock are redefining iRacing fun for me. Hell, these cars anywhere are lip-smacking bliss.

[DChaps]

Simbin have just launched the beta of a new online portal called RaceRoom that will be used for all their games, along with a free new game in the process:

http://www.raceroom.net/

“RaceRoom – The Game” is a high quality authentic racing game, and the first free game exclusively available on RaceRoom Online. The game contains three different variations of one of world’s most famous racing circuit - Hockenheim. Drivers will be able to race two exiting and very different cars. The Formula RaceRoom which is the fastest ever formula car from SimBin, and solid “American Muscle” in the form of the powerful Chevrolet Camaro model first seen in RACE On.

As in former productions, SimBin set its focus on an highly authentic vehicle performance, a very detailed track design and outstanding AI opponents. As a new twist, the game gives drivers a competition hot lap mode that runs exclusively on the RaceRoom Online portal. Set the best lap times and win prizes.

“We developed “RaceRoom – The Game” to share the ultimate racing experience to all gamers in the world. Making it free of charge is a special bonus to our faithful racing community and will also attract more people to join the world of sim-racing. We decided to concentrate on the Hockenheim circuit as many racers will recognize the special characteristics and will love to ride the Camaro on Germanys most famous high speed circuit”, Henrik Roos, SimBin Studios AB, CEO and former professional racing driver commented on the press release.

Features of “RaceRoom – The Game” include:
- Free to download, free to play!
- Famous racing track - Hockenheim
- The fastest ever formula car from SimBin, the lightning quick Formula RaceRoom
- Get a touch of Race On - Chevrolet Camaro delivering intense power sliding action
- Brand new car and environment sounds, taking the immersion to a new level
- Exclusive hot lap contests available on “RaceRoom Online”
- Various game modes

Had not heard about this but it definitely looks promising. Just a quick look at the site shows that they seem to have prepared some extensive stat tracking and leaderboards, even for older games in their library like GTR 2, GT Legends, etc.

I almost exclusively play iRacing these days due to time constraints and the fact that I love the simplicity of their online interface, stat tracking, auto updates, etc. This could be a step in the right direction for Simbin.

PS - The Formula RaceRoom car appears to have liveries very similar to the current F1 season and they look pretty cool for a fantasy car. I just may have to check this one out.

[DChaps]

It is rare these days that I get a nice surprise with a good game demo that I never heard of before just popping up as available, but Christmas came early for me today! I saw a thread in the iRacing forums today about a new Karting sim that the demo and first beta (registered version) was released today by a one man development team.

I have been yearning for years for a true karting sim as their has never really been one produced. Well this little sim is the closest I have ever felt to the actual seat of your pants feel of kart racing. As a beta, it is a little rough around the edges in the UI, and it may take a little extra work to get your controls to your liking, but once there it is very good. There are currently only 3 types of karts modeled and one track, with one in the works. I think the registered version will give you the shifter kart and allow multi player online racing and tracking of stats online.

I am logging back in now to buy the registered version. Very cool change of pace. There is a nice forum for support and I have also linked to the iRacing forums that have a good thread going there with pretty positive reviews from the normally demanding iRacing folks. Anyway, check it out at the links below.

http://www.kartracing-pro.com

http://forum.kartracing-pro.com/

http://members.iracing.com/jforum/posts ... 46806.page

Kart Racing Pro beta1 (366 MB)

Kart Racing Pro is a realistic karting simulator.
The aim is to create a software useful as a training tool for real drivers, based on a scratch built physics engine that accurately simulates kart dynamics and setup options. As such a steering wheel is strongly recommended, although keyboard, joysticks and gamepads are fully supported.

Kart Racing Pro also allows to host and join online races, with an integrated matchmaking server. During events data is collected, to provide statistics for drivers' comparison.

More features:
- output of CSV files with telemetry data to analyze driving sessions
- support of custom paint schemes for kart, helmet and suit
- a plugins interface allows external programs to receive realtime data from the simulated kart
- advanced users can build new tracks and integrate them with the provided tools

If you are interested in Kart Racing Pro, you can download the demo.
The project is constantly evolving, so join the community to orient future development.
To unlock the full version and to support development purchase a license.

Minimum requirements:
Operating System: Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/Vista/7, 32 or 64 bits
Processor: 1.5 GHz
RAM: 512 MB
Video Card: 64 MB OpenGL 1.2.1-compliant
DirectX Version: DirectX 8.1 or newer libraries

[pk500]

Thanks for the tip on this, The Donald! Downloaded this morning.

This sim is made by PiBoSo, the one-man band who also produced the highly regarded GP Bikes grand prix motorcycle sim and World Racing Series formula car sim. Dude makes great stuff, but since he's a one-man show, he didn't flesh out the GP Bikes or WRS sims very well. Maybe because of lower sales than expected or because of competition from THQ MotoGP games and games such as rFactor and iRacing?

I wish him well with the kart sim, as it's a niche that has not been served well in the past. Eager to try this!

Thanks again.