Racing Sim Thread, Part II

[Gurantsu]

Man that is some awesome stuff! Good thing my current sub is good until 2012!

[DChaps]

Wow, even more iRacing goodness. I just realized that I received $5 iRacing credit because I have been a member for a continuous 12 months, this is a new bonus that will continue each year as long as you do not let your account lapse. Hey, it's better than nothing.

The Season 2 2011 Schedule has just been released and at the same time a Buy two or more pieces of content and get $8 of iRacing credit! promotion. Look at the new schedule and figure out what cars and tracks you need to purchase. Now if they only gave me some kind of bonus for already owning all the content.

iRacing Season 2 2011 Schedule:
http://members.iracing.com/jforum/posts ... 66964.page

The shelves at iRacing’s warehouse are once again overflowing so we decided to offer a Spring Cleaning Special for members only. Buy two or more pieces of content and get $8 of iRacing credit! This deal only runs through the weekend, or until inventory runs out, so act fast.

Offer applies to new content (cars & tracks) purchased between 00:01 GMT on 4.21.11 (20:01 EDT on 4.20.10) through 23:59 GMT on 4.24.11 (19:59 EDT on 4.24.11). Credits will be issued on Wednesday April 27th. Members may only redeem offer once, for a maximum of $8 iRacing credits per account. This offer is in addition to any volume discounts you may be eligible for.

Members who qualify for the bonus $8 iRacing credits will automatically receive them via email on Wednesday April 27th.

[pk500]

Thanks, The Donald! Just got the Nationwide car -- the only car I don't have -- and Pocono.

[Gurantsu]

I snagged Pocono, Dover, (two tracks I've actually been to), the Jetta, and the Lotus 79, which is a hoot.

We need to try Dover in the Indycars. Hey they did it in real life!

[fsquid]

Anyone play STCC The Game 2??

[Gurantsu]

Squid,

Yes I did. Its pretty good, just like the first but more stuff. If you liked the first one then you'll like this one.

[pk500]

A lovely, relaxing Easter morning with iRacing: Daytona Prototype laps at Mid-Ohio, followed by Dallara laps at Indy. Ninth-fastest out of 30 at Indy without much of a tow. 39.971

FUN!

[GB_Simo]

I've been thumping around Silverstone in the FW31. Down to a 1:21.0 in qualifying trim, which isn't right up there with the big dogs but isn't atrocious. The opening part of that lap is the best illustration of F1 performance anywhere in iRacing. The apex speed through Copse on my best lap was 174 mph, while Becketts is brilliant for that "I should have lifted by now. Should have lifted. Why haven't I lif...right, I'm lifting now. Nope, too early..." feeling.

[pk500]

I've been thumping around Silverstone in the FW31. Down to a 1:21.0 in qualifying trim, which isn't right up there with the big dogs but isn't atrocious. The opening part of that lap is the best illustration of F1 performance anywhere in iRacing. The apex speed through Copse on my best lap was 174 mph, while Becketts is brilliant for that "I should have lifted by now. Should have lifted. Why haven't I lif...right, I'm lifting now. Nope, too early..." feeling.

God bless you for driving Silverstone. I know Copse-Becketts-Maggots is breathtaking, but I hate that circuit. Flat, very few reference points.

I'd run Brands GP until my eyeballs bled if I could avoid Silverstone.

[GB_Simo]

God bless you for driving Silverstone. I know Copse-Becketts-Maggots is breathtaking, but I hate that circuit. Flat, very few reference points.

I love the place, but your point is a very valid one. I know 1:21.0 would become a 1:20.something if I was able to tell you the following:

- Where I'm meant to be turning in at Stowe
- Where to brake for Vale
- Where to brake and turn in for Abbey
- Where to brake for Priory, when to turn in for Priory, exactly which gear I'm meant to be in through Priory
- Anything at all about Luffield. Really, really need someone to throw me a bone there.

I'm fine with the entire first sector but everything from there on has something of the mystery tour about it.

[DChaps]

Lots of information and craziness going on regarding Week 13 (Fun Week) of iRacing and the status of the new build. Here is a compilation of the actual info from iRacing staff members:

It looks like as of now it will be next week before we release the new Nationwide car with the new tire model.

We are trying to get it out a week from today but I think it will likely be later in the week if I was putting money on it.

I know some are disappointed that we did not get a road car done but the reality is we just did not have enough time and needed to focus on one car to even have a shot at it. The new nationwide car was built from the ground up on the new model so if we were going to release it at all it needed to be released with the new tire model.

It's our intention for all of the cars to have the new tires for Season 3.

The old nationwide car will still be available for hosted racing. We have some ideas on what to do with it for season 3 though already.

If we need to postpone the start of season 2 class B series I will push back season 1 a week and chop off week 12 from the schedule.

Steve Meyers
iRacing Staff

And regarding the Week 13 races:

When the build goes out on Wednesday there will be a fun series with the Skippy at Okayama short and full. There will also be a fun series with the DP and Vette at Sebring night. The new nationwide car is probably not going to make it out this week, likely next week.

Starting tonight we will have:
COT at Dega fun series
FW31 at Zandvoort fun series
Truck and Nationwide at Charlotte fun series
Street stock official series
MX5 official series

Steve Meyers
iRacing Staff

Release notes info:

Release notes are being assembled this afternoon. They might possibly be posted tonight, but since the update isn't happening until Wednesday morning, I will probably post them tomorrow morning, after everyone has had several chances to look through everything and make sure it's all just right.

Relax, and let your F5 key breath easily for the rest of the day

Grant Reeve
iRacing Staff

[pk500]

We're going to see more road racing with a stock car in the next three months than ever.

Thanks for this info. Eager for the new build!

[pk500]

I hope night racing doesn't create too much of a framerate hit for the prehistoric 128 MB graphics card in my lappy, but I fear it might. Night racing at ovals works well, but individual headlights from cars in true night races might be too much.

Nationwide and Truck fun races at Charlotte sound like fun!

[DChaps]

I hope night racing doesn't create too much of a framerate hit for the prehistoric 128 MB graphics card in my lappy, but I fear it might. Night racing at ovals works well, but individual headlights from cars in true night races might be too much.

Nationwide and Truck fun races at Charlotte sound like fun!

I will try to dig them out of the iRacing forums, but I believe I have already seen reports from iRacing staff and/or beta testers that night racing was designed to not create a big framerate hit. That would be awesome as most sims to date have been unplayable at night for me.

[Gurantsu]

I can't wait for the night racing! I may snag the Nationwide car too with the extra credts I got from the spring cleaning sale.

[Gurantsu]

I know Smurf asked about the STCC 2 expansion for Race On, and figured he'd be interested in their next add-on coming out later this week:

The Swedish game development company SimBin Studios AB today announced that the fourth expansion pack for the award winning PC racing game
“Race07” will be released next week.

Release date: April 28, 2011 | Price: 4.99 EUR | Available on: http://www.raceroom.net and http://www.steampowered.com

The Retro Pack features 8 cool retro cars and 2 new high detailed tracks. It is designed for all fans who loves their racing cars loud and charismatic. From the unmistakable rounded curves of the Volvo Amazon, over the iconic BMW 2002 to the raw coolness factor of the ’70 Chevrolet Camaro, it is all here. The pack also contains the Poznan track which is a world premiere on any gaming platform, and the first hillclimb stage ever made by SimBin.

Special Features:
- Integration with the RaceRoom online platform, featuring leaderboards and competitions.
- The first ever Hillclimb stage developed by SimBin, based loosely on stretches of road in the Alps.

Cars:
1968 Volvo Amazon
1972 Volvo P1800 ES
1971 BMW 2002
1968 Mini Cooper S
1971 Opel Commodore GS 3001
1973 BMW 3.0 CSL
1974 Chevrolet Corvette
1970 Chevrolet Camaro

Tracks:
Hillclimb Stage
Poznan

Also, I did grab the last add-on from Steam, called the GT Power Pack:

The Swedish game development company SimBin Studios AB
today announced that “GT Power Pack” is now released as an expansion pack for the award winning PC racing game “RACE 07”.

“GT Power Pack” is now available via digital distribution at only 4.99 Euro on: http://www.raceroom.net and http://www.steampowered.com

The “GT Power Pack” is designed for those gamers who can’t get enough horsepower under their right foot, all content created in detail to ensure you get the real authentic feel of what driving one of these beasts is like. Can you handle it… and can you RACE it to victory?

Three high profile exotic GT sportscars (Pagani Zonda R, BMW M3 GT2, Matech GT 1) are ready to hammer around two completely new tracks: “Mid-Ohio” and “Chayka”. “Mid Ohio” is often named as “the best road course” in the USA whereas “Chayka” is the first track out of the former Soviet Union to make it to a SimBin title. The “GT Power Pack”is also supporting Multiplayer with up to 25 players online.

[DChaps]

Just to whet your appetite for the new build even more:

Upgraded Skip Barber Formula 2000 at new(free) Okayama International Circuit



New Nationwide car and New Tire Physics world premiere



I am not sure how you can see the new tire model in that video, but it is pretty cool nonetheless.

[GB_Simo]

Had some good battles with various dudes, and for the first time in a while felt fast. Not alien fast, but at least enough to hold my own. I stayed out of trouble, and ended up with a fifth place finish. My fastest lap was a 1:08.9.

I've just been doing some solo laps there without having seen your post. The only lap I did without getting my foot stuck between the brake and throttle trying to heel-toe was a 1:11.somethingorother, running the default medium downforce setup. I know I'm losing time everywhere - never tried the DP at the Glen in iRacing until tonight and I don't seem to understand cornering speeds or braking points, which is a bit of a handicap - but 1:08s and 1:09s sound like pretty good race pace. Nice run, mate.

Talking to myself to some degree, some while after the event, but...

Grant, I remember reading about you winging your engine during a bad gear change in a recent race. How do you shift on iRacing? I don't have auto-clutch or auto-blip and, having either read the release notes wrongly or else read them correctly and then completely failed to apply them, I've been bumbling along in the belief that the quickest way to go about engaging gears is to heel-toe and ignore the clutch. That's what I was doing when I did 1:11.somethingorother on the Cup layout at the Glen. It's also what I was doing in the Mazdas the other night, in between pulling over for coughing fits and taking the fast tow whenever I sneezed.

It turns out that - and oh Doctor, do I feel like a complete berk for not picking this one up - if I brake with my right foot and declutch as I would in a road car, not only are my shifts much, much faster but I don't keep getting neutral whenever I go for another cog. I haven't sent an engine to the scrapyard or spun through not matching the revs properly yet either, though they'll both come, no doubt. I've taken a second off my MX-5 lap at Lime Rock and got well into the 1:08s in the DP at the Glen using the same default medium downforce setup as before, all brought about by remembering that I'm still allowed to use the clutch pedal...

[Gurantsu]

Adam,

I have the auto-clutch on, but I do lift when shifting. I don't have a clutch pedal (maybe someday...!) so I'm left foot braking. If done smoothly your shifts go pretty quick. There goes my secret to staying in front of you next poker night!

As for blowing my engine, that was a completely unrelated event, based more on my ADHD habit of pressing the downshift button too many times. Sad thing was I did it twice while practicing before then. Good thing I learn from my mistakes.

[pk500]

I don't use the clutch, and I have a clutch pedal! One of these days, I'll give it a go ...

[TCrouch]

Same, I'm a wuss.

But I've been trying lately to try to come to grips with road racing, so I might as well make the plunge now instead of learning and then relearning everything. It will take a lot of practice to get used to right-foot braking instead of left-footing it all the time, though.

[DChaps]

The new iRacing build is out but it looks like it could be another two weeks before the new tire model Nationwide car is released. Can't wait to get home and try out the new night racing. Also, while I have never really been into the award/achievement things in Xbox games, some of the new awards are pretty cool. I earned the one in my avatar by spending too much money on racing sims.

The new build is here just in the nick of time for 2011 Season 2. We may be biased, but the consensus at 34 Crosby Drive is that this is one of our best builds yet. What’s more, it offers every iRacer tantalizing hints of the amazing things to come in iRacing Version 2.0.

For starters, every iRacer receives Japan’s challenging Okayama International Circuit (including both the 1.2 mile and 2.3 mile configurations) for free. And you’ll just have to experience the new night racing feature at Sebring to believe how cool it can be racing on the venerable airport circuit after dark. That’s just one element of an improved graphics package that features shader upgrades and a complete overhaul of the Skip Barber FSB2000.

We’re also launching an in-games awards program, with more than 50 different participation awards on tap with more to come (note: most are not retroactive), as well as major enhancements to hosted racing sessions starting with reduced pricing but also including advanced scheduling, new race session options and additional grid spots at many tracks on the iRacing service. Other new and improved features include preferred numbering, enhanced pitting and damage repair for all cars.

Finally, we’ve improved the accuracy of our track surface model which will not only make cars feel better to drive, particularly on road courses, but dovetails with the new tire model. While Dave Kaemmer’s new tires won’t be bolted-on all of our cars until later this summer, the new virtual rubber will be on the new Impala Class B, which is scheduled for release in about two weeks.

These are just the highlights of a new build chock full of new features. Check the Forum posting for all the details.

[Gurantsu]

Holy cow the night road racing is awesome!!!! I'm interested to see how it runs for some of the guys with slower systems.

Okayama is a great track too. I ran some laps in a DP and it had a very similar vibe as Watkins Glen, so that could be a good replacement for guys who don't have the Glen.

[pk500]

Holy cow the night road racing is awesome!!!! I'm interested to see how it runs for some of the guys with slower systems.

I'll let you know tonight or tomorrow morning. Very few iRacers have an older, weaker rig than me. I can be a lowest common denominator GPU guinea pig!

[TCrouch]

I'm amazed at how much they nailed the night racing. You just get glimpses of the reflectors coming at you and not much else until they're in your beams.

And I still suck. I don't know how I'll ever learn to manual clutch it, as half the time I'm trying to brake and I'm pushing the clutch like a moron.