iracing
 

Has anyone here joined, heard about it? They discussed it on Wind Tunnel. Looks like a lot of fun. I may join. Have to see if my computer will support the requirements. Wouldn't a Pelican League be pretty cool? :D
http://iracing.com

Yeah, i listened in on the iracing thing. Next level of computer games comes to racing. Virtual racing has got to be cool and I can see iracing parlors popping up.

You gots to have the big, big screen, the seat and controls plus the sound. It's almost too much for any household system if they have it right.

Frankly, I can see surround screens being used for this. Look over and there's Kimi giving you the finger.

I just joined this past weekend - before the Wind Tunnel story. I was getting ready to post/start a similar thread. I've been doing some research into driving sims like iRacing in the hopes it will help my track addiction that is rarely satisfied. There's some things about iRacing that seems really great, but also some things that seem to be not as great as other sim options - nothing's perfect right? I went for a month's subscription to demo and get a feel for it etc... I'm assuming before I even start that I'll love it and be hooked.

I'd love to hear other opinions/experiences too. . .

Tom

Saw this in the latest Road & Track.

How much did they pay SPEED for that 10 minute interview/story/info-commercial?

And I don't trust a guy that is sitting in his house in Boca Raton FLORIDA and has a fire going in the background. :rolleyes:

They made it sound as if your normal computer screen would work :( Anyone know how much the seat and controls cost?

Tom, Let us know your impressions please.

iRacing is an on-line sim - meaning you have to be connected to the internet to run it. I went w/a midrange wheel/pedal/shifter, the G25 by Logitech. I think it was about $250 - which is more of an "investment" for sure. Everything that I've read seems to suggest that iRacing is not a "game", but as close to a true driving simulation experience that's been available to date. There's a lot of grousing about the subscription pricing - I guess only time will tell if it's here to stay etc... I have not run across one post in any of the iRacing forums, and I sifted through a lot of posts before I signed up, that hinted at any regrets after subscribing - most were of the "wow this is amazing" type. I'll report back when I'm up and running - just waiting for Windows XP to arrive so I can load it on my Mac w/Bootcamp. (Another issue for us Mac guys is that none of the most popular driving sim options are Mac compatible).

Tom

Dave Kaemmer started this up and was the main player in developing the NASCAR, Grand Prix Legends, and INDY CAR simulation series for Papyrus software way back when. Sierra later bought Papyrus and then later EA Sports monopolized all NASCAR software licensing and turned it into an arcadish POS. Arcade games appeal to the masses $$$ while simulators are for the devoted few.

I raced a few times a week in online NASCAR leagues for 5 years starting in 1998, also beta tested for several years. I've run many laps with a few major players, most notably Dale Earnhardt Jr. Yes, he is an aggressive maniac in the simulation too. :)

EDIT: Speaking of steering wheel/pedals, this manufacturer had the cats pajamas for all the years I raced. Not sure of what's out there currently. I paid $600 in 1997 for my ECCi setup. You really don't want plastic crap if you are going to get serious. Many participants had entire lifesized cockpits. I didn't get to that extreme.

http://ecci6000.com/consumerhome.htm

Geez am I outa touch. I was thinking along the lines of the old Nintendo game controls. Maybe Santa will be kind :D Let us know Tom.

BOOO my internet is too laggy

This was the biggest issue with online racing 10 years ago and I'm betting it will still play a major role. We referred to it as warping... you suddenly find your car on top of another with a delayed explosion as the latency catches up. Two drivers involved in a crash may see two completely different scenarios of the same wreck.

Peer to peer was almost always a bad idea. We raced on a network called TEN, and it was still dependent on each drivers personal latency. There is only so much extrapolation code built into the software. Code that can make supposition to your car placement during poor latency. The bottom line is if your connection always sucks, no one will want to race you side by side.

I have been a member of iracing for about 6 weeks, it is the most realistic of the sims I have tried, including GTR2, GTL, rFactor.
You have to work your way through the ranks, rookie, D,C,B,A, licence levels, needing to accrue safety rating of above 4.0, and a minimal participation in TT and races to progress to the next licence level, which can be in road or oval racig, or both.
Safety rating helps to weed out the dive bombers and rewards consistent driving.
The tracks and cars are excellent, and I have had no real problems with lag or latency, and average about 50 to 80 fps at most tracks.
I have done about 13 races mainly in the Solstice, and while not the fastest guy, I am consistent, leave racing room and try to make good judgement calls. I have had some excellent races. The racing is a REAL adrenaline rush and feels exactly like my karting days, and much better than racing the AI, as in GTR2.
Just got my D licence, so will be racing Skip Barber, which is the first step in open wheel, once I get my setup as a nice stable platform.
This sim is as real as it gets, except for the g forces, however, if you have a good wheel and pedal setup, it adds to the immersion. I have a cockpit, I built myself with modded G25 wheel and pedals, 5 speed or sequential shifter, realistic brake pedal, Recaro race seat, 22'' monitor.
This thing is a blast, downside, you have to subsscibe, but for the amount of good racing and enjoyment I get, its worth the price of admission.

This isn't my rig, but very similar.
img]http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploads14/sim41225902296.jpg[/img]

How polite do you have to be in internet racing, and how is it policed? I've only raced on Gran Turismo and often use the car in front of me as a guard rail on turns, at least in races where you're not penalized for contact. I wouldn't think this would be cool on the internet, but then again, no one really gets hurt and breaks their car. So how are overly aggressive drivers handled?

Wow, thanks Julian. You make it sound pretty awesome. I'd still need to figure out if my puter can support such a beast. Hell I don't even know if I can put in a game card or even if I may have one. (what is sims? :o )

Perhaps Carmad will give details, but basically this is a simulator, not an arcade game. Purposely wrecking won't be tolerated by the governing body nor by your peers. We know no one really gets hurt and it's a simulated car, but this is serious stuff that is supposed to mirror real life, so if you are asking can you bounce off other cars to aid your turning ability, then you don't understand the simulator concept. You develop a racing reputation among your peers, just as you would at your local track.

Carmad mentioned you don't advance if you don't achieve a safety rating. We used to call them incidents points and you could be charged whether you started the wreck or just got caught up in someone else's mess.

It's easy to look at replays during yellows and find the offending driver. Today's software can probably do it all. We actually had to police our own incidents and make judgment calls a decade ago.

thanks Terry for the link to equipment.

Buck,
Go to the iracing website, it gives you the minimum specs you need to run the sim.

Bouncing off other cars will be severely penalized with incident points, which will lower your safety rating, heavy car to car contact is 4 points, a slight door rub is 1 point, if it is very minor contact sometimes you will not get any points,even if you are the innocent party, you will get points.
You can be reported to the chief steward, who can serve you penalties, if you are deemed to be driving in a reckless manner.

This is not a game, it is a simulation (sim), it has a sanctioning body, and all the same rules and regulations of real racing series. The majority of the members, race in real life, either oval, road, karting, AX, DE, several Nascar drivers are members, a couple of IRL, as well as some other road race professionals.
I was taking to a guy today, who raced Dale Jr last night in a truck race.

There are no driving aids, traction control, ABS, just a good setup and a good driver, some of these guys are extremely fast and are on a different level than most, these guys take it very seriously, and you will be called out if you are a perpetual wrecker, or poor driver.