Racing simulators, good or bad?
Discussion
I am fascinated to know how drivers get on with simulators, be it a simple desktop or a full motion simulator.
I have a professional full motion sim but I never raced and wondered how it can help.
Back a few years ago there was a Ferrari 355 challenge game that offered a manual gearbox and clutch or paddle change. I used to take some of my workers down and shove endless amounts of £1 count in and the racing became very heated although we were just against the clock.
Since then sims are on a totally different level and I wonder how it shows after some hours on the simulator especially when attacking a new circuit.
I think F1 is different because there are so many G forces in action but perhaps less powerful cars would be pretty realistic.
I have a professional full motion sim but I never raced and wondered how it can help.
Back a few years ago there was a Ferrari 355 challenge game that offered a manual gearbox and clutch or paddle change. I used to take some of my workers down and shove endless amounts of £1 count in and the racing became very heated although we were just against the clock.
Since then sims are on a totally different level and I wonder how it shows after some hours on the simulator especially when attacking a new circuit.
I think F1 is different because there are so many G forces in action but perhaps less powerful cars would be pretty realistic.
If you want to to it there are two options.
The most immersive being PC, that way you can access a wider variety of proper sims such as Iracing, RF2 etc, these are sims developed by sim people, not simply games. They are more flexible, and you can usually install mods for games to make them either easier or better to play.
Console is OK and would give you a great insight, but buy a wheel and pedal set, and maybe even VR to get the most out of it.
The most immersive being PC, that way you can access a wider variety of proper sims such as Iracing, RF2 etc, these are sims developed by sim people, not simply games. They are more flexible, and you can usually install mods for games to make them either easier or better to play.
Console is OK and would give you a great insight, but buy a wheel and pedal set, and maybe even VR to get the most out of it.
There's nothing realistic about them. I can't get any sense of speed or movement of the car. They substitute the sensation of speed for a speedometer on the screen, which nobody on track would ever look at in a real car. I have no idea what the entry speed is for any corner on any real track I've driven. It's all feeling. They substitute slip angle for tyre squeal noises. I don't feel a car under or oversteering with my ears, so this is pretty useless for me.
I don't have a problem with flight sims though. I can pootle around in a Cessna all day quite happily, but I can't complete a single lap of any track in any sim or racing game I've tried. I think it's because it's not unusual to fly an aircraft on the instruments rather than the seat of your pants, whereas track driving is the exact opposite.
I love the attention to detail in the likes of iRacing, but I don't really enjoy them much. It still feels like a game. I don't think any amount of VR, or force-feedback or sub-kickers or anything else practical for a home sim rig would change that for me. Annoying really, because so many people I know love all sorts of racing sims, and it would be great to join in.
I don't have a problem with flight sims though. I can pootle around in a Cessna all day quite happily, but I can't complete a single lap of any track in any sim or racing game I've tried. I think it's because it's not unusual to fly an aircraft on the instruments rather than the seat of your pants, whereas track driving is the exact opposite.
I love the attention to detail in the likes of iRacing, but I don't really enjoy them much. It still feels like a game. I don't think any amount of VR, or force-feedback or sub-kickers or anything else practical for a home sim rig would change that for me. Annoying really, because so many people I know love all sorts of racing sims, and it would be great to join in.
I race a fwd civic, and (I am by no means a sim racer) use project cars 2 on an xbox with a logictech wheel and gear shifter (and one of the Clio cups in the game).
I don't use the sim much, may be a couple of hours a month - its useful for learning my way around the circuit, or just keeping my mind on it.
It helps with roughly what gear to be in corners, but it really helps with some of the lines I can get away with when racing for real (for example if someone dives down the inside etc).
I cant get my head into a full on feel life quali/hot lap moment on the sim - due to the fear factor, which gives me the buzz in a real car.
Sims also help you mind practice to stay focused for say 20, 30 mins (as per some of the races I do).
Getting out in a kart helps keep my race fitness up - definitely combine that with sim time, gym sessions and you should be in good place for some club races.
Obviously, not needed - plenty of people get on just fine without any of the above.
I just like to maximise whatever I can. Including track limits!
I don't use the sim much, may be a couple of hours a month - its useful for learning my way around the circuit, or just keeping my mind on it.
It helps with roughly what gear to be in corners, but it really helps with some of the lines I can get away with when racing for real (for example if someone dives down the inside etc).
I cant get my head into a full on feel life quali/hot lap moment on the sim - due to the fear factor, which gives me the buzz in a real car.
Sims also help you mind practice to stay focused for say 20, 30 mins (as per some of the races I do).
Getting out in a kart helps keep my race fitness up - definitely combine that with sim time, gym sessions and you should be in good place for some club races.
Obviously, not needed - plenty of people get on just fine without any of the above.
I just like to maximise whatever I can. Including track limits!
I think they can be useful for keeping you sharp... but not really comparible (setups ive used) to the real thing.
IRacing - Its great. I found it took a while to get used to the feel of cars, and had to play around a fair bit with the feeback settings on wheel (old G25). With this, you can get a fairly good indication of grip through the wheel. I.e if you are sliding on brakes, rear stepping out - you know about it well before 'hearing tyre squeal'. That sounds more like an arcade console game like GT.
I found IRacing very useful for learning Brands Hatch. Simple familiarity of the track before my first real life lap meant much less time was spent/wasted 'in real life'.
Id say they are good
IRacing - Its great. I found it took a while to get used to the feel of cars, and had to play around a fair bit with the feeback settings on wheel (old G25). With this, you can get a fairly good indication of grip through the wheel. I.e if you are sliding on brakes, rear stepping out - you know about it well before 'hearing tyre squeal'. That sounds more like an arcade console game like GT.
I found IRacing very useful for learning Brands Hatch. Simple familiarity of the track before my first real life lap meant much less time was spent/wasted 'in real life'.
Id say they are good
Virtual reality headsets make a huge difference to immersion (if you don't get motion sickness)
They allow somone to make better use of real testing because they need to spend less time acclimitising to the circuit, whether you have been there before or for the first time).
The key is to seek out the most accurate car model, which can usually be tweaked slightly to suit your own car. Some can't model some suspension designs terribly well.
They allow somone to make better use of real testing because they need to spend less time acclimitising to the circuit, whether you have been there before or for the first time).
The key is to seek out the most accurate car model, which can usually be tweaked slightly to suit your own car. Some can't model some suspension designs terribly well.
I was on mine again last night, I find the set ups endless but I have the help of a guy up the road who seems to know everything there is to know.
its odd how the senses play with your mind, when you drive into the old pit lane at Silverstone and up the ramp it really makes you feel dizzy.
I was racing around in a 718 RSK 60 which is a good car for the sim as it demands little G-force input.
its odd how the senses play with your mind, when you drive into the old pit lane at Silverstone and up the ramp it really makes you feel dizzy.
I was racing around in a 718 RSK 60 which is a good car for the sim as it demands little G-force input.
Motion rigs make me sick as a dog, I much prefer fixed rigs.
Plus I think the motion only gives you a bit more sense of what the simulated car is doing, which might improve your lap time but isn't really like the feel in a real car and won't add much beyond a well tuned and decent quality feedback wheel in terms of driver development.
A mate had quite an interesting setup, it was VR headset with a moving seat that you strapped yourself into which pushed and pulled you around to give the impression of G-force. It wasn't realistic but as with a moving rig it did make it easier to drive the simulated car on the limit. The VR part also gave more immersion and the ability to see cars around you more easily but the focal length was a bit weird and the quality a bit lower than a screen.
I could see the setup being useful for a pro gamer with a strong stomach though, you would definitely improve lap times.
Personally I have a fixed seat setup with a shifter and wraparound single screen. It's useful for learning tracks and generally getting up to speed quicker when you arrive at a test/race weekend but it's usually worth a maximum of about half an hour's real running at a new track, and maybe 3 or 4 laps at a track you already know but haven't been to in a while.
One thing I do find it useful for is reflex training. Not all of us can be in a car on a daily basis keeping yourself sharp, and even (or perhaps especially) more arcadey games can keep you sharper than you otherwise would be
Plus I think the motion only gives you a bit more sense of what the simulated car is doing, which might improve your lap time but isn't really like the feel in a real car and won't add much beyond a well tuned and decent quality feedback wheel in terms of driver development.
A mate had quite an interesting setup, it was VR headset with a moving seat that you strapped yourself into which pushed and pulled you around to give the impression of G-force. It wasn't realistic but as with a moving rig it did make it easier to drive the simulated car on the limit. The VR part also gave more immersion and the ability to see cars around you more easily but the focal length was a bit weird and the quality a bit lower than a screen.
I could see the setup being useful for a pro gamer with a strong stomach though, you would definitely improve lap times.
Personally I have a fixed seat setup with a shifter and wraparound single screen. It's useful for learning tracks and generally getting up to speed quicker when you arrive at a test/race weekend but it's usually worth a maximum of about half an hour's real running at a new track, and maybe 3 or 4 laps at a track you already know but haven't been to in a while.
One thing I do find it useful for is reflex training. Not all of us can be in a car on a daily basis keeping yourself sharp, and even (or perhaps especially) more arcadey games can keep you sharper than you otherwise would be
Yeah we recently went as a good to a place in Glasgow to give their VR Simulators a go as part of my stag do.
I was very impressed with the tech, and lapping a track I know well in person it seemed fairly accurate in terms of its realism.
However, within 4 laps, i was feeling nauseaus, sweat was pouring off me and i was torn between throwing up or passing out. It just did not agree with me at all.
I sat it out for a good half hour or so to see if I could recover and then tried the game again this time without the VR element but i just felt awful again almost instantly.
Before going, i had no idea that this was even a thing - but supposedly its actualyl very common.
I was very impressed with the tech, and lapping a track I know well in person it seemed fairly accurate in terms of its realism.
However, within 4 laps, i was feeling nauseaus, sweat was pouring off me and i was torn between throwing up or passing out. It just did not agree with me at all.
I sat it out for a good half hour or so to see if I could recover and then tried the game again this time without the VR element but i just felt awful again almost instantly.
Before going, i had no idea that this was even a thing - but supposedly its actualyl very common.
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