The new guy needs some advice

[kat]

Hello everyone. I am currently "on the fence" on whether or not to dive into PC Sim racing. I'm in the Iracing Forum because this is the first game I want to try out but to be honest Project Cars and Arssetto Corsa has realy got my intrest.
Let me start by giving you a little history. In the 45 years of my existance I have always played video games (mainly FPS) on Consouls. Mainly becasue PC games have not interested me or have intimidated me. But I got hooked on Forzamotorsport and bought a Fanatec CSR wheel, clubsport pedals and a nice stand. Now as you might know my Fanatec wheel doesnt work on my new Xbox One along with my copy of Forza 5. I have been waiting for a adapter that might work but it doesnt look like its going to happen. So, this brought me to a conclusion. I either buy another $500 wheel OR look into PC racing to fill my need for speed, On Cyber Monday I'm thinking on upgrading my HTPC with a better graphics card, processor etc to run Project Cars/AC. My HTPC now is good enough to run Iracing at some low settings just so I can see if I like it. So this brings me to some questions.

1=I have always heard that in order to be competative in PC gaming you have to constantly invest in upgrades or modds to keep up. Is this the case with Racing games?? Are there "hackers" out there that will blow by me in a Miata while I driving a Porsche??
2= I do not have the room for a tripple screen set up. I will be using my 56' LED tv. Will using a single screen be a disadvantage to me in Sim Racing games??
3=I know a little how a PC works and the programs. Is there a steep learning curve to Sim racing when it comes to installing programs/patches/paint/tuning setups?
4=I work crazy hours and racing on the weekends are not good for me. Will I still be able to find races in order to level up at 1am on a Tuesday (example)
5=Is the setup for my Fanatec wheel and Astro headset easy for my PC??

Thanx for any advice I can get

 

[Bakkster]

Congrats on making the move up from Forza! I did it years ago and haven't looked back since, it's that much better. I'll try and answer.

1) So long as you can run the software at a reasonable framerate, you can be competitive with very little hardware. Richard Towler won the iRacing NASCAR world championship with 15 FPS. Any legitimate cheaters get caught and banned pretty quickly, at least on iRacing. Any hardware will just be to make you more consistent and make things more enjoyable. Your CSR is more than good enough, my biggest suggestion is just to make sure you have a solid chair that won't move on you at full brake pressure (which it sounds like you do).
2) That's a bigger TV than I am using right now, and I'm still faster than average. The trick is to put the TV as close to your eyes as possible, just behind the wheel is best.
3) Plenty of people willing to help out with setups if you ask kindly on the forums (either here or iRacing).
4) Depends on the series you race. Stick to the more populated series and you can pretty much find a race any time you want. Rookie Miata, Skippy, SRF, and GT3 are pretty guaranteed, plus a few more with a good chance. Here's a good site with participation info.
http://www.iracer.info/
5) I don't see why they should be difficult. Go ahead and plug them in, if your PC recognizes them you'll be good to go!

Good luck, and hope to see you on iRacing! Be sure to grab the 3-months free if you do.

 

[kat]

Thanx for the reply. Last night after I posted I found the 3 month free offer, so I am now a Iracing member. Did all the setup but ran into a snag when it came to my wheel/shifter combo. I made the mistake of NOT calibrating my shifter to the computer BEFORE I tried to calibrated with Iracing. So the Iracing calibration wasn't seeing my shifts. (I remember this problem when I first set up the wheel for Forza/Xbox) No big deal, Where would I go back to redo my settings??..I looked around on the website but couldnt find it. I ran out of time before I had to go to work. So hopefully I have time tomorroo to mess with it. I havent had a chance to see what the graphics are going to look like with my settings I just used the default of what Iracing suggested. I think my biggest opstical is to get used to the in car view. I always used the hood view in Forza.
Thanx for the link that is very helpful. The word "fixed" Im assuming means there is no tuning??

 

[Bakkster]

To redo the calibration, click the shifter in the options page. Then you'll row through the gears and it will detect the buttons.

You'll get used to the cockpit view pretty quick. I also suggest not using any of the driving aids (if you used to in Forza). I quit them cold turkey, and I'm a better driver (and have more fun) because of it.

And yes, fixed means fixed setup.

 

[kat]

The options page is on the main site of Iracing??..(at work and cannot access it) I agree with the assists the last 2 forza's I didnt have any assists and it eventualy made me faster. But I did use a breaking line.(now I got to start looking for breaking points.)..
BTW Im more interested in Road Courses

 

[yusupov]

wow, fanatec wont/isnt allowed to support xbox1 after that association w/ forza they had??? sorry for the OT, but thats just ****ed up.

at least it brought you to PC though. never heard anyone argue its not an entirely different level from forza/gt (which ive sadly yet to experience, hope forza will move to PC sometime).

started simracing this year myself, & as far as i can tell, we picked literally the best year ever for it. tons of great stuff out there.

 

[Bakkster]

The options page is on the main site of Iracing??..(at work and cannot access it)

No, the options tab from within the sim. So start up a test session with whatever car and track you'd like, then click options. From there you can recalibrate the wheel, pedals, and/or shifter by clicking the buttons on the top right.

And one final tip, make sure you've put in enough practice that you can run full race lengths cleanly. That's the #1 mistake new players make, jumping into races before they're ready and struggling with their ratings (which also means getting put into races with worse competitiors, and a vicious cycle downward).

 

[kat]

Wow...alot of Options there. After about an hour of downloading drivers and new firmware for my Fanatec I finaly did a test run on a track. I see I have to do some fine tuning with the wheel settings and settings in game because I was ALL OVER the track. Thanks again Bakkster for your help.

 

[Bakkster]

No worries! Just make sure to calibrate your wheel with the correct degrees of rotation and you'll be fine. Did you install the Fanatec driver?

Here's some info on the best setup to start with on FFB.
http://members.iracing.com/jforum/posts/list/2023748.page

 

[kat]

Funny you mention that, Im having a problem with my rotation I think. Its asking me to move it to 90 degrees and press done but what is 90 degrees??...I know that sounds like a stupid question.

 

[Bakkster]

Turn the top of your wheel to due left or due right. Like 3 o'clock.

 

[kat]

Thanks, I'm still overwhelmed with all the adjustments in the option section. I was looking at the link and used there recommendation but my wheel now is very sensitive. In your opinion is it better to adjust settings on the wheel or in game??

 

[yusupov]

the online wheel should match yours 1:1 (if driver arms are ticked on i think it locks at 90 deg each way). when you calibrate the wheel it should say roughly ~900 degrees.

 

[kat]

Well I must be doing something wrong..its telling me I got 400 degrees. And I have noticed my force feed back on my brake pedal is not working. It should work with Iracing correct??

 

[Bakkster]

What are you doing when you calibrate the wheel? Should tell you to turn it all the way left and then all the way right, return to center, and then turn it 90 degrees (3 o clock).

I don't think they output vibration for the CSP brake pedal.

 

[kat]

Bummer about the vibration on the brake pedal...I was used to it and I can tell in my braking..But Ill have to get used to it....Im following the instructions. but instead of 3 oclock Im turned it to 9 oclock....And when its all said and done my slider is set to 400 degrees. If I move the slider will it mess up the calibration.

On a side note Ive been doing alot of practice and seem to be getting better. Found a youtube link to help me calabrate my monitor screen and FOV. BUT when Im practicing my FPS are around 45. Which I think I might have problems if I start racing...

 

[Kjell Eilertsen]

On your wheel, hit the settings button (the one named Tuning button on this image: http://nascarthegame.com/sites/default/files/Steering Wheel Set-up Guide6.jpg)
Make sure the setting SEn is set to 900 or preferably OFF.

Edit: Are you familiar with these settings btw? Have you tinkered with them previously?

 

[kat]

Yes Im familiar with the settings...I was using it on Forza 4. I think my SEn is OFF but I will double check it

 

[Felonious_Monk1]

You were probably all over the track because Forza and Gran Turismo are babies compared to Iracing and other PC racing sims. This is not meant to offend you but a lot of the idiots who do dumb stuff driving come from Forza and GT. They are used to corner cutting and muscling people out of there way instead of driving with finesse. Learn to drive with finesse first and foremost. Learn the tracks you have like the back of your hand and stay away from people at first. Once you move up into D and higher licenses you can't start competing for positions in races. Good luck bud.

 

[kat]

I agree with the idiots..In any lobby in Forza there are at least one that can ruin your race. Some of it is intentional but some is they dont know any better. I have enjoyed racing in Iracing but I havent been on in a while because Im waiting on an adapter for my Club sport pedals. I bought a Thrustmaster but there isnt any feedback on the brake AND no clutch which bothers me. When it comes in Ill be back in Iracing.