What are some of the things iRacing has that F1 2010 doesn't?

[isamu]

For those of you who've played both iRacing and F1 2010, I would like you to list some of the features/functions iracing has that F1 2010 either doesn't have at all, or has but is inferior to iRacing.

I haven't tried iRacing yet, but after reading some of the things it does well, and after playing Codemaster's F1 2010, I can't help but ask myself, why in the world am I playing this game instead of iRacing? I mean, let's completely put the superiority of physics and handling aside.... from I understand, iRacing has:

1)Much better FFb than F1 2010

2)Spectating mode, while F1 2010 doesn't

3)Let's you join in a race while already in progress to either wait patiently or spectate until it's over....F1 2010 does not.

4)Is able to achieve 60fps on most decent PC rigs, while F1 2010 requires a monster of a PC to achieve such high framerates

5)Text chat. None whatsoever in F1 2010....is your mind blown yet?

6)Safety car: I can't confirm if iRacing has this, but F1 certainly doesn't


Am I missing anything else, or are any of the above false assumptions? Because I'd love to be corrected if I'm wrong. If those weren't good enough reasons, I am also someone who passionately loves racing online, while at the same time starting to loathe racing offline against the AI. As a result, I have not even TOUCHED the offline single player campaign in F1 2010, and have been playing the game exclusively online since the day it came out.

Is there absolutely any reason I shouldn't sign up for iRacing and simply leave F1 2010 to rot in the sun? Because that is exactly what I'm planning to do in a few weeks once I get my PC back from RMA repair.

The only things that I've been apprehensive about regarding iRacing are:

A)I suck MAJOR balls at hardcore racing sims and generally spin out every few yards even on straight sections of the track(OK OK maybe that's an exaggeration)

B)Forced cockpit view(never used this view at all in any racing games so I will need major adjusting to do).

and of course...

C)The cost.

If I can get past those issues, I think I'm ready

 

[isamu]

Aaaaaaaaaaaand on that note, I too am now officially an iracing member

Signed up for a promo discount and hot a full year with the F1 Willy, Silverstone and Zandfort all for a measly $70

Have only been testing the Mazda for a little bit at Lime Rock. Man these cars are hard to drive! Talk about nimble and nervous

I think me not being used to racing in cockpit view has a lot to do with why I'm struggling to keep this puppy on the track.

But I will say the FFB is pretty darn good. Well, OK maybe it isn't "OMFG the FFB is so good I'm gonna stop playing all other racing right this instant" good, but it is leaps and bounds better than say, Shift(the stock settings anyway). Not quite as alive in the collisions department as I'd hope for, but perhaps some fine tuning will sort that out.

Like I said, car handling is on the nervous side for me, especially coming from a significant time spent in GRID, but I really think I'm gonna enjoy iRacing in the long term once I finally come to grips with playing a full blown racing sim

 

[David Rolleston]

You'll enjoy iracing by the sounds of it. I had my first race in a Mazda last night and was surprised how stable it was! But then I have been racing the Lotus, Williams and Star Mazda recently which are far more twitchy.

 

[Kevin Watts]

Coming from Shift and GRID You'll probably find the cars a lot more unstable than you are used to

 

[Ryan Vickery]

I find it hard to go back to other games after playing Iracing, only a handful of Rfactor cars are still bareable, and i cant seem to get the steering settings feeling right. I tried playing GTR2 and i just cant play it at all. If anything Iracing is easier to play than those sims because it gives you a much better feeling with the road, and the cars and tyre models are just that much further developed.

Iracing for me as an overall is the best racing sim, i enjoy driving the Mx-5 and Williams F1 so much, and the Spec Ford Racer (while it bites hard) is awesome fun. I'm very happy i finally signed up to it a few weeks ago, i'm finding my driving is improving and i'm learning more about racing and the way cars work and why they act in the way they do and i am fairly competitive which isnt something i expected. In general i love it. But it has made me a lot slower in other sims, i can barely even keep a car on the road on GTR2 since Iracing.


But i still agree that there are a lot of things F1 2010 brings that Iracing doesnt, and the tracks and content in F1 2010 are fantastic, but if i had to choose id take Iracing, no question, by 100x over.

 

[isamu]

i was completely addicted by f1 2010. i joined race department to discuss f1 2010. i heard about iracing here. subscribed it. never ever thought about touching f1 2010 anymore.

iracing has so much more depth, you feel connected to the cars and you feel the tension of the battles. i'm a slow driver, the closer to a simulator i've ever played was forza on x360. i spun a lot in the beggining (perhaps because it was ford spec racer week, damned car!), but you get a feeling for it with practice, it's not rocket science.

the best thing about iracing is the clean races you get any time of day, without having to search for leagues in forums, etc. the grids are always full. no rammers, the safety rating system works, 99% of the field drives with competitive but respectful behaviour.

nothing gets close, imo.

This is a very interesting post. You mention that "the grids are always full". Well, for the F1 car, I've read otherwise. I hear races only take places on the weekends, which is a bummer, and that hosted sessions and fun races are all but non-existant. In fact, I hear that the Skippy and Rookie series are the *only* series where races are going on all day, everyday of the week. Is this true? What about the Mustang and Star Mazda? Do they have races every day every two hours for those?

I dunno...for some reason I am back to playing F1 2010 online a lot these days, and seems the wreckers and rammers have decreased somewhat. That, coupled with my improved skills have allowed me to enjoy that game more than ever before.

I really love open wheelers. I am looking forward to racing the skippy at some point, but at the same time, wondering if it will deliver the online enjoyment and rush I get from playing F1 2010 online(mind you, I only do the quick races in F1 2010, no GP).

I guess we'll see. Price of course, is still a factor. Love the fact that you can spectate. Can't believe Codemasters didn't put that in for F1 2010.

 

[George Pilkington]

Isamu sign up dude.
George