Open lobbies have a negative reputation among some sim racers. They can offer a much more pleasant experience than the stereotypical Monza Turn 1 punt fests – if you are lucky.
Organized online races are usually the way to go for many online sim racers, be it via competition platforms, leagues or special events. On the other hand, racing in random open lobbies have attained a meme status of sorts, with race starts in particular often resulting in carnage.
For the most part, this seems accurate. Sometimes, however, it can be pretty rewarding by just jumping onto a server with a random combination of track and cars that you normally would not pay any attention to. This happened to me recently on a random evening session in Automobilista 2.
Having recently gotten into the world of sim racing in VR, trying new scenarios using the headset has become a favorite pastime of sorts for me. So, after thrashing around the Nordschleife in a GT3 in singleplayer (which is dramatically more fun in VR than it already is on a screen), I figured I would try an online session to see if cars I would otherwise rarely drive would see the same sort of improvement in enjoyability.
Now, I had tried the track before, but that was what felt forever ago. Luckily, Cascavel is not exactly long or complicated, so getting to know the layout again was not much of a problem. However, what struck me most was the visibility inside the Caterham. Due to the front-engined track day toy’s lack of doors or any notable bodywork where you might expect it around the driver, you can see the the front wheels better than in many open wheelers, making positioning them for corner apexes a breeze.
Image credit: racingcircuits.info
Even better, though, was the race. The Caterhams do not rely on aerodynamics much, instead being all about mechanical grip. As a result, the racing can be rather close – and it sure was in this lobby. Running side by side through the corners while being able to look at another car only centimeters away was absolutely thrilling, and, dare I say, the most fun I had in quite a while in an open lobby.
Having only managed eighth on the grid, I soon found myself gaining positions as other drivers made mistakes in battles or just crashed out on their own. Encouraging for a 15-minute race – if you can avoid getting caught up in these mishaps. At one point, I locked wheels with another driver, which caused us both to go wide and into the grass until we finally untangled. No damage incurred, though, and I continued my pursuit of a better finishing position.
What followed was an outstanding battle for fourth that spanned multiple laps. Side by side through Cascavel’s sweeping corners, different lines through the final turn resulting in good runs into turn 1 – all while being extremely fair. In the end, I even managed to finish third by just a couple of tenths as another car had its difficulties with lapped drivers, to put it mildly.
What are your surprisingly good experiences in open lobbies? Let us know your best stories on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments below!
Organized online races are usually the way to go for many online sim racers, be it via competition platforms, leagues or special events. On the other hand, racing in random open lobbies have attained a meme status of sorts, with race starts in particular often resulting in carnage.
For the most part, this seems accurate. Sometimes, however, it can be pretty rewarding by just jumping onto a server with a random combination of track and cars that you normally would not pay any attention to. This happened to me recently on a random evening session in Automobilista 2.
Having recently gotten into the world of sim racing in VR, trying new scenarios using the headset has become a favorite pastime of sorts for me. So, after thrashing around the Nordschleife in a GT3 in singleplayer (which is dramatically more fun in VR than it already is on a screen), I figured I would try an online session to see if cars I would otherwise rarely drive would see the same sort of improvement in enjoyability.
Open Lobbies: Fun In A Caterham
It did not even need much scrolling to find what I was looking for. A lobby hosted the Caterham Superlight at Cascavel, one of the hidden Brazilian gems that AMS2 has to offer. Not a combination I had ever driven before, but perfect for what I was trying to do. So, into the session I loaded, and onto the track I went in no time.Now, I had tried the track before, but that was what felt forever ago. Luckily, Cascavel is not exactly long or complicated, so getting to know the layout again was not much of a problem. However, what struck me most was the visibility inside the Caterham. Due to the front-engined track day toy’s lack of doors or any notable bodywork where you might expect it around the driver, you can see the the front wheels better than in many open wheelers, making positioning them for corner apexes a breeze.
Image credit: racingcircuits.info
Even better, though, was the race. The Caterhams do not rely on aerodynamics much, instead being all about mechanical grip. As a result, the racing can be rather close – and it sure was in this lobby. Running side by side through the corners while being able to look at another car only centimeters away was absolutely thrilling, and, dare I say, the most fun I had in quite a while in an open lobby.
Side By Side And Up The Order
As in many cars in VR, the battles felt much more natural than on a screen, although this sort of close racing is perfectly possible on a monitor as well – I had plenty of that myself, mostly in leagues. But I cannot help but think that VR was a big helper in this session. Running the race without the HUD on only added to the immersion and shifted focus to the things that were happening on the track a little more.Having only managed eighth on the grid, I soon found myself gaining positions as other drivers made mistakes in battles or just crashed out on their own. Encouraging for a 15-minute race – if you can avoid getting caught up in these mishaps. At one point, I locked wheels with another driver, which caused us both to go wide and into the grass until we finally untangled. No damage incurred, though, and I continued my pursuit of a better finishing position.
What followed was an outstanding battle for fourth that spanned multiple laps. Side by side through Cascavel’s sweeping corners, different lines through the final turn resulting in good runs into turn 1 – all while being extremely fair. In the end, I even managed to finish third by just a couple of tenths as another car had its difficulties with lapped drivers, to put it mildly.
Open Lobbies: Worth A Try From Time To Time
I took off the headset with a big smile on my face that night. Now, I am not trying to say that random online lobbies are going to be super fun all the time with this approach – they just will not. And they most likely will not make up much of my rig time moving forward, either. But sometimes, dipping your toes into something you might have ignored otherwise can be very much worth it that way. And maybe will take to driving the Caterham a bit more frequently, too.What are your surprisingly good experiences in open lobbies? Let us know your best stories on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments below!
