iRacing Acquires Orontes Games

iRacing Acquires Orontes 01.jpg
iRacing has acquired racing game developer Orontes, creator of the DRAG Early Access title.

Steam Early Access title DRAG didn't break the internet when it was made available to the public last year, but the team behind it has done enough to gain the attention of the biggest name in online sim racing.

iRacing announced the acquisition of DRAG developer Orontes Games. Christian Folkers and Thorsten Folkers are the lead developers of the DRAG title, and iRacing saw "a team with tremendous potential to help."

For those who've yet to try DRAG, the name of the title is not a reference to racing opponents in a straight line. Rather, the title allows racers to charge a boost while in an opponent's slipstream, then surge ahead with extra power once the boost is ready.

DRAG is an off-road racing title featuring fictional cars on fictional tracks. Much of the focus of the Orontes team has been on the vehicle physics, which produce a complex suspension system and a soft body capable of taking realistic damage.

While iRacing and DRAG may seem an unlikely pairing on paper, no doubt the knowledge and application of physics in DRAG is what caught iRacing's attention, and could enhance car realism in iRacing in the future.

What are your thoughts on the acquisition? Have you tried DRAG or the free demo on Steam? Let us know in the comments below.
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About author
Mike Smith
Mike Smith
I have been obsessed with sim racing and racing games since the 1980's. My first taste of live auto racing was in 1988, and I couldn't get enough ever since. Lead writer for RaceDepartment, and owner of SimRacing604 and its YouTube channel. Favourite sims include Assetto Corsa Competizione, Assetto Corsa, rFactor 2, Automobilista 2, DiRT Rally 2 - On Twitter as @simracing604

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Comments

Wayne Hutchison
Kyuubeey said:
It's the only sim where you can easily regularly race with other skilled people. It doesn't tell anything about the accuracy of physics, moreso about the service.
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And unless someone has seen the actual physics code for each sim, they don't know which one is more accurate either.
 
Kyuubeey
Wayne Hutchison said:
And unless someone has seen the actual physics code for each sim, they don't know which one is more accurate either.
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True, we can't separate the individual models from the engine, but once you've been making simulation models for a decade or two in some folks' case and know what sometimes those exact cars behave like and what kind of parameters they have in the setup, then you can make some judgments about the final product.

Not everyone is completely ignorant like the average simmer.
 
Riky_Sim
Norseman said:
Hmmm, and yet real race drivers swear by it and run it all the time. What does that tell you?
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It tells me that iracing has the best on-line racing system plus there is a clear inertia that all of them goes there because others are.
And there are videos of profesional drivers complaining about iracing physics as well.

I could say that there are many important motion rig manufacturers that use Assetto Corsa for promo events.
 
Wayne Hutchison
Kyuubeey said:
True, we can't separate the individual models from the engine, but once you've been making simulation models for a decade or two in some folks' case and know what sometimes those exact cars behave like and what kind of parameters they have in the setup, then you can make some judgments about the final product.

Not everyone is completely ignorant like the average simmer.
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For the vast majority of sim racers, the "best" sim is simply the one that they can drive without crashing/spinning/wrecking all the time.
 
Racing Gp
Kurupt CDN said:
Amazing the polar opposite opinions people have :)
When was the last time you played iRacing?
They have added new foliage to new tracks, there's been previews for grass, new lighting, shaders and PBR shaders added.

I bought myself an ultra wide 1440p monitor today as I was getting tired of shitty visuals in VR. I was going through my games setting them up all on high settings and asides from the far scenery and trees on older tracks I liked iracing visuals the best clean, crisp and the performance was amazing.

ACC looked a bit washed out and slightly blurry even with sharpening increased, I'm sure some further tweaking will improve things.
AMS2 shadows and AA were just terrible and the shimmering on fences?
Seems to be several people complaining about those issues on the Reiza forms.
Raceroom.. they have nice trees lol
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Please
Slapped said:
If R3E servers are shut off then I've lost around $100 - no big deal. If on the other hand iRacings servers are shut off then you're down over $2'000. That said I'd be down close to $700 if DCS disappeared.

Look I'm not saying you're wrong about iRacing, and if you feel that you're getting fair deal and feel that you're getting your money's worth in terms of enjoyment then that's fantastic.

It's simply that I disagree with iRacings pricing model, and as I'm already getting a hell of a lot of enjoyment out ACC, AC, R3E I see little need for me personally to invest into iRacing.

If iRacing was the only sim racing option (as DCS is really the only dedicated military flight sim) then I'd probably be in, but it isn't. Also iRacing's competition is strong enough to make somebody seriously consider whether iRacing's cost is worth it, which for me it isn't.
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Business model created by a billionaire looking to rob every cent of your wallet before you realize your to far in. Thats a fact. in reply to guy you quoted - Never takes long for the soap box armored sword and shield to show up and beat the company line. Names change over the years but always the same tired banter, same blabber slogan or motto to use said costs .73 cents a day non sense. In that case why not just daily drive a lambo for .73 a mile for 50 years.
 
Kurupt CDN
Please? My apologizes....I forgot only your opinion matters ;)

Not that I really care for what your response is....but being robbed by a billionaire? No one is being robbed....the user is well aware of the costs and agrees to it upon signing up.
And if you are not aware it's your own stupidity for not doing your home work.

iRacing is expensive.... and I accept that some don't like the game, pay model, or simply can't afford it, just like you should accept that some enjoy it and aren't bothered by the cost and can justify it.
There are many titles out there....play what you enjoy!

Still, trying to wrap my head around your Lambo analogy?
 
funkytransport
K1FF said:
I am angry! I payed int to that game !!! I also have over $700 tide up in Iracing ! And I am pissed off with that ! as They do not let you play the game unless you keep paying a monthly fee !!!! I should be able to use the $700 worh of content that I bought to just play on my rig when I want to! As I don't like racing on line! SO I HOPE they do not go the same way as they did with I racing ! or I want my money back for the DRAG game! NOT HAPPY!!!!!:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:
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LOL
 
R
Slapped said:
If R3E servers are shut off then I've lost around $100 - no big deal. If on the other hand iRacings servers are shut off then you're down over $2'000. That said I'd be down close to $700 if DCS disappeared.

Look I'm not saying you're wrong about iRacing, and if you feel that you're getting fair deal and feel that you're getting your money's worth in terms of enjoyment then that's fantastic.

It's simply that I disagree with iRacings pricing model, and as I'm already getting a hell of a lot of enjoyment out ACC, AC, R3E I see little need for me personally to invest into iRacing.

If iRacing was the only sim racing option (as DCS is really the only dedicated military flight sim) then I'd probably be in, but it isn't. Also iRacing's competition is strong enough to make somebody seriously consider whether iRacing's cost is worth it, which for me it isn't.
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FYI, DCS is not the only dedicated military flight sim, falcon 4 BMS is a complete and amazing sim, still under development and providing dynamic campaigns, which, if I'm not wrong, don't exist yet in DCS (don't know if it is planned to have that feature implemented). Falcon 4 BMS costed me around 4 euros on GOG, so I own the game, no need any online connection to enjoy the sim. Falcon 4 won't disappear.

DCS may disappear one day but I'm pretty sure you will be provided an update to allow you to play offline. The same with Raceroom and iracing. That would be fair. But as we are not sure about that, invest in these titles always is a risk.

But you pay to enjoy a glass of wine, or a beer, or a cigar. You don't own them forever, you just pay the enjoyment. Comparing the price time ratio of these enjoyments to the price time ratio of your favorite sim should help anyone to understand the low price of any of the sim racing titles. These are not games with 10 hours of enjoyment. They bring hundred or thousands of hours of enjoyment. So, even the iracing subscription fee is nothing compared to the hours its users spend on it. I don't play iracing principally because I know I won't spend enough time for the price.
 
Slapped
roadyroad said:
FYI, DCS is not the only dedicated military flight sim, falcon 4 BMS is a complete and amazing sim,
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Yeah I do know about BMS, but it doesn't support VR at the moment, and VR for flight sims, especially combat flight sims, is absolutely essential, so much so that a flight sim without VR cannot really be called a flight sim anymore.

Driving sims on the other hand can get away without having VR, VR for driving sims is like the icing on the cake, very nice to have, but not essential.
 
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D
Slapped said:
Yeah I do know about BMS, but it doesn't support VR at the moment, and VR for flight sims, especially combat flight sims, is absolutely essential, so much so that a flight sim without VR cannot really be called a flight sim anymore.

Driving sims on the other hand can get away without having VR, VR for driving sims is like the icing on the cake, very nice to have, but not essential.
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NO VR NO BUY
 
R
Slapped said:
Yeah I do know about BMS, but it doesn't support VR at the moment, and VR for flight sims, especially combat flight sims, is absolutely essential, so much so that a flight sim without VR cannot really be called a flight sim anymore.

Driving sims on the other hand can get away without having VR, VR for driving sims is like the icing on the cake, very nice to have, but not essential.
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Well, I would say the contrary, racing without VR is not racing but flying without VR is ok ahahaha. I assume it is a question of getting used to VR usage in our favorite games ;).

For sure, DCS is graphically superior and much more advanced in terms of rendering technology. BMS still uses simplified shaped tiles for the terrain, and it doesn't include VR currently (I expect that to change in the future, as the engine has been updated to directx11 lately for future enhancements). But you mentionned the aerial military simulation, and in that aspect DCS is not superior. And if you're on a budget, the previous iteration, Lock On, is often on sale for 1 euro. Back to the subject, you may lose it if ubisoft closes its Uplay service, but just 1 euro (and you can find a no CD on the net, something I don't recommend but I speak of a critical case, ubisoft closure). And there's a lot to do in Lock On. An other option, no VR for sure...
 
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