ACC ACC Club suggestions

[SwannyUK]

I forgot to mention that 45 min practise is way too long, especially for GT4 with limited setup. 10 minutes are plenty enough to check again our setup or give a try at the base setup.

We set practice to 45mins to give anyone that hasn't had time to practice a chance to get some laps in. Quite a few people tend to only have that evening set aside to jump on the PC.

If anyone has practiced already and has a setup they are happy with then they can always join 10mins before quali

 

[Sascha Reynders]

Another suggestion, and a completely selfish one at that: as I mentionned earlier, I can't afford to record replays because I need every last drop of CPU and GPU performance to run ACC in VR in a way that's acceptable to my eyes (read: on High to Epic settings with 200% pixel density).
I would be great if somebody -I'm looking at you @SwannyUK - could post the replay file of each race in the thread dedicated to that race. Or in a seperate, replay dedicated thread in the ACC Racing Club forum.
Maybe there are others like me who can't record replays due to performance reasons but still like to watch them ? This way we could download the replay files afterwards for reviewing what went right and what went wrong and learn from that.

If cluttering the RD servers with replay files would be an issue, it could be an option to post the files for only a limited amount of time and then delete them afterwards ?
Another thing to consider of course is that there wouldn't be any infringements on people's right to privacy or breaches of GDPR legislation.

Would love to hear your thoughts on this, cheers !

 

[SwannyUK]

Another suggestion, and a completely selfish one at that: as I mentionned earlier, I can't afford to record replays because I need every last drop of CPU and GPU performance to run ACC in VR in a way that's acceptable to my eyes (read: on High to Epic settings with 200% pixel density).
I would be great if somebody -I'm looking at you @SwannyUK - could post the replay file of each race in the thread dedicated to that race. Or in a seperate, replay dedicated thread in the ACC Racing Club forum.
Maybe there are others like me who can't record replays due to performance reasons but still like to watch them ? This way we could download the replay files afterwards for reviewing what went right and what went wrong and learn from that.

If cluttering the RD servers with replay files would be an issue, it could be an option to post the files for only a limited amount of time and then delete them afterwards ?
Another thing to consider of course is that there wouldn't be any infringements on people's right to privacy or breaches of GDPR legislation.

Would love to hear your thoughts on this, cheers !

@Bram Hengeveld might be able to answer this one for you. I'm more than happy to upload replays but not sure if we are able.

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

We can't host them on RD as they are not of many people their interest and would eventually take up a lot of space.

But if a user uploads and shares a link that is fine of course

 

[Sascha Reynders]

Thanks for chiming in and clearing this up @Bram Hengeveld much appreciated !

 

[SwannyUK]

Thanks for chiming in and clearing this up @Bram Hengeveld much appreciated !

Remind me in the week after Monza and I'll upload and link the replays I have to my Google drive.

 

[Grumps82]

I've already mentioned most of these to Swanny, but I'm putting it here for the wider audience. These are aimed at improving numbers for ACC, and generally promoting how good the racing is at RD. Obviously this could include other games, but I only have experience with ACC here.



We need to attract more people to come and race. Swanny is doing an excellent job in organising and promoting the races. The races we have had so far have been absolutely superb, not only in quality but also in fairness and etiquette. In all my years of racing online, these have been the best by some margin.

So my thoughts. (Assuming these are possible)

1, Race Department need to help a bit more. The social media side could promote these races ( and other races of course). There are 23.9k followers on YouTube, 24.5k on Twitter, 7.8k on Insta, 25.6k on Facebook and 8.5k on twitch. These avenues should be used to promote how bloody good the racing is with RD.

2, We use the Race Department twitch and stream the current races. The channel has sat dormant for a couple of months. Why not showcase to people the races that are happening, not just ACC but other games as well. Keep the channel running most days if possible, attract new followers and subscribers by again showing people how good the racing is.

I understand that everyone will have to sign up to confirm they are happy to have their name shown on stream or Youtube or whatever. Just make this a mandatory thing when signing up to a race.

3, Upload the race replay to the RD YouTube channel. Again, not much happens on there so why not upload it to give people something to watch.

4, Give people without premium a 1 or 2 race trial. I'm not sure what the ratio of premium to non-premium members are but maybe a free trial might be an option. I think the premium membership is a bargain, but maybe to others it's no something they want. A free trial and 1 or 2 races could really show some people what they are missing and perhaps persuade them to pay the cheap fee.


These are the only suggestions I have at the moment, i haven't been around that long to know the ins and outs of everything. Just trying to help


Im not sure if any of these are possible but its surely worth a try. This has so much potential and considering how popular sim racing is at the moment we could really hammer home how good racing on RD is. Utilising all the assets RD has could really give everyone a boost in player numbers and potential across all games.

 

[Sascha Reynders]

...These are aimed at improving numbers for ACC, and generally promoting how good the racing is at RD...

We need to attract more people to come and race. Swanny is doing an excellent job in organising and promoting the races...,

I couldn't agree with you more Shaun, and these are all excellent suggestions Seems like everything's about social media these days, so why not exploit these channels (in conjunction with others like YouTube ot Twitch) more for promotional purposes ? Of course you would need someone who has the time and is willing to manage these channels.

The one that might prove to be the most difficult to realize, is the streaming part I think. I personally have no objection to my name being shown in a stream but I'm not sure everybody feels that way. And making it a mandatory thing when signing up for the races might deter quite a few people from joining, which is obviously the complete opposite of what we all would like to achieve. Not an easy one this, because I personally would love the races to be streamed.

4, Give people without premium a 1 or 2 race trial. I'm not sure what the ratio of premium to non-premium members are but maybe a free trial might be an option. I think the premium membership is a bargain, but maybe to others it's no something they want. A free trial and 1 or 2 races could really show some people what they are missing and perhaps persuade them to pay the cheap fee.

This !

I've been thinking about something along these lines as well because when I look at the number of participants in the open-to-all races in the Simracing.gp Community, these are often quite high. I've subscribed to a couple of races where we were at 30+ drivers and driving standards were quite OK. Maybe the Premium requirement is also putting some people off ? Although I wouldn't see why because I fully agree with you that's it's well worth the small fee, not only for the great racing but also in support of RD and what they continue to accomplish in the simracing scene.
I can only guess at this, but maybe there are people who see the Premium requirement as "elitist" or something ? Which doesn't mean I think the Premuim requirement should be abandoned, quite the contrary. But opening up some races to non-Premium members might prove to be productive. Hell, why not organize some kind of Series where the first (or top three) placed non-Premium driver wins a year of Premium membership ?

I'm freewheeling a bit here, but just like you: just trying to help

 

[MiaWallace]

These avenues should be used to promote how bloody good the racing is with RD.

Yes, I agree to all you wrote but especially to that.
I am completly new to racing in general and also in this community. So I have not much experience in it at all but I see how things are working on twitch and how other games and communitys get provoted..

I understand the issue with streaming our real names. I only see 2 ways to solve that.
1. All the people that sign in for the premium Membership agree in that term of showing the name on social media.
2. Cover the names up as good as possible in the stream itself. Not sure how doable that is.

Watching a lot of racing over the last weeks gives me the feeling that ACC has a massive Boom at the moment. Some good mid Streamers are racing on ACC and a lot of people are watching it. There will def. be more drivers each day. As I try to learn a lot I started doing the daily races. They are ok, but not as good as the RD ones (imo). BUt the daily races are full all the time. So people are interested but most of them won't know about RD at all.

I wanted to see how much the premium is as I cant remember. I open the RD Webpage in another browser and click on premium. It just tells me to login. I do not see how much it costs and what its for.
I knew about RD from my friend, who told me everything about it but I think it must be easier and more clear for new people to get the facts on the main page.
Price, Races and all the plus from a membership

I see where you are coming from @Sascha Reynders, but as far as I remember the membership is super cheap but not for free and this will keep away most idiots and thats why I really like it. I am slow but so far I had super fair races with nice drivers and looking forward to do more.
As you see with iracing people are willing to pay for good races. I just think not enough know about it and if people could watch it and see what its like they would join.

And another suggestion: I did a daily race last night and I got a 30 min reminder and after the race a notification that the race is finished, end result. etc. I like that Idea. Sometimes you are busy with real life and a little notification is great to get your stuff ready and be there for the race. I also think that people that sign up for a race but dont show up should get a penalty. Or maybe the first 2 times nothing happens, but then some kind of penalty minus points whatever. Not that Ive noticed that so far on the RD races but in the daily races it happens quite a lot and its super annoying when 30 people signed up for it and only 25 show up. And at the same time some others would decide 10 mins before the race to join but there is no slot available.

That was a lot of text, sorry for that
Its more brainstorming and trying to help and also knowing at the same time that we all have other stuff to do as well

And in the end a big thank you for all those that organise all of this. I am really enjoying it and hope to have a lot of more great races in the future with RD.

 

[SwannyUK]

Thanks all for the feedback

 

[manu68]

I would indeed love to see the racedepartment races uploaded on youtube channel.
During one week-end for example
It would force pilotes to think twice before doing crazy things during racing under their real name!
It would also help a lot to identify behaviors inadapted with the racedepartment racing code.

I know that it means of course more work for the staff, but i am pretty sure that it will be a great benefit for the you tube channel.
I petsonally love to follow news on sim racing channels, why not on racedepartment channel ?

 

[SwannyUK]

I'd be happy to put together a monthly video montage of any great battles and overtakes you guys have whilst racing in the club. You'd just have to tell me which race it was, what lap and a description of what happened.

 

[Grumps82]

Hi guys. Sorry for the absence. I'm really struggling with motivation to race atm. Work has gone ballistic, and I just don't have the energy to race in the evening. Also, my setup is in the dining room and it's not practical at the best of times and even worse when it's warm. Hopefully work will calm down but after lockdown it seems every **** and his dog needs something doing

Keep up the good work Swanny and co, i'll see you soon

 

[SwannyUK]

Hi guys. Sorry for the absence. I'm really struggling with motivation to race atm. Work has gone ballistic, and I just don't have the energy to race in the evening. Also, my setup is in the dining room and it's not practical at the best of times and even worse when it's warm. Hopefully work will calm down but after lockdown it seems every **** and his dog needs something doing

Keep up the good work Swanny and co, i'll see you soon

I thought it was a bit quiet on the Grumps front lol. Take it easy dude and look forward to seeing you back on track.

 

[Sascha Reynders]

Remind me in the week after Monza and I'll upload and link the replays I have to my Google drive.

Hey Chris, just wanted to let you know that as of yesterday's race I started recording the replays myself. Contrary to what I thought, it doesn't seem to have a major impact on performance so far. So no need to keep cluttering your Google Drive with replays But thanks again anyway !

Hi guys. Sorry for the absence. I'm really struggling with motivation to race atm. Work has gone ballistic, and I just don't have the energy to race in the evening. Also, my setup is in the dining room and it's not practical at the best of times and even worse when it's warm. Hopefully work will calm down but after lockdown it seems every **** and his dog needs something doing

Keep up the good work Swanny and co, i'll see you soon

I know the feeling, all too well... Went back to work last Wednesday after having had almost 2 weeks off and it's been crazy at the office ever since. And the 70 mile drive to the office, and back home again in the evening, doesn't help much either...

My sim rig is in a room on the 2nd floor of the house, underneath the roof, so on hot days like we've had the last couple of days, it turns into a real oven. Yesterday towards the end of the race, the sweat was literally streaming down my forehead into my eyes underneath the headset...

Anyways, hope things will settle down a bit at work for you soon, so you can join us again on track in the near future !

 

[Andrew Sebastian]

Only suggestion I can make is having a variation of weather conditions and time of day for some races.

Also maybe once a month having a longer race with a mandatory pit stop?

 

[SwannyUK]

I like the idea of a Saturday night 1 hour enduro with pit stop.

 

[Grumps82]

So do I. But I'm usually pissed on too much beer and rum on a Saturday night to even consider racing

 

[shadow_boxer85]

Great to see the introduction of the endurance race but I wonder what numbers will be like? Unfortunately, I can generally only make it once a week (weekdays) and for now will stick with the GT3 sprints. Just thinking aloud but is there a slight risk of diluting the already quite limited numbers too much across three races a week?

 

[Sascha Reynders]

So do I. But I'm usually pissed on too much beer and rum on a Saturday night to even consider racing

Ah, a kindred spirit, although I mostly skip the beer and go straight for the rum