Opinion: What Do You Think Is Missing From Sim Racing?

[BernL]

I think ACC is on the right track. Just a little short on content. damage is part of racing like it or not, only IRacing is making honest efforts to visualize this. The Devil is in the details.

 

[BrunoBæ]

Absolutely true. So my suggestion would only make an improvement of maybe 10 or 20 percent, but it might be a good start.

You didnt get my point.
If your simple algoritm/rule were introduced then it would ofcourse catch a few of the rearend crashing incidents - but would open up for a lot more possibilities of exploiting this algoritm/rule.
Both my examples 1 + 2 does reveal these possibilities.

 

[Luciano Santos Filho]

free iracing

Since this is not possible, I'd be happy with no obscenely expensive iRating

 

[JonnyCombat]

DLC. We need way more of it. I still have the fillings left in my teeth so these companies can do a lot better.

 

[Andy-R]

I'd like to see all future sims shipped with some sort of wrecker/bad player protection much like Minorating. I don't know if the ACC system is an improvement but I think Minorating was pretty close. It just needed to take the control away from server admin & players a bit more.

 

[Fat-Alfie]

And this could be tied in with a virtual licence with accumulating points.

 

[azaralamouri]

Please read my opinions and then you know what I think never made it to sims:

1- Simracing failed so far to give more than a tiny amount of the real experience in terms of accuracy and fun.

2- Sim racing hasn't changed much since the invention of computers, keyboards and screens.

3- One BIG factor joined the game, called Force Feed Back. And since then, nothing more.

4- Motion, as a factor equivalent to ffb (or even more important) is far, far away from consumers because of costs and ease of use.

5- The giant-whale players, say like Microsoft, Toyota....etc have never seen this new weird thing and never put their effort into it.

6- Almost all of the hardware and software players concerned in simracing were absent in simracing expo (Thrustmaster, Automobilista, Valve Index...etc).

7- There has been only 3 VR headsets in the whole Sim Racing Expo.

8- The community resists every new effort and addition and tends to stick with the old stuff.

9- There is ZERO free-unbiased consumer reports away from money sent, free equipment and sponsorships.

10- Developers care only about the easiest way to make money (like selling a new car or livery) instead of really improving the whole thing and pushing the boundaries.

11- Doing the undoable in real life is still the compass for many sim users, pushing the whole idea away from being a sim.

12- Repeated ideas and trends, (like GT3's).

13- No serious driving sims in real open world maps you have to choose, either arcades or racing sims.

Forgot to add:

14- Rocket science level of knowledge and effort needed to do what was supposed to be plug and play or click and play. Countless hours needed to operate and adjust the not well thought/ designed hardware and the infinite number of glitches in terms of software. Making the chances of a F1 driver like MAX MINIMUM, to run a problem free race.

 

[R1pp3r]

A full on NHRA realistic drag racing sim with modern physics bracket racing and pro drag. Perhaps a simulated hot rod association.

 

[the_stig_90]

A Gridgirl

 

[azaralamouri]

That is maybe because the new stuff doesn't really bring something new ?
You point out yourself that simracing hasn't changed much and I completely agree. New games are basicall just better looking and have new, more actual, liveries.
Therefore I stick with the old stuff instead of throwing money at the new.

I mean my priorities might differ. I would be happy to pay 25 Dollars to ACC people who developed a whole new physics system and much more, but not so happy to pay 15 Dollars to iRacing for a car or a livery, and not happy to pay a stupid 400 Dollars only to get a stupid Alcantara or Suede wheel rim.

 

[Helldriver]

Opinion: What Do You Think Is Missing From Sim Racing?

What's missing is a developer with a set of balls.

Some developers had Balls and paid the price for being bold, like Warthog with Richard Burns Rally. Today it´s still one of the best (if not the best) rally sims out there. The Studio had to close its gates, because it was considered unplayable without a wheel and was frustrating as hell, until you´ve learned to drive it.
Today it´s a legend, back then it broke the studios back.

 

[David Wright]

Opinion: What Do You Think Is Missing From Sim Racing?

What's missing is a developer with a set of balls.

I think they've all got a set of balls.

iRacing had the balls to charge sky high prices for cars and tracks and then charge you again
on a monthly basis to drive them.

Kunos had the balls to produce an "old style" single series racing sim without the Nords and 100+ vehicles.

SMS had the balls to produce a racing sim for consoles.

Reiza had the balls to make a sim with South American cars and tracks most sim racers had never heard of. They then had the balls to opt for the Madness engine over ISI Motor 2.5.

Sector 3 had the balls to charge for individual car skins and to produce a racing sim where you couldn't adjust the tyre pressures.

Studio 397 had the balls to employ one of the worlds fastest aliens to produce the worlds slowest arriving new UI. Edit - seriously, Studio 397 had balls for taking on the development of a struggling 5 year old sim.

Sorry for the tease - please don't feed me. I'm not trolling really.

 

[LeSunTzu]

Stadium super trucks and grid girls.

 

[sdether]

An open world sim that works in VR.

I would love to enjoy the physics of a sim with production cars on open roads and traffic in VR rather single screen, designed for chase cam.

LA Canyons in AC is the closest it gets right now, and it lacks any decent traffic and is still a fairly limited set of routes.

 

[sdether]

I just want an open world sim-driving game. A vast map with realistic traffic, weather and back-roads to get lost into.

So much this. Just add a VR requirement. Love Horizon, TDU, even GTA for the worlds, if not the physics. But having raced in VR, driving with a monitor has lost its luster. I really want to get lost in that open world.

 

[ThugUK]

An open world sim that works in VR.

I would love to enjoy the physics of a sim with production cars on open roads and traffic in VR rather single screen, designed for chase cam.

LA Canyons in AC is the closest it gets right now, and it lacks any decent traffic and is still a fairly limited set of routes.

​

So much this. Just add a VR requirement. Love Horizon, TDU, even GTA for the worlds, if not the physics. But having raced in VR, driving with a monitor has lost its luster. I really want to get lost in that open world.

Yeah would love that.
Imagine Midtown Madness in VR.
Open city, where you can drive anywhere, pedestrians, police, litter blowing around, high rise buildings, bridges, shops, traffic lights etc. And having races around the streets, with short cuts etc.

 

[SaberKt]

Most of the stuff have been done in one sim or the other, but one thing that is missing from the most is a campaign mode with a sense of progression or even a story. It doesn't need to be cutscene based or extremely in depth but I enjoy the games the most when I have to work for it. Major problem with most sims is that they neglect the campaign part and just string along couple of championships and call it a campaign.

In real life, racing is often times a balancing act between finding sponsors, having a rich daddy or being incredibly talented. I would love a sim where I can create my driver and then pick my backstory. Backstory influences options you have or how good you need to be in order to progress, so if you picked a rich backstory then you can finish worse in the championship and still get enough funding to progress, but if someone picking a "poor" start would be forced to run cheaper championships and do better in them. Depending on your choices, you could end up being a great lower tier driver just due to the fact you cannot get enough funding. It would allow for interesting goals and mechanics.

It isn't super complex to develop to be honest, it can be done as simple as having a budget that you can choose how to spend, earning due to sponsors/results and costs for different kind of championships.

If you added a rival system or some kind of a story as well, it would go to another level. Couple all of this with flexible assists system and you could get a good mainstream commercially successful game that is in fact a sim racing game in hiding.

 

[Ghiaman1334]

Most of the stuff have been done in one sim or the other, but one thing that is missing from the most is a campaign mode with a sense of progression or even a story. It doesn't need to be cutscene based or extremely in depth but I enjoy the games the most when I have to work for it. Major problem with most sims is that they neglect the campaign part and just string along couple of championships and call it a campaign.

In real life, racing is often times a balancing act between finding sponsors, having a rich daddy or being incredibly talented. I would love a sim where I can create my driver and then pick my backstory. Backstory influences options you have or how good you need to be in order to progress, so if you picked a rich backstory then you can finish worse in the championship and still get enough funding to progress, but if someone picking a "poor" start would be forced to run cheaper championships and do better in them. Depending on your choices, you could end up being a great lower tier driver just due to the fact you cannot get enough funding. It would allow for interesting goals and mechanics.

It isn't super complex to develop to be honest, it can be done as simple as having a budget that you can choose how to spend, earning due to sponsors/results and costs for different kind of championships.

If you added a rival system or some kind of a story as well, it would go to another level. Couple all of this with flexible assists system and you could get a good mainstream commercially successful game that is in fact a sim racing game in hiding.

Yes absolutely, I love all of this so damned much! Exactly what I think sim racing needs, too.

 

[C-Dric]

In general :
- Formation Lap on open wheels series
- safety car after big crash(s)
- research and development on online championship
- Setup explainations in game (tire preassure, road temperature, camber, toe etc.)

In iracing :
- Rain

 

[Fat-Alfie]

Formation lap would be fantastic! I think that would hugely increase the sense of anticipation before a race.