Let’s talk a little about simracing, pt. 2 - Simulation in Isolation
Here in the depth of the COVID-19 pandemic, simracing has gotten a bloom of exposure that’s been heretofore unheard of. With no sports to really watch, much less the live motorsports that usually by this Month of May have hit full stride, we’ve been blessed that we have something like sim racing that can so closely approximate reality that we have real series recreating the series that we’re missing with their actual drivers and with unprecedented access. There’s been a lot of good that’s come out of it, most obviously the increased participation. What really has me intrigued is that now with the spotlight cast upon the genre, what’s going to shake out as it scraps and claws for its legitimacy.
With so many professional drivers streaming their encounters with sim racing, we’re getting to hear a lot of uncut opinions about the actual quality of the simulation experience both good and bad. This is the kind of constructive criticism that developers need, but the problem with the internet is that it leads to a lot of tribalism and bickering. As an automotive engineer, it warms my heart to see so much discussion about the modeling of tires and chassis for these simulations, and laymen getting interested in that sort of thing.
It’s true that some of iRacing’s gilding has been tarnished a bit. Being the sim with the most money behind it has been to it being the go-to for the vast majority of the major series looking to create web-cast content, including Indycar, IMSA, V8 Supercars and more. Some of the guys who drive in this series are no strangers to iRacing, but for a lot of them it’s their first exposure to modern consumer grade sims. In a way its kind of reassuring to watch pros struggle a bit, but its also curious to see the ones who just get on with the business of learning how you need to drive them just like any other car. It’s certainly stoked the flames of the iRacing naysayers, and the apologists in response.
To me its all a bit confusing. None of the games are perfect, and each has their pros and cons.
iRacing has excellent multiplayer and a great league system, great track and vehicle models, and a relatively straightforward interface (I’m still not sold on the beta ui).
The greatest con is of course the cost of the subscription and the extra content you need as you step up your involvement. There’s also the minimalist graphics, which in some ways I appreciate because it helps maintain the performance window. There’s no denying that it ain’t pretty, though.
On the debatable side of things, you have the tire models and FFB. Between the different sims, the wheel FFB in iRacing is much more “grip” oriented. This might vary depending on your setup, but in my experience there’s not a whole lot of detail from the track composition or things like kerb strikes. What there is a ton of information about whether you’re starting to understeer or not, a much more pronounced feeling of the wheel getting loose. The tire model is the thing that seems to drive most people crazy. The mu-slip curve on that puppy is extremely peaky and requires a pretty good amount of precision, but I’ve never felt like it deserves the amount of derision that it gets. I also feel like there’s a much higher peak grip level in iRacing - but when it goes, it goes fast.
Assetto Corsa is probably the biggest competitor to iRacing right now. It’s affordable and has great mod support, and it looks great. The FFB is richly detailed, but to me it always feels a bit floaty when I’m trying to figure out how much wheel to give it.
The driving in AC is excellent, and you really can saw the wheel and get more slip angle compared to iRacing. The thing that frustrates me the most is that it seems too prone to slides, like the mu-slip curve is lower and flatter than iRacing - less grip, but more forgiving.
The worst thing about AC is definitely the interface. The menus and setup are a pain in the butt when you’re figuring them out, but a lot of that can be alleviated by using the AC Content Manager from assettocorsa.club.
The other games include rFactor, automobilista, Project Cars, raceroom, Forza, Gran Turismo, all varying in their levels of detail and difficulty.
They all have something to offer, and I think its foolish to limit yourself to only one or two of them. If you have the means, try them all. Put the time into whatever catches your fancy. At the end of the day, don’t knock anyone’s choice or proclaim your choice to be better - it still ain’t real life.