Really, I was surprised as well, but they use either CAD data or laser scanning even for creating 3D car models
Ok...just surprised they don't seem to highlight this fact anywhere on their web presence. At least I couldn't find any official info about that.
One does not simply get a lot of lasers and then not use them, from Jean-Michelle Jarre to iRacing, the lasers must pew.
Expensive is a relative term. Compared with raceroom, the cars and tracks are a lot. But iRacing is more of a service. Worth every penny? No, I've bought a couple of cars that, to me, weren't worth it. But then, the fun I've had in the Skip Barber (Think Formula Junior on Raceroom) has more than made up for my poor purchasing decisions. Overall, I don't begrudge the expense. (Much) If they had an AI option*, maybe, but some of the cars/tracks are ghostowns. I don't think Raceroom Raceway was laser scanned, but it remains one of the best circuits in the game. *I don't think they should have an AI option!
I just jumped in the boat to see whats iRacing is about. And with the Steam summer sale it set me back a whopping € 27,something. For a whole year. Do I like it? So far it's still a bit foreign to me. What I do like is how sensitive the Mazda MX cars are with throttle- brake and steering response. When you make a steering mistake, you really are punished for it. In that view it's a great for learning to be faster. Doing laps on Lime Rock to get a feeling with it. Even did some oval laps with the Dallara and NationWide Nascar. Cool stuff since the last time I did ovals was around 1998. For everything else? It's still quite a mystery for me. And if you tought AC had a bad UI... But then again, it's not fair to compare the UI because it's intentions are very different. As @Mr_Mints_Taboo states above, it's more of a service. Mixed feelings about it. Is it worth? For my first year to find out a €27,-: yes. For the normal pricing (even with regular 2 year discount) and the steep costs of additional content. Meh... For those who love ovals it sure is a must have, but for me who like road circuit racing it's not that big of a must have because there are plenty alternatives who competes with iRacing in terms of physics and fun. But I have to say, their service in online racing and licensing system stands out far ahead the competition. Although I'm still finfing out how everything exactly works... And from now on who says R3E content is to expensive, you've never been in the iRacing store...
Boy, you should have tried the previous tyre model! The MX-5 is now a lot more forgiving. I am starting to enjoy making the mistakes as the rush from catching them outweighs the hassle of washing my undies. I suspect, you have found yourself flying down the LRP straight sideways after exiting the last corner - the difference between fast and ouch IS minute there, and the punishment swift. Be grateful that we have been at the no-chicane version this week. 1 word of advice - don't complain about the SR, or getting out of rookies, or unavoidable crashes, on the iRacing forum - you will get crucified! It is nowhere near as friendly as here! There is much I like about iRacing, but I just don't enjoy it as much as R3E - it seems more of a chore than fun. I blame the Safety Rating, but keep that between us But it really is addictive........
I go back and forth on iRacing as well. The latest tire model along with the irFFB tool that just came out (allowing 360hz FFB) is a huge improvement. iRacing went from last to pretty much first in my book (R3E is very close, maybe 1st). I really like the safety rating as it keeps nice clean racing most of the time. Better than any other system i've seen at least and the track selection is really impressive. pros: -improved tire model/ffb -car list and track list -VR support is second to none (over 1200 users alone in iracing) -multi-player races are amazing The cons for me are: -cost -multiplayer only -UI (new UI released this week, haven't looked...too scared) -sound (average, but not great....R3E wins) The thing most folks don't realize is that if you complete a season in two categories with 8 of 12 races, you will get $10 credit to buy a track/car next season. That's a good incentive.
Also purchase 3 items or more at a time and you get a discount, and once you have certain amount of item's purchases after that you get 25% off, iRacing does have i's Pros and Con's like all sims, but the discount system works and for me something like R3E should look at this sort of scheme as well.
I am not hyped by such news, my subscription is dying and will be off when this feature will be released for sure. Much better for iRacers I am no longer.
Considering most races are around 30mins, what is the point of day/night? The 24 hour races, yeah ok. Most people do not enter. Many, many more issues need sorting.. Oh, and how many times does iracing crash during these 24 hour races?
I've had good experiences with iRacing but it was an accident. R3E was crashing when I got my VR headset and never ran very well. During these sad days, I made use of my IR subscription and changed the firmware of my OSW to SimuCube, which gave a feel similar to IRFFB. Anyway, RR doesn't crash anymore, but SimuCube doesn't work with RR very well. So I'm back on IR and having a blast with Skippys and MX5 in VR and winning races too. The competition is close and races are intense at times. Damage is realistic, as is the setups and handling. I think the FFB could be better and more intuitive for people without high-end gear, (it felt awful with my t300 before I got DD). The forums are huge. Lots of info and manufacteres and help and support of all kinds. It's a plethora of sim related discussions of all kinds in one place. If you have time and money and patience and the will to push yourself try IR. if you just want to jump into a sim and car and have fun RR is for you. It's forgiving and has lots of grip and lets you crash without too much consequence. (RR). I still love RR, it's my second best GT SIM, and one id always introduce my guests to, but IR is taken a bit more seriously and overall simulates the harsh reality of Motorsport. I'm looking forward to dx11 in RR and better VR implementation, and SimuCube support before I'll be back as persistently as I once was. Just my thoughts Stacy Chandler
scanned cars what for? scanning reflective surfaces are hard to do. They would have to paint the whole car. I would say modeling is much faster and accurate. In then end is does not create a better sim if cars are "scanned" or not. Get the real data lol No clue if studios get them, probably not.