I've been putting a bit of time into ACC this week, I've owned it for ages but didn't click with it, I decided to give it a fair go. It's actually a lot more fun than I had previously rated. Don't get me wrong, there are lots of things I don't like about it, but let's face it, nothing is going to keep everybody happy. Anyway, it's kind of highlighted the larger issues with RR which aren't functional, but only because they don't exist. RR needs Weather, or Night time, both would be marvellous, but it seriously needs one or the other if it's going to stay popular and relevant. When iRacing get's weather, which by all accounts isn't far away, RR will be the only major title that doesn't have either. I know RR has a huge selection of tracks compared to some others and the car list is reasonable, even if a lot of classes are subsets, but I don't think this will be enough for much longer. There are other areas that really need to be addressed, the basic physics model is actually very stable, but it lacks a bit of spice, either everything is perfectly under control or you're understeering into the scenery. With the exception of maybe 5 cars everything is too understeery, either the tire model or the tracks need attention to get this right. And as I've mentioned before it really does need to be streamlined or multithreaded to get a bit of headroom back. I have an i9 running over 4ghz, an rtx3090, a rog extreme motherboard, m2.5 drives and 3600 memory, and I can only run 25 cars in an AI race if I turn down most of the graphics. This simply isn't good enough for this day and age. Personally I think the RR graphics are the best there are, especially in Realistic mode (look up how to copy the files around if you don't know about this...) but I'm sure a DX update could free up some much needed processing resources. Adding bigger dust particles and sparks is great, I love it, but it's very low hanging fruit. It seriously is time for a big update, a load of code streamlining, or a move to a new engine to get new dynamics in there, look at what's possible with Unreal these days. Of course this is tricky as you need to keep some of the feel of the existing game, but combined with a physics update as mentioned above and I reckon RR could move right up the charts. Let me know what you think, I am a bit tired and possibly rambling a bit. Please don't get me wrong, I'm not slating RR, it's my 'go to' sim, RR is what got me started, why I bought a decent wheel and spent months modifying kit so I could use it. I really don't want it's player base to fade away, to avoid this it needs to stay relevant and somewhat up with the competition. An obscure track and a car a year isn't going to be enough. Is it possible to read up on what's currently being worked on? And........ over to you folks to shout at me!
I think we all want this, but unless the overlords at KW is gonna pay for it, i seriously doubt it's gonna happen anytime soon. It sucks, but i doubt we are gonna see any changes any time soon.
More processor cores/threads used does not necessarily mean optimisation of resources. See the multiple threads open on the same subjects on this forum (new FFB/new game engine) as a practical example or ACC as a gaming one.
This! I can run mx. 29 AI with a loss of 3 to 5 FPS at start in HIGH GFX settings Sounds like VR-User. Otherwiese i wonder what is wrong.
Change the engine or even DX upgrade is easier said then done. I sure hope that recent addition of sparks, etc. is a sign they are working on updating graphics and just dropped something they could with the current engine. If they were to start working on the update now then I'm worried about the future of RaceRoom. You need "fireworks" to attract people. You need visual eye candies to attract streamers and esport partners that are looking for marketing opportunities. The number of high profile esports series seems to drop already. No DTM? No WTCR? Why? I really hope the new ffb is just part 1 of X groudbreaking changes that will take RaceRoom where it deserves to be. On track racing experience is fantastic, but everything else with the gameplay, payment system, old menus (new menus are great) and performance is just meh...
Yes, the further development of R3E is an exciting story - I hope a few developers will get in touch - but that will probably depend on the donors. Do you want a future racing simulation or do you want to keep a functioning system alive for as long as it still makes money. In the more than 6 years that I've been with R3E, a lot has happened, but too little development for my taste and too much new content. But the development of the other Sims will not stop either, if, for example, ACC optimizes their existing system and should expand it with further classes and series, it looks rather bad for such "construction sites" as rFactor2 and R3E in terms of future popularity. Of course, changing engines is easier said than done, but even a small studio like Reiza took this step because they obviously want to invest in the future. In another 6 years, the computer technology, as well as the other simulations, will have developed accordingly, which will then only make the limitations of the R3E engine even clearer. My problem is that I want to use my time for the sim racing hobby as much as possible and with as much "fun" as possible - so if R3E cannot develop further, it will unfortunately fall by the wayside for me, although i really like it very much. Edit: the new Physics/FFB system is def. the right way - but only new tyres makes my old VWGolf not a better car ...
Just imagine it once (I know it's just a dream), just ignore the money and effort and visualize it - what R3E a sim racing package would be with e.g. the ACC engine and the rating system, the Physicengine the FFB (modified based on R3E of course) plus all the features that R3E already has - I don't think any other sim would compete ... If I won the lottery, I'd spend my money on something like that.