A newcomer's tale

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by mysterious man, Jul 10, 2021.

  1. mysterious man

    mysterious man New Member

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    I'm kinda new to simracing, got a g29 two months ago. Raceroom has been my main sim for this time being. I bought the starter pack, and been enjoying the game. But there are things on RR that bothers me profoundly, and I really need to talk about them. So, let me start.

    I think that RR needs a more numerous playerbase to really achieve it's potential. That's because the game feels as it's core is about variety; of tracks and categories. It's as simple as it gets; if you have 62 categories and 49 tracks, you must have a proportional playerbase to cycle through all this content and really benefit from it. So, what do we have, instead? A 10 car/track combo per week, and at most, 300 active players on ranked servers (lets be honest, how many time have you seen 10 full servers at the same time? I have never seen more than 4, but let's extrapolate for the sake of the argument...)
    What does this mean? Well, supposing that RR's strength is in it's size and amount of content, we must conclude that the game is wasting a LOT of it's potential. I don't know if Sector3 would have problems to host bigger servers, or if they plan to expand on the playerbase after certain features are already implemented. I don't know even if they see this as a problem. Because, for me, it's very frustrating, as I grew to love RR so much. It's simple, accessible, has a lot of content and doesn't cost your soul, like most sims does. However, I feel like RR could be so much better by expanding the playerbase and thus the "practical" content of the game... And that's why I'm here, now. But I don't think that pointing problems without proposing solutions is very constructive, so, I'll talk about the only perspective that I can: the end consumer's view.

    So, the core problem (supposing that you agree with me) is already exposed: number of players. What do I think that hinders RR's player numbers the most? A vicious cycle. I don't want to buy content because only some servers get full, and in a specific time of the day, and it's honestly pretty frustrating to wait the race to end to try joining and it getting full already. Also, the monetization is VERY confusing, and kinda merciless for people that lives where the conversion rate for euro is over the roof. This prevents players from populating those servers, as they don't have access to the combo, and the cycle feeds itself. How to solve that? Well... Here comes the controversial part.

    I see two possible solutions. Each one has it's own problems. I'll cover the easier one first: The monetization should be revamped. The starter, pro and premium packs should be sold at steam; the pro and premium pack should be more expensive, to compensate for the platform's tax, BUT THE STARTER PACK SHOULD BE CHEAPER AND GET INTO SALE FREQUENTLY. Yes. All caps. That's how important I think this should be. The cheapest way to buy content should be through the ingame packs, and there should be a LOT MORE of them. The way monetization works in the game is incomprehensible. You can buy the dtm 2013 pack on steam for the same price of Nurburgring in the game, and get it and seven more tracks and an entire category. And this pack even gets on sale sometimes. The value of the content should be standardized, and ingame packs should be plentiful and cheap, so players could buy the game in chunks. I just don't have money to access all content, but I would gladly spend in a pack that covers popular tracks, if it gets on sale. In other words: individual prices are INSANE, and discounted packs are severely lacking. Lastly, I think that the week's ranked content should be in sale through the week, for a good discount. And a "ranked pack" could be available every week prior, at a random day for a limited time, containing all the 10 combos of the next week, for a big discount. In other words, making access easier and cheaper, but conditioning it enough so it doesn't lower the perceived value of the overall content, and also making it inconvenient to sit there waiting for sales if you want the content already. I think that this could improve the game, but I have a FAR more radical suggestion. It comes now.

    Give ranked access to all players.
    The logic is simple. The player don't have to spend to promote value. Players that don't spend, but populate servers, enhances the overall experience. Also, a bigger community means bigger reach. Players that don't spend attracts other players, those that can potentially buy content. The content would still be limited for buying, only being accessible during and through the ranked servers. This creates two problems: decreasing perceived value (players that are only interested in ranked play won't feel convinced to buy anything), and well... toxicity. Paywalling ranked access through the starter pack wouldl help a bit, but I think that the reputation system should be reworked, to be more strict and precise, and attaining free access to ranked play should come after some kind of commitment. It could be hours played... Or it could be something else, that I'll mention later. That's because it is deeply connected with my solution for the first problem: content value. That's the second controversial part.

    I think that RR needs a progression system.
    You want access to gt3 ranked races, but you don't own the gt3 category? You'll have to grind gt4. Same for formula, and some other categories. Obviously, you can't do this "sequential" progression with every category, but you get the point: you have to start in rookie categories and beat some kind of metric before getting access to more content without buying. Also, making EVERY track have a weekly leaderboard for each category, and giving a lot of small vRP prizes to a lot of players instead of a big 500 for only 5 would give players a reason to buy content; remember when you bought Monza and that m1 Procar? Well, you can train with it while you try to get the weekly vRP reward. In other words: making buying content more interesting; giving it value to compensate for the loss with conditional access through ranked servers. Another way to imbue more value in bought content would be with something that would be, for me, an AMAZING feature: automated championships. Making a number of points on daily servers would grant you points, for a weekly race classification. Every month's last week would have a championship, based on the last three weeks results. Access for the weekly races and the championship would require owning the content; also, unlimited access would be needed to train for the races, anyway. Buying this content would give the player the ability to train on these tracks, have access to the championships and even grind for rewards (to be honest, a guaranteed 50vRP maximum overall for player per week would be a nice stimulus to play and engage more with the game). Also, another way of boosting the paid content's perceived value would be by making the "free access" player unable to choose and tune his car, and giving him a standardized, bland livery with only a number associated with his session number. In other words, making the free access car feel "borrowed" (don't underestimate psychology...).

    So, that's it, basically. I have a lot more to say, about this topic and some others. But this is already bigger than I expected. I hope someone reads all that, and finds something useful. Maybe I'll comment in the future about some other ideas that I would like to see in the game. But for now, all I have to say is thank you, Sector3. Behind a passionate critic is a passionate fan.
     
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  2. Maskerader

    Maskerader Well-Known Member

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    Interesting ideas.

    I'd expect the opposite. Free access draws in a lot of random people who don't care about racing etiquette or don't have enough skill for more or less safe racing.

    Do you mean changing the "cost" of incidents or reputation requirements or anything like that? Or do you mean using a system that assigns blame instead if the current no-blame system? I think the latter is not really possible. At least for now.

    Well, there are 37 packs in the game store, but overall I agree. The pricing system could see a lot of improvement.
     
  3. Vale

    Vale Well-Known Member

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    Yes, some interesting thought. Cannibalisation of content is a risk with games with small online player bases and it is made worse by splitting that base between too many servers or 5 or 6 games. A lot of content combos e.g. German Nationals at Mantorp will only ever be a single player domain. I´d say there are too many official servers now for the player base. 6 servers on permanent rotation plus one longer feature race in the evenings is more than enough on weekdays.

    AMS2 works around that by allowing players to race on DLC tracks they don´t own in multiplayer provide they own a car accepted in the room but that´s fine for a game you already pay to own, not much so for a F2P title like RRE.

    I totally agree that the Steam shop content should be the same or very similar packs as the 3 shop ones plus maybe Euro tracks and that leaves 2 more slots for exclusive Steam packs or items. Right now it´s almost like they don´t want to sell anything on Steam ust get the player traffic but in that case why even use it? Epic Games have their own game launcher and it seems to work fine but I guess they are better known.

    I really like the liveries idea - most games use skins to great effect and it´s one area where RRE is lacking. If there were limited edition liveries that could only be unlocked by playing well that woud maybe motivate people more than rating or reputation, which you always run the risk of losing. A livery you could keep permanently or for a month would be great. Even better if you could have the possibility to customise that livery in some way without exposing the game to hacks. I am sure the game could take your player name and flag and make something out of that like the WTCRs with the roof flags.
     
  4. mysterious man

    mysterious man New Member

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    Yes, I fear that too. That's why I think there should be some requirements to join ranked races without owning the content. The question is that I think that it could make the game even funnier, maybe. Imagine some open, free access ranked servers where you can gain reputation, but the only available category is... karts? I think that it would be absolutely savage, and hilarious :D
    Also, you could make progressive categories, like kart to gt4 or formula jr, and so on. But for this, the reputation system would have to be adapted. My suggestion would be to make it WAY harder to get points, and alter the relation between collisions and other ways to lose points. I think that because collisions "cost" 4 points, no matter how insane they are, but simply going off-track in a place where it's hard to come back to track can cost maybe even double that. Also, you can "farm" reputation points from 0 to 75 in a day, if I remember correctly. So, if I go on a spree and destroy a lot of players in a lot of races, and just decide to be good from now on, I can get back to high rep servers on the same day... That makes the system kinda useless, for me. So, let's suppose that now, the cap is 1000 points; just multiply everything for 10. Double the cost of every incident, but make collisions be VERY punishing. Also, the "incident cost" of collisions should be calibrated by impact. Simply touching doesn't give incident points, colliding would cost something around 20, colliding hard would cost 80, and a very hard impact would cost 160 points, for example. In this way, accumulating rep would be a slow proccess, and you would have to work to keep it high; also, crashing into other players would be really punishing, as it could ruin an entire day of driving safely. Lastly, I would implement a "report" system. Every player gets a limited amount of reports per day, and getting many reports would make you lose rep. It's important that the amount of reports should be substantial, as this, coupled with the limited amount of reports, would avoid excessive and useless reporting. I have even more ideas, but those are more inventive and depends on a strong playerbase, such as rewarding players with some vRP to "work" as marshalls on some races; for example, you can't really play for now, but you want a distraction while you eat, why not supervise a race, with some other two or three players? Also, an overwatch system, that records strong collisions and decides blame based on many player's verdict, similarly to other games... but well, I digress. Anyway, I think that there are systems that could improve the game and solve the problem of bad behaviour, that would come naturally with bigger access.
     
  5. mysterious man

    mysterious man New Member

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    Path of Exile always comes to mind, for me. It's amazing how a game can sustain itself so well with ONLY cosmetic mtx and supporter packs (there are some convenience features too, but they aren't mandatory in any way). It is the most beautiful example for me that a game can live solely of community dedication, as long as this community is treated with respect and care. And I think that this dynamic could be implemented in racing games, but it would be a really frightening leap of faith. I think that RR could be the perfect platform for this, in simracing, as the game has more than enough content and quality to give more focus into community-driven systems. One idea that I have would be teams. Like, real teams, with some management characteristics; something simple, but fun, and tied to the real environment of the game. For example: owning a team gives you access to your own livery, but it has a monthly cost. Players can use the team owned cars, but they cost maintenance for the team. The farther the circuit is from the team's headquarters, in a given competition, the more expensive it gets to participate, so teams would focus in regions. The only way for a team to get funds would be through driver results, so the drivers should be picked with care. Drivers would be paid by the team with vRP, so participating into one and showing results to be kept there would be literally rewarding. Of course, reward systems based on ingame currency would need a deep change to how it works. And that's another idea that I just can't get off my head: why not focus monetization on leagues and achievements? I mean, content is limited. But if the game had competitive seasons, with access limited to a season pass or individual buying, while also giving the possibility of getting trophies and achievements... We are talking about motorsport. The whole imaginary about being a champion, about competition, about getting medals and trophies and podiums is already ingrained so deeply into everyone's minds, feelings. Why not focus monetization on that? I would rather have limited free access to everything in the game and pay to compete on seasonal championships, endurance races and etc (within my skill level, of course) than having to buy cars and tracks just to participate in regular races. Also, how to keep the game lucrative when players buy the whole content already? Seasonal paid events and competitions could be beneficial in every aspect, in my opinion. But I don't have any kind of knowledge in the area, so that's just a wild guess. But it would be amazing, I think :)
     
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  6. ravey1981

    ravey1981 Well-Known Member Beta tester

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    I'd rather people pay to use ranked. Then there's half a chance they'll take it seriously. Free always equals idiots.
     
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  7. FeltHλt

    FeltHλt Moderator Beta tester

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    he meant raceroom being standalone title, not moving to epic
     
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  8. nickh158

    nickh158 Well-Known Member

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    Doesn`t i-racing have it's share of 'idiots' too?
     
  9. ravey1981

    ravey1981 Well-Known Member Beta tester

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    I'm sure it does. But really, the barrier to entry in raceroom is very low. You can buy the starter pack and race every week. Or buy your favourite car and race in another class. People spend horrendous amounts on sim gear so I'm just not buying the argument that RR is expensive.
     
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    Last edited: Jul 10, 2021
  10. mysterious man

    mysterious man New Member

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    You can't extrapolate that to every player. I can't talk for other people, but I can talk for myself. I can't pay for even a quarter of the game's overall content. And I wouldn't complain about it at all, as I think that the prices reflect much more the content's value compared to other titles; however, my problem is: limited access fractures the playerbase, and I don't think that RR could afford to waste potential players if you consider the scope of the game. Lastly, your point makes me feel even more that additional conditions should be implemented for ranked access, regardless of paywalling. And I think that this would be the best of both worlds: limited free access, so this fracturing doesn't occur, and an improvement in racing behaviour. But, again, that's only guessing. I don't have any data or study to back up these supposed tendencies.
     
  11. Vale

    Vale Well-Known Member

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    The good thing about RRE is that you only pay for the content you want to use (I won´t say need as no one "needs" content in a computer game). The bad news is that if you live in a non Euro or USD zone e.g Latin America, Eastern Europe, Asia then that price is substantially higher than the cost of an equivalent full game on Steam with regional pricing and no exchange rate issues. In most EU countries, starter pack costs less than a three course lunch in a bar, but I can understand that in Argentina or the Ukraine, you´d get a full week´s food for that money.

    It is now possible to hotlap any car on any of the free tracks so it is easier to shortlist car content but acquiring tracks is still an expensive business if you buy them one by one.
     
  12. Danny Michael

    Danny Michael Member

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    Change the "free" steam price to 99 cents and you get the same cars and tracks. Now you've eliminated at least 50 percent of the wreckers.
     
  13. mysterious man

    mysterious man New Member

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    That's exactly it! I bought Dirt Rally 2 with full content for less than half of the price of just the Norschleife... Buying only Spa, Imola and Monza costs more than buying ACC on sale. Prices can get kinda insane where the conversion rate for euro is that bad
     
  14. Maskerader

    Maskerader Well-Known Member

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    Whenever I hear a comparison of racing etiquette in Raceroom and iRacing, they always say it's worse in iRacing. Considering how much more you pay in iRacing, I think there are some bigger factors than prices.

    For example, how broadly your game is known outside of the very core audience. The further you move away from it, the bigger the percentage of people who don't share the same sports values.

    Another one I think is, what mood does the game or its multiplayer mode sets. If it's all about results, numbers, competition and beating others, etc. the more people behave aggressively and egoistically.
     
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