Quick Look: iRacing.com

I'm really digging the 3 man Quick Looks.

3 man quick looks make EVERY GAME worth watching.

That was impressive. I drove my first manual the other month and got instantly addicted. It's a shame manuals are dying out fast here in the USA. If it wasn't for the monthly fee I would get into iRacing.

@jesterpc238: I know exactly what you mean, however it actually doesn't need to be that expensive. I bought LOTS of stuff for iRacing because I'm a moron, but I'll say this, you can (should, and probably will) spend a LOT of your time racing the Mazda (if you're a road course kinda guy, that is) or the Legend car (if you're an oval guy) before you move on. Or I should say, you'll probably move on and then come back, cause damn, fast cars are HARD in that sim.

The licence system also keeps you back a bit, keeps you in the lower tiers, Mazda, Solstice and Legend car. You can game the system to level up faster, and that's fine, you actually learn how to drive safely that way (getting to the finish without making mistakes will up your safety rating, that will in turn make you eligible for advancement in license, unlocking new cars and series.)

There is collision racing in this game. Hot lapping doesn't have collisions, but actual races do so, very much, and it can get fricken NASTY at times. And that is infuriating, cause that hits your safety rating. This adds a huge level of realism to the game. You just can't grind your way through the pack in turn 1 like you do in ALL ONLINE RACING GAMES EVER. This, in turn, means that the community is pretty mature, and there's very little drama and bullshit set in motion on purpose. It can get heated in there, say someone about to get laped smacks into the leader.. That might end in a kerfuffle. Usually not. Still, when you're new and you're about to get overtaken by the leaders, pull over to the side of the road and exit out. You've gotten som experience from the race itself and you haven't ruined your safety rating or someone elses fun.

Once you start getting good enough to follow the middle pack of cars, though.. Man.. That game.. One time, me and someone else (a woman, no less!) spent about 10 minutes in mazdas more or less bumper to bumper without actually touching, it was amazing. I had no way of passing her, but it was still a constant battle. In the last lap I had an oportunity and took it, and nailed the left side of my bumper into her rear wheel area, luckily she didn't spin out but she lost some speed. I didn't pass her because that would be bad form, and it would tarnish what became a memory for life.

Racing sims have emergent gameplay that people don't really expect. It's weird, but they're some of the most dynamic games ever.


Also, never listen to Jeff when it comes to racing wheels. Racing wheels are absolutely necessary and they add a LOT to the gameplay. Jeff just hasn't played simulators to any extent. Racing wheel and trackIR takes racing sims to a completely new place.

Also, for free you can get Live For Speed which is a simulator that has a super nice feel. Go for the GT Turbo and start drifting. Drifting with a wheel feels wonderful. Keeping it riiiight on the edge.. Adjusting ever so slightly with the wheel and throttle to keep your angle perfect.. Mmm :) By far the best sim for drifting. iRacing and all games made with the rFactor engine are useless for drifting. Tyres lose ALL traction once they hit a certain angle while power sliding. Live For Speed has none of that (although if you think you can drift the way you do in Forza or GT5.. You have another think coming) and it lets you have your ass hanging out whenever you feel like it.

tl;dr, I know.

@cassus: I approve of all comments that exceed 4 paragraphs

I'd love something like this, but haven't got either a wheel, or the cash to burn getting an ok setup and a sub for this. Any other good PC racing games that have a good livery editor that would be similar to this? @drewbert I had a look about Project CARS but they've had to stop taking payments because of some sort of financial irregularities and I can't buy into their test builds.

I'd buy Forza on PC in less than a heartbeat if it ever became available, so that and GT5 are my yardsticks. I bought GRID 2 recently and while it's alright, it's arcade-ish handling isn't what i'm after, and its in-game livery editor is the stupidest thing ever. Need For Speed Underground 1's was better than that and it's 10 years old this year. Seriously, can't manually position sponsor decals, can't reposition vinyls, only recolor them, that's just ridiculous.

Everyone should check out @pseg's youtube channel. I've been loving his iRacing videos.

Nice Quick Look. The only bummer is that you don't get to see a lot of the cooler stuff at the rookie level. There's a lot of good stuff on YouTube, though; check out some of these channels if you're interested:

http://www.youtube.com/user/simracingdan (on-board and broadcast-style league races)

http://www.youtube.com/user/peichpk2 (World Championship Series driver)

http://www.youtube.com/user/tacticalcardboard (multiclass racing)

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq-ylUNa9RoTK5jr6TBOYag (variety of cars)

http://www.youtube.com/user/rutgerskev (oval racing)

@hamst3r: @nethlem: Isn't there also another one that simulates the smell? I could be wrong but I'm sure I saw something that was like those but you put in these packs that had different smells to them.

Pretty much any QL involving a Track IR is a good one. This is no exception.

Yay racing sims! I have been eagerly anticipating the day when oculus rift (or similar) and track IR is fully integrated option for mainstream racing games. I like the idea of cockpit view, but I rarely use it because of how much it restricts your visual field in a way that is at odds with what you would normally be able to see when physically sitting in an actual car.

Oh! And recommend for Jeff: I agree with you how pro car racing can be a little bland and mechanical to watch. That is of course the result of very expensive cars and very squishy human drivers. BMX and motocross, on the other hand, has the kind of push and shove and drama you're looking for. I love watching those two types of racing. Although I will readily admit that 90% of those races are won and lost at the starting gate and first turn.

Simulation racing looks fun but it is definitely not for me. Drew seems to enjoy these niche genres, glad he is willing to do the quick looks for them.

Jeff obviously doesn't remember when Vinny QL'd MegaUpload in the middle of the Euro Truck Simulator video.

First of all, this could potentially be one of the most expensive games ever made (excluding cabinets).

Also, am I the only one that finds it strange that Drew didn't know about heel-toe before coming into this?

EDIT: I would really enjoy playing something like this, but I just don't see how I could justify paying $15/car, $15/track, on top of a monthly subscription fee.

@herbiebug said:

If you want to watch professional racing that is quite the opposite of bland and mechanical, I would suggest you check out either the British Touring Car Championship, the World Rally Championship, or Le Mans racing.

I was the car that was trying to pass Drew on the first lap. I ended up messing up the corkscrew (big downhill turn) every single lap so I couldn't catch back up to him.

@homelessbird: My kinda guy :)
I like long posts. Both reading and writing. Hard to make a well reasoned point in a post the size of a tweet.

Wish I could have been there during the QL. I'd be the guy who ended up in the sand pit after buckling under the pressure :P

@gregoryc: I remember when simulations were not considered niche on the PC ;)

....holy crap this is boring.

Laguna Seca is actually not too far away from SF.

Kind of chuckled at Drew "discovering" heel-toe. I learned to heel-toe the day I learned to drive a manual, so no knowing about it seems so foreign to me. So satisfying to do it right.

Hmm, are you guys saying that americans don't learn to drive manual when they are taking their drivers license? In my country (Norway) more or less all cars are manual, wonder why thats not the case in America... anyway, great quicklook.

I'd love to get into this but I really don't have anywhere practical to stick a racing wheel and pedals.

It still seems weird that Americans learn to drive in automatics heh.

Just makes me think of what Forza 5 will be like....*fades into a daydream about Forza 5*

I don't care about Nascar but years ago my dad played in a band that performed at the campground at Talledega and then on the track before the race. It was insane. Redneck Burning Man is a fair description for that campsite the night before the race.

Before the race my dad and I rode around the track in a suped up Hemi truck at about 120 MPH. The tilt on those turns is scary as hell. I was looking out the window to the left at the bottom of the track and it was like I was looking out a third story window.

If I could find the pics I took I would scan some in. It was a great time.

I've got that Drew Scanlon fever

That was fascinating, I was actually pretty excited at the start of that race. That said, I'm not a huge fan of the way iRacing is a subscription based racing experience, I see the benefits but don't think it would appeal to me.

If they are Quick Looking websites now, they should Quick Look this website I heard of called GiantBomb.com

The legendary Corkscrew. Laguna Seca is such a great track.

You Americans and your automatics :P
It's weird how the UK defaulting to manual gear boxes, and support for the BTCC has made alot of us aware of race car gear changes and words like 'apex', not to the degree of somewhere like Finland though, i hear there driving tests are very demanding.

I play iRacing with my Thrustmaster T500RS F1 Integral wheel, was a bit $$$$ to buy but highly recommended to everyone (is great for F1 2012 on PS3 too!)

Drews listing all these things about the physics in the game and I'm just thinking "yeah GT5/6 does that as well" guess iracing isn't so much more advanced than other games.

My dad has an account for this game. Basically uses it for practicing specific tracks for the 24 Hours of Lemons. He says it helps tremendously.

Geez, it's like QWOP for cars...

This pricing scheme seems devious.

I was the guy who finished last in the race! (I joined late, missed qualifying and the start of the race, and then crashed. It was a banner day.)

Question to american folk, do you use your left foot to brake? In the UK it's left foot clutch all the time, right foot for accelerator and brake pedal.

I use my right foot for everything

@iodine: That's super interesting, one foot just does nothing?

Yep. It's what people here are taught is the "right" way. Some people like to do two feet, still. I learned how to drive with two feet, and I found it superior, but when I got a manual car for some reason using my left foot to brake with automatics just felt really weird... and possibly dangerous if I'm really tired or something.

Really weird how the rear view mirrors don't work on your own car but seem to work on everyone elses

Don't care about cars or racing sims but the extent of the siming in this game is really impressive and got me interested.

@benny: I drive with two feet and people treat me like a moron. My defense is that my reaction time for braking is much quicker.

Brodyquest for 10 hours

@rooboys said:

I play iRacing with my Thrustmaster T500RS F1 Integral wheel, was a bit $$$$ to buy but highly recommended to everyone (is great for F1 2012 on PS3 too!)

I had one of them until the motor burned out playing euro truck simulator..... gone back to a logitech driving force GT now.

I've been on iRacing for around three years. It's the most rewarding and technical multiplayer racing you can ever compete in. Highly recommend it to anyone looking for some SERIOUS fun.

I actually kinda like the simple and clean look of the modeled interiors.

According to some (I haven't played the game) that's a setting that Drew had disabled for some reason (or even crazier, is disabled by default), the game supposedly has working mirrors otherwise.

This looks like the ultimate "game" for racing enthusiasts. Their payment model is a bit harsh, though. Its like a subscription service and yet, they use the "free to play" method of charging ducats fpr everything outside basic play, as well.

Hey driving fans....is this an acceptable way to run a racing game?