So, How Did You Learn SimRacing? What Was Your Process Like

Hi all!

I am a new simracer, well actually not new, I have been playing amateurishly since 10 years or so but never really gave my back into simracing. I am trying to learn with all I can but this is very hard to learn without a proper guide or a mentor.

My question is to those who are half-decent simracers. How did you learn? Was is "throw it on the wall and see what stick" kind of trial and error process or did you actually take racing schools is real life or learned it with guides etc. etc.

I am asking this because it feels like I am trying in vain. Best I could do over ten days was simply getting used to driving. At this point, frustration is really showing its face because nothing is getting any better and it feels like I am just fooling around with the car.

It feels like I am doing things wrong so I wanted to ask you people who went through some of the ordeal Thanks for the answers and take care.

 

use to just hot lap and of course thought I was fast

then when I started to go online & git friendly with a keen group of people I realised how slow I was,
wanting to keep in the pack ...hopefully at the front I started watching stuff like this



my pal was reading a racing book , also watching replays of the front guys,
it all starts to have an effect then the interest/fun factor increased dramatically
the racing was very very real although in a virtual world

also do some lone testing and get a basic feel of setups, just chamber, tire pressures and you must feel connected/comfy with breaking (make sure your brake pedal is good)

example of good mind set :



sometimes things that you'd think that would give you a slower lap time actually gives you a faster laptime

 

The skip barber video above is excellent. You should watch it all the way through minimum twice.

For me the things that helped me the most.
The car must be set up to suit what you need. You need to be able to brake well.
Then if you get a chance to drive with fast people there are 2 tools that can make a big difference.
"Replay office" which can merge your lap with a fast guy. Thats where the work starts.
You need to go through the lap analysing corner by corner what the fast guy is doing differently.
You need to spend a lap just on line, then again on braking, apex speed, steering. Gear selection.
For example when I do this the same issues always appear; braking too early and not hard enough and then not making the track wide enough.
You also need to be prepared to learn the sim and the car behaviour with 3-400 laps of a track, searching for pace.

The second one is Motec. You need the fast guys file and you can open both and overlay them.
Sometimes you might find that one sector is the main issue. You will however be able to compare ALL your inputs. This will tell you loud and clear what you are getting wrong and where you can find time.

 

I picked up simracing as a way to practice for autocrossing back when SCGT was new. Apart from the initial period of coping with the controls to just stay on the track, the second phase was not running over the AI... autocrossing is all about being fast and faster with no other cars to get in your way, so learning to respect the other drivers' space was hard for me and it took 6 months to a year before I wasn't a constant hazard to other drivers (real ones in a LAN party or AI).

First principle is to stay on track throughout a 20 minute race. A simple track, like Lime Rock or the short Silverstone. Just follow 5-10 AI set 1% slower than is challenging, don't try to pass them unless you're basically given the spot. Watch your mirrors and learn the AI's habits and how to defend without getting rear-ended or turning into an AI that's being aggressive on the inside. Then try setting them up for passes... without going off the track or hitting them. Then turn up the AI difficulty by that 1%, then 2%, and so on.

Learn the difference between a formation start & a rolling start... don't cop out by using the fast rolling start or hitting the space bar. Now lengthen the race time to 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 60 minutes and so on. Good racers, whether fast or slow, whether sim or real life, can stay on the track for 2 hours with only a rare incident.

In my case, autocrossing gave way to Chumpcar & 24 hrs of Lemons in 2009 which gave me track experience, but the desire to retire ASAP won out and I stuck with simracing.

 

When life gives you 24 hours of lemons, you retire it seems

Joke aside, thanks for the answers everyone. I am just trying to get inspired by knowing what others went through. This feeling of paddling to nowhere is really discouraging. I thought learning about other people's perspectives could be useful. Thanks for taking your time and contributing. Appreciated.

 

I agree with what Emery said, it's something often repeated by other sim racers. Practice for longer and longer periods at a time. You won't just improve as a driver, but you'll also get to fully appreciate the ever-changing road conditions and tyres. I remember iRacing where there were a few 55 minute races thrown into the season. I normally qualified and finished about mid-field. However one race in particular was at Mosport which was the first race of the season. I'd spent literally hours in the car practising, so much so that it was almost impossible to make a mistake. The end result was that for 53 minutes I was in second place, then on the penultimate lap someone spoke on the microphone just as I was approaching a tricky bend that caused me to slightly hit the curb sending my Lotus 49 into a spin, and I ended up finishing 5th. Afterwards a few other regulars commented on my improvement, but it was simply because I'd practiced my heart out learning the track and every corner, when to accelerate and decelerate, etc. Once you've mastered the track then you can pretty much push the car to a whole new level and you'll instinctively know exactly how much you can push it, and any mistakes are usually just punished by a small run off rather than a major collision into a wall. Since buying rFactor two weeks ago I've only driven the Brabham at Spa 66, and likely to continue doing this for the next month or so. Racing against the AI has been mostly enjoyable, which makes up for the lack of online servers. I've noticed that they make subtle mistakes causing them to slightly come off their line (like a human), and if you're evenly matched then it's moments like these to try to make a pass. But drive with 100% damage which should encourage you to drive within your limits. Learning a track by crashing isn't either enjoyable nor realistic, and I believe you'll learn it much faster by gradually increasing your speed around the corners, rather than opposite. You'll also get the most out of the sim that way. Avoid the temptation to pass at every opportunity, and also avoid watching the rear of the car two seconds ahead. I'm hoping to do a half race distance at Spa 66 this weekend with the AI set to 95%. My goal is just to finish, then at a later date attempt the full 28 laps. But I'm waiting for rFactor to fix the issue with the cars frequently pitting when it's raining, not sure if this is a issue with ever car, but one race I did the cars pitted at the first sign of rain (it was only light drizzle), then again the second lap, but haven't had chance to properly test it yet to see if it happens every lap. As for comparing yourself to other drivers then you really shouldn't worry too much about that. Some drivers are just naturally more talented than others. On YouTube search for Lotus 49 First Day out. Jim Clark won after doing only a few laps in the new Lotus and I've heard he could learn the track much faster than others. If you watch the footage he kept himself in 4th or 5th for the first hour or so, where I believe he was learning the car and track (as Emery mentioned above), then towards the end after Hill retired he was confident enough to pass the cars in front and go on to win.

 

I'd echo the other people's comments.
I'd also suggest considering reading any race driving theory that you're not sure about - or just reading a good guide to driving a racing car to brush up and remind yourself.
I've been gaming since the 1980's and you used to find a lot of early simulators would have manuals that contained really good theoretical guides on their subjects - racing simulators and flight simulators. Stuff like that was good to get a basic grounding in the technique.
...in the end though practise, practise and practise.
Watching AI, set to high skill levels in replays can be useful too - if you're unsure about how to tackle a particular section of a track. Observe how the AI drives - their braking & turn in points and then try to mimic their driving smoothly....

This guide looks like it goes through a lot of basic theory - but like anything, you should find something that suits you.
https://driver61.com/uni/

 

I remember those manuals, I think it was the manual that came with Microprose Grand Prix 2 (must have been about 50 pages in a little book full of graphics). Covered everything from slipstreaming to the correct racing line and setting up the car. Although my dad's flight sims (I think it was Euro Fighter 2000) the manual was about four times as big and came with a paper layout to cover the keyboard! Games have progressed considerably since then, but I can't say I don't miss those manuals...

 

laps laps and more laps

lap, crash, quit, repeat

i started with race07, hadnt played any sim before that, i hotlapped constantly with the above being a sort of motto for me, kept doing it until i got faster each time, motec and all that might help someone who understands what it all means but practise is the best you can do.

 

You got it. I really can't quite recall exactly which racing sim I started with. But the first serious one was a game or two before F1GP on the Amiga - can't remember its name. But Grand Prix 2 was an absolute classic. Geoff Crammond was a legend.
In terms of how far things have come - well this will jog your memory...

 

GPL was the real crucible for me too. I had run some GP2, but my PC for that would only manage about 8 FPS...and of course it was driving alone anyway. But GPL meant racing other people, in real-time, and I was hooked. Not that I didn't expect to be, as I built my first cutting edge PC just for that sim. FFB wheels arrived about a year later, and I gave up on several of my DIY wheel/pedal builds once I had the first of those.

One thing that did help me get faster was a then-new innovation: GPL rank. We were all chasing Wolfgang Woeger, Greger Huttu and Greg Stewart...but you were also chasing the guys much closer in front of you, and you could see how you were doing easily enough--constant motivation.

The same concept continues here with rF2 rank--check it out.

 

whatever works for you David , I won't judge your advice

 

...I'll just clarify that GP2 did support multi-player. You could use a hot-seat system on a single computer, plus serial connections and connect on a network. GP1 supported those as well (https://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Formula_One_Grand_Prix#Multiplayer_types). That was part of the fun of those games.
I never really got in GPL, but really wish I did as I always heard good things about it.
It was a fun period in time though

 

@BluesAdam While I may be ostracized for posting these here I'm going to recommend 3 videos. These are a set of vids currently being put out by Assetto Corsa's in-house physics guy. He states at the very start of the first video that the information he's giving out is applicable to ALL sims and real racing. I personally found them very easy to digest. Watch the first 'Going Faster' video as it covers quite a few of the basic elements required for racing. Only move past the first video when you've got very comfortable with the lesson.

Going faster -

Engine and Gearbox -

Weight Transfer -

Don't put pressure on yourself to be fast straight away. Take your time and enjoy it. Makes learning so much easier and fun.

P.s. Don't be afraid to back off the AI's difficulty (slowly increase) because the AI can be decent teachers too (well, in rF2 at any rate ).

Good luck.

 

Hi all, thanks for all the answers. I think I seem to just not have the correct understanding of a race car or racing in general. I have watched all the videos given, I have actually watched Skip Barber's video twice last week. I'd like to think I have a good understanding of how a racing car behaves and how to apply correct techniques but apparently I don't.

What made me realize this is, one day I am doing 1:57 on silverstone with nissan gtr gt500, tire temps are off so I try to fix it with tire pressure and camber settings but still it is fairly off. Outside temps are considerably lower than middle, but middle and inside are ok related to each other. Rear tires have no heat at all, they sit at around 65 even after 10 laps it is all over the place.

So, today I made a few more laps, managed to do a 1:56 and this time, there are 35 degrees celcius difference between inside and outside temps which is ridiculous. Rear right tire have 45 degrees celcius delta between inside and outside temps. This apparently tells me that I am doing something alarmingly wrong and I can't grasp the fundamentals.

At this point I don't know if it's the wheel I am using (Logitech Formula Force Ex) or it is me to blame solely but there is something wrong for sure and at this point I really feel like quitting. I am waiting for the day when something clicks in my brain and I start driving cleanly, as I should be driving but it's nothing but frustration at this point.

 

Dont get stressed about the delta between inside and outside tyre temps.
In real life and in some sims you search for a fairly even spread between them with middle being the average of inside and outside EG Inside/Middle/Outside@ 100/90/80 deg. In RF2 that does not work! It is normal for the inside and middle to be much hotter and the outside temp a lot cooler and 35 deg spread is common. (I will search for a motec pic from my car). Edit-see below. There are some big numbers in there. The car is the FSR 2017 race car.
If you try to get the correct theoretical temp spread in RF2 you will end up with almost no camber and a slower car.
So with camber the rule of thumb is that front camber is suck it and see. Add a bit till it doesnt help then deduct a bit. Bear in mind that big camber might help mid corner it WON'T help in braking (or in thecase of rear tyres- accellerating or braking).
Rear camber in a rear wheel drive will be somewhere near half way between front camber and zero. This is due to the rear tyres need to propel the car.

The temp differences between front and rear however are important. If one end is ice cool ( normally the rears as most mods ship with understeer) and the other is being nuked then you have an understeer or oversteer issue.

As much as I am very enthusiastic about set up and wrote a guide for RF2* I would say that if driving is the thing you want to work on most then maybe pick a car that needs little or no set up work.
The little Fiat Abarth is a great example. I couldn't improve its default set.
The Enduracers Flat 6 is also hard to improve , but its a rear engined car so has a whole other set of driving needs.




The details on the setup guide is here
https://forum.studio-397.com/index.php?threads/rfactor-2-advanced-car-set-up-guide.49984/
(it costs money, €5 sorry)

 

Don't try to learn too fast. If you feel you do not have deep enough understanding of the basics then trying to learn the difficult stuff won't help you. If you have been playing 10 years you have picked up lots of bad habits (everybody does). As much as you are trying to learn you are trying to unlearn. Being fast and consistant is as much about doing the right things as it is about not doing the wrong things.

If you want to practise to improve your skills I'm not sure if the gt500 is the right car for that. It doesn't have the widest envelope for driving styles and it can bite for small mistakes. I'd guess it is also extremely setup heavy car. I'd try something a tad easier. A gt3 is relatively safe bet but at the same time can teach you lots of bad habits (because it has so much downforce). The porsche cup mod is pretty good option imho.

If you can - try to pick a car you have resources for. Fast hotlap replays for comparison purposes and setups.

Even if you are many many seconds off the ideal lap do not worry. The further away from the lap time you are the easier it is to improve. The harder it becomes the closer you are. If the target is 1:20 (for example) and you struggle to break the 1:30 time then you are likely to easily improve seconds by just learning the racing line and sticking to it. If you are already doing 1:22s then you are going to have to work hard for every tenth.

Hotlapping can be frustrating way to improve. It works but it is slow. You may or may not improve at first even if you fix many errors in your driving. Sometimes you learn a lot that improves your consistency but doesn't directly make your one lap pace better. But maybe at some point you finally hit it and go couple tenths faster. But it is frustrating. It feels like you are not getting anywhere. But you also need to do more than to just drive. You need a way to compare your inputs, your driving lines, braking points etc. You need to work to find the differences and then work when driving to make the changes to your driving. But don't try to do too big changes. Every time you change something you need to be able to still do a good lap. If your change causes you to run wide and drop 2 tires off the road. Make small gradual changes. Make at least 5 lap runs without going off once. You need to drive at 100% but you need to be in control.

You also want to make sure you have the basics right. Make sure your ffb settings are good, make sure your fov is good (move the monitor as close to you as you can), turn off vsync and turn off graphics until your lowest fps when driving never goes below 60fps. If your monitor has gaming mode then turn that on.

 

Why is this exactly?

 

So I've been plucking my hair for nothing for all this time? Thanks for the clarification.

 

Front to rear difference matters, don't worry about temp spread across the surface. Take an "output based approach" IE what is faster. In terms of wear the rule is that whatever offers the most grip will offer the lowest temp and the least wear.