So, one thing that has been on my mind lately is how fortunate we are to have this hobby that is (relatively) very close to the real sport of auto racing. However, there are some elements that are quite different than real life, but that isn't exactly a bad thing. I compiled a list of my top 5 things I feel sim racers take for granted: http://simracingpaddock.com/pc-racing/5-things-we-take-for-granted-as-sim-racers/ What do you think we, as sim racers, take for granted the most?
1. Sim Racing is Inexpensive Compared to Real Life Sim racing can be inexpensive. I had a friend who was tons faster than me with his pad, me with my shiny then G25. You dont even have to have an internet connection, you can always race offline (though it is much more fun online). Now, if you start buying things it will get better, but I dont think fancy wheels will make the difference, cookie is tons faster than me anyway. 2. You Can Travel Around the World With a Few Clicks So true, I was so pleasantly surprised after watching Monaco GP for so many years to actually learn how it really is from inside a cockpit. Its so cool talking with friends who are not into racing sims to describe which bend comes next and at which gear at so many real life tracks you have actually been inside a cockpit simming. 3. A Ton of Different Cars Hmm Im not so sure about this. I dont think current sims can really translate how you would feel inside a particular car. I think its too complicated to make rigs feel as a real car, even the touch of a wheel can meen so much. 4. Minimal Consequences for Crashing Lol this is a discussion all by itself. So many people driving like crazy at the servers, they would be dead in just a lap IRL, me included 5. The Community Some people believe in this, some dont. Im one of those who do
Personally if i can afford a simx motion rig, i would buy an upgrade for my real car instead. It is because im poor that ive settled with simracing. If i were rich, i would do it irl coz nothing can replace Gforce and the oil and rubber smell. And no need to waste time talking abt the physics and graphics anymore coz its REAL!
I think we take for granted how accomplished rF2, AC, R3E and iR really are. I think we got spoiled by great ideas from a couple of folks in the 1990s and 2000s - I am thinking GP2-4, NR2003 and GTR2 especially - that we forgot there was a lot of technical progress in the main areas, meaning less focus ended up being given to features we used to deem so common and fundamental.
What kills me is what they take for granted that isn't even true, like that you can buy lasting enjoyment with money instead of earning true rewards by setting/achieving real goals and investing effort required to continually develop skills, knowledge and experience.
i dont take any of these things for granted, but if you listed those 5 & told me that while in a blackout i wrote them as the top 5 reasons i enjoy simracing id believe it
IMO the biggest thing people take for granted in sims like rf,rf2,ac etc is the time and effort people put in to expand the sims, be that cars/tracks or plugins/mods, leagues or events but then demand more. The fact those objects take many hours of work and the user has usually done it for just the love of the "scene/community" to me demands full respect even if its a mod i'll never touch or even not to a high quality level. Unfortunately of recent years the "entitlement factor" has grown, hopefully it's leveled off to not rise again.
Someone here on this forum once said something like simracing feels like being able to fly a helicopter in your living room. I think that sums up well my feelings about simracing also. I don't think that he ment with that helicopter parable, that simracing is as difficult as flying a helicopter in living room
