OrlandoSentinel.com
COMMENTARY
Right on track: Stunning detail sets iRacing apart
Steven Cole Smith
AUTOMOTIVE
December 15, 2007
The last video game I mastered was Pong, which should give you an idea of
how sophisticated and cutting-edge I am when it comes to that world. That
said, there was an exhibit at the Performance Racing Industry trade show,
held last weekend at the Orange County Convention Center, that may require
some personal investment.
First, to set the stage: The Performance Racing Industry show is open only
to the trade, drawing 45,000 attendees from around the world. As you would
suspect, the vast majority of equipment on display was for hard-core
racers -- engines, tires, wheels, suspension components, bodies . You could
easily have built a complete race car by touring the show with a very large
shopping cart.
One smallish exhibit seemed to be drawing more than its share of attention,
and it featured software, not hardware. The company is called iRacing, and
it develops stunningly realistic electronic re-creations of racetracks. The
company was founded by Dave Kaemmer, co-founder of Papyrus Design Group,
developers of NASCAR Racing computer games, and John Henry, principal owner
of the Boston Red Sox and a major investor in the Roush NASCAR teams.
Many of you know far better than I that lots of online racing games already
exist, allowing gamers to either "race" by themselves on their own computer,
or race in real time against others online. Where iRacing is different is in
the startling detail that goes into its simulations of racetracks, mapped
out by lasers at an expense of some $100,000 per track.
The idea is not so much that this is a computer game, but more of a
professional flight simulator for race car drivers -- it will allow them to
show up at an unfamiliar racetrack having already experienced it to a degree
existing racing simulators can't match. "If there's a bump coming out of
turn four," says Steve Potter, iRacing director of communications, "you'll
feel it, and the car will react to it." And iRacing will update the tracks
regularly -- should a bump appear on a track a year later, it will be added.
See, iRacing software is delivered online each time you race, not on a CD,
or stored in your computer's hard drive.
They had a couple of simulators set up, so I took a "drive" around USA
International Speedway in Lakeland, one of 60 racetracks the company has
mapped. I drove a V-8-powered late model -- you can choose a variety of race
cars. And you can customize those cars with a huge number of variables,
including stiffness of the shock absorbers, tire pressure, weight balance,
you name it. Add a couple of pounds of air in the right-side tires, and the
iRacing program will show you how the car should react.
Indeed, the realism is remarkable, from the slightly darker "groove" around
the asphalt track, to the accurate billboards in the turns. During the
weekend, a number of professional race drivers stopped by the booth and
tried it out: I went immediately after Eric Curran, who drives a Chevrolet
Corvette in the Speed World Challenge GT series. He said the realism is
"amazing. This would definitely help before visiting a new track."
Not yet, though, as iRacing remains in the testing stage, with a probable
spring debut. The price has not been set, but expect an online subscription
to cost less than $500 a year. Of course, you can spend anywhere from $300
to $30,000 on the simulator itself -- some are enclosed in realistic race
car cockpits, and the seat moves as you tear around the track.
While I was testing the system, I had another thought: How valuable
something this sensitive, accurate and realistic -- not to mention fun --
would be in teaching driver education.
Yeah, I may have to join the 20th century. Or whatever century this is. Pong
has lost its appeal.
Sentinel Automotive Editor Steven Cole Smith can be reached at
[email hidden] or 407-420-5699 .
Copyright � 2007, Orlando Sentinel
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In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...
>
> The price has not been set, but expect an online subscription
> to cost less than $500 a year.
>
Well, turn one ought to be a vocabulary enhancing experience...
MRSisson
--
LOAD "GPL",8
SEARCHING FOR GPL
LOADING
READY.
RUN
Michael Sisson wrote:
>> The price has not been set, but expect an online subscription
>> to cost less than $500 a year.
>>
>
> Well, turn one ought to be a vocabulary enhancing experience...
Though I would guess your $ buys some serious moderation, just as
fighting in the pit lane is frowned upon...
Bridging the gap between sim racing where anyone who has bought the
software feels they have the right to use it and race online and real
racing where you might pay the championship registration fee but be
prevented from racing due to inappropriate behaviour is going to be a
challenge for sure, yet necessary if you want to transition the genre
from game to sport.
Maybe those VROC T1 Monza days will be a (not so) fond memory?
We shall have to wait and see what the iRacing minds have for us.
Cheers
Tony
> We shall have to wait and see what the iRacing minds have for us.
>
> Cheers
> Tony
I agree, but a monthly fee of around $25.00 (US) a month seems like it
would be logical. World of Warcraft is half of that, but there are so
many more people involved, so I could see a doubling of the monthly
fee.
$40.00 a month (which would get us closer to that $500/yr number)
would be too high for most people to justify. I know some of us have
much more then that in our wheels and pedals, and computers, but that
fee would still really not serve to offer the widest range of
competition.
But Spring will be here soon enough, so all questions should be
answered then.
btgoss
"btgoss" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
Don't worry I'm sure it'll end up on some warez page soon enough...
Quoted text (19 lines)
>> We shall have to wait and see what the iRacing minds have for us. >> >> Cheers >> Tony > > I agree, but a monthly fee of around $25.00 (US) a month seems like it > would be logical. World of Warcraft is half of that, but there are so > many more people involved, so I could see a doubling of the monthly > fee. > $40.00 a month (which would get us closer to that $500/yr number) > would be too high for most people to justify. I know some of us have > much more then that in our wheels and pedals, and computers, but that > fee would still really not serve to offer the widest range of > competition. > > But Spring will be here soon enough, so all questions should be > answered then. > > btgoss
"btgoss" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
Going with the $40/month assumption - if you were talking about -
a) a first rate sim
b) a first rate run service that has very close to no clowns
c) very well run comps
d) So very well run comps and sims that one of them could legitimately claim
to be a true "World Championship"
then I think a figure of $40/month sounds pretty good.
Also, patching, modding, finding tracks, series, etc, etc, etc becomes a
thing of the past. Some might pay $40/month just to be rid of that VERY
tiresome aspect.
I would prefer to see a pay for series format i.e. $100 say for a 16
race series or so as well as a monthly or whatever structure for those who
cannot commit to anything to regular.
Anyway, time will tell - never thought I'd say this but I hope it is not
TOO elitist! :)
Quoted text (19 lines)
>> We shall have to wait and see what the iRacing minds have for us. >> >> Cheers >> Tony > > I agree, but a monthly fee of around $25.00 (US) a month seems like it > would be logical. World of Warcraft is half of that, but there are so > many more people involved, so I could see a doubling of the monthly > fee. > $40.00 a month (which would get us closer to that $500/yr number) > would be too high for most people to justify. I know some of us have > much more then that in our wheels and pedals, and computers, but that > fee would still really not serve to offer the widest range of > competition. > > But Spring will be here soon enough, so all questions should be > answered then. > > btgossOn Dec 18, 3:04 am, "Byron Forbes" <[email hidden]> wrote:
> then I think a figure of $40/month sounds pretty good.
>
> Also, patching, modding, finding tracks, series, etc, etc, etc becomes a
> thing of the past. Some might pay $40/month just to be rid of that VERY
> tiresome aspect.
>
Nothing I can really argue with about your post. I just can't see
paying that much myself. Could I pay that much? Yes, and I might to
give it a try. But I really think that price is going to keep too many
people away. Besides, this is racing. We need a little riff raff.
Don't we?
BT
[email hidden] (btgoss) wrote:
> Nothing I can really argue with about your post. I just can't see
> paying that much myself.
I think there's a lot to be said for a tiered system. For
irregular/casual online drivers, paying $10-$15 a month for access to a
VROC-style setup would be relatively easy to justify. It wouldn't filter
out all the muppets, because signing up for a few weeks just to cause
havoc would be cheap entertainment for some. But it ought to deter the
casual mischief-makers without alienating those -- like myself -- who
probably won't race regularly (I haven't been online much since GPL's
peak of popularity).
For those wanting a more serious level of racing and commitment, paying
more for access to separate servers/leagues/whatever shouldn't be a
problem.
If the project is to succeed I imagine something along those lines has to
apply, because I don't see there being enough *really* serious drivers to
justify a premium-only product.
I may be wrong though.
Andrew McP
