2008 on rec.autos.simulators
In 2008 iRacing dominated the group's discussion. In January iRacing announced subscription pricing, which started heated debate. After the beta non-disclosure agreement was lifted in June, the service began a controlled roll-out, and the public launch followed in late August. The remaining regulars argued at length over renting rather than owning software, the closed and mod-free model, and how long a subscription sim could survive. ARCA Sim Racing 2008 shipped in March as a candidate to replace NR2003. Codemasters won the Formula 1 licence and released GRID. The collapse of 10tacle briefly took GTR2 online play offline. Traffic on the group kept falling, and many threads became anonymous insults rather than discussion. The GPL community mourned GPLRank administrator Don Scurlock.
What happened
- 2008-01-02 ARCA Sim Racing held a broadcast race at Milwaukee featuring Dale Earnhardt Jr. while its release was delayed. announcement post
- 2008-01-23 iRacing announced subscription pricing of about $13 a month on a yearly plan, with extra cars and tracks costing $15 to $25. announcement thread post
- 2008-02-10 The SCCA and iRacing.com announced the iRacing.com Cup and added the SCCA Spec Racer Ford to iRacing. announcement post
- 2008-02-23 Retailer GAME reported that Gran Turismo 5 had slipped to 2009 in Europe, and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue was set for 28 March. announcement post
- 2008-03-09 ARCA Sim Racing 2008 began shipping to customers. release thread post post
- 2008-04-08 Sega closed its UK Racing Studio, the developer of Sega Rally Revo. business post
- 2008-05-08 Nigel Pattinson and Bernd Nowak released new 32-bit Direct3D and OpenGL rasterizers for Grand Prix Legends. patch post post
- 2008-05-09 Codemasters secured the exclusive worldwide rights to Formula 1 video games. business post post
- 2008-05-10 Codemasters released a PC demo of Race Driver: GRID with three tracks and three cars. demo post
- 2008-06-05 InsideSimRacing published a 16-minute video preview of iRacing. online thread post
- 2008-06-06 iRacing lifted its beta non-disclosure agreement ahead of launch. online thread post
- 2008-06-11 iRacing moved from beta to a controlled roll-out and began accepting paid subscriptions. online thread post post
- 2008-06-25 iRacing began sending invitations to new subscribers. online thread
- 2008-07-08 GPLRank administrator Don Scurlock died in a motorcycle accident. community post
- 2008-07-13 iRacing banned its first member for disruptive behaviour. online thread post
- 2008-07-17 SimBin announced GTR Evolution, a Race 07 expansion that could also run standalone and included the Nordschleife. announcement post
- 2008-08-12 The collapse of publisher 10tacle took the GTR2 online lobby offline. business post
- 2008-08-13 SimBin took over the GTR, GTR2 and GT Legends online lobby with KGN, which restored online play. online post
- 2008-08-26 iRacing opened to the public. online post
- 2008-08-30 GTR Evolution went on sale. release post
- 2008-09-26 iRacing announced the Silverado pickup truck as a new vehicle. announcement post
- 2008-09-27 Sierra's remaining online servers for NASCAR Racing 2003 Season were partially shut down. online post
- 2008-11-02 ARCA Sim Racing beta patch 1128E was released, adding Michigan and new physics data. patch post
- 2008-11-26 Watkins Glen International was added to iRacing. release post
Rumour vs reality
| Date | The talk | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| 2008-01-28 | iRacing would launch in spring 2008. post | partly A controlled roll-out began in June 2008, and the service opened to the public on 26 August 2008. |
| 2008-02-18 | ARCA Sim Racing would be released soon. post post | true ARCA Sim Racing 2008 shipped in early March 2008. |
| 2008-02-23 | Gran Turismo 5 might slip to mid-2009 in North America and Japan. post | partly Gran Turismo 5 slipped even further and was released in November 2010. |
| 2008-06-06 | Initial retail access to iRacing would be by invitation from current beta testers. post | true iRacing used a controlled, invitation-based roll-out from June 2008 before opening to the public in August. |
| 2008-06-18 | iRacing would add weather, full flag rules and pit stops later. post | partly Pit stops and fuller race procedures came in later updates. Dynamic weather did not arrive until many years later. |
| 2008-06-27 | ISI would release a revamped Racecast-like online service for rFactor with ratings and rankings. post | unknown |
| 2008-07-16 | iRacing was looking at ways to implement club racing and leagues. post post | true iRacing added private leagues and hosted racing in late 2009. |
| 2008-08-13 | EA would lose its NASCAR licence and iRacing would get it. post | partly In 2009 NASCAR and iRacing announced a NASCAR-sanctioned online series. EA's exclusive NASCAR licence ended in 2010. |
| 2008-08-15 | iRacing would give year-long subscribers a $15 credit bonus on 29 August. post post | unknown |
| 2008-09-09 | SimBin had Race Pro coming soon for Xbox 360. post | true Race Pro was released for Xbox 360 in early 2009. |
| 2008-09-24 | iRacing had reached about 4,000 subscribers, and activity was dropping as not every invitee renewed. post post post | unknown |
| 2008-11-03 | A Corvette would come to iRacing through a deal with GM. post post | true iRacing announced the Corvette in 2009 and added the Corvette C6.R. |
| 2008-12-14 | EA was cancelling development of new Need for Speed titles. post | false EA released Need for Speed: Shift in September 2009. |
Threads to read
- iRacing subscription pricing announced and debatedPosters discussed iRacing's newly announced pricing of about $13 a month on a yearly plan, with extra cars and tracks costing $15 to $25. iRacing's Tim Wheatley answered questions, saying the base content would cover a first season and that launch was planned for spring. Opinions split between those who found the price reasonable compared to other hobbies and sceptics like Backspace who attacked the cost and the $20 trial, leading to insults; the later posts drifted into GPL tyre grip and sensing speed in sims.
- ARCA Sim Racing 2008 arrives: first impressionsLarry reported receiving ARCA Sim Racing 2008 and posted impressions, calling it very rFactor-like and complaining about finicky controller setup and options hidden in INI files. Others said it was a promising NR2003 replacement, and Backspace argued with Larry over in-game access to options. Pat Dotson recommended the LeoFFB plugin over the stock force feedback, and Uwe Schürkamp noted the $65 price to Germany.
- Pacejka formula and tyre slip ratio explainedMaximilien, coding his own car simulator, asked why tyres generate longitudinal force through slip ratio. Pat Dotson and Todd Wasson explained tread deformation in the contact patch, and a race engineer posting as speedmd said such models are the standard in automotive engineering. Jeff Reid and speedmd argued over gearing and wheelspin, and posters recommended Milliken's Race Car Vehicle Dynamics.
- Pat Dotson's ARCA setup guide and the setup-sharing rowPat Dotson posted a detailed guide to building faster ARCA Sim Racing oval setups while saying he would no longer hand out his own. Some readers called the refusal rude, leading Byron Forbes and Quentin Queerbottom into abusive exchanges, while Pat explained repeated requests had become ridiculous. The thread later turned to whether great drivers such as Jim Clark and Ronnie Peterson were poor test drivers.
- InsideSimRacing video preview of iRacingTony Rickard linked a 16-minute InsideSimRacing video explaining how iRacing would work. Andrew MacPherson and Schooner doubted the business model, pricing and lack of offline or league options, while beta testers Larry and Uwe Schürkamp said field sizes depended on skill-level splits and that yellow flags and pit stops were not yet implemented. An anonymous poster's questions about grid sizes sparked accusations that he was David G Fisher, and abuse followed.
- iRacing NDA lifted: beta tester calls it addictiveAfter the iRacing beta NDA was lifted, a tester called it 'crack in a box' and the most addictive thing since NROS. Larry praised the closed, mod-free, real-name, centrally ranked system, while others objected to the subscription price and the departure from the open mod and league culture of rFactor. The long thread veered between thoughtful comparisons, including Tony Rickard on GPL and rFactor history, and crude insults from pseudonymous posters.
- iRacing begins controlled roll-out to subscribersLarry reported the iRacing site going down for conversion from beta, and Uwe Schürkamp said he had bought a six-month subscription despite earlier saying he would not. Larry described a controlled roll-out with a sign-up deadline, while Ken MacKay and others noted missing features such as pit stops and said the product was effectively still unfinished. Posters agreed iRacing staff were receptive to feedback, while James Promme declared sim racing dead.
- Andrew MacPherson weighs whether to subscribe to iRacingAfter receiving an invitation, Andrew MacPherson asked for help resisting iRacing despite disliking its pricing and rookie cars. Uwe Schürkamp regretted his six-month subscription, Alan Bernardo found it too structured, and Tony Rickard argued its strength was organised, skill-matched pickup racing for drivers without leagues. The long thread covered value for money, owning versus renting software, safety rating penalties for going off track, and whether automated fault assignment is possible.
- How long will iRacing last as a subscription service?Jeff Reid guessed iRacing would survive about three years as a subscription service, and Andrew MacPherson agreed it might not last long in its current form. Uwe Schürkam cited the 10tacle collapse cutting off GTR2 online play as a warning about relying on one company, while Larry and others defended the yearly plan and the cost of laser scanning. Posters compared subscriber needs to MMOs like EVE Online and speculated iRacing might gain the NASCAR licence; iRacing's Tim Wheatley commented on software licensing.
