Sim racing

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
"Racing simulator" redirects here. For professional simulators, see Driving simulator.

tire wear and grip, and suspension settings.[4] To be competitive in sim racing, a driver must understand all aspects of car handling that make real-world racing so difficult,[5] such as threshold braking, how to maintain control of a car as the tires lose traction, and how properly to enter and exit a turn without sacrificing speed. It is this level of difficulty that distinguishes sim racing from arcade racing-style driving games where real-world variables are taken out of the equation and the principal objective is to create a sense of speed as opposed to a sense of realism.[6]

FiA, the governing body for many auto racing events including Formula One, use various sim racing platforms such as Gran Turismo, Assetto Corsa Competizione and iRacing to host sanctioned racing events.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13]

Due to the complexity and demands of mimicking real-life driving, racing sims require faster computers to run effectively, as well as a steering wheel and pedals for the throttle and brakes for the immersion.

computer AI offline is the closest many would come to driving cars on a real track.[17][18][19] Even those who race in real-world competition use simulations for practice or for entertainment.[20] With continued development of the physics engine
software that forms the basis of these sims, as well as improved hardware (providing tactile feedback), the experience has become more realistic.

In general, sim racing gameplay style applied in several video games like iRacing, Assetto Corsa and Assetto Corsa Competizione, Gran Turismo, Forza Motorsport, and more.[21][22][23][24]

History of sim racing

Arcade simulator era (1982–1989)

Prior to the division between arcade-style racing and sim racing, the earliest attempts at providing driving simulation experiences were arcade

final destinations.[32]

Since the mid-1980s, it became a trend for arcade racing games to use hydraulic

Super Scaler" technology that allowed pseudo-3D sprite-scaling at high frame rates.[38] Suzuki's team at Sega followed it with hydraulic motion simulator cabinets for later racing games, such as Out Run in 1986.[33]

In 1986,

1986. REVS was a Formula 3 sim that delivered a semi-realistic driving experience by Geoff Crammond that ran on the Commodore 64 and BBC. REVS had a big fan base in England, but not so much in the United States.[40]

home computers, where it was one of the most widely played simulators up to that point. During the late 1980s to early 1990s, arcade racing games such as Out Run and Virtua Racing (1992) had increasingly elaborate, hydraulic motion simulator arcade cabinets,[33] with arcade racers such as Virtua Racing and Daytona USA (1993) increasingly focused on simulating the speed and thrills of racing.[41] At the same time, arcade racing games gradually moved away from the more difficult simulation style of Pole Position.[28]
By the early 1990s, arcade racing games had less emphasis on realistic handling or physics, and more emphasis on fast-paced action, speed and thrills.

Emergence of sim racing genre (1989–1997)

Sim racing is generally acknowledged to have really taken off in

Formula 1 racing simulation up until that time.[42]

In 1991, Namco released the arcade game Mitsubishi Driving Simulator, co-developed with

driving schools, with a very expensive cost of AU$150,000 or US$117,000 (equivalent to $273,000 in 2023) per unit.[43]

The next major milestone was the 1992 release of

Formula One Grand Prix (AKA World Circuit in some markets) by MicroProse, also developed by Geoff Crammond. This moved the genre along significantly. Multiplayer was made possible by allowing different drivers to take turns, and racers could also hook up their machines for racing via a null modem
cable. This only allowed two drivers to race. Leagues emerged where drivers would submit records of their single player races to compare with other drivers. This is the first sim in which drafting/slip streaming was possible.

Papyrus followed up Indy 500 with

SVGA (640×480) it pushed the PCs of the time to the limit. Suddenly a resolution of 320×200 seemed a poor option and NASCAR Racing was the race sim of choice for anyone with a capable PC, particularly in North America. It was the first sim where cars no longer looked like boxes. It keyed in on sophisticated physics modeling. NASCAR Racing sold over one million units. Moreover, the first real online racing started with NASCAR Racing using the "Hawaii" dial-in servers and it was not uncommon for these early sim racers to have $300 to $1500 phone bills. Online racing had seen its first true realization, and to many, this was the dawn of "real" sim racing.[44]

1995 saw the release of

Grand Prix 2
, to much anticipation. GP2 became successful not just because of its detailed and thorough simulation of the 1994 Formula 1 season, but also because it was customizable; this was achievable by way of the online community. Players could change everything about the game: drivers, teams, graphics, physics, car shapes, and eventually even the racetracks. Offline leagues reached their peak with GP2 in 1998.

In 1996,

home consoles,[45][46] becoming the basis for all modern racing simulations on video game consoles.[46]

Gameplay from the first Gran Turismo featuring a Mitsubishi FTO
GPX

Graphics accelerator era (1997–2002)

Graphics accelerator cards brought a new level of realism to the graphics and physics of sim racing games. These new

HDR and the capability to perform polygonal calculations faster, while taking the load off of the main processor. F1 Racing Simulation by Ubisoft
, was among the first to utilize the new technology in 1997.

After years of development, Microprose released Grand Prix 3, which used a more modern graphics engine and featured the same customizable structure of GP2. However, GP3 was not as well received as its predecessor due to a lack of full online multiplayer and the fact it was based on the same, outdated graphics engine as GP2. However, because of the graphical and physical similarities between the two games, the game was popular with modders who were able to port mod tracks and cars directly into GP3.

Another milestone in sim racing came in 1998 with the release of Papyrus’ Grand Prix Legends, which was based on 1967 F1 season. It was hailed as outstanding in all areas, especially in its physics and sound design. For many players, their first real experience of sim racing was through GPL or one of its many derivatives, such as NASCAR Racing 2003. The release of a groundbreaking third-party add-on for GPL, VROC (Virtual Racers Online Connection), allowed players to join together online and race in leagues.

Despite its age, GPL has remained a common benchmark for Racing Sims even in the modern era thanks to a strong community who continue creating new content for the game to this very day. Modding teams even managed to further improve on the game's physics and create third-Party expansions for following seasons, such as the 1969 season.

Wired magazine wrote an in-depth article about racing sims called Hard Drive in their February 1997 issue.[47] In 1997, TORCS was released. Uniquely for Racing Sims, it was open source, making it even easier for modding teams to add new features and even create whole new games (Such as the TORCS-Based Speed Dreams)

Ferrari F355 Challenge, later ported to the Dreamcast in 2000, was considered the most accurate simulation of the Ferrari F355 possible up until that time; its focus on realism was considered unusual for an arcade game at the time.[48]

Since Grand Prix Legends, its publisher

RaceRoom Racing Experience.[49]

Further developments (2003–present)

In 2003, a 3-man team began developing

VW Scirocco and featuring the first real-world circuit, the Rockingham Motor Speedway.[50][51]

In 2004, rally fans received the first true rally sim with Richard Burns Rally, which to this day is still recognised by its community as the best rally sim available.[52] Much like most sims from the graphic accelerator and modern era, the game is highly modifiable and has many third-party mods that introduce anything from new cars to new physics.

In 2005, Image Space Incorporated released rFactor, a highly modifiable sim based on their Motor2 physics engine. Notable for its initial download-only distribution model, rFactor originally released with fictional cars and tracks. Thanks to its enthusiastic and ongoing modding community, the game has remained as one of the best racing sims around.

In 2006, SimBin Studios released GTR 2 (itself a sequel to GTR – FIA GT Racing Game), a sports car racing simulator developed with input from the actual racing teams which took part in the FIA GT 2003 / 2004 seasons (FIA GT Championship). It has received widespread acclaim and has been noted for its high levels of technical and driving realism with regards to sports car racing.

In 2006, Kunos Simulazioni released netKar Pro, a new version of netKar which aimed to bring together highly accurate physics and sound modeling as well as DirectX 9 graphics. Development tools for modifying NKP were announced, although the game is now considered obsolete due to the release company’s other sim, Assetto Corsa.

In 2008, David Kaemmer, co-founder of the now-defunct Papyrus,[53] released iRacing, a multiplayer-oriented simulator run on a subscription model.

In 2010, Kunos Simulazioni started developing Assetto Corsa, a sim built on experience gained from netKar Pro and Ferrari Virtual Academy but with an entirely new engine. The new engine was designed to provide extensive and detailed tools for modding, allowing players to create highly detailed content with minimal effort. It was released on Windows through Steam's Early Access program in November 2013, with the full version releasing in December 2014.

In 2012, ISI launched the open beta of rFactor2. It went out of beta in 2013 mostly unfinished, and was met with backlash from players. In 2016 however Studio 397 took over development of rFactor2 with the aim to revamp and revive the title, making huge efforts to bring the series back to its prime with extensive customisation and detailed physics.

In 2013,

direct-drive wheel was released commercially.[55]

In 2015, Slightly Mad Studios launched Project CARS for Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The game was unique in that it was Crowdfunded, CARS standing for Community Assisted Racing Simulator.

In 2016, Brazil's Reiza Studios released Automobilista, a racing simulator featuring, among others, Formula Truck racing, Rallycross and some lesser known Brazilian racing classes. The game was based on their well-known Stock Car Extreme, which was again based on the ISI Motor2 Engine.

In 2017, Project CARS 2 was launched by Slightly Mad Studios. It was the successor to Project CARS and used suggestions from the community to help improve upon the previous version, introducing features such as Rallycross, improved graphics and more.

In May 2019, Kunos Simulazioni launched

Unreal Engine 4
for vastly improved graphics.

In March 2020 Reiza Studios released Automobilista 2, a successor to their popular Automobilista. The game features many cars from old F1 cars to trucks. The game also features both real and fictional tracks, many of the real tracks like Jerez and others get laser-scanned for a perfect recreation of the track. The game uses the madness engine, the same one used for Project CARS 2.

Relation to professional drivers

Following the cancellation of part of the

Alexander Albon
took part in Virtual Grand Prix, using the online features of the official game.

In his free time, three-time and current Formula One World Champion Max Verstappen enjoys sim racing. Having taken part in many sim racing competitions, Verstappen stated that it helps him with his real life racing, keeping him "ready to go".[56] Verstappen is a member of Team Redline; a multinational sim racing team.[57]

Online communities

In recent years as international interest has grown, so has the online community and underground racing circuit. These communities act as a focal point for users around the world to engage with one another co-ordinate racing schedules, exchange modded cars, tracks, discuss hardware configurations and facilitate other communications. Also the topic of E-Sports is ever growing in the sim racing community.

Ranked multiplayer

See also: Matchmaking (video games) § Ranking

Some racing games have introduced a multiplayer driver ranking system for organizing online racing. There are usually two orthogonal types of driver rankings, one which ranks drivers according to how safe they are on track and with respect to other drivers in avoiding incidents, and one according to how fast they are.[58] For the driver speed rating, an Elo rating system is typically used,[58] as a form of matchmaking to group together drivers of similar skills. The safety rating instead is typically used as a form of licence which is required to access some classes of races.

Sim racing games that include some form of ranked online racing are iRacing (with iRating and safety rating), Gran Turismo Sport (with Driver Class and Sportsmanship Points),[59] Project CARS 2 (Racecraft Ranking and Skill Rating),[60][61] RaceRoom (with Reputation Rating and Rating), Gran Turismo 7, and Assetto Corsa Competizione. Other sims have similar systems under development, like Automobilista 2 and rFactor 2.

Esports

Many companies sponsor sim racing events like Coca-Cola for iRacing.[62][63]

The ranked games and sims also include an esports division that shows off the high caliber drivers in each sim. Some sims have both special events and championships series that put those drivers on the big stage.

Assetto Corsa Competizione

During the 2022 FIA Motorsport Games, Assetto Corsa Competizione was used for the events discipline titled Esports Cup. The race was contested with GT3-spec cars.[64]

iRacing

iRacing is home of the eNascar Coca Cola iRacing Series, Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup, World of Outlaws series, and more. The Coca Cola series competes for 20 races in the 2023 season for a total purse of $300,000 with $100,000 going to the champion. Live broadcasts are featured on Twitch, YouTube and Facebook.[65]

Gran Turismo 7

In 2023, Gran Turismo 7 will be hosting the Olympic Esports Series, sanctioned by Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.[9][66]

Rennsport

In 2023, German esports organizer ESL announced a new sim racing competition in collaboration with the new sim racing platform Rennsport. The championship, consisting of 2 separate seasons in 2023, offers a total prize money of €500,000.[67]

F1 Sim Racing

F1 Esports, renamed to F1 Sim Racing in

2017 and is annually hosted on F1's official games during several shows in the late year. They have a current prize fund of $750,000 and all ten teams from the real-life Formula One championship select three drivers to represent them, with two of those drivers participating in select races. Brendon Leigh
won the first two championships, while current champion Frederik Rasmussen holds the record for the most wins and poles in the series.

See also

References

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External links

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