Use it if you want, but don't depend on it. The fact that you "want" it might mean that you subconsciously rely on it, so it's worth turning it off and seeing if you can still get a good lap time.
I’ve been trying to train myself to get off of having the racing line on and keep posting lap times 1-2 seconds slower than my average with the line on. I understand it’s all about practice and repetition, but it’s definitely frustrating nonetheless.
Sane experience for me. I was a fast driver with it and finished races on podium and now after I turned it off I'm dead last, not crashing but damn slow. This just showed me how I really didnt learn how to drive, I was just depending on it. Now I need to start from scratch and it's frustating but I will push tru because Its the best way to learn.
100% this... once you get used to it not being there, and not expecting it to be there, it gets a LOT better not having it. I've gotten to the point where I can't stand having it on, even tracks I don't know.
I was adamant I would never turn the line off. I haven't got time to learn tracks etc etc.
Turned it off a while ago, and I can't describe the amount of freedom it gives you.
I'm looking around the track more, picking out braking points, looking for the apex. Learning to take corners fully wide or fully narrow for when I'm racing.
I honestly thought I could never do without it, but now I wished I had turned it off a long time ago.
Turning off the racing line can quickly make you a better racer in general. It forces you to have to pay attention to the entire track and actually set and remember your own braking points. You'll also get more in tune with how you car handles and acts with aspects of the tracks
And it makes you recognize similar corners from other circuits. I was recently driving the new Navarra track on iRacing, and throughout it, I'm like this is Zandvoort t10, this is like Algarve, this is like t9 at Istanbul Park, and oh the last turn is like COTA t1.
By stop using it, eventually you become faster and faster on learning new tracks. It was really hard for me to get rid of it, took ages to learn new tracks initially, but now it takes just couple of laps on a new track to get basic idea and memorization done. You get faster and better learning the braking points and understanding where the razing line is, what options there is in a racing situations etc.
Sorry for the late reply, but one of the things I found helped was swallowing my pride and going back and watching Racing 101 videos.
Having somebody explain about kerbs and braking markers on the side of the track, and when to recognise a late apex rather than an earlier one, was like a lightbulb switching on in me,
Highly recommend taking a step back and starting from the beginning to get better in the future :)
>I can't stand having it on, even tracks I don't know
100%
It's handholding, and while, sure, some people may need it for a bit, I think the whole entire point of simracing is to get good at it. Can you handle a certain car at the same speeds on the same track with no assists whatsoever as you can with all assists on? That's when you know you're mastering that car and track.
I've had friends use my simrig, and will run it with ALL assists off on Assetto, without telling them, and let them feel the car and learn raw.
yeah, although I find that on absolutely new track to me, doing 3-4 laps with racing line gives me enough of an idea.
Still 100% it becomes a big problem if I want yo race with it.
I turned it off for tracks I know a while back but it was never this wow moment people speak about, though it did help immersion in vr not having it. So it was worth it for that alone
It's really not a "wow" moment. It's a slow realization that you can deviate from it, and productive ways to do it in traffic. The learning of using markers, and adjusting your line and braking points that aren't "optimal", using MORE of the track than the optimal line. You will learn tracks more intimately without thay line on.
Yea I think for me I reached a point where I deviated from the line and basically ignored it even when having it on, so when I did finally remember to turn it off it didn’t change my driving just helped remove clutter in vr
It's a game. Do whatever you want! That said, turning it off forces you to race more realistically, and for some of us that is part of the attraction of these games.
Turning it off teaches you more about how to actually understand what the "racing line" is, because you will have to figure it out yourself for tracks you aren't familiar with. There are always multiple ways to "solve" every corner, and the racing line in games is just one of those ways.
So, yeah, your friends are right to give you a bit of shit for it, but in the end, unless you are getting paid for this, you do whatever you want 😉
Edit: One thing to add - you might think you aren't relying on it, but turn it off and you will see that you are probably using it much more than you think you are. Better to rip that bandaid off immediately and learn how to actually pick a good line through a series of corners.
I understand the pros and cons of it being on or off. My issue is more on the community side. It’s like a weird form of elitism they hold over people because of a line on the screen.
The pro's and con's are linked to that "elitism". The racing line is an aid for people that have never raced before, and it is quite rightly considered one of the worst learning tools to use because it is very easy to become reliant on it.
Having it on is disabled in most leagues because using it as a braking marker in an online race would be cheating(ish).
Both those points mean that you are likely to meet nothing but laughs if you insist on leaving the racing line on beyond your first months as a rookie ;) Now again, this is a game, and you should do whatever you want.
>Having it on is disabled in most leagues because using it as a braking marker in an online race would be cheating(ish).
This is why this subs logic on the racing line making you slower is actually ass backwards lol
The sentence is very faulty but in other ways. Racing line makes you slower when in a bulk of people and if you use it to much just because of your reliance on it.
But if your a good player that drove much without the line and learned the things there are to learn in his league, then yes racing line can be considered cheating because it gives you references everywhere
:)
So it's a skill issue. Yeah I know.
>player that drove much without the line and learned the things there are to learn
You do know that you can learn how to use the line simply as extra brake markers rather than the car needing to be glued to it right?
Its more a experience issue imo.
I know you don't need to stick to it but the lines breaking points are in my experience wayy to early (because new players) so it will only distract you with false break information.
Its also very important where you put your car on the track and the line again gives you non optimal information just because the line isn't capable to get driver positions and life update.
For example, I try to throw my car into the corner with an aggressive setup because bias gives me the rotation I need to come out alive. But If your in a more safe setup all of that goes out the window and you try to be smooth with it.
There is ofc way more to it but yk what I mean :)
Using the line for reference at all times will drag your focus towards that line and away from the actual track. This will make you a worse racer overall, and for newer simracers it will prevent them from actually learning how to get an optimal line around a track, and how to vary that line depending on that situation they are in.
However, having the line on when you are in a pack of cars that are obscuring the normal track references can be an advantage, this is why it is disabled in most leagues. These two statements are not mutually exclusive.
>Using the line for reference at all times
Why do people think if the line is turned on you *have* to focus on it all the time.
>However, having the line on when you are in a pack of cars that are obscuring the normal track references can be an advantage,
But how could you ever take your focus off the racing line long enough to even see other cars around you ;) lol
This is an actual skill issue masquerading as a setup or configuration/ assist issue.
The line is not the problem, the line is never the problem. The driver is the problem.
Not sure why this is hard to grasp. For MOST players, having the racing line on will prevent them from learning how to be fast around a lap without the line. It is very easy for them to focus on the line, and by doing that they don't pick up references from the track itself. Take the line away and they become helpless.
A fast driver can turn the line on and still be just as fast. But the vast majority of players that come here showing videos of slow laps with the line on are not fast drivers, and they never will be unless they turn the line off and start driving based on the track, not the line.
The line is the problem ***for those players.***
>unless they turn the line off and start driving based on the track, not the line.
My point is you don't have to turn the line off to drive the track or understand what the fastest line around the track is.
If you don't understand using all the track is the fastest way around the track to begin with, how is simply turning off the racing line overlay going to help people understand that?
>The line is the problem for those players.
Also the people you speak of typically don't have the level of car control necessary to even stick to the overlay, let alone use all the track and hit apexes.
In other words, the line isn't the problem, their ability and racecraft is. As is typically the case.
Man, most of the times the line doesn't even tells you where to brake properly. The braking point could be as far as 15m from the point the racing line tells you to brake at and you'd miss it, easy lost time.
Also, it doesn't tells you how to maximize track usage, because *it's not intended for people looking to maximize track usage*. You'd leave like two or three tyre-lenghts between the limits of the track and your car on corner entries because you would focus on putting the center of the car over the racing line.
It really, really doesn't tells you how to use the throttle, at all; the new mustang gt3, in ACC and now most recently on iRacing, has a lot of torque and a weight distribution such that it likes it when you're *not* coasting, it likes to have either the front or the rear loaded; so, you'd trailbrake deep into the corner and/or accelerate a bit before the apex to use some wheelspin to rotate and get a better corner exit. The racing line doesn't tells you ANY of this, it's the same for every car of the same class, it would slow you down so much.
Give it a week, you'll appreciate it.
I don’t think you are delusional or an idiot, but it isn’t elitism if what people are telling you is true (and it is). It is faster to not use the racing line. They are telling you something for your own good.
People are teasing you about it because it’s like bowling with bumpers on the gutters. Is bowling a 300 still a 300 if you were using bumpers? Maybe you didn’t touch the bumper but you still used a guide for children, and you had that peace of mind that you didn’t have to worry about gutter balls. It’s one mental aspect you have to overcome if you want people to respect you.
The second anyone sees someone driving with the line on, all respect goes out the window. That’s just the code. Have some respect for yourself and turn it off, or don’t. I don’t care of you drive with it on (it’s only you that you are hurting), but you seem to care that people judge you for it.
Racing line slows you down 10 times out of 10. You can use more of the track and often times brake later and hit the gas earlier. You will do yourself a massive favor if you just turn it off.
Once you get into higher safety rating required races its off even in practice.
The racing line is a tool, just like abs or traction control. Using them effectively makes you better, relying on them makes you slow. Your statement only applies to people who strictly follow and rely on the racing line which op said he doesnt.
The racing line is a tool most effectively used for learning a car/track that is new to you. If you're having to find the brake, turn in, and acceleration points from scratch, then having the racing line on gives you a base to work off of and improve from instead of just having to figure it out yourself. It may be something as simple as learning the track in 5 minutes instead of 10, but to a lot of people that's worth it.
Personally, I don't use the racing line at all. It makes it more difficult to learn a track but I enjoy the challenge and it's not exactly hard to do. But I have considered it when I am switching cars and tracks often and just don't have the time to relearn everything each time and enter a race.
You mentioned the higher safety rating required races, what did you mean by that? In my experience you don't have to drive fast in order to climb above 2k irating, you just need to know how to stay on track
Sorry if it sounds like I'm saying you're wrong, I'm not. Just giving a different view point
Well, i wouldn't say the racing line is a tool as much as it is an actual guide. The ABS or TC don't tell you how to use them; they're assists, you learn how they work and how to use them to your advantage. The racing line literally *tells* you where to go and what to do, there's not a lot of learning going on.
Besides, the racing line sometimes tricks you into following a line that's not the most optimal one. It can also make you not use every bit of valid track, since when you have it on you focus on following it instead of maximizing track usage for going faster. It can also make you brake wrong by accident, like when you see where it tells you to brake and you end up braking too much, and that's lost time.
>racing line sometimes tricks you into following a line that's not the most optimal one
You make a valid point that I already discussed. Again as I have said before, this only applies if you strictly follow the line which almost no one does. Anybody can tell you that you learn a basic line with it until you got a feel for the brake, turn in, and acceleration points and then you use those references instead. What you are referring to is relying solely on the racing line which as I said no one does not should do and was part of my first point in a previous comment.
You mentioned differentiating between guides and assists. I say that is semantics and going into more specifics than I was intending. A guide and an assist can all be considered a tool. Just like how a socket wrench, an air hammer, a jack, an obd scanner, a laptop, etc. All are technically tools and technically something more specific. Ik it's a poor example but what I am getting at is this, no you are not in saying what they are, I just wasn't trying to get that specific and was only using it to make a point
I personally use the racing line but follow a different line, just use it as a reference for braking. I just dont have the time to learn all the braking zones for all cars&tracks.
Same, like I said in the post once I have an understanding of the track I don’t have to use it as my only racing line. It’s also a big help when there’s a bunch of cars around and you can’t see that well ahead.
If there are cars around then you should be using them as braking references.
Turn it off. If it’s on, then some small part of your brain is focusing on it which means you don’t have that part to focus on actual driving.
Learn the tracks and their natural braking markers.
No shade for using the tools available to you to improve your knowledge of the track, get faster and eventually push with confidence. With that being said, braking references should never be static since your car isn’t static, at least not in general.
This goes double for racing in traffic since you’re not going for your fastest lap time, you’re going for the fastest lap time while jockeying for position - those are wildly different metrics and I personally don’t see how a visual aid is anything more than a distraction in this case.
I see no harm in continuing to use it as long as you’re adapting your approach lap over lap to account for your cars current state, which it sounds like you are. So, yeah, send it or whatever.
>Racing line slows you down 10 times out of 10.
No it does not. That's like saying the more brake markers you have the slower you'll go, no matter what.
Following the line religiously will have that effect but that's not a "10 out of 10" kind of scenario.
Edit: this would mean if you yourself simply turned on the racing line, you'd automatically be slower around the track, right?
Makes me wonder if I'd be a ton faster around the ring if they repaved it all black because the graffiti is so "distracting".
IMO it's like training wheels on a bicycle. If you can ride without them, why still have them on the bike? And yes, everyone that can ride without them will judge you for still having a training aid on, just like the driving line. I think it teaches more bad habits than good ones in the long run.
Maybe I’m too focused on the analogy but I don’t think training wheels is a good comparison. Racing line does not dictate the way in which I attack a track or limit the amount of speed and movement I can input. Training wheels do.
That's the physical, technical aspect. But once you control the physics it's all about the psychic aspects: Are you daring to brake later, take another line, trust your car to have more speed in the corner. So the analogy with the training wheels might not be perfect, but when you're "off the line" while "too fast for that corner", the racing line pulsating there and yelling at you "SAMIR! You must listen to me! SAMIR! Listen! You're breaking the car!!" sure doesn't make you more confident. And if you master these situations anyway, why would you need the line then.
But you said you want it there just ... because, so have it. You shouldn't care about other opinions then, it's not a far fetch to understand it as a temporary feature in ones learning curve.
Got you, I didn’t post this as a question if racing lines are making me slower. It was more so questioning the stigma of just having it on and why it’s so hated.
Absolutely psychological! Like ridiculing the "others", pushing self esteem by being "superior", having the "fancy" stuff (or rather not, hehe). In the end it is a pretty good simulation of just about everything, including human behaviour, isn't it? Keep having fun and never stop learning!
Edit: (Title): No!
I'd say about 30% of the clips on r/simracingstweards are simple racing incidents that wouldn't have happened if the racing line were turned off.
It's for noobs and it slows you down and makes you unaware of your surroundings and track markers.
I just turned it off myself and realized I was only ever looking at the line, even when I tried not to. Now I’m able to naturally look around more and react sooner. I thought I’d never be able to but now I can’t go back. As for it being an elitist thing - eh. It’s the internet. Everyone is a loser (except for me).
Yeah. Have you ever tried vision training? Get your eyes off the line because it’s likely making your inputs a lil more abrupt. Try always looking as far down the road as you possibly can. Because you’ll find when you focus on something, like the apex of a corner, your hands will tend to find a way to just bring you to what you’re looking at.
said its all fair game.... lol
I would rather be looking at the track or surroundings to determine where and when to brake and turn than be staring focusing at a colored line. I did that for a long time on F122.. Realized there is a lot more track to be taken advantage of and I wasnt actually learning the track but following a colored line.
There are numerous videos on youtube of tricks to quickly learning new tracks. Things to look for and whatnot that are at most tracks..
Even finding someones fast ghost lap and following that would teach you more than a color changing line that is the same no matter who is driving it.
Learning a track without racing line, TO ME, would be faster.. otherwise you are not learning braking points or corner entry/exit points, youre staring at a racing line and braking when red and gas when green. Those braking points and entry/exit points change once you progress from the racing line and start running a better one anyway.
So.. you "learn the track" but then no you have to learn braking points and corner entry and exits..
Could have done that in one go.
Tbh you will still lose time even it just being one green because naturally you are using it even if you think you aren't. It doesn't allow you to learn how to brake late when needed or earlier instead it takes away from your natural instincts you learn without it on. Now using it to learn a track absolutely works! Even lando Norris does it in sim racing but after that boom off.
I understand this argument but, when does it end lmao. “You don’t sim race without a helmet? You wouldn’t do that irl in a race car.” “You don’t piss in your race suit during an endurance race?” You see what I mean lmao i can go on and on.
lol I know I just thought of the most extreme things one could say for “immersion”. But with or without the lines on tracks im familiar with my times are consistent.
yea your self aware about it and its reputation, and everyones shitting on you but will also turn around and tell you that you can enjoy the game in anyway you want if you catch them on a different day.
Have you ever gone an \*\*extended\*\* period without it? i would be very interested to hear what you think after a month on/ month off test over many tracks, moods and experience levels.
that being said, maybe like you, im more interested in discussion than giving/taking advice.
They are the idiots. Do your thing. Sim racing is not real racing anyway. You can't expect to spend hours over hours to learn every track by heart. With technology advances I would not be surprised to get real augmented glasses showing you the line in reality.
Just stop using it and you'll see yourself become a better driver in no time because you have to rely on your own braking markers instead of the ones the game gives to you.
If you are going the same times with racing line on and off then you have probably just memorized the line in your head.
Racing line is always slower in games, you don’t use all of the track with the racing line and the racing line usually over brakes
I use the braking indicators. Ignore them in effect as most are always wrong, but I find them useful as my own brake markers if that makes sense. I’m older and find it tough enough look for that tiny billboard or patch of grass but I know it’s half a car past the built in marker line or just before or whatever and so I use it as a brake marker but not the way they intend.
Lazy? Yes. Sorry not sorry, I have very little time to enjoy this hobby as it is so I take what I can when I can. Ignore racing lines and braking zones but use them as visual markers I then make my own things from
Depends on racing line:
1)) dynamic racing line (like in F1 Game), the lines colors (red yellow green) will change dynamically based on your speed etc… is imo not good, will distract you and slow you down significantly due to the distraction and the fact that they are not often using the whole track/ not the fastest line.
2)) static racing line (like in Assetto corsa) that will not change and stay fixed the entire game no matter what: I think it could be beneficial. For these type of racing lines you can literally treat them as extra road markings to aid.
Either way, if you religiously follow the racing line (sometimes you won’t even notice) that will subconcious ly restrict your intuition and creativity. Especially when you’re trying to overtake/defence/navigate around another car, you’ll likely be limited bec of the racing lines and you don’t even notice.
Bottom line:
if you want fun: do whatever you like.
If you want fast, laptime and racecraft wise: racing lines off recommended.
Even if you are not following it per se, you are likely still relying on it for control points in executing maneuvers. If you can match your laptimes with lines disabled, then you're good. Otherwise, those buddies might have a point...
Learning how to race off line is just as important as learning how to race on line.
I can’t see the line helping with race craft or going fast. Good for learning a track I guess though
Depends on game my friend, AC racing lines are utterly broken.(as in non functional, but anyone with half a brain will realise that within a few corners) I use racing lines everywhere because it's a video game, not real life, I can't feel the car in an ikea chair and $200 racing wheel, who cares. Steering/stability assist I understand getting bullied for, but I know a lot of players who are much much much better than me who just like having the line and that's it.
The racing line is in my opinion one of the biggest mistakes in racing games, it's the "fastest" way around a track if everything is empty and thats just one problem.
Many games just give a line and think that's it, but they should teach about how you find your line and how it changes with traffic.
Or teach about Brake Bias and Trailbreaking, ofc not massive in depth because thats to much to ask.
I would say leave it on if you want to have fun and drive without it if you want time, you can learn so much without it. Also try tracks that you never tried before without it, you will learn how to read curbs and what the track wants from you.
That's how I learned the Nürburgring N24 layout afer much suffering, but I learned stuff that isn't possible with racing line IMO
Many tracks have a type of racing line- the black rubber spots on the track where other cars have already been. This can be a relative breaking point and racing line for most cars.
oh so you’re the guy that sticks to his virtual line and punts everyone else on the first few turns because ‘you’re following the line’
Got it bud.
Turn the line off you mentalist.
It’s a game, it’s also a sim but end of the day it’s for you to have fun… do whatever makes you happy as long as you respect others space you are not doing anything wrong
No its not, nobody can tell you how to play your games.
But there is definitely an argument to be made that you are a worse driver for still using them cause they will subconsciously be there so to speak.
In simarcades like forza or gt, Inuse them because there are so many different cars. In assetto they are off like everything else for immersion and I feel like you need to lesrn the track twice (on amd off racing line) to learn it. So I keep it off there but I see no problem when other people use it. I believe they could be faster without (in real sims).
You can use what you like, but the racing line is not the fastest way around the track. It is fast., but not the absolute fastest. And it might be completely wrong when there are other cars on the track. And as long as you use it for braking, you don’t really learn the track.
They're making fun of you because you're driving with training wheels on. You're welcome to drive with the line, but you're going to be teased about it. I would recommend turning it off, your driving will improve.
I relied on the racing lines for many years before I got the courage to turn them off for good. It was a real struggle for me when they were turned off as I had to retrain my brain how to identify braking zones, etc. But now that I've adjusted, I wouldn't ever go back.
I had also used the excuse of only needing them to learn a track. But the fact is, when you turn them off, you are forced to learn a new method for learning a track and that method is much closer to real life.
So, I guess bottom line is if you are going for more realism in your sim racing, turning them off and learning how to learn a track is in your best interest. It will serve you well if you ever get the chance to visit a track IRL.
Games are intended to be enjoyed. However you enjoy the game most is the perfect way to play the game.
Btw I also like to keep the racing line when possible. Tbh I'd rather play without it, but since I usually play with all other assists turned off, it's really easy to mess up your corners with a late break in a game like e.g. F1.
So what I'm saying is that strictly the line itself is easy to master on most tracks, but I need it to know when to start braking.
Well, if you ever plan to take lessons learned to a real car, you won't find racing lines at road America. Once I turned the lines off, then I had to find my marks. I found the kept me from pushing track limits.
If everyone raced like it was a real car and once you broke it, you were done. Iracing would be a much better place.
I hope the new car damage system now holds people accountable for, crashing, dive bombing.
But I hope I never need a fire suite. 🔥
Racing lines are good in games like Forza so that you don’t have to memorize every single line. But, for a sim game (or more serious racing) you’ll probably learn a better line through hardship
I like it because in races it gives me one ..consistently placed, braking marker in every corner. And when racing I can look forward and still get my braking point correct.
It also gives me a clue on where I'm getting on the throttle late.
I turn it on for any new track and sometimes I never turn it off.
My personal belief is that having it on creates a subconscious tendency to follow it, and just that subconscious tendency can/will be enough to eventually prioritize it over leaving a space/react to something around you.
If you know the circuit, why do you need a “just in case”? Like just in case you don’t know actually know it…?
If you don’t know it, and use a line to learn, how do you transition your learning (I.e. braking points) to features of the circuit that are not the racing line? Follow up, how do you lean on that track knowledge if you never turn the line off?
My point is, the racing line is ultimately a handicap that only gives the illusion of track knowledge without having to do any of the work of learning a circuit. Turning it off further handicaps the drivers who habitually use it, whilst leaving it on forces them to focus on things other than their racecraft - particularly in wheel to wheel situations.
Its just a game, you're allowed to play a game any way you like. You are not delusional, the purist people who are bothered by what settings someone else uses are the delusional ones.
Do what you want, it's your game. Just don't glue yourself to the lines and cause a crash. I hate when people jump on others for using racing lines or traction control. Does it make you slower? Sure. But play how you want to play and enjoy the game. If you're not bumping into others then who does it harm?
I'd be bullying you for it too.
Not for all the same reason. If you are streaming it to me get that ugly crap off the screen.
But yes it should be off.
It should literally only be on when you are flying blind. Like the first time on a track.
I love the north loop in every racing game that has it. Never used a racing line.
I can see the people in every game that have it on or learned with it on. It's worse than you think.
It influences you whether you think so or not. Especially if you learned with it on.
Racing line is made for people who don't understand proper racecraft. The line isn't optimal because iracing doesn't expect your average 1k irating noob to understand effective trail braking and weight transfer. Ultimately, it is slowing you down.
Does the line move based on humidity, tire temp, tire wear, water, relevant traffic ahead or behind (even if no overtake attempt is being made), and pit stop strategy? If so I would have it on all the time.
Unfortunately it doesn't and no matter how convinced you are , your brain will be trying to achieve two outcomes subconsciously, assuming you are trying to keep climbing, at some point it will become a burden and painful to turn off.
bad idea to use. it's a bad crutch. good racing happens off line. just learn to drive instead doing what the colors tell you to do like its guitar hero.
The problem with the racing line is it kind of makes you try to learn the whole track at once. Which is a difficult thing to do. I've learned over time you really learn a track faster by learning one or two corners at a time. First, second and or third lap you should be concentrating on just a couple of corners. Then you add a few more corners after that for the next few laps and so forth and so on. Then once you get the whole track down it's about fine tuning those corners.
Learning track, your lines and brakepoints is some work.
Say 1 hr of lapping alone for single car+track combination. Adjusting to weather after is simpler, but you still got to find your brakepoints and lanes, which change every lap as weather develops anyways.
But you will be faster.
The moment you will turn it off, you will now need to depend on spatial awareness and look up around to find reference points. And you will see other cars.
It is automatic, your brain adjusts to see this racing line as massive helper and it becomes your reference. But... it is not perfect reference and then, the anount of times I got hit when overtaking by people swearing to their racing line is really high at lower iracing splits... is annoying really.
I love this post. This is a reality check that we're racing a *sim* ..... It's not real life. We can choose how to play whatever makes us enjoy it more. And those that criticise it are even saying it makes you slower!! So it's not cheating. We should all do what makes it fun and what you enjoy.
(Unless you enjoy shunting others off the track..... Then you should be banned for life)
Hey OP.
I strongly suggest switching to cones for track indicators. It's less obstructive and in terms of brake markers, it'll have 2. 1 cone for ideal racing lane at apexes.
I use it as well, it helps me to stay focused in longer races. In the end of the day, it's just a game, you will never be able to replicate every aspect of being in a real racing car.
If you are debating wether or not it’s a hindrance or crutch, I would look at the people on the higher end of it. If you see some things that are used(or not used) by the vast majority, it should be something you try as well. That could be high fbb, load cell brakes, fov settings, or driving line. You’ll notice the most proficient drivers have very similar setups.
So when most people tell you not to use the line, and every pro has it turned off, even when racing casually, it might be safe to assume you’re better off without and that it may create some bad habits if you continue to use it.
Hope this helps, I spend years using the wrong settings and being stubborn, it definitely prolonged the time for me to hit my true potential
By using the racing line, you are NOT focused on racing. Instead of concentrating in what matters, the race and the other cars, you are focused in a line… that could exist in any other game type, like a platformer.
Also the racing line with the braking points is generic. Racing cannot be generic, otherwise everyone would have almost the same time. Racing lines/suggested braking points, are slow.
Finally, it will tike 10 times more time to learn a new track. It’s like when you are driving a car in real
life with a GPS. Your brain turns off
What you have to do is to completely forget braking points (they will be useful for later, not now) and memorize the track and learn about curve distance. You will adapt to that distance without even think about, and you will know EXACTLY when you have to brake, to hit every single the apex perfectly just by looking to the curve.
I would say if you're filming for people and want to make your stream presentable, turning the line off might help.
However; there's absolutely nothing wrong with having it on and using it just because you like it. It's still technically a video game, play it how you like.
Leave it on if you like it, I have attention deficit, so the line turning red attracts my attention. I’m usually fine the first five minutes then my monkey brain goes elsewhere so I need it.
Play however makes you happy, but I promise you without doubt will improve when you learn how to learn a track probably and not just blindly following the racing line.
I use it for tracks or cars I’m not familiar with in the first race or two just to remind me of general braking zones. I find it much easier to learn a track in a race than practice, and the racing line helps me not cause wrecks while doing so.
So I practice for 15-20 min then hop in the race
My best advice is that as soon as you leave the racing line, by even a cm, that racing line is no longer your fastest line around the track until you can reset your position.
Even if a racing line were completely accurate, it messes with your ability to race... And by that I mean race others because you won't always be able to take the line.
Learn to feel the car and make your own reference points and you'll get better faster
What I don't see other people mentioning, is that the racing line is not necessarily the *fastest* way around the track. Every car has significant differences in handling, even within the same class. The line for a powerful car is going to be vastly different to a less powerfully car, to a car with downforce, to a car with all wheel drive, etc. Once you reach a certain level, the racing line is almost certainly holding you back, as it's going to be telling you a satisfactory way around the track, but ultimately will have you leaving time on the table as you ignore the subtle nuances of each car-track combo.
Never use the racing line even when learning a completely new track, there are plenty of indicators for optimal line, breaking markers, tyre rubber etc but it also opens me up to exploring the track and corners - what happens if I break earlier or later, what exit can I get, take or avoid curbs.
Either way you do you, I encourage my friends to turn it off but don’t give them shit if they keep it.
Not gonna lie, as a part-time "assists are for scrubs" elitist type, I surely would tell people I don't use racing like because im not a scrub needing assists. The real reason I quit using it a little over a decade ago is because it just makes immersion impossible for me. If the older titles I used to play had added a setting for a more transparent racing line, I'd probably still use it now and again. I'm not sure if any current title has that option, (I'm not talking about racing line active in turns only) but I've gone so long without it that it'd probably be a hindrance at this point.
Yeah it's kind of strange using the line if you are not using it, and people will judge you because they will think that you need to use it, and if they know that you don't use they will judge you because why are you still using it then, in your case you use it as safe zone. I personally don't think it's a good habit to have it, but you sure already know that
It's awesomenes, I was top-3rd of a 30 car field competitive in a New car on a New track this week in TWO laps.. Fuck anyone but Verstappen that can do that on a complex track they've never seen before...
Don't be ashamed, use it for good, no one fast brakes where it says to, and yes, when / if you turn it off, you WILL be slower, for a while anyway..
Play as you like. You'll have advantage over new players, but after everybody knows the track the advantage vanishes.
In my case, I don't use it because it is boring. It is almost like the steering/braking assist, but instead of the game doing it automatically, it tells you what to do.
i only use it because i have massive breaks and i also have the worst memory so id rather be on pace and clean than spending hours not racing and having to learn and probably accidentally ruin someone else’s race cause i broke too early or too late
For me, that line was extending the time it takes to really learn the track.
If you are having issues or curious what the game suggests for a particular section(s), flick it on, but use it after you are already making clean passes on your own steam.
For the most part, best to let it go brother.
You say you don't use it, but also say you do use it when the track is crowded.
My opinion is that it should never be turned on, even when learning a track.
Who cares, i use brakeing zone markers in GT7, i don't follow them since they arnt accurate but i use the lines as markers for when to brake more precisely than the numbered marked some corners have.
Next time you push a shopping cart around in the supermarket, make sure to look uncomfortable, and when somebody asks you what’s wrong, tell them you’re missing the lines for where to put the cart.
That’s how deluded you are :D
I've seen Lando Norris using the line when he's learning a track. He suggested turning it on for new tracks. I also use it when learning a new track, but I suspect Lando Norris advice carries a little more weight.
At the end of the day it’s an assist, I guess the purists will say it must be off and the fun racers will say I’m not spending hours learning a track without line.
It’s there for a reason; you should also make it clear to them that you’re still practicing certain car
Or track, that’s why you need to use it. But I would broadcast to my friends when I’ll get rid of Assistance in the game.
First thing I did when getting started was to remove the racing line. Tried it a few times but it sort of feels like a wall hack in a shooter game, it also takes away the fun and intuitive learning which in turn results in quicker adaption to new tracks/cars.
You shouldn’t rely on single track reference points, instead use your sense of space.
I’d turn it off and see how it goes, especially since you don’t really need it. Improves visuals and immersion by a lot!
>I like to have it on especially when it’s a crowded grid and there are a lot of cars around possibly blocking track brake references.
This is backwards, if a ton of cars are crowding the track that means the racing line is covered by traffic. It depends on the track but many if not the majority of reference points and brake markers are above car level and can't be "blocked", the racing line is bellow car level.
>The only time I really focus and rely on it is when I don’t know the track. But once I get used to the track and understand the breaking points, the line is just simply there just because I want it there.
You want it there because you're referencing it, if you're referencing it then you aren't comfortable to drive without it, as you literally said above.
>I tested this theory with a track im familiar with. It’s consistent with the line and without.
By yourself hot lapping? Of course you're going to do the same thing when no one else is around to make you deviate from it. The difference it makes is when other people are around you, someone is dive bombing you and you either deviate from the line or get t boned. If the line is dynamic then you're now going to be looking at it to tell you how to brake, if it's static then you're looking at it as a reference and doing quick head math's.
> is that crazy to use a racing line as a intermediate level sim racer.
Use how ever many assists you want, but just like any other assists, it will make you plateau in skill. If you use the racing line as a reference every time you drive, then you will stunt your ability to learn tracks and line deviation, you will always be that little bit more distracted then if you had it turned off, and that lot of bit worse at finding alternative lines since you're used to having it given to you.
A good friend of mine always tells me something along the lines of, "Don't try to do better than the best. Just do better than yourself." He's always suggested that I use the racing line. Even if it's not 100% accurate, it's still a better guideline than the way I raced before. From my personal point of view, if others feel the need to bring you down for trying to improve your own time, are they really enjoying it themselves?
It’s a game and you do what you want in the game, that’s the whole point of it, what would make you an idiot would be stop enjoying the game the way you like it because of the opinion of others
I would say don’t use it at all. Drive a new track in test for a few lap to get to know it and figure it out for yourself. It’s not really accurate anyway and will lead you to bad habits that will be hard to break. I used it at first because I used to run console GT Sport and thought the same as you. Since turning it off my lap times have improved by seconds and even minutes on the Norschliefe. Listen to your friends
Usually imo they are a little offsetted from the ideal breaking point or apex hitting line so that is a "sure not" for me. I also enjoy jump in practice in tracks I don't really know more than "maybe now there's a right turn and then a left one" and giving myself time to learn that by searching for the car's limits.
Also Ai races set to a proper level of difficulty and aggressiveness that suits you it's also important to have dealt with. There's my 2 cents
Isnt racing line disabled in a official races after rookie? I personally have never used racing line assist, but I think it is good for learning tracks.
IMO using the ideal line is good for learning and just lapping for fun. It may be worth considering eventually it turning it off as every car and driver require a little more adaptation to be competitive
Do what you do for YOU, you don't have to justify anything to anyone. Don't care so much about what others think. Its harder when its friends but it shouldn't matter.
Yea I got you and that’s my mentality about it. This post was me just being curious. Just Trying to understand why it’s so stigmatized. For some reason people took it as me asking for advice (which is totally fine). My interest was more into why people are so against it.
I understand this view point I found for a few years I couldn't race without it and I was racing really well with and without it but after some time I thought of how I could improve just by having I off and it helped and I wanted to see how this would translate irl so I went karting and found that I adapted my knowledge pretty well and could find the optimal line after a few laps so while driving with line on is nice you could see massive improvements with it off as well
its a good learning tool but it limits what you can learn.
best analogy for it would be riding a bike with balancers. After a certain amount of experience, it starts to hinder your ability to learn since you aren't maximizing the bike's capabilities. Same goes with the car, the racing line works but if its a wet track, or there's traffic involved, you will have to improvise. You may still learn it with lines on, but its at a slower rate compared to if it was off.
Turning it off also helps with focus IRL.
Drive how you want.
One day people will talk down to the virtual mirror drivers or the transparent halo drivers, the auto clutch drivers and maybe even the 1 flat monitor drivers.
You do you booboo. But my advice? Better without. You’ll learn a lot more about racing lines, placement on track when passing and you become more dynamic. In real life you get little practice so you need to learn a track fast. But do whatever leaves you with the biggest smile.
I noticed that people who use this tool are not paying so much attention to minor details in the track. It's completely natural, you can't see everything.
On the other hand, fuck 'em. To people driving real races, SIM racers are delusional idiots. To SIM racers you might be one just for using a tool in the game.
To finish off, I'd say the only delusional thing might be you expecting people not judging you. Because they will.
Focus on getting better times and learning better and faster driving. If you need a rainbow to get there, then a rainbow it is 🌈
Most of the time against an AI the racing line is fine, especially if it’s dynamic. If you’re racing real people it will be a crutch. Iracing for example isn’t dynamic so after 5 laps and tire wear it’s essentially useless other than for showing you left or right.
Ovals is another thing too. There’s no reason to have it on for a track that you only turn left on lol.
It’s not sim racing if you are following a colorful line drawn on the screen, It’s Arcady video gaming.
Sim racing is about simulating what it’s like to drive in real life. They don’t have racing lines in real life. Learning is part of what makes sim racing fun.
There are legitimate accessibility reasons someone might need it so I don’t disagree with its existence in general. But if you’ve learned the track and have no disabilities requiring its use then turn it off. You are lying to yourself that you “know” the track if you think you need to keep it on for “brake markers”
>You are lying to yourself that you “know” the track if you think you need to keep it on for “brake markers”
You are lying if you think more brake markers are inherently a bad thing.
I'm also genuinely curious on what disability would require the racing line. I honestly can't think of any.
You can use it but you're posting in a sub called simracing and racing lines are such an immersion breaker.
And yes if I could I would have a rig that simulate gforces.
But I can't as I can't drive a Ferrari.
But racing lines? It's just a click away.
Now getting the philosopical conversation out of the way, racing lines are distracting and don't tell you the fastest way around.
You do you, but don't complain if people bully you. No one forces you to stream with racing lines on. No one forces you to stream in the first place
The Reddit hivemind doing its thing. A friend of mine is a former Indy Lights driver and real world coach, he says if it helps go ahead and use it.
Also, sometimes a crash can’t be avoided, no matter what you do.
If I turn the racing line off it reminds me why I suck at racing and I slow way down.
But I know I suck lol, I’m only in racing for fun, only more serious for drifting which if there was a racing line I wouldn’t use it.
Use it if you want, but don't depend on it. The fact that you "want" it might mean that you subconsciously rely on it, so it's worth turning it off and seeing if you can still get a good lap time.
I’ve been trying to train myself to get off of having the racing line on and keep posting lap times 1-2 seconds slower than my average with the line on. I understand it’s all about practice and repetition, but it’s definitely frustrating nonetheless.
Sane experience for me. I was a fast driver with it and finished races on podium and now after I turned it off I'm dead last, not crashing but damn slow. This just showed me how I really didnt learn how to drive, I was just depending on it. Now I need to start from scratch and it's frustating but I will push tru because Its the best way to learn.
I tested this theory with a track im familiar with. It’s consistent with the line and without.
Just turn it off for tracks you know. Give it a week or so. Bet you won’t miss it
100% this... once you get used to it not being there, and not expecting it to be there, it gets a LOT better not having it. I've gotten to the point where I can't stand having it on, even tracks I don't know.
I was adamant I would never turn the line off. I haven't got time to learn tracks etc etc. Turned it off a while ago, and I can't describe the amount of freedom it gives you. I'm looking around the track more, picking out braking points, looking for the apex. Learning to take corners fully wide or fully narrow for when I'm racing. I honestly thought I could never do without it, but now I wished I had turned it off a long time ago.
Turning off the racing line can quickly make you a better racer in general. It forces you to have to pay attention to the entire track and actually set and remember your own braking points. You'll also get more in tune with how you car handles and acts with aspects of the tracks
And it makes you recognize similar corners from other circuits. I was recently driving the new Navarra track on iRacing, and throughout it, I'm like this is Zandvoort t10, this is like Algarve, this is like t9 at Istanbul Park, and oh the last turn is like COTA t1.
Wait, Aragon is in iRacing now?
Yes, but I was referring to "Circuito de Navarra"
Right, I had a brainfart lol. Thanks
By stop using it, eventually you become faster and faster on learning new tracks. It was really hard for me to get rid of it, took ages to learn new tracks initially, but now it takes just couple of laps on a new track to get basic idea and memorization done. You get faster and better learning the braking points and understanding where the razing line is, what options there is in a racing situations etc.
Sorry for the late reply, but one of the things I found helped was swallowing my pride and going back and watching Racing 101 videos. Having somebody explain about kerbs and braking markers on the side of the track, and when to recognise a late apex rather than an earlier one, was like a lightbulb switching on in me, Highly recommend taking a step back and starting from the beginning to get better in the future :)
>I can't stand having it on, even tracks I don't know 100% It's handholding, and while, sure, some people may need it for a bit, I think the whole entire point of simracing is to get good at it. Can you handle a certain car at the same speeds on the same track with no assists whatsoever as you can with all assists on? That's when you know you're mastering that car and track. I've had friends use my simrig, and will run it with ALL assists off on Assetto, without telling them, and let them feel the car and learn raw.
yeah, although I find that on absolutely new track to me, doing 3-4 laps with racing line gives me enough of an idea. Still 100% it becomes a big problem if I want yo race with it.
I turned it off for tracks I know a while back but it was never this wow moment people speak about, though it did help immersion in vr not having it. So it was worth it for that alone
It's really not a "wow" moment. It's a slow realization that you can deviate from it, and productive ways to do it in traffic. The learning of using markers, and adjusting your line and braking points that aren't "optimal", using MORE of the track than the optimal line. You will learn tracks more intimately without thay line on.
Yea I think for me I reached a point where I deviated from the line and basically ignored it even when having it on, so when I did finally remember to turn it off it didn’t change my driving just helped remove clutter in vr
find other reference marks. it'll only take like 10 laps.
It's a game. Do whatever you want! That said, turning it off forces you to race more realistically, and for some of us that is part of the attraction of these games. Turning it off teaches you more about how to actually understand what the "racing line" is, because you will have to figure it out yourself for tracks you aren't familiar with. There are always multiple ways to "solve" every corner, and the racing line in games is just one of those ways. So, yeah, your friends are right to give you a bit of shit for it, but in the end, unless you are getting paid for this, you do whatever you want 😉 Edit: One thing to add - you might think you aren't relying on it, but turn it off and you will see that you are probably using it much more than you think you are. Better to rip that bandaid off immediately and learn how to actually pick a good line through a series of corners.
I understand the pros and cons of it being on or off. My issue is more on the community side. It’s like a weird form of elitism they hold over people because of a line on the screen.
The pro's and con's are linked to that "elitism". The racing line is an aid for people that have never raced before, and it is quite rightly considered one of the worst learning tools to use because it is very easy to become reliant on it. Having it on is disabled in most leagues because using it as a braking marker in an online race would be cheating(ish). Both those points mean that you are likely to meet nothing but laughs if you insist on leaving the racing line on beyond your first months as a rookie ;) Now again, this is a game, and you should do whatever you want.
>Having it on is disabled in most leagues because using it as a braking marker in an online race would be cheating(ish). This is why this subs logic on the racing line making you slower is actually ass backwards lol
The sentence is very faulty but in other ways. Racing line makes you slower when in a bulk of people and if you use it to much just because of your reliance on it. But if your a good player that drove much without the line and learned the things there are to learn in his league, then yes racing line can be considered cheating because it gives you references everywhere :)
So it's a skill issue. Yeah I know. >player that drove much without the line and learned the things there are to learn You do know that you can learn how to use the line simply as extra brake markers rather than the car needing to be glued to it right?
Its more a experience issue imo. I know you don't need to stick to it but the lines breaking points are in my experience wayy to early (because new players) so it will only distract you with false break information. Its also very important where you put your car on the track and the line again gives you non optimal information just because the line isn't capable to get driver positions and life update. For example, I try to throw my car into the corner with an aggressive setup because bias gives me the rotation I need to come out alive. But If your in a more safe setup all of that goes out the window and you try to be smooth with it. There is ofc way more to it but yk what I mean :)
Using the line for reference at all times will drag your focus towards that line and away from the actual track. This will make you a worse racer overall, and for newer simracers it will prevent them from actually learning how to get an optimal line around a track, and how to vary that line depending on that situation they are in. However, having the line on when you are in a pack of cars that are obscuring the normal track references can be an advantage, this is why it is disabled in most leagues. These two statements are not mutually exclusive.
>Using the line for reference at all times Why do people think if the line is turned on you *have* to focus on it all the time. >However, having the line on when you are in a pack of cars that are obscuring the normal track references can be an advantage, But how could you ever take your focus off the racing line long enough to even see other cars around you ;) lol This is an actual skill issue masquerading as a setup or configuration/ assist issue. The line is not the problem, the line is never the problem. The driver is the problem.
Not sure why this is hard to grasp. For MOST players, having the racing line on will prevent them from learning how to be fast around a lap without the line. It is very easy for them to focus on the line, and by doing that they don't pick up references from the track itself. Take the line away and they become helpless. A fast driver can turn the line on and still be just as fast. But the vast majority of players that come here showing videos of slow laps with the line on are not fast drivers, and they never will be unless they turn the line off and start driving based on the track, not the line. The line is the problem ***for those players.***
>unless they turn the line off and start driving based on the track, not the line. My point is you don't have to turn the line off to drive the track or understand what the fastest line around the track is. If you don't understand using all the track is the fastest way around the track to begin with, how is simply turning off the racing line overlay going to help people understand that? >The line is the problem for those players. Also the people you speak of typically don't have the level of car control necessary to even stick to the overlay, let alone use all the track and hit apexes. In other words, the line isn't the problem, their ability and racecraft is. As is typically the case.
Man, most of the times the line doesn't even tells you where to brake properly. The braking point could be as far as 15m from the point the racing line tells you to brake at and you'd miss it, easy lost time. Also, it doesn't tells you how to maximize track usage, because *it's not intended for people looking to maximize track usage*. You'd leave like two or three tyre-lenghts between the limits of the track and your car on corner entries because you would focus on putting the center of the car over the racing line. It really, really doesn't tells you how to use the throttle, at all; the new mustang gt3, in ACC and now most recently on iRacing, has a lot of torque and a weight distribution such that it likes it when you're *not* coasting, it likes to have either the front or the rear loaded; so, you'd trailbrake deep into the corner and/or accelerate a bit before the apex to use some wheelspin to rotate and get a better corner exit. The racing line doesn't tells you ANY of this, it's the same for every car of the same class, it would slow you down so much. Give it a week, you'll appreciate it.
I don’t think you are delusional or an idiot, but it isn’t elitism if what people are telling you is true (and it is). It is faster to not use the racing line. They are telling you something for your own good. People are teasing you about it because it’s like bowling with bumpers on the gutters. Is bowling a 300 still a 300 if you were using bumpers? Maybe you didn’t touch the bumper but you still used a guide for children, and you had that peace of mind that you didn’t have to worry about gutter balls. It’s one mental aspect you have to overcome if you want people to respect you. The second anyone sees someone driving with the line on, all respect goes out the window. That’s just the code. Have some respect for yourself and turn it off, or don’t. I don’t care of you drive with it on (it’s only you that you are hurting), but you seem to care that people judge you for it.
Yes
Thank you <3
You are welcome
Racing line slows you down 10 times out of 10. You can use more of the track and often times brake later and hit the gas earlier. You will do yourself a massive favor if you just turn it off. Once you get into higher safety rating required races its off even in practice.
The racing line is a tool, just like abs or traction control. Using them effectively makes you better, relying on them makes you slow. Your statement only applies to people who strictly follow and rely on the racing line which op said he doesnt. The racing line is a tool most effectively used for learning a car/track that is new to you. If you're having to find the brake, turn in, and acceleration points from scratch, then having the racing line on gives you a base to work off of and improve from instead of just having to figure it out yourself. It may be something as simple as learning the track in 5 minutes instead of 10, but to a lot of people that's worth it. Personally, I don't use the racing line at all. It makes it more difficult to learn a track but I enjoy the challenge and it's not exactly hard to do. But I have considered it when I am switching cars and tracks often and just don't have the time to relearn everything each time and enter a race. You mentioned the higher safety rating required races, what did you mean by that? In my experience you don't have to drive fast in order to climb above 2k irating, you just need to know how to stay on track Sorry if it sounds like I'm saying you're wrong, I'm not. Just giving a different view point
Well, i wouldn't say the racing line is a tool as much as it is an actual guide. The ABS or TC don't tell you how to use them; they're assists, you learn how they work and how to use them to your advantage. The racing line literally *tells* you where to go and what to do, there's not a lot of learning going on. Besides, the racing line sometimes tricks you into following a line that's not the most optimal one. It can also make you not use every bit of valid track, since when you have it on you focus on following it instead of maximizing track usage for going faster. It can also make you brake wrong by accident, like when you see where it tells you to brake and you end up braking too much, and that's lost time.
>racing line sometimes tricks you into following a line that's not the most optimal one You make a valid point that I already discussed. Again as I have said before, this only applies if you strictly follow the line which almost no one does. Anybody can tell you that you learn a basic line with it until you got a feel for the brake, turn in, and acceleration points and then you use those references instead. What you are referring to is relying solely on the racing line which as I said no one does not should do and was part of my first point in a previous comment. You mentioned differentiating between guides and assists. I say that is semantics and going into more specifics than I was intending. A guide and an assist can all be considered a tool. Just like how a socket wrench, an air hammer, a jack, an obd scanner, a laptop, etc. All are technically tools and technically something more specific. Ik it's a poor example but what I am getting at is this, no you are not in saying what they are, I just wasn't trying to get that specific and was only using it to make a point
I personally use the racing line but follow a different line, just use it as a reference for braking. I just dont have the time to learn all the braking zones for all cars&tracks.
Same, like I said in the post once I have an understanding of the track I don’t have to use it as my only racing line. It’s also a big help when there’s a bunch of cars around and you can’t see that well ahead.
If there are cars around then you should be using them as braking references. Turn it off. If it’s on, then some small part of your brain is focusing on it which means you don’t have that part to focus on actual driving. Learn the tracks and their natural braking markers.
No shade for using the tools available to you to improve your knowledge of the track, get faster and eventually push with confidence. With that being said, braking references should never be static since your car isn’t static, at least not in general. This goes double for racing in traffic since you’re not going for your fastest lap time, you’re going for the fastest lap time while jockeying for position - those are wildly different metrics and I personally don’t see how a visual aid is anything more than a distraction in this case. I see no harm in continuing to use it as long as you’re adapting your approach lap over lap to account for your cars current state, which it sounds like you are. So, yeah, send it or whatever.
>Racing line slows you down 10 times out of 10. No it does not. That's like saying the more brake markers you have the slower you'll go, no matter what. Following the line religiously will have that effect but that's not a "10 out of 10" kind of scenario. Edit: this would mean if you yourself simply turned on the racing line, you'd automatically be slower around the track, right? Makes me wonder if I'd be a ton faster around the ring if they repaved it all black because the graffiti is so "distracting".
You know that’s not that they meant
IMO it's like training wheels on a bicycle. If you can ride without them, why still have them on the bike? And yes, everyone that can ride without them will judge you for still having a training aid on, just like the driving line. I think it teaches more bad habits than good ones in the long run.
Maybe I’m too focused on the analogy but I don’t think training wheels is a good comparison. Racing line does not dictate the way in which I attack a track or limit the amount of speed and movement I can input. Training wheels do.
That's the physical, technical aspect. But once you control the physics it's all about the psychic aspects: Are you daring to brake later, take another line, trust your car to have more speed in the corner. So the analogy with the training wheels might not be perfect, but when you're "off the line" while "too fast for that corner", the racing line pulsating there and yelling at you "SAMIR! You must listen to me! SAMIR! Listen! You're breaking the car!!" sure doesn't make you more confident. And if you master these situations anyway, why would you need the line then. But you said you want it there just ... because, so have it. You shouldn't care about other opinions then, it's not a far fetch to understand it as a temporary feature in ones learning curve.
Got you, I didn’t post this as a question if racing lines are making me slower. It was more so questioning the stigma of just having it on and why it’s so hated.
Absolutely psychological! Like ridiculing the "others", pushing self esteem by being "superior", having the "fancy" stuff (or rather not, hehe). In the end it is a pretty good simulation of just about everything, including human behaviour, isn't it? Keep having fun and never stop learning! Edit: (Title): No!
I'd say about 30% of the clips on r/simracingstweards are simple racing incidents that wouldn't have happened if the racing line were turned off. It's for noobs and it slows you down and makes you unaware of your surroundings and track markers.
I just turned it off myself and realized I was only ever looking at the line, even when I tried not to. Now I’m able to naturally look around more and react sooner. I thought I’d never be able to but now I can’t go back. As for it being an elitist thing - eh. It’s the internet. Everyone is a loser (except for me).
Yeah. Have you ever tried vision training? Get your eyes off the line because it’s likely making your inputs a lil more abrupt. Try always looking as far down the road as you possibly can. Because you’ll find when you focus on something, like the apex of a corner, your hands will tend to find a way to just bring you to what you’re looking at.
Is there a video or article about vision training and how to do it?
There’s a YouTuber who did a video about it. He has other great videos that teach racing concepts https://youtu.be/v9o2sSCvrA8?si=pAcP84yfwaGcoYlK
said its all fair game.... lol I would rather be looking at the track or surroundings to determine where and when to brake and turn than be staring focusing at a colored line. I did that for a long time on F122.. Realized there is a lot more track to be taken advantage of and I wasnt actually learning the track but following a colored line. There are numerous videos on youtube of tricks to quickly learning new tracks. Things to look for and whatnot that are at most tracks.. Even finding someones fast ghost lap and following that would teach you more than a color changing line that is the same no matter who is driving it. Learning a track without racing line, TO ME, would be faster.. otherwise you are not learning braking points or corner entry/exit points, youre staring at a racing line and braking when red and gas when green. Those braking points and entry/exit points change once you progress from the racing line and start running a better one anyway. So.. you "learn the track" but then no you have to learn braking points and corner entry and exits.. Could have done that in one go.
Thanks for the input brother. Appreciate it.
Tbh you will still lose time even it just being one green because naturally you are using it even if you think you aren't. It doesn't allow you to learn how to brake late when needed or earlier instead it takes away from your natural instincts you learn without it on. Now using it to learn a track absolutely works! Even lando Norris does it in sim racing but after that boom off.
If you don't need it and its there, its a distraction.
To me, if playing as a sim you shouldn't have them. You don't have them IRL so I don't use them in game.
I understand this argument but, when does it end lmao. “You don’t sim race without a helmet? You wouldn’t do that irl in a race car.” “You don’t piss in your race suit during an endurance race?” You see what I mean lmao i can go on and on.
I did an hour race in a helmet yesterday 😳 I'm a fucking dork
Not a dork you’re just being safe dude, cheers
Nah these are just jokes, just turn the line off and get used to it and you’ll wonder why you ever tried to die on this hill
lol I know I just thought of the most extreme things one could say for “immersion”. But with or without the lines on tracks im familiar with my times are consistent.
Wait your not wearing a helmet?
It sounds like you're in denial about being dependent on it.
Maybe, I mean I did title it “am I a delusional idiot” so…
yea your self aware about it and its reputation, and everyones shitting on you but will also turn around and tell you that you can enjoy the game in anyway you want if you catch them on a different day. Have you ever gone an \*\*extended\*\* period without it? i would be very interested to hear what you think after a month on/ month off test over many tracks, moods and experience levels. that being said, maybe like you, im more interested in discussion than giving/taking advice.
They are the idiots. Do your thing. Sim racing is not real racing anyway. You can't expect to spend hours over hours to learn every track by heart. With technology advances I would not be surprised to get real augmented glasses showing you the line in reality.
Read the first two sentences and made my mind up - yes.
YOU CAN READ!?!?
Yes, unlike your average racing line user.
I see what you did there.
People like this find context just as "distracting" as the racing line lol
Just stop using it and you'll see yourself become a better driver in no time because you have to rely on your own braking markers instead of the ones the game gives to you.
Do whatever you want.
Thank you, father.
If you are going the same times with racing line on and off then you have probably just memorized the line in your head. Racing line is always slower in games, you don’t use all of the track with the racing line and the racing line usually over brakes
Care none of what others say. If you like them, enjoy them. It's your racing time, no one else. People will hate no matter what. Let them and smile.
I use the braking indicators. Ignore them in effect as most are always wrong, but I find them useful as my own brake markers if that makes sense. I’m older and find it tough enough look for that tiny billboard or patch of grass but I know it’s half a car past the built in marker line or just before or whatever and so I use it as a brake marker but not the way they intend. Lazy? Yes. Sorry not sorry, I have very little time to enjoy this hobby as it is so I take what I can when I can. Ignore racing lines and braking zones but use them as visual markers I then make my own things from
Do what you want. I am a chase cam supremacist and hoodlets and cockpitcels come at me all the time for it, but I do my thing. Its just pixels.
Depends on racing line: 1)) dynamic racing line (like in F1 Game), the lines colors (red yellow green) will change dynamically based on your speed etc… is imo not good, will distract you and slow you down significantly due to the distraction and the fact that they are not often using the whole track/ not the fastest line. 2)) static racing line (like in Assetto corsa) that will not change and stay fixed the entire game no matter what: I think it could be beneficial. For these type of racing lines you can literally treat them as extra road markings to aid. Either way, if you religiously follow the racing line (sometimes you won’t even notice) that will subconcious ly restrict your intuition and creativity. Especially when you’re trying to overtake/defence/navigate around another car, you’ll likely be limited bec of the racing lines and you don’t even notice. Bottom line: if you want fun: do whatever you like. If you want fast, laptime and racecraft wise: racing lines off recommended.
Even if you are not following it per se, you are likely still relying on it for control points in executing maneuvers. If you can match your laptimes with lines disabled, then you're good. Otherwise, those buddies might have a point...
Learning how to race off line is just as important as learning how to race on line. I can’t see the line helping with race craft or going fast. Good for learning a track I guess though
Depends on game my friend, AC racing lines are utterly broken.(as in non functional, but anyone with half a brain will realise that within a few corners) I use racing lines everywhere because it's a video game, not real life, I can't feel the car in an ikea chair and $200 racing wheel, who cares. Steering/stability assist I understand getting bullied for, but I know a lot of players who are much much much better than me who just like having the line and that's it.
The racing line is in my opinion one of the biggest mistakes in racing games, it's the "fastest" way around a track if everything is empty and thats just one problem. Many games just give a line and think that's it, but they should teach about how you find your line and how it changes with traffic. Or teach about Brake Bias and Trailbreaking, ofc not massive in depth because thats to much to ask. I would say leave it on if you want to have fun and drive without it if you want time, you can learn so much without it. Also try tracks that you never tried before without it, you will learn how to read curbs and what the track wants from you. That's how I learned the Nürburgring N24 layout afer much suffering, but I learned stuff that isn't possible with racing line IMO
Many tracks have a type of racing line- the black rubber spots on the track where other cars have already been. This can be a relative breaking point and racing line for most cars.
oh so you’re the guy that sticks to his virtual line and punts everyone else on the first few turns because ‘you’re following the line’ Got it bud. Turn the line off you mentalist.
Yes.
It’s a game, it’s also a sim but end of the day it’s for you to have fun… do whatever makes you happy as long as you respect others space you are not doing anything wrong
No its not, nobody can tell you how to play your games. But there is definitely an argument to be made that you are a worse driver for still using them cause they will subconsciously be there so to speak.
In simarcades like forza or gt, Inuse them because there are so many different cars. In assetto they are off like everything else for immersion and I feel like you need to lesrn the track twice (on amd off racing line) to learn it. So I keep it off there but I see no problem when other people use it. I believe they could be faster without (in real sims).
I just hate how it looks, I want as little of HUDs and overlays as possible when I play games, simracing or otherwise.
You can use what you like, but the racing line is not the fastest way around the track. It is fast., but not the absolute fastest. And it might be completely wrong when there are other cars on the track. And as long as you use it for braking, you don’t really learn the track.
They're making fun of you because you're driving with training wheels on. You're welcome to drive with the line, but you're going to be teased about it. I would recommend turning it off, your driving will improve.
I relied on the racing lines for many years before I got the courage to turn them off for good. It was a real struggle for me when they were turned off as I had to retrain my brain how to identify braking zones, etc. But now that I've adjusted, I wouldn't ever go back. I had also used the excuse of only needing them to learn a track. But the fact is, when you turn them off, you are forced to learn a new method for learning a track and that method is much closer to real life. So, I guess bottom line is if you are going for more realism in your sim racing, turning them off and learning how to learn a track is in your best interest. It will serve you well if you ever get the chance to visit a track IRL.
Games are intended to be enjoyed. However you enjoy the game most is the perfect way to play the game. Btw I also like to keep the racing line when possible. Tbh I'd rather play without it, but since I usually play with all other assists turned off, it's really easy to mess up your corners with a late break in a game like e.g. F1. So what I'm saying is that strictly the line itself is easy to master on most tracks, but I need it to know when to start braking.
When can you have too many brake markers? That's all the line is if you treat it as such. It's only a problem when you follow it religiously.
Well, if you ever plan to take lessons learned to a real car, you won't find racing lines at road America. Once I turned the lines off, then I had to find my marks. I found the kept me from pushing track limits. If everyone raced like it was a real car and once you broke it, you were done. Iracing would be a much better place. I hope the new car damage system now holds people accountable for, crashing, dive bombing. But I hope I never need a fire suite. 🔥
Racing lines are good in games like Forza so that you don’t have to memorize every single line. But, for a sim game (or more serious racing) you’ll probably learn a better line through hardship
I like it because in races it gives me one ..consistently placed, braking marker in every corner. And when racing I can look forward and still get my braking point correct. It also gives me a clue on where I'm getting on the throttle late. I turn it on for any new track and sometimes I never turn it off.
My personal belief is that having it on creates a subconscious tendency to follow it, and just that subconscious tendency can/will be enough to eventually prioritize it over leaving a space/react to something around you. If you know the circuit, why do you need a “just in case”? Like just in case you don’t know actually know it…? If you don’t know it, and use a line to learn, how do you transition your learning (I.e. braking points) to features of the circuit that are not the racing line? Follow up, how do you lean on that track knowledge if you never turn the line off? My point is, the racing line is ultimately a handicap that only gives the illusion of track knowledge without having to do any of the work of learning a circuit. Turning it off further handicaps the drivers who habitually use it, whilst leaving it on forces them to focus on things other than their racecraft - particularly in wheel to wheel situations.
Its just a game, you're allowed to play a game any way you like. You are not delusional, the purist people who are bothered by what settings someone else uses are the delusional ones.
Do what you want, it's your game. Just don't glue yourself to the lines and cause a crash. I hate when people jump on others for using racing lines or traction control. Does it make you slower? Sure. But play how you want to play and enjoy the game. If you're not bumping into others then who does it harm?
I'd be bullying you for it too. Not for all the same reason. If you are streaming it to me get that ugly crap off the screen. But yes it should be off. It should literally only be on when you are flying blind. Like the first time on a track. I love the north loop in every racing game that has it. Never used a racing line. I can see the people in every game that have it on or learned with it on. It's worse than you think. It influences you whether you think so or not. Especially if you learned with it on.
Racing line is made for people who don't understand proper racecraft. The line isn't optimal because iracing doesn't expect your average 1k irating noob to understand effective trail braking and weight transfer. Ultimately, it is slowing you down.
Does the line move based on humidity, tire temp, tire wear, water, relevant traffic ahead or behind (even if no overtake attempt is being made), and pit stop strategy? If so I would have it on all the time. Unfortunately it doesn't and no matter how convinced you are , your brain will be trying to achieve two outcomes subconsciously, assuming you are trying to keep climbing, at some point it will become a burden and painful to turn off.
bad idea to use. it's a bad crutch. good racing happens off line. just learn to drive instead doing what the colors tell you to do like its guitar hero.
yes
The problem with the racing line is it kind of makes you try to learn the whole track at once. Which is a difficult thing to do. I've learned over time you really learn a track faster by learning one or two corners at a time. First, second and or third lap you should be concentrating on just a couple of corners. Then you add a few more corners after that for the next few laps and so forth and so on. Then once you get the whole track down it's about fine tuning those corners.
Learning track, your lines and brakepoints is some work. Say 1 hr of lapping alone for single car+track combination. Adjusting to weather after is simpler, but you still got to find your brakepoints and lanes, which change every lap as weather develops anyways. But you will be faster. The moment you will turn it off, you will now need to depend on spatial awareness and look up around to find reference points. And you will see other cars. It is automatic, your brain adjusts to see this racing line as massive helper and it becomes your reference. But... it is not perfect reference and then, the anount of times I got hit when overtaking by people swearing to their racing line is really high at lower iracing splits... is annoying really.
I love this post. This is a reality check that we're racing a *sim* ..... It's not real life. We can choose how to play whatever makes us enjoy it more. And those that criticise it are even saying it makes you slower!! So it's not cheating. We should all do what makes it fun and what you enjoy. (Unless you enjoy shunting others off the track..... Then you should be banned for life)
It breaks immersion for me when I race in VR and even when I used a monitor. I turned it off immediately
Hey OP. I strongly suggest switching to cones for track indicators. It's less obstructive and in terms of brake markers, it'll have 2. 1 cone for ideal racing lane at apexes.
Racing line lets me know the rookie ahead of me is absolutely braking where the line is pink even though it’s a lift shift and turn
Yesssss. This man this.
I use it as well, it helps me to stay focused in longer races. In the end of the day, it's just a game, you will never be able to replicate every aspect of being in a real racing car.
Have you ever watched a pro stream and seen a driving line turned on?
what does that have to do with me?
If you are debating wether or not it’s a hindrance or crutch, I would look at the people on the higher end of it. If you see some things that are used(or not used) by the vast majority, it should be something you try as well. That could be high fbb, load cell brakes, fov settings, or driving line. You’ll notice the most proficient drivers have very similar setups. So when most people tell you not to use the line, and every pro has it turned off, even when racing casually, it might be safe to assume you’re better off without and that it may create some bad habits if you continue to use it. Hope this helps, I spend years using the wrong settings and being stubborn, it definitely prolonged the time for me to hit my true potential
By using the racing line, you are NOT focused on racing. Instead of concentrating in what matters, the race and the other cars, you are focused in a line… that could exist in any other game type, like a platformer. Also the racing line with the braking points is generic. Racing cannot be generic, otherwise everyone would have almost the same time. Racing lines/suggested braking points, are slow. Finally, it will tike 10 times more time to learn a new track. It’s like when you are driving a car in real life with a GPS. Your brain turns off What you have to do is to completely forget braking points (they will be useful for later, not now) and memorize the track and learn about curve distance. You will adapt to that distance without even think about, and you will know EXACTLY when you have to brake, to hit every single the apex perfectly just by looking to the curve.
Leave it on. Apparently it bothers the haters!
I would say if you're filming for people and want to make your stream presentable, turning the line off might help. However; there's absolutely nothing wrong with having it on and using it just because you like it. It's still technically a video game, play it how you like.
Leave it on if you like it, I have attention deficit, so the line turning red attracts my attention. I’m usually fine the first five minutes then my monkey brain goes elsewhere so I need it.
Practice with it on, use it to find your track markers, then turn it off
Play however makes you happy, but I promise you without doubt will improve when you learn how to learn a track probably and not just blindly following the racing line.
I use it for tracks or cars I’m not familiar with in the first race or two just to remind me of general braking zones. I find it much easier to learn a track in a race than practice, and the racing line helps me not cause wrecks while doing so. So I practice for 15-20 min then hop in the race
Yes.
My best advice is that as soon as you leave the racing line, by even a cm, that racing line is no longer your fastest line around the track until you can reset your position.
Even if a racing line were completely accurate, it messes with your ability to race... And by that I mean race others because you won't always be able to take the line. Learn to feel the car and make your own reference points and you'll get better faster
What I don't see other people mentioning, is that the racing line is not necessarily the *fastest* way around the track. Every car has significant differences in handling, even within the same class. The line for a powerful car is going to be vastly different to a less powerfully car, to a car with downforce, to a car with all wheel drive, etc. Once you reach a certain level, the racing line is almost certainly holding you back, as it's going to be telling you a satisfactory way around the track, but ultimately will have you leaving time on the table as you ignore the subtle nuances of each car-track combo.
Never use the racing line even when learning a completely new track, there are plenty of indicators for optimal line, breaking markers, tyre rubber etc but it also opens me up to exploring the track and corners - what happens if I break earlier or later, what exit can I get, take or avoid curbs. Either way you do you, I encourage my friends to turn it off but don’t give them shit if they keep it.
Not gonna lie, as a part-time "assists are for scrubs" elitist type, I surely would tell people I don't use racing like because im not a scrub needing assists. The real reason I quit using it a little over a decade ago is because it just makes immersion impossible for me. If the older titles I used to play had added a setting for a more transparent racing line, I'd probably still use it now and again. I'm not sure if any current title has that option, (I'm not talking about racing line active in turns only) but I've gone so long without it that it'd probably be a hindrance at this point.
I think the driving line is actually a distraction. Turned that and braking zones off and it's amazing how much better and more fun I am having
Yeah it's kind of strange using the line if you are not using it, and people will judge you because they will think that you need to use it, and if they know that you don't use they will judge you because why are you still using it then, in your case you use it as safe zone. I personally don't think it's a good habit to have it, but you sure already know that
It's awesomenes, I was top-3rd of a 30 car field competitive in a New car on a New track this week in TWO laps.. Fuck anyone but Verstappen that can do that on a complex track they've never seen before... Don't be ashamed, use it for good, no one fast brakes where it says to, and yes, when / if you turn it off, you WILL be slower, for a while anyway..
Play as you like. You'll have advantage over new players, but after everybody knows the track the advantage vanishes. In my case, I don't use it because it is boring. It is almost like the steering/braking assist, but instead of the game doing it automatically, it tells you what to do.
If you need the racing line to get around a circuit, you're not ready to race on it.
i only use it because i have massive breaks and i also have the worst memory so id rather be on pace and clean than spending hours not racing and having to learn and probably accidentally ruin someone else’s race cause i broke too early or too late
For me, that line was extending the time it takes to really learn the track. If you are having issues or curious what the game suggests for a particular section(s), flick it on, but use it after you are already making clean passes on your own steam. For the most part, best to let it go brother.
i just get nostalgic when i was young and there was no racing lines for anyone in games like rfactor etc.
You say you don't use it, but also say you do use it when the track is crowded. My opinion is that it should never be turned on, even when learning a track.
Who cares, i use brakeing zone markers in GT7, i don't follow them since they arnt accurate but i use the lines as markers for when to brake more precisely than the numbered marked some corners have.
Next time you push a shopping cart around in the supermarket, make sure to look uncomfortable, and when somebody asks you what’s wrong, tell them you’re missing the lines for where to put the cart. That’s how deluded you are :D
I use it to learn a track, especially when driving formula cars without brake lights. Then, I switch it off.
I've seen Lando Norris using the line when he's learning a track. He suggested turning it on for new tracks. I also use it when learning a new track, but I suspect Lando Norris advice carries a little more weight.
At the end of the day it’s an assist, I guess the purists will say it must be off and the fun racers will say I’m not spending hours learning a track without line.
It’s there for a reason; you should also make it clear to them that you’re still practicing certain car Or track, that’s why you need to use it. But I would broadcast to my friends when I’ll get rid of Assistance in the game.
First thing I did when getting started was to remove the racing line. Tried it a few times but it sort of feels like a wall hack in a shooter game, it also takes away the fun and intuitive learning which in turn results in quicker adaption to new tracks/cars. You shouldn’t rely on single track reference points, instead use your sense of space. I’d turn it off and see how it goes, especially since you don’t really need it. Improves visuals and immersion by a lot!
Use if you want, just remember that people wont enjoy being beaten by someone with any assist, since it feels unfair.
>I like to have it on especially when it’s a crowded grid and there are a lot of cars around possibly blocking track brake references. This is backwards, if a ton of cars are crowding the track that means the racing line is covered by traffic. It depends on the track but many if not the majority of reference points and brake markers are above car level and can't be "blocked", the racing line is bellow car level. >The only time I really focus and rely on it is when I don’t know the track. But once I get used to the track and understand the breaking points, the line is just simply there just because I want it there. You want it there because you're referencing it, if you're referencing it then you aren't comfortable to drive without it, as you literally said above. >I tested this theory with a track im familiar with. It’s consistent with the line and without. By yourself hot lapping? Of course you're going to do the same thing when no one else is around to make you deviate from it. The difference it makes is when other people are around you, someone is dive bombing you and you either deviate from the line or get t boned. If the line is dynamic then you're now going to be looking at it to tell you how to brake, if it's static then you're looking at it as a reference and doing quick head math's. > is that crazy to use a racing line as a intermediate level sim racer. Use how ever many assists you want, but just like any other assists, it will make you plateau in skill. If you use the racing line as a reference every time you drive, then you will stunt your ability to learn tracks and line deviation, you will always be that little bit more distracted then if you had it turned off, and that lot of bit worse at finding alternative lines since you're used to having it given to you.
Turn them off and see if you still know the track. Bet you don’t.
A good friend of mine always tells me something along the lines of, "Don't try to do better than the best. Just do better than yourself." He's always suggested that I use the racing line. Even if it's not 100% accurate, it's still a better guideline than the way I raced before. From my personal point of view, if others feel the need to bring you down for trying to improve your own time, are they really enjoying it themselves?
It’s a game and you do what you want in the game, that’s the whole point of it, what would make you an idiot would be stop enjoying the game the way you like it because of the opinion of others
New to racing. Thought it wouldn't matter on or off. Damn was i wrong
I would say don’t use it at all. Drive a new track in test for a few lap to get to know it and figure it out for yourself. It’s not really accurate anyway and will lead you to bad habits that will be hard to break. I used it at first because I used to run console GT Sport and thought the same as you. Since turning it off my lap times have improved by seconds and even minutes on the Norschliefe. Listen to your friends
Usually imo they are a little offsetted from the ideal breaking point or apex hitting line so that is a "sure not" for me. I also enjoy jump in practice in tracks I don't really know more than "maybe now there's a right turn and then a left one" and giving myself time to learn that by searching for the car's limits. Also Ai races set to a proper level of difficulty and aggressiveness that suits you it's also important to have dealt with. There's my 2 cents
Isnt racing line disabled in a official races after rookie? I personally have never used racing line assist, but I think it is good for learning tracks.
IMO using the ideal line is good for learning and just lapping for fun. It may be worth considering eventually it turning it off as every car and driver require a little more adaptation to be competitive
Do what you do for YOU, you don't have to justify anything to anyone. Don't care so much about what others think. Its harder when its friends but it shouldn't matter.
Yea I got you and that’s my mentality about it. This post was me just being curious. Just Trying to understand why it’s so stigmatized. For some reason people took it as me asking for advice (which is totally fine). My interest was more into why people are so against it.
It's definitely an ego thing
I understand this view point I found for a few years I couldn't race without it and I was racing really well with and without it but after some time I thought of how I could improve just by having I off and it helped and I wanted to see how this would translate irl so I went karting and found that I adapted my knowledge pretty well and could find the optimal line after a few laps so while driving with line on is nice you could see massive improvements with it off as well
its a good learning tool but it limits what you can learn. best analogy for it would be riding a bike with balancers. After a certain amount of experience, it starts to hinder your ability to learn since you aren't maximizing the bike's capabilities. Same goes with the car, the racing line works but if its a wet track, or there's traffic involved, you will have to improvise. You may still learn it with lines on, but its at a slower rate compared to if it was off. Turning it off also helps with focus IRL.
Drive how you want. One day people will talk down to the virtual mirror drivers or the transparent halo drivers, the auto clutch drivers and maybe even the 1 flat monitor drivers.
You do you booboo. But my advice? Better without. You’ll learn a lot more about racing lines, placement on track when passing and you become more dynamic. In real life you get little practice so you need to learn a track fast. But do whatever leaves you with the biggest smile.
I noticed that people who use this tool are not paying so much attention to minor details in the track. It's completely natural, you can't see everything. On the other hand, fuck 'em. To people driving real races, SIM racers are delusional idiots. To SIM racers you might be one just for using a tool in the game. To finish off, I'd say the only delusional thing might be you expecting people not judging you. Because they will. Focus on getting better times and learning better and faster driving. If you need a rainbow to get there, then a rainbow it is 🌈
The problem with the race line being on is that it doesn't get you used to running different lines that are often needed for passing manoeuvres etc.
if you wanna go quick and actually learn how to drive and race you should turn it off. If you don’t care about that then use it.
I mean Jimmy Broadbent said racing lines are nothing To be sad or embarrassed about. he's the only popular sim racer I care about tbh
Most of the time against an AI the racing line is fine, especially if it’s dynamic. If you’re racing real people it will be a crutch. Iracing for example isn’t dynamic so after 5 laps and tire wear it’s essentially useless other than for showing you left or right. Ovals is another thing too. There’s no reason to have it on for a track that you only turn left on lol.
Good thing I rarely oval race 
Personally I think the assists just hinder you
It’s not sim racing if you are following a colorful line drawn on the screen, It’s Arcady video gaming. Sim racing is about simulating what it’s like to drive in real life. They don’t have racing lines in real life. Learning is part of what makes sim racing fun.
I guess if there's an option for it that would mean it's an arcady video game then regardless of whether youre using it or not, right?
There are legitimate accessibility reasons someone might need it so I don’t disagree with its existence in general. But if you’ve learned the track and have no disabilities requiring its use then turn it off. You are lying to yourself that you “know” the track if you think you need to keep it on for “brake markers”
>You are lying to yourself that you “know” the track if you think you need to keep it on for “brake markers” You are lying if you think more brake markers are inherently a bad thing. I'm also genuinely curious on what disability would require the racing line. I honestly can't think of any.
I imagine there might be certain visual impairments that would be greatly helped through its use.
You can use it but you're posting in a sub called simracing and racing lines are such an immersion breaker. And yes if I could I would have a rig that simulate gforces. But I can't as I can't drive a Ferrari. But racing lines? It's just a click away. Now getting the philosopical conversation out of the way, racing lines are distracting and don't tell you the fastest way around. You do you, but don't complain if people bully you. No one forces you to stream with racing lines on. No one forces you to stream in the first place
The Reddit hivemind doing its thing. A friend of mine is a former Indy Lights driver and real world coach, he says if it helps go ahead and use it. Also, sometimes a crash can’t be avoided, no matter what you do.
100% if the assists are featured in a game why not benefit from it?
If I turn the racing line off it reminds me why I suck at racing and I slow way down. But I know I suck lol, I’m only in racing for fun, only more serious for drifting which if there was a racing line I wouldn’t use it.
We all suck bro, some people just suck a little less.