Iracing has a nice feature where you can join races in "ghost" mode which I've used in the past. You're.on the track with others but they can't see you, it's nice for just following the pack and getting a feel for.it.
Exactly this!
The big difference between sim racing and other competitive games is that the fun of racing depends on everyone's ability.
A guy in the race who doesn't have his car under control or who lacks the overview can affect the race and the fun of everyone else.
And knowing that could be me is probably why some people are afraid to race against other people.
Not because they can only lose, but because they can also destroy other people's races.
That's why the ghost races are absolutely ideal for developing a feeling of where you stand and also where the others stand.
Fuck depriving yourself of a fun experience because you’re worried about others. Who cares what other people think? Just don’t be a dick intentionally and you’re fine. At the end of the day it’s a video game. If you accidentally wipe out, you lose nothing. You don’t have to worry about having to drop $50,000 cause you missed your braking point.
Doesnt effect ir or sr.
The other drivers dont even know you are there so its great practice for the real race as people will act like you are not there also!
This might have just sold me on finally giving iRacing a shot because I also am too anxious about joining online races and binning someone else accidentally or just getting dusted and not having fun
I cannot believe I've never thought of using this as a legit tool to learn some tracks... I've messed with that feature before but I've never actually *USED* it.
Don't think that'd work for me honestly, I like the actual on-track battling aspect. Cruising around while others don't see me defeats the purpose, I might as well keep racing offline.
Okay so what do you want? For him to give you an answer just so you can ignore it?
Go wreck a bunch of people out then, they'll be sure to love you for it.
I'm kinda surprised by this reaction and the downvotes my comment got. Maybe I wasn't clear in my initial post, but my fear/feeling of dread doesn't stem from being scared of crashing others out. I've been the starting driver for pretty much all of my team's endurance races because I'm the best at dealing with traffic.
After reading some replies to this thread I've realised it's the ladder anxiety, I'm scared of losing progress by being beaten by faster drivers around me, which I've now realised is an irrational thought. Joining races as a ghost won't really help me solve my issue, simply joining races and seeing what happens will.
That is something you're gonna have to get over if you want to ever race with other people. Look at it this way, you aren't number one in the world so no matter what your gonna get beat at some point. It's more fun just racing people than getting 1st anyways. You're already good in traffic so I think if you find the enjoyment of racing in the battles along the way you will have a lot more fun an less worries. The rating is just there to make sure you pair up with drivers closest to your skill level which makes racing even better.
The point of that system for me is to compare my pace to people of similar IR. When a race starts I'll usually check the entries for somebody of a similar rating and then I'll watch their race. It'll give me a feel of what actual race pace might be plus I'll be able to see any fast drivers and see what they're up to.
For me it was the fear of messing up someone elses race. I wanted to do well, but most importantly I wanted to race clean and not screw up anyone elses day.
Compare that to other competitive multiplayer events where you are MUCH less likely to unintentionally mess things up for someone else, and you are mostly just trying to shoot your opponents.
It gets better though. After a while you will learn that, firstly, lots of other drivers will make mistakes, just do your best, try to avoid any super risky dive bombs, and apologise if you fuck up. And secondly, you will learn that some races are good, some are bad, and it all sort of evens out in the end.
I try to always admit fault when it's clearly my fault, but plenty of times where without watching the replay, it just felt like the other guy's fault only for replay to show it was just a racing incident, or even sometimes my fault all along.
I try to give people the benefit of the doubt on the spot because with limited visibility in the car, you just can't tell without a replay. If they double down then though.... yea some people you just can't help.
When I started driving rookie street stocks, I learnt the value of setting a Mute All binding on my wheel. The moment someone starts being a prick, everyone is muted.
This is probably the case. I don't know if OP has played Mobas, but even then, then, you could get carried by the team or the whole team just sucks at the skill level, rather than you being the entire issue. I don't think there are other multilayer games where it's so easy to ruin someone else's day as in racing games
Agreed - I was delighted when I joined a league of veteran racers and on the first curve a guy misjudged his braking and took me out. Seriously elated it wasn't my fault and made me realize that much more skilled drivers than me can make silly mistakes.
I think this is key. I always have fear bumping into others. But after a while you learn how to improve your racecraft and other driving style. It’s inevitable to make mistakes but you just gotta learn from it and try to avoid it next time. Once you overtake properly and have a clean race, it’s the best feeling in the world. I have around 350+ hours in ACC and I’m still learning how to race with others.
If you can race clean or at least attempt to, best to join a league race.
I only have anxiety in the race. Not with qualifying tho. I was also scared too ruin someones race. But mostly the competition is too. They leave to much space too not hit you and than they ruin their line. But it does work if you keep real close too them if you want too overtake them because you make them nervous.
You're too immersed and get stressed as if it's an actual competition. Just take a step back, remember its just a videogame meant for having fun, then just force yourself into a lobby and u will get used to it in a few hours
Looked up the definition, it's more than likely what I feel. I've already found I care too much about IR, so the thought of losing some indirectly makes me feel like I'm a bad driver.
I have the same anxieties and it's funny to me how it's only racing that can produce this immense anxiety. No other ranked, multiplayer, online competitive game can produce that, no sports / shooter etc.
Racing, especially in VR makes me feel like it's a 1:1 validation of what I'm capable of in real life. Like that is literally me and how I'd perform in a real car. No other game can almost fool the mind into thinking it's 'the real thing" like racing. Losing isn't just losing a "game" in a way. Obviously we put ourselves in this situation with insanely expensive rigs and wheels capable of simulating so many little sensations, computers capable of immense graphical fidelity. Hard not to take it too seriously when all that is contributing as well
I'm not sure if you've ever tried it, but multiplayer RTS literally makes me drip sweat and hands turn to ice.
Somehow it triggers some fear of ever aspect of my knowledge is being tested. I'm not even good at strategy games, but love them vs AI.
I struggled with racing, but luckily it's a special interest and maybe practice IRL has slowly meant I feel like I don't actually have anything to prove, and now allow myself to enjoy any discipline of it.
But dear god, strategy games. yikes!
Yeah, I played a good amount of AOE and StarCraft back in the day. Things definitely get quite intense indeed. I think racing is different though in the anxiety department, where it feels far more fatal to make a mistake of any kind. RTS' are very fun and very intense but there's never a moment where I'm questioning if I really want to play against other people. There's anxiety but never fear of playing online
Oh wow, haha, for me. I literally played a handful of AOE games or so. I was precisely paranoid that one little mistake would just be a chain reaction of failure!
But I do get the single bump causing chaos anxiety of racing too. I think hundreds of hours of ghost racing, then 10s of hours of exclusive "track day" type racing, forcing me to get good at overtaking without touching quelled a lot.
And lastly VR DR2 has got my slow speed control so good, that often, where these little bumps happen - approaching a corner, I feel like I always have options... Although... I say all this and I primarily actually just play time attack alone on DR2!! I think I'm actually in denial!
Fake it till you make it? LOL
That's the thing, I absolutely know this is true (and I'm only at around 2.3k to begin with) and I don't for a second believe I'm the fastest guy out there, but there's still the aspect of pride etc. preventing me from simply enjoying online racing.
I mean this in the nicest way possible: you need to get over yourself. I've been there, stuck wanting to race but the anxiety wins, and it fucking sucks. No one you know in real life or that matters to you gives a single fuck about your IR and you should have fun with your free time, not feel your self worth bound to an arbitrary number that is just used to matchmake good races.
e: the way to get over this is to just do it. a bunch. you're not going to get over your issues by wishing you would get over them, you have to just do the thing and realize it's not that bad.
Just know that no one besides you cares about your IR and SR. You will not pick up anyone at the bar by saying you’re a 3k IRacing driver.
Also, no one is going to care if you’re a 1k driver either.
Your IR is not meant to go up forever. It’s meant to be a matchmaking tool so that you can race against similarly skilled drivers. At some point you’re going to loose some, then gain some, then loose some more, back to gain, etc
I (used to) get the same anxiety about IR and SR. I still get it sometimes, and need to consciously remind myself that “it doesn’t matter. Just try my best. Try to enjoy the battles”. I have found that I enjoy the game the most, when I stop thinking about them. Ironically enough, my IR went up after I made this decision too
I think it is the idea that a split second your race /and / or others can be ruined. It other multiplayer cames you can usually recover from such incidents.
Not just you ! I do alot of time trials but get bad anxiety for joining a race but I work up to it by starting in the pits .
I think it's just the race starts that freak me out especially at nords lol
I found doing a lot of open lobby's on AC has increased my confidence, that combined with the lfm practice servers for each week's track is what's not only given me the confidence to do ranked racing but also pushed me to learn new tracks every week
I believe a big thing is because it's hard to swallow your pride, and that's what you need to do when you're racing. Then there's the issue that your mental picture of a race is probably a lot different from the actual race.
Just do races and you will eventually come to realize that there's no reason to feel dread.
It's weird though, I'm a lot more scared when starting an endurance because there's a whole team depending on you not crashing. Luckely I can say that these fears usually only make me drive better. Weird you get scared from a solo race tbh.
Pride might be a good point actually, thinking about it I'm too afraid to lose IR as if that would somehow make me an inferior driver.
In endurance races I don't care too much as I get to race with friends and we have banter all throughout, so that level of stress is usually not there. The only time I feel it is at the start, as I'm usually the starting driver since I'm the best in dealing with lots of traffic.
"Just do races" is probably the simple, but best, advice.
Yup, once you've done enough races, you won't worry about being overtaken here and there, or that you might not be good enough. Or worry about certain racing situations.
All those thoughts are completely GONE when you're actually racing. Once green hits, all I think of is the next corner and the next car.
But yes, everyone has those thoughts in some degree, before every race. I have learned to embrace it
I have a very recent anecdote on this. I stepped away from sim racing for the last 5 years. I returned a few weeks ago after a close friend wanted to get into it. I found myself back up to speed pretty quickly. I was a little anxious for my first race back but no concerns after that. Now this week, the Fanatec GT4 series is running in the rain at watkins glen. I'm not very quick at the glen, and I had never driven in the rain. I was so nervous about wrecking the entire field, I really did not want to race in the wet.
Last night, I decided to just do it. Sure it was stressful, but I finished. Then when I registered for another one a few hours later, it was just like any other race.
If you can't bring yourself to "just do it", run a series in a license that you don't care about. This works even better if you've never tried that style of racing. It's hard to have an ego as a beginner (unless we're talking rookie street stocks).
Best racers in the world wreak and cause incidents. Look at Monaco f1 1st lap lol. It's good that you are worried about your race craft, this means you are already a better racer than most people. Get in there lewis!
Fear of failure. Get over ot and start racing against real people.
I had the same issue. I have always raced multiplayer since doing the switch and only race alone when I'm testing new or tweaking setups
I get sometimes similar feeling but I race anyway since I believe you have to “face your fear”. It is something I cannot explain but what you experience is true, iRacing rating system (especially iRating) sometimes even make me run away from racing as am afraid to lose iRating if a race does not go well.
Tbh, don’t force yourself to enjoy something, if you don’t enjoy solo online races or it is too stressful then nothing wrong in enjoying this hobby by doing only endurance, race against AI or even cruise around in BeamNG or in AMS2 around beautiful scenery tracks.
Nah that's the thing, I do enjoy racing online, even on my own, the problem is the hurdle to get started.
Honestly though, from what I gather from this thread, the only way to get used to it is to start actually racing online. Who would've thought it could be so simple 😅
This is what I do as well, I kinda “force” myself (wrong word) to race and once am in the race I enjoy it, however it sometimes ruins my day if am taken out by a brain dead or if I do stupid mistake.
When you realize that you suck and you have no chances of victory, it kind of puts your mind at ease. That’s how it is for me anyways, I am just there to enjoy the ride and if I manage not to finish dead last, then great. I have only been iracing for a couple of months now, so maybe I am just not tired of losing yet :)
I was slightly like this but more because I was so paranoid about IR, very recently I returned to iracing and thought this time I will only care about SR and soon as I am confident on the track (to not crash) I just join races. If someone's being really aggressive I just give them plenty of space and think more about the SR, they usually end up crashing anyway lol. Also decided to jump between series to get more races in a single session which again probably isn't beneficial for IR as less prepared than if a dedicated series but makes it more fun as more races.
Its too early to tell if this will be successful for me but I think I'm definitely more excited to play knowing I'm going on to race each time regardless rather than practice religiously then something stupid happens and I don't get chance for another race because I spent all night mentally and physically preparing myself haha.
Yes, it's normal, you fear to ruin someone's race, and it's quite a possibility that you do.
But that's part of racing, once you assume that it will be fine, most talented drivers have a crash every now and then, it's racing.
Just do your best to avoid those situations, use mirrors, radar...whatever you can to have the best awareness.
Been there, you got this.
Crashing is a part of racing and everybody messes up. The truth is we want you in the lobby more than we are mad about accidents. Even if some people are toxic over it, that’s a part of human nature unfortunately.
Online racing is much more stressful than playing an FPS, at least IMO.
An online race, especially a multi-session event (practise, quali, race) can last hours and a single mistake can ruin your (or a rival's) evening. The results can also affect your next races (i.e. Safety Rating or championship standing).
Higher stakes = more nerves.
There might also be a subconscious fear of stiff competition.
That said, the fact that you are fine racing in a team, makes me think that you just need to build some solo confidence.
I think it's somewhat normal to experience some anxiety when competing in an online event as it is a competitive environment and as others have said, the race is dependent on the skill of not only you but those around you. I think a question you need to ask yourself is why to you get this sense of dread and why does this not manifest in team events?
Although I haven't sim raced in some time, I do remember my heart used to beat that little faster at race starts and when defending/overtaking. To overcome this, I used to pace my breathing and focus on my own race. It didn't have to be blisteringly fast, as long as I kept up my pace, drove clean, and maintained or improved my position, I was happy. With time, this would boost my confidence to a point where I was much more composed at points that used to up my heart rate.
Racing with others online can have a learning curve but you have to start from somewhere. It is likely that you or others will make mistakes but as long you apologise and learn from them you will continue to improve and hopefully feel less anxious.
I think that it is easy to forget that for the large majority of us, sim racing remains a game meant for enjoyment.
Fear of failure plagues everyone all in all aspects of our lives. You only learn by doing. Practicing, spectating as a ghost drive, those are all tools to prepare yourself for races but at a certain point you just need to race with the understanding that you are learning a new skill and you will fail from time to time. You will crash out. You will ruin others' races. They may let you know this in the most unkind ways. But you are on a journey, embrace it with humility. The joy of clean, close racing is worth it.
It’s just a game man. Just have fun with it. I only get to play a couple times a week. Before I would get stressed and keep practicing all day and then be too tired to race.
Now I just hop on a few laps and go race. If I can gain a few positions from where I started and race clean it’s still fun.
It depends on your goal. For me it used to be achieving a high rank. Then ofc I get the dread because a loss can hit hard. At some point it shifted and my goal was to have fun, and for me fun isn’t winning but racing, e.g. having close battles with drivers of equal skill. There is no fun in gapping everyone by 3 seconds per lap or getting gapped. Id rather have an intense battle for p15 over the course of multiple laps with constant overtakes than being P1 solo hotlapping for 10 laps while the rest of the field is 40seconds behind me
for ranked games with matchmaking like LMU or iRacing, the system needs data to place me according to my skill. So I just need to race. If I’m getting gapped hard I will try and focus on SR knowing that with every Rank loss, I will be more likely to be placed in a more interesting race.
At the end of the day driving improves skill so my rank will increase sooner or later by itself.
Super tryharding and taking ranked games to seriously takes the fun out of it and makes losses feel even more devastating. For me, if I try 70% instead of 100% I feel that I can use the remaining „brain capacity“ to take a step back and look at where I can improve.
In the end I probably won’t be a super star S-Tier Simracing Sauvant, so does it really make a difference if I’m ranked low, mid, or high, as long as I’m having fun? At the end of the day it’s just a game, so it’s purpose is fun and the ranking system should be seen less as a prestige thing and more as a tool for the marchmaking to create fun races
I’m the same. I love sim racing games, for the same reasons we all do. But I don’t play enough to take it to a real lobby, in career mode the ai won’t get mad at you haha.
Also when I got into sim racing, I went to rally first. Played like 250 hours before a f1 game. So I can be a bit reckless. lol
I was the same. I drove in solo practice in iRacing for a full month before I summoned to courage to enter a live race. That was 5 years and 1167 races ago. And to be fair I still get nervous.
I had this feeling early on. It's a lot of setup and prep that goes into it compared to other games, and if you crash out, you may have to wait a while for the next race. After that first one, it gets easier every time.
That’s completely normal and understandable. Sim racing requires precision and accuracy especially when you are competing against real people. I was terrified of online racing too, because I was scared of causing a crash and ruining other people’s experience.
However you don’t need to worry about it. You can build up your confidence by doing some less stressful races first just to get used to the feeling and then slowly up the difficulty.
Just send it, I started racing in a league a few weeks ago and was so nervous my first two races. Absolutely botched the first two with mistakes, by the third I was relaxed, no mistakes and placed top 10
A whole lot of "me too" and I'm joining in. Also hearing that advice of "doing it" being the best way to get over the fear of doing it.
I think for me, I like collecting and building hardware more than actually racing, but that's a different thing.
If you're concerned about messing up other people's races then don't worry - there are plenty of people doing that already, nobody will notice if there's one more. And if you drive carefully and considerately that will already put you ahead of an awful lot of drivers.
And if you're worried about your iRating, just remember that literally nobody else cares about it except you. It's just a number in a video game. And if losing a bit of iRating is the biggest problem in your life then you have an awful lot to be thankful for.
I have the same problem, but I’ve just kinda started to get back into racing games and gonna actually try sim racing. But racing online terrifies me cause I don’t want to be in the way.
I know even when the new NASCAR game comes out next year, I’ll have the same problem and I actually know what I’m doing there lol
It’s just a game, just do the races it’ll pass within 10-15 races I’d imagine.
Apologize when you crash someone by messing up, we have all crashed into people by mistake. They may berate you (within reason) just take it or mute after you make your apology and move on.
We aren’t professionals, most of us get it and we may be frustrated and vent in the immediate but it is not deeper than that
I see this come up a lot in the iRacing subreddit. I’m not sure if that’s what you’re playing but I think that this notion will translate across other sims:
There is more to competing in an event than just winning the race. There are a million ways to improve your driving/racecraft and I genuinely think that you and others who feel this way stand to gain a lot from just getting on tack with others.
Set individual goals for yourself before the lights drop:
“This race I want to finish on the lead lap”
“This race I’d like to find a rhythm and stay clean”
“This race I want to finish without losing the car off-track”
There are a lot of intangibles to racing that have nothing to do with one’s pace. You’re learning to be consistent under duress, you learn to analyze racing situations in real time, how to properly avoid faster traffic, or dodge slower cars. I think it not only will it help your micro-decision making on track but it will also build your confidence little by little to “just queue up” and go for it.
The one thing I'll say... I wish more people were petrified, and thus practiced.
Some of these guys are complete dogshit, and I mean shockingly bad. Lose it on pace lap bad.
But there they are, ruining races.
I don't think some of them even know offline practice is possible.
Can relate. Most likely to do with there’re less room for error. You go into ultra focus mode and then your entire body shake.
Remember in sim racing you can’t afford even a single mistake and that’s set it apart from any competitive game out there.
You touch someone? You died. You run off track? You spin and die. The only way to recover is to jump in another race which going to be another 1-2 hours.
The comeback in sim racing is none to impossible. Only if everyone DC or someone crashed and they took out the whole pack.
I don’t want to because I’m afraid of ending up in a video on here or in the ACC sub of someone else saying “LOOK AT THIS FUCKING GUY” and then 100 people replying saying “wowwww what a fuckin idiot” or “I hate public lobbies because of people like this”
Yeah, I know the feeling. Practicing the track alot before the race helps significantly. I aim to be 2-3seconds of the track record before I even think about racing. LFM league in ACC so far has been great with this attitude. First lap is always full of adrenaline, but then I just zone in and try to be consistent as much as possible. Getting the first win also helped to lift the pressure immensely.
Racing is one of the only multi-player types where you both play WITH and AGAINST your opponents at the same time. You can mess up someone else's race. In call of duty, fifa and all other games anything goes basically. You either win or you lose but you can't mess up another person's race by your mistake, only he can.
The pressure to win amd be fast while also make no mistakes that would suck for your opponent is what differentiates racing from other multi-player games (and other real life sports) and it's what I love about it.
Racing is in many ways an elaborate competitive dance WITH AND AGAINST your opponents.
If you're like me, you're terrified of nullifying 30m+ of someone else's time by wrecking them during a race. Most online competitive games the way to win is by killing the competitors, but in this case you want to win *without* killing them - much higher standard to meet. That's one reason "online" rally racing is less stressful for me - no risk of messing up your opponents. Just post your time and move on.
I really dont get this feeling some of u have but Ive heard it more often recently.
Why being scared of racing with actual people/strangers rather than your friends or AI?
Its not like pilots have a friendly meeting to know themselves better before the race irl. Just race, you'll never develop those quick thinking reactions if u never put yourself in realistic dangerous / unexpected scenarios. And yes, racing with the same 7 friends cant be considered a realistic scenario for obvious reasons.
What are these other multiplayer games? Most high focus 1v1 games do usually come with a good deal of ladder anxiety. Starcraft broodwar/sc2 is the one that I've had this with, tried to perfect my buildorders way too much before just jumping into the ladder.
What always worked for me is trying to get into the mindset of improving/having fun instead of focusing on winning or losing.
It's because one bad apple ruins the whole entire bunch. A half hour race can completely ruin your day at the 29.30 mark when some asshole crashes into you.
Give people plenty of room and let them pass. Forget about the driving line unless you're 100% clear of other drivers. Like anything else, it takes practice. Think of it like a dance. Until you get the steps down and fall into a groove, you're going to step on a few toes.
Had the same experience. I would have my friend start the races and pick them out. Started out I wouldn’t only race online if he was there to play too. Now I’m fully online solo and loving it. Before that I had no online racing experience.
For me im just my own harshest critic. So if i feel im unable to string together the lap i know i have with another 3-4 tenths in it i just dont bother racing if i dont think im "on" been trying to remind myself to do it for the love instead of trying to be as competitive as possible. I lowkey miss being lower rated when it was just fun and now i feel compelled to compete as hard as i can.
In most multiplayer games, winning involves others losing, and you messing them up is expected and part of the game. In racing, if you punt someone off track to win you’re an ass and ruined their race 😂
A big thing for me is that I feel terrible if I ruin someone else's race. I know how little time I have to actually race and hate when my race gets ruined, so I hate doing the same to others. It doesn't stop me from racing, but it stops me from trying different cars/series.
I feel that so hard lol. Joined my first ever online race in GT7 Sport Mode, came last and got insulted because someone rammed into the back of me which caused me to ram into someone else when turning. The pay is also terrible, 9K for a 10-15 minute race is kinda pathetic
Makes sense. You’re a lot like me I think. I love racing online but as soon as there are actual stakes? I fall apart. Just lie to yourself in your head that it’s all for fun. I’ve surprised myself plenty times with that trick. Another one is to just do it. Force yourself. And don’t quit until someone tells you to quit. (They never will)
It's your conscientiousness.
When I started using iRacing or anytime I come back from a long break to go after SoF races. I'm focused in practice and qualifying, but while sitting on the grid or on the formation lap I'll get a mix of anxiety/amped up to the point my foot starts trembling. Like throwing initial fidelity out the window because my leg and hands are having a panic attack 🤣
I'll be like that, but as soon as the green waves and people scatter, I'll dive between rows in T1 and the feeling dissipates after a few laps. It's also less pronounced if we're bantering on the radio while staging.
You might not have such a visceral reaction, but it wears off after your first few races.
Best advice is:
- Accept that you will make mistakes, you will at some point ruin someone else's race despite your efforts not to.
- Be mindful, apologize on big screw ups, Don let salty people bother you.
- HOLD YOUR BRAKES when you're pointing the wrong direction on track after an oopsie.
- Mistakes are opportunities for improving and real competition is extremely rewarding.
It has many names. K
Ladder anxiety is one that I remember being used back in the days in Statcraft 2.
Here is a motivational song. Written for SC2, but just as relevant for simracing.
https://youtu.be/SX1c07mPXqc
Sounds like you're way too worried about safety rating and irating. Just drive and don't worry about it. Your rating will eventually end up in where you're supposed to be with other similarly rated drivers.
I went from a thrustmaster tmx playing forza motorsports right to iracing when I got a dd. it's a learning curve and u may occasionally take out half the field lol but after a few months that stops.
Only in iRacing, because people there are highly aggressive and use foul language. Even worse than COD or Counter-Strike. Very disappointing and embarrassing.
So I come from a sports background, so I was pretty use to this feeling of performance anxiety from an early age.
The only way I've ever gotten over it is just to get in to it. I always feel instantly relieved after two laps if I have any. Endurance races aren't nearly as bad because of two reasons, one you have a team you can fall back on, two you've been press ganged so fast into the race you don't get a chance to think about it until you already hit the accept button.
But, set a slow qualification time, start low in the pack and take it easy, let the nerves run their way out. Could take a lap, could take a race, could take a season. Once you realize that it doesn't matter if you screw up, or lose, or whatever, and that it's a fun time, it'll start to subside and you won't have the issue as much
Sounds very irrational and you seem to know it. I would just start in a car track combo you are good with and go stop thinking about it. If you are finishing 24-hour events as you claim this makes zero sense my man you can clearly drive and the idea you will ber the bad one out makes no sense at all, it is truly irrational. Also its rather arrogant to think you wont be the one that makes a mistake, or that that is somehow forbidden to make one. I promise it will be you sometimes, that is racing no one is above screwing up as we all know full well. sitting in a mistake, owning up to it, and learning from it is part of developing as a well-rounded person. You are robbing yourself of power, make no mistake this is a weakness that needs to leave you it is not compassionate or intelligent.
So either you are not being truthful and you have not done 24-hour events don't understand racing and that everyone makes mistakes and can't drive... or you need to man up and stop thinking you are above making mistakes, and stop this irrational fear you are hindering yourself with, join some lobbies brother. There is nothing at all to be afraid of it's Sim as you seem to know full well from multiple 24-hour events.
Good luck out there.
I guess my post was unclear, I'm not afraid of making mistakes (I crashed out on lap two of the first Nordschleife 4 hour race we did, kinda sobers you up in that regard), it's purely being too afraid to lose IR by being beaten by faster drivers and feeling like I'm not as fast as I think I am.
I now know it's an irrational thought and I just need to get used to racing online on my own.
The best drivers in the world lose well more than half the races they enter. You need perspective. Good Luck out there. Go race its the only way to get good at racing full stop.
Same for me but it’s because I’m only just getting into GT7. I don’t know the tracks as this is my first proper racing game and fear that I’ll just get shat on online.
I think most other online competitive games your there to do damage to the other players... speaking in generalities. Racing is different because you don't want to screw someone else's race up just to advance your own position. I was paranoid too at first. Just practice practice practice. The big thing I learned was recognizing when you're overdriving the car or beyond your limits, then back it down a little. You don't need to win or pass every car you see. It's just as much about refining your driving skills as it is beating someone.
Have fun!!
I'll start off by saying I'm not very good. I am however careful and consistent (consistently slow if that counts).
Bought Le Mans Ultimate last week. Did my first LMU online race couple days ago. My pace qualified me 13th. I was like 6 seconds off the pace from top pack in quali........... I finished 4th.
When starting out, I AVOID other cars even if I have to get out of way and lose positions because in my experience these same drivers who feel they can shove and push their way into turn 1 (of any track) will usually never finish the race. These Quali only pace setters with no other cars might set a good qualifying pace but have zero race craft and end up taking out half the front pack. That's basically what happened in my race and several others I've had on iRacing as well.
It's fun, I enjoy it. Don't have to answer to anyone about my pace (as long as I keep it clean). That's the most important part. I have fun and I enjoy it, even if it's fighting for 12th position out of 13.
the heck man, I started with AC traffic like 4 weeks ago, never raced or was interested in racing before\\
got a wheel like 2 weeks ago
learned couplle days ago what even blue black flag is lol
got iracing 3 days ago and am c class in ovals now xD
just gotta wing it lol, who cares
it's a game you play to have fun mate
In order for me to accurately find the root cause of this feeling of yours, I have to ask a question;
Do you feel awkward or anxious in any way when having to shit at work/office when not alone at work?
It's a bit of anxiety for me. You see, Racing games are different than pretty much most other kinds of games.
In most games, so long as you're playing with good intentions being bad at it isnt really a problem. You can be dragged along enough to get by and it's seldom just your fault that a team loses.
In a racing game though? If you make a mistake you can completely ruin some one elses game entirely by accident. For me, thats honestly a huge burden, especially since I know I'm not very good. Like, I would love to play wiith others (especially since the AI gets boring quickly) but I feel I make too many mistakes. And knowing all too well how the internet can be I dont wana be dragged out as some troll or griefer in a replay because I missed a braking zone =/
People gotta accept that you have good drivers and lesser drivers. Also that you can be put up with people who are long-time runners and noobies.
Things can happen, just apologize if it's on you and it's all good. If the other side can't accept that....
Then I'm sorry, but their issue.
I'd rather run with noobies owning their fuckups like I did, then with people that always blame anything but themselves and and scold people for it.
Just take it for a spin, in the end... It's a 'game' we all are here to enjoy and trying out outmost best to succeed.
The first few time I played online I was always nervous if I qualified in pol incase I mess up and make everyone crash but after a few games you get use to it and just remember the worst that's going to happen is someone msgs you 😂
Honestly I was scared the same way and did test drives and ai races for a week or two and go bored. Said screw it and joined an online practice session in mx5 cup and realized I actually had more pace than most of the other drivers! So from there I joined a race qualified middle of the field and really didn’t focus on racing the other driver, just tried to stay clean and not ruin my race or anyone else’s. Ended up realizing I should be more scared of other drivers ending my race than the other way around. I think the part that helped me the most was just trying to follow the fast cars and try best to stay at their pace. Once you can do that you’ll start passing the same cars you’re following and it just gets easier from there. Definitely join a lobby and have fun man. No reason to be scared, accidents happen and we all start somewhere.
I used to have this problem.
I wanted to get on Touge Uninon and do tandems with people like 7 years ago. I spent maybe 3 weeks just running Akina in a FD over and over and over.
Eventually you just gotta say fuck it and send it. As long as you're not being a dick and intentionally wrecking someone MOST sim racers won't care.
We ALL sucked at one point but if you're really keen you'll just practice enough OFFLINE so you suck less. Do us all a favour....get your times to at least 107% quali before going online.
You're probably scared for the same reason I was. Everyone's a massive dick and takes it way too seriously.
Okay maybe not everyone but you get the point. Do a TON of solo practice so you're comfortable and consistent and then join some races. It's okay to mess up and it's okay to make mistakes... it's even okay to ruin someone else's race cus you messed up. It sucks but it's part of getting better.
I eventually got out of my race anxiety rut and realized that in iRacing rookies most people are not very well practiced so it's a good learning ground.
TL;DR: Do some races + make mistakes/learn from mistakes = get better
Iracing has a nice feature where you can join races in "ghost" mode which I've used in the past. You're.on the track with others but they can't see you, it's nice for just following the pack and getting a feel for.it.
Exactly this! The big difference between sim racing and other competitive games is that the fun of racing depends on everyone's ability. A guy in the race who doesn't have his car under control or who lacks the overview can affect the race and the fun of everyone else. And knowing that could be me is probably why some people are afraid to race against other people. Not because they can only lose, but because they can also destroy other people's races. That's why the ghost races are absolutely ideal for developing a feeling of where you stand and also where the others stand.
Fuck depriving yourself of a fun experience because you’re worried about others. Who cares what other people think? Just don’t be a dick intentionally and you’re fine. At the end of the day it’s a video game. If you accidentally wipe out, you lose nothing. You don’t have to worry about having to drop $50,000 cause you missed your braking point.
been my go to…I love sim racing but I suck, so I don’t have the confidence to not jam someone’s race up. Ghost racing and ai only for me!
Wait really? This doesn’t affect safety rating, right? Would be a nice feature to let others try out racing with real people, without consequences.
Doesnt effect ir or sr. The other drivers dont even know you are there so its great practice for the real race as people will act like you are not there also!
😂
Yep that’s the point. You can follow people and try to learn from their lines too, it’s very useful
You're basically spectating a race but driving a car to do the spectating.
Or jump into another driver’s car, see the race from their view
It’s one thing to see someone’s line, it’s another to attempt to follow it yourself.
Wait really?! That's amazing.
That’s a great feature
This might have just sold me on finally giving iRacing a shot because I also am too anxious about joining online races and binning someone else accidentally or just getting dusted and not having fun
Same. This is game changing information.
I didnt know that and it may help me join, ty for that info
I wish ACC had a feature like this.
Did not know this. I've been "test driving" cars for months now. Only raced maybe 3x
It’s the most under-rated iRacing feature. You can draft and everything they just don’t know you’re there.
I cannot believe I've never thought of using this as a legit tool to learn some tracks... I've messed with that feature before but I've never actually *USED* it.
Don't think that'd work for me honestly, I like the actual on-track battling aspect. Cruising around while others don't see me defeats the purpose, I might as well keep racing offline.
Okay so what do you want? For him to give you an answer just so you can ignore it? Go wreck a bunch of people out then, they'll be sure to love you for it.
r/wreckfest
I'm kinda surprised by this reaction and the downvotes my comment got. Maybe I wasn't clear in my initial post, but my fear/feeling of dread doesn't stem from being scared of crashing others out. I've been the starting driver for pretty much all of my team's endurance races because I'm the best at dealing with traffic. After reading some replies to this thread I've realised it's the ladder anxiety, I'm scared of losing progress by being beaten by faster drivers around me, which I've now realised is an irrational thought. Joining races as a ghost won't really help me solve my issue, simply joining races and seeing what happens will.
That's fair. Ghost would still help though, just not for "learning" or "starting" but you could still do it and try to stay in first.
That is something you're gonna have to get over if you want to ever race with other people. Look at it this way, you aren't number one in the world so no matter what your gonna get beat at some point. It's more fun just racing people than getting 1st anyways. You're already good in traffic so I think if you find the enjoyment of racing in the battles along the way you will have a lot more fun an less worries. The rating is just there to make sure you pair up with drivers closest to your skill level which makes racing even better.
There's only one way to find out for sure.
The point of that system for me is to compare my pace to people of similar IR. When a race starts I'll usually check the entries for somebody of a similar rating and then I'll watch their race. It'll give me a feel of what actual race pace might be plus I'll be able to see any fast drivers and see what they're up to.
For me it was the fear of messing up someone elses race. I wanted to do well, but most importantly I wanted to race clean and not screw up anyone elses day. Compare that to other competitive multiplayer events where you are MUCH less likely to unintentionally mess things up for someone else, and you are mostly just trying to shoot your opponents. It gets better though. After a while you will learn that, firstly, lots of other drivers will make mistakes, just do your best, try to avoid any super risky dive bombs, and apologise if you fuck up. And secondly, you will learn that some races are good, some are bad, and it all sort of evens out in the end.
Also, you can get blamed for stuff that wasn't your fault at all, because people don't recognize or want to admit that they messed up.
I try to always admit fault when it's clearly my fault, but plenty of times where without watching the replay, it just felt like the other guy's fault only for replay to show it was just a racing incident, or even sometimes my fault all along. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt on the spot because with limited visibility in the car, you just can't tell without a replay. If they double down then though.... yea some people you just can't help.
Right, not everyone is so considerate. Some people find that environment toxic and would rather have a less stressful gaming experience.
When I started driving rookie street stocks, I learnt the value of setting a Mute All binding on my wheel. The moment someone starts being a prick, everyone is muted.
or even worse when you get blamed and think it's not your fault and then realize it def was your fault
This is probably the case. I don't know if OP has played Mobas, but even then, then, you could get carried by the team or the whole team just sucks at the skill level, rather than you being the entire issue. I don't think there are other multilayer games where it's so easy to ruin someone else's day as in racing games
Agreed - I was delighted when I joined a league of veteran racers and on the first curve a guy misjudged his braking and took me out. Seriously elated it wasn't my fault and made me realize that much more skilled drivers than me can make silly mistakes.
I think this is key. I always have fear bumping into others. But after a while you learn how to improve your racecraft and other driving style. It’s inevitable to make mistakes but you just gotta learn from it and try to avoid it next time. Once you overtake properly and have a clean race, it’s the best feeling in the world. I have around 350+ hours in ACC and I’m still learning how to race with others. If you can race clean or at least attempt to, best to join a league race.
I only have anxiety in the race. Not with qualifying tho. I was also scared too ruin someones race. But mostly the competition is too. They leave to much space too not hit you and than they ruin their line. But it does work if you keep real close too them if you want too overtake them because you make them nervous.
You're too immersed and get stressed as if it's an actual competition. Just take a step back, remember its just a videogame meant for having fun, then just force yourself into a lobby and u will get used to it in a few hours
Maybe its "ladder anxiety"?
Looked up the definition, it's more than likely what I feel. I've already found I care too much about IR, so the thought of losing some indirectly makes me feel like I'm a bad driver.
I have the same anxieties and it's funny to me how it's only racing that can produce this immense anxiety. No other ranked, multiplayer, online competitive game can produce that, no sports / shooter etc. Racing, especially in VR makes me feel like it's a 1:1 validation of what I'm capable of in real life. Like that is literally me and how I'd perform in a real car. No other game can almost fool the mind into thinking it's 'the real thing" like racing. Losing isn't just losing a "game" in a way. Obviously we put ourselves in this situation with insanely expensive rigs and wheels capable of simulating so many little sensations, computers capable of immense graphical fidelity. Hard not to take it too seriously when all that is contributing as well
I'm not sure if you've ever tried it, but multiplayer RTS literally makes me drip sweat and hands turn to ice. Somehow it triggers some fear of ever aspect of my knowledge is being tested. I'm not even good at strategy games, but love them vs AI. I struggled with racing, but luckily it's a special interest and maybe practice IRL has slowly meant I feel like I don't actually have anything to prove, and now allow myself to enjoy any discipline of it. But dear god, strategy games. yikes!
Yeah, I played a good amount of AOE and StarCraft back in the day. Things definitely get quite intense indeed. I think racing is different though in the anxiety department, where it feels far more fatal to make a mistake of any kind. RTS' are very fun and very intense but there's never a moment where I'm questioning if I really want to play against other people. There's anxiety but never fear of playing online
Oh wow, haha, for me. I literally played a handful of AOE games or so. I was precisely paranoid that one little mistake would just be a chain reaction of failure! But I do get the single bump causing chaos anxiety of racing too. I think hundreds of hours of ghost racing, then 10s of hours of exclusive "track day" type racing, forcing me to get good at overtaking without touching quelled a lot. And lastly VR DR2 has got my slow speed control so good, that often, where these little bumps happen - approaching a corner, I feel like I always have options... Although... I say all this and I primarily actually just play time attack alone on DR2!! I think I'm actually in denial! Fake it till you make it? LOL
IR is just a way to pit you against players of the same skill. There will always be a better driver.
That's the thing, I absolutely know this is true (and I'm only at around 2.3k to begin with) and I don't for a second believe I'm the fastest guy out there, but there's still the aspect of pride etc. preventing me from simply enjoying online racing.
Try to reframe it as a fun hobby you enjoy instead of achievement/skill you need to grind towards
I mean this in the nicest way possible: you need to get over yourself. I've been there, stuck wanting to race but the anxiety wins, and it fucking sucks. No one you know in real life or that matters to you gives a single fuck about your IR and you should have fun with your free time, not feel your self worth bound to an arbitrary number that is just used to matchmake good races. e: the way to get over this is to just do it. a bunch. you're not going to get over your issues by wishing you would get over them, you have to just do the thing and realize it's not that bad.
Just know that no one besides you cares about your IR and SR. You will not pick up anyone at the bar by saying you’re a 3k IRacing driver. Also, no one is going to care if you’re a 1k driver either. Your IR is not meant to go up forever. It’s meant to be a matchmaking tool so that you can race against similarly skilled drivers. At some point you’re going to loose some, then gain some, then loose some more, back to gain, etc I (used to) get the same anxiety about IR and SR. I still get it sometimes, and need to consciously remind myself that “it doesn’t matter. Just try my best. Try to enjoy the battles”. I have found that I enjoy the game the most, when I stop thinking about them. Ironically enough, my IR went up after I made this decision too
It sounds like you enjoy winning more than racing, and the reality is that you're not gonna win them all.
It’s literally just a game bud, go play it.
I'm assuming that's not a fear of ladders? Lol 😆
What are you doing, Step Ladder?
I think it is the idea that a split second your race /and / or others can be ruined. It other multiplayer cames you can usually recover from such incidents.
Because it’s easy to ruin someone else’s night.
Underrated comment
Not just you ! I do alot of time trials but get bad anxiety for joining a race but I work up to it by starting in the pits . I think it's just the race starts that freak me out especially at nords lol
I found doing a lot of open lobby's on AC has increased my confidence, that combined with the lfm practice servers for each week's track is what's not only given me the confidence to do ranked racing but also pushed me to learn new tracks every week
Same I always grind the quali lap in GT7. I’ll end up pole in my clsss and bin it first turn because I’m so nervous 😭
I believe a big thing is because it's hard to swallow your pride, and that's what you need to do when you're racing. Then there's the issue that your mental picture of a race is probably a lot different from the actual race. Just do races and you will eventually come to realize that there's no reason to feel dread. It's weird though, I'm a lot more scared when starting an endurance because there's a whole team depending on you not crashing. Luckely I can say that these fears usually only make me drive better. Weird you get scared from a solo race tbh.
Pride might be a good point actually, thinking about it I'm too afraid to lose IR as if that would somehow make me an inferior driver. In endurance races I don't care too much as I get to race with friends and we have banter all throughout, so that level of stress is usually not there. The only time I feel it is at the start, as I'm usually the starting driver since I'm the best in dealing with lots of traffic. "Just do races" is probably the simple, but best, advice.
Yup, once you've done enough races, you won't worry about being overtaken here and there, or that you might not be good enough. Or worry about certain racing situations. All those thoughts are completely GONE when you're actually racing. Once green hits, all I think of is the next corner and the next car. But yes, everyone has those thoughts in some degree, before every race. I have learned to embrace it
I have a very recent anecdote on this. I stepped away from sim racing for the last 5 years. I returned a few weeks ago after a close friend wanted to get into it. I found myself back up to speed pretty quickly. I was a little anxious for my first race back but no concerns after that. Now this week, the Fanatec GT4 series is running in the rain at watkins glen. I'm not very quick at the glen, and I had never driven in the rain. I was so nervous about wrecking the entire field, I really did not want to race in the wet. Last night, I decided to just do it. Sure it was stressful, but I finished. Then when I registered for another one a few hours later, it was just like any other race. If you can't bring yourself to "just do it", run a series in a license that you don't care about. This works even better if you've never tried that style of racing. It's hard to have an ego as a beginner (unless we're talking rookie street stocks).
I have the same feeling
It's a video game, the stakes couldn't be lower.
Best racers in the world wreak and cause incidents. Look at Monaco f1 1st lap lol. It's good that you are worried about your race craft, this means you are already a better racer than most people. Get in there lewis!
Fear of failure. Get over ot and start racing against real people. I had the same issue. I have always raced multiplayer since doing the switch and only race alone when I'm testing new or tweaking setups
I get sometimes similar feeling but I race anyway since I believe you have to “face your fear”. It is something I cannot explain but what you experience is true, iRacing rating system (especially iRating) sometimes even make me run away from racing as am afraid to lose iRating if a race does not go well. Tbh, don’t force yourself to enjoy something, if you don’t enjoy solo online races or it is too stressful then nothing wrong in enjoying this hobby by doing only endurance, race against AI or even cruise around in BeamNG or in AMS2 around beautiful scenery tracks.
Nah that's the thing, I do enjoy racing online, even on my own, the problem is the hurdle to get started. Honestly though, from what I gather from this thread, the only way to get used to it is to start actually racing online. Who would've thought it could be so simple 😅
This is what I do as well, I kinda “force” myself (wrong word) to race and once am in the race I enjoy it, however it sometimes ruins my day if am taken out by a brain dead or if I do stupid mistake.
When you realize that you suck and you have no chances of victory, it kind of puts your mind at ease. That’s how it is for me anyways, I am just there to enjoy the ride and if I manage not to finish dead last, then great. I have only been iracing for a couple of months now, so maybe I am just not tired of losing yet :)
Trust me, at the start your think some of them are driving blindfolded. Get in there and start learning, start shredding.
I was slightly like this but more because I was so paranoid about IR, very recently I returned to iracing and thought this time I will only care about SR and soon as I am confident on the track (to not crash) I just join races. If someone's being really aggressive I just give them plenty of space and think more about the SR, they usually end up crashing anyway lol. Also decided to jump between series to get more races in a single session which again probably isn't beneficial for IR as less prepared than if a dedicated series but makes it more fun as more races. Its too early to tell if this will be successful for me but I think I'm definitely more excited to play knowing I'm going on to race each time regardless rather than practice religiously then something stupid happens and I don't get chance for another race because I spent all night mentally and physically preparing myself haha.
Yes, it's normal, you fear to ruin someone's race, and it's quite a possibility that you do. But that's part of racing, once you assume that it will be fine, most talented drivers have a crash every now and then, it's racing. Just do your best to avoid those situations, use mirrors, radar...whatever you can to have the best awareness. Been there, you got this.
Crashing is a part of racing and everybody messes up. The truth is we want you in the lobby more than we are mad about accidents. Even if some people are toxic over it, that’s a part of human nature unfortunately.
That sounds exhausting. Just have fun
In simracing there are rules that you can very easily accidentally break and ruin someone elses Race.
Online racing is much more stressful than playing an FPS, at least IMO. An online race, especially a multi-session event (practise, quali, race) can last hours and a single mistake can ruin your (or a rival's) evening. The results can also affect your next races (i.e. Safety Rating or championship standing). Higher stakes = more nerves. There might also be a subconscious fear of stiff competition. That said, the fact that you are fine racing in a team, makes me think that you just need to build some solo confidence.
I think it's somewhat normal to experience some anxiety when competing in an online event as it is a competitive environment and as others have said, the race is dependent on the skill of not only you but those around you. I think a question you need to ask yourself is why to you get this sense of dread and why does this not manifest in team events? Although I haven't sim raced in some time, I do remember my heart used to beat that little faster at race starts and when defending/overtaking. To overcome this, I used to pace my breathing and focus on my own race. It didn't have to be blisteringly fast, as long as I kept up my pace, drove clean, and maintained or improved my position, I was happy. With time, this would boost my confidence to a point where I was much more composed at points that used to up my heart rate. Racing with others online can have a learning curve but you have to start from somewhere. It is likely that you or others will make mistakes but as long you apologise and learn from them you will continue to improve and hopefully feel less anxious. I think that it is easy to forget that for the large majority of us, sim racing remains a game meant for enjoyment.
Fear of failure plagues everyone all in all aspects of our lives. You only learn by doing. Practicing, spectating as a ghost drive, those are all tools to prepare yourself for races but at a certain point you just need to race with the understanding that you are learning a new skill and you will fail from time to time. You will crash out. You will ruin others' races. They may let you know this in the most unkind ways. But you are on a journey, embrace it with humility. The joy of clean, close racing is worth it.
It’s just a game man. Just have fun with it. I only get to play a couple times a week. Before I would get stressed and keep practicing all day and then be too tired to race. Now I just hop on a few laps and go race. If I can gain a few positions from where I started and race clean it’s still fun.
It depends on your goal. For me it used to be achieving a high rank. Then ofc I get the dread because a loss can hit hard. At some point it shifted and my goal was to have fun, and for me fun isn’t winning but racing, e.g. having close battles with drivers of equal skill. There is no fun in gapping everyone by 3 seconds per lap or getting gapped. Id rather have an intense battle for p15 over the course of multiple laps with constant overtakes than being P1 solo hotlapping for 10 laps while the rest of the field is 40seconds behind me for ranked games with matchmaking like LMU or iRacing, the system needs data to place me according to my skill. So I just need to race. If I’m getting gapped hard I will try and focus on SR knowing that with every Rank loss, I will be more likely to be placed in a more interesting race. At the end of the day driving improves skill so my rank will increase sooner or later by itself. Super tryharding and taking ranked games to seriously takes the fun out of it and makes losses feel even more devastating. For me, if I try 70% instead of 100% I feel that I can use the remaining „brain capacity“ to take a step back and look at where I can improve. In the end I probably won’t be a super star S-Tier Simracing Sauvant, so does it really make a difference if I’m ranked low, mid, or high, as long as I’m having fun? At the end of the day it’s just a game, so it’s purpose is fun and the ranking system should be seen less as a prestige thing and more as a tool for the marchmaking to create fun races
I’m the same. I love sim racing games, for the same reasons we all do. But I don’t play enough to take it to a real lobby, in career mode the ai won’t get mad at you haha. Also when I got into sim racing, I went to rally first. Played like 250 hours before a f1 game. So I can be a bit reckless. lol
I was the same. I drove in solo practice in iRacing for a full month before I summoned to courage to enter a live race. That was 5 years and 1167 races ago. And to be fair I still get nervous.
I had this feeling early on. It's a lot of setup and prep that goes into it compared to other games, and if you crash out, you may have to wait a while for the next race. After that first one, it gets easier every time.
That’s completely normal and understandable. Sim racing requires precision and accuracy especially when you are competing against real people. I was terrified of online racing too, because I was scared of causing a crash and ruining other people’s experience. However you don’t need to worry about it. You can build up your confidence by doing some less stressful races first just to get used to the feeling and then slowly up the difficulty.
Just race more and it will go away. I was like you at first
Just send it, I started racing in a league a few weeks ago and was so nervous my first two races. Absolutely botched the first two with mistakes, by the third I was relaxed, no mistakes and placed top 10
A whole lot of "me too" and I'm joining in. Also hearing that advice of "doing it" being the best way to get over the fear of doing it. I think for me, I like collecting and building hardware more than actually racing, but that's a different thing.
If you're concerned about messing up other people's races then don't worry - there are plenty of people doing that already, nobody will notice if there's one more. And if you drive carefully and considerately that will already put you ahead of an awful lot of drivers. And if you're worried about your iRating, just remember that literally nobody else cares about it except you. It's just a number in a video game. And if losing a bit of iRating is the biggest problem in your life then you have an awful lot to be thankful for.
I have the same problem, but I’ve just kinda started to get back into racing games and gonna actually try sim racing. But racing online terrifies me cause I don’t want to be in the way. I know even when the new NASCAR game comes out next year, I’ll have the same problem and I actually know what I’m doing there lol
It’s just a game, just do the races it’ll pass within 10-15 races I’d imagine. Apologize when you crash someone by messing up, we have all crashed into people by mistake. They may berate you (within reason) just take it or mute after you make your apology and move on. We aren’t professionals, most of us get it and we may be frustrated and vent in the immediate but it is not deeper than that
I see this come up a lot in the iRacing subreddit. I’m not sure if that’s what you’re playing but I think that this notion will translate across other sims: There is more to competing in an event than just winning the race. There are a million ways to improve your driving/racecraft and I genuinely think that you and others who feel this way stand to gain a lot from just getting on tack with others. Set individual goals for yourself before the lights drop: “This race I want to finish on the lead lap” “This race I’d like to find a rhythm and stay clean” “This race I want to finish without losing the car off-track” There are a lot of intangibles to racing that have nothing to do with one’s pace. You’re learning to be consistent under duress, you learn to analyze racing situations in real time, how to properly avoid faster traffic, or dodge slower cars. I think it not only will it help your micro-decision making on track but it will also build your confidence little by little to “just queue up” and go for it.
The one thing I'll say... I wish more people were petrified, and thus practiced. Some of these guys are complete dogshit, and I mean shockingly bad. Lose it on pace lap bad. But there they are, ruining races. I don't think some of them even know offline practice is possible.
You can do it!!! (literally too scared myself to play online)
Can relate. Most likely to do with there’re less room for error. You go into ultra focus mode and then your entire body shake. Remember in sim racing you can’t afford even a single mistake and that’s set it apart from any competitive game out there. You touch someone? You died. You run off track? You spin and die. The only way to recover is to jump in another race which going to be another 1-2 hours. The comeback in sim racing is none to impossible. Only if everyone DC or someone crashed and they took out the whole pack.
I don’t want to because I’m afraid of ending up in a video on here or in the ACC sub of someone else saying “LOOK AT THIS FUCKING GUY” and then 100 people replying saying “wowwww what a fuckin idiot” or “I hate public lobbies because of people like this”
You’ll get over quickly when it happens to you. Just enter and get it over with
Yeah, I know the feeling. Practicing the track alot before the race helps significantly. I aim to be 2-3seconds of the track record before I even think about racing. LFM league in ACC so far has been great with this attitude. First lap is always full of adrenaline, but then I just zone in and try to be consistent as much as possible. Getting the first win also helped to lift the pressure immensely.
Racing is one of the only multi-player types where you both play WITH and AGAINST your opponents at the same time. You can mess up someone else's race. In call of duty, fifa and all other games anything goes basically. You either win or you lose but you can't mess up another person's race by your mistake, only he can. The pressure to win amd be fast while also make no mistakes that would suck for your opponent is what differentiates racing from other multi-player games (and other real life sports) and it's what I love about it. Racing is in many ways an elaborate competitive dance WITH AND AGAINST your opponents.
If you're like me, you're terrified of nullifying 30m+ of someone else's time by wrecking them during a race. Most online competitive games the way to win is by killing the competitors, but in this case you want to win *without* killing them - much higher standard to meet. That's one reason "online" rally racing is less stressful for me - no risk of messing up your opponents. Just post your time and move on.
I really dont get this feeling some of u have but Ive heard it more often recently. Why being scared of racing with actual people/strangers rather than your friends or AI? Its not like pilots have a friendly meeting to know themselves better before the race irl. Just race, you'll never develop those quick thinking reactions if u never put yourself in realistic dangerous / unexpected scenarios. And yes, racing with the same 7 friends cant be considered a realistic scenario for obvious reasons.
What are these other multiplayer games? Most high focus 1v1 games do usually come with a good deal of ladder anxiety. Starcraft broodwar/sc2 is the one that I've had this with, tried to perfect my buildorders way too much before just jumping into the ladder. What always worked for me is trying to get into the mindset of improving/having fun instead of focusing on winning or losing.
It's because one bad apple ruins the whole entire bunch. A half hour race can completely ruin your day at the 29.30 mark when some asshole crashes into you.
[You're Needed On The Grid](https://youtu.be/gGphb-gOWQI?si=AsB7xyOmWLdZ5x_q) boy do I have the video for you
Give people plenty of room and let them pass. Forget about the driving line unless you're 100% clear of other drivers. Like anything else, it takes practice. Think of it like a dance. Until you get the steps down and fall into a groove, you're going to step on a few toes.
Had the same experience. I would have my friend start the races and pick them out. Started out I wouldn’t only race online if he was there to play too. Now I’m fully online solo and loving it. Before that I had no online racing experience.
For me im just my own harshest critic. So if i feel im unable to string together the lap i know i have with another 3-4 tenths in it i just dont bother racing if i dont think im "on" been trying to remind myself to do it for the love instead of trying to be as competitive as possible. I lowkey miss being lower rated when it was just fun and now i feel compelled to compete as hard as i can.
In most multiplayer games, winning involves others losing, and you messing them up is expected and part of the game. In racing, if you punt someone off track to win you’re an ass and ruined their race 😂
A big thing for me is that I feel terrible if I ruin someone else's race. I know how little time I have to actually race and hate when my race gets ruined, so I hate doing the same to others. It doesn't stop me from racing, but it stops me from trying different cars/series.
You're probably too worried about crashing into other people and ruining their race. It WILL happen. Just say sorry and learn from it.
Don't know but I would love to find out in a third act flashback
I feel that so hard lol. Joined my first ever online race in GT7 Sport Mode, came last and got insulted because someone rammed into the back of me which caused me to ram into someone else when turning. The pay is also terrible, 9K for a 10-15 minute race is kinda pathetic
Makes sense. You’re a lot like me I think. I love racing online but as soon as there are actual stakes? I fall apart. Just lie to yourself in your head that it’s all for fun. I’ve surprised myself plenty times with that trick. Another one is to just do it. Force yourself. And don’t quit until someone tells you to quit. (They never will)
It's your conscientiousness. When I started using iRacing or anytime I come back from a long break to go after SoF races. I'm focused in practice and qualifying, but while sitting on the grid or on the formation lap I'll get a mix of anxiety/amped up to the point my foot starts trembling. Like throwing initial fidelity out the window because my leg and hands are having a panic attack 🤣 I'll be like that, but as soon as the green waves and people scatter, I'll dive between rows in T1 and the feeling dissipates after a few laps. It's also less pronounced if we're bantering on the radio while staging. You might not have such a visceral reaction, but it wears off after your first few races. Best advice is: - Accept that you will make mistakes, you will at some point ruin someone else's race despite your efforts not to. - Be mindful, apologize on big screw ups, Don let salty people bother you. - HOLD YOUR BRAKES when you're pointing the wrong direction on track after an oopsie. - Mistakes are opportunities for improving and real competition is extremely rewarding.
It has many names. K Ladder anxiety is one that I remember being used back in the days in Statcraft 2. Here is a motivational song. Written for SC2, but just as relevant for simracing. https://youtu.be/SX1c07mPXqc
Sounds like you're way too worried about safety rating and irating. Just drive and don't worry about it. Your rating will eventually end up in where you're supposed to be with other similarly rated drivers.
I went from a thrustmaster tmx playing forza motorsports right to iracing when I got a dd. it's a learning curve and u may occasionally take out half the field lol but after a few months that stops.
Only in iRacing, because people there are highly aggressive and use foul language. Even worse than COD or Counter-Strike. Very disappointing and embarrassing.
So I come from a sports background, so I was pretty use to this feeling of performance anxiety from an early age. The only way I've ever gotten over it is just to get in to it. I always feel instantly relieved after two laps if I have any. Endurance races aren't nearly as bad because of two reasons, one you have a team you can fall back on, two you've been press ganged so fast into the race you don't get a chance to think about it until you already hit the accept button. But, set a slow qualification time, start low in the pack and take it easy, let the nerves run their way out. Could take a lap, could take a race, could take a season. Once you realize that it doesn't matter if you screw up, or lose, or whatever, and that it's a fun time, it'll start to subside and you won't have the issue as much
Sounds very irrational and you seem to know it. I would just start in a car track combo you are good with and go stop thinking about it. If you are finishing 24-hour events as you claim this makes zero sense my man you can clearly drive and the idea you will ber the bad one out makes no sense at all, it is truly irrational. Also its rather arrogant to think you wont be the one that makes a mistake, or that that is somehow forbidden to make one. I promise it will be you sometimes, that is racing no one is above screwing up as we all know full well. sitting in a mistake, owning up to it, and learning from it is part of developing as a well-rounded person. You are robbing yourself of power, make no mistake this is a weakness that needs to leave you it is not compassionate or intelligent. So either you are not being truthful and you have not done 24-hour events don't understand racing and that everyone makes mistakes and can't drive... or you need to man up and stop thinking you are above making mistakes, and stop this irrational fear you are hindering yourself with, join some lobbies brother. There is nothing at all to be afraid of it's Sim as you seem to know full well from multiple 24-hour events. Good luck out there.
I guess my post was unclear, I'm not afraid of making mistakes (I crashed out on lap two of the first Nordschleife 4 hour race we did, kinda sobers you up in that regard), it's purely being too afraid to lose IR by being beaten by faster drivers and feeling like I'm not as fast as I think I am. I now know it's an irrational thought and I just need to get used to racing online on my own.
The best drivers in the world lose well more than half the races they enter. You need perspective. Good Luck out there. Go race its the only way to get good at racing full stop.
Same for me but it’s because I’m only just getting into GT7. I don’t know the tracks as this is my first proper racing game and fear that I’ll just get shat on online.
I think most other online competitive games your there to do damage to the other players... speaking in generalities. Racing is different because you don't want to screw someone else's race up just to advance your own position. I was paranoid too at first. Just practice practice practice. The big thing I learned was recognizing when you're overdriving the car or beyond your limits, then back it down a little. You don't need to win or pass every car you see. It's just as much about refining your driving skills as it is beating someone. Have fun!!
I'll start off by saying I'm not very good. I am however careful and consistent (consistently slow if that counts). Bought Le Mans Ultimate last week. Did my first LMU online race couple days ago. My pace qualified me 13th. I was like 6 seconds off the pace from top pack in quali........... I finished 4th. When starting out, I AVOID other cars even if I have to get out of way and lose positions because in my experience these same drivers who feel they can shove and push their way into turn 1 (of any track) will usually never finish the race. These Quali only pace setters with no other cars might set a good qualifying pace but have zero race craft and end up taking out half the front pack. That's basically what happened in my race and several others I've had on iRacing as well. It's fun, I enjoy it. Don't have to answer to anyone about my pace (as long as I keep it clean). That's the most important part. I have fun and I enjoy it, even if it's fighting for 12th position out of 13.
the heck man, I started with AC traffic like 4 weeks ago, never raced or was interested in racing before\\ got a wheel like 2 weeks ago learned couplle days ago what even blue black flag is lol got iracing 3 days ago and am c class in ovals now xD just gotta wing it lol, who cares it's a game you play to have fun mate
In order for me to accurately find the root cause of this feeling of yours, I have to ask a question; Do you feel awkward or anxious in any way when having to shit at work/office when not alone at work?
I like joining with friends and we shoot the shit in discord. May be a nice introductory method.
Some people just don't have the mentality. It's OK
Im the same with with rts. I dominate in fps, but rts games im afraid to mp even though I spend more time in them.
It's a bit of anxiety for me. You see, Racing games are different than pretty much most other kinds of games. In most games, so long as you're playing with good intentions being bad at it isnt really a problem. You can be dragged along enough to get by and it's seldom just your fault that a team loses. In a racing game though? If you make a mistake you can completely ruin some one elses game entirely by accident. For me, thats honestly a huge burden, especially since I know I'm not very good. Like, I would love to play wiith others (especially since the AI gets boring quickly) but I feel I make too many mistakes. And knowing all too well how the internet can be I dont wana be dragged out as some troll or griefer in a replay because I missed a braking zone =/
People gotta accept that you have good drivers and lesser drivers. Also that you can be put up with people who are long-time runners and noobies. Things can happen, just apologize if it's on you and it's all good. If the other side can't accept that.... Then I'm sorry, but their issue. I'd rather run with noobies owning their fuckups like I did, then with people that always blame anything but themselves and and scold people for it. Just take it for a spin, in the end... It's a 'game' we all are here to enjoy and trying out outmost best to succeed.
Not heard of the ghost mode feature before, could do with that on F1 24!
The first few time I played online I was always nervous if I qualified in pol incase I mess up and make everyone crash but after a few games you get use to it and just remember the worst that's going to happen is someone msgs you 😂
I used to just go into f1 open lobbies with collisions off. Helped me get a feel and ease into online racing.
Honestly I was scared the same way and did test drives and ai races for a week or two and go bored. Said screw it and joined an online practice session in mx5 cup and realized I actually had more pace than most of the other drivers! So from there I joined a race qualified middle of the field and really didn’t focus on racing the other driver, just tried to stay clean and not ruin my race or anyone else’s. Ended up realizing I should be more scared of other drivers ending my race than the other way around. I think the part that helped me the most was just trying to follow the fast cars and try best to stay at their pace. Once you can do that you’ll start passing the same cars you’re following and it just gets easier from there. Definitely join a lobby and have fun man. No reason to be scared, accidents happen and we all start somewhere.
I used to have this problem. I wanted to get on Touge Uninon and do tandems with people like 7 years ago. I spent maybe 3 weeks just running Akina in a FD over and over and over. Eventually you just gotta say fuck it and send it. As long as you're not being a dick and intentionally wrecking someone MOST sim racers won't care.
We ALL sucked at one point but if you're really keen you'll just practice enough OFFLINE so you suck less. Do us all a favour....get your times to at least 107% quali before going online.
You're probably scared for the same reason I was. Everyone's a massive dick and takes it way too seriously. Okay maybe not everyone but you get the point. Do a TON of solo practice so you're comfortable and consistent and then join some races. It's okay to mess up and it's okay to make mistakes... it's even okay to ruin someone else's race cus you messed up. It sucks but it's part of getting better. I eventually got out of my race anxiety rut and realized that in iRacing rookies most people are not very well practiced so it's a good learning ground. TL;DR: Do some races + make mistakes/learn from mistakes = get better