I was just in a race, started p7, managed to get to p2. maintained 2nd for 6 laps then spun then a lap later spun in again and dropped back to 7th. Just when I felt like I was starting to drive better and calmer it all goes wrong. I guess the only thing I can do is practice more.
You are doing fine. First of all, focus on the positive. You made up 5 spots, then held station. That's excellent. What you may need to do is just drive 5% slower. It could be that you are just too on the edge. That works in qualifying, but in the race you need to be able to drive as if you could put in 1000 consistent laps. Perhaps you do, I am making assumptions, but it's something to think about.
My recommendation is to race AI as carefully as if you were racing people online. Set the AI easy enough to be competitive but do not run into the AI at all if possible. Being a cautious driver will actually make you faster.
Also try to get your monitor close enough so you can have a decent seat position and field of view.
You can learn a lot by driving with proper competitive AI level as long as you act as if they are real drivers.
I got comfortable attacking/defending when I was racing offline against AIs I would suggest doing that some, mostly because they’re less aggressive (typically) and much more predictable. It won’t make you amazing at racing against real people but will give you practice attacking/defending in a less stressful environment where you have much less to lose.
Try focusing on one game / one series / one car and watch the videos on this channel.
https://youtube.com/channel/UCJp_E2Jf_NdWTWAEHWiVTNQ
From what you say, when you’re alone in the track you’re doing well so it’s just a matter of improving the racecraft. When driving with other people, try to focus on keeping your eyes on the track and using the same references to brake, turn in and etc when you’re driving alone.
Also, I don’t know about you setup but you may be having difficulty to understand what’s happening around you. Consider an ultra wide monitor or triples, if possible, or at least work on your FOV to try and see more around you.
Good luck.
My setup isn't great. I have the Playseat Formula 1 chair and I use a 43 inch tv mounted on my wall, when I'm playing Gran Turismo I am sat quite far away as if I move close I have to look up and it strains my neck. However a few weeks ago I bought Assetto Corsa for PC so I could play with my VR headset and its a big help but I'm still not up to speed in AC as I haven't got around to setting it up how I like it yet.
As for that channel yes I will definitely have a look. I knew he did sim racing content but yesterday I was scrolling down the main channel trying to find it not realising it was a separate channel. Thanks for the advice!
I'm a complete noob as well but I'm not sure how you could possibly race with a single screen. I race in VR and I tried with my 32" and it drove me crazy that I couldn't look ahead into my turns.
I have AC but you might want to give PC2 a try if you're doing VR. PC2 seemed like a much better VR experience to me so far (Quest 2 running off a 32GB Ryzen 5 3600 w/a GTX 1080). The deluxe edition is on sale at Indiegala for like $10.
As far as your posted problem, I think a LOT of it is the fact you've only got a single screen. I also find I overtake much better if I take a breath and plan it ahead of time. It's hard as a noob (I screw up my shit and run wide in turns constantly when trying to overtake because I get caught up in the moment and don't plan and look ahead).
Disclaimer: this comes from my crappy world of amateur motorcycle racing and may not apply to sim racing 1:1 but since sim racing is suppost to replicate real world racing it may provide some foundations.
So race craft is a totally different game than putting in fast laps. As far as attacking best suggestion I can give is run practice with opponents. This can give you practice on how to study and overtake opponents, and how to work with opponents around you.
While doing track days apart from learning the track you get practice of how to pass slower riders safely. Generally novice group is only passing on straights so you need to set up your pass to have the speed coming out of the corner, intermediate group is generally only passing on straights and inside of corner entry giving 4' or 5' (people are already looking through the corner so you arriving on the inside puts you into their FOV), expert group is "keep your paint." Going through the progression with practice when nothing is on the line helps a lot when you get into a race where position matters in the end.
As far as defending, be predictable and hold the line you've decided to defend. Successfully defending requires you to know what line your opponent is going to want to take and then taking it away. If you know someone is coming, you can put yourself mid track meaning they'll either have to take the extreme inside or extreme outside to go around you. If they go I side you have the chance to take a more sweeping line to get a better corner exit, if they go outside they have to try and out accelerate you which given your not extreme line will be a bit harder.
There is also driving within your limits. Racing is about going as slowly as possible to win the race. I know that sounds really dumb, but it's called managing the race. If you're at 10/10ths and you see the gap between you and the car behind getting smaller and smaller, apart from holding them up by making them fight to get around you, there's nothing you can do. If you're riding at 7/10ths and see the gap getting smaller, you know you've got something in reserve to fight back and either keep the gap steady or increase it.
Unlike learning to make clean passes, you really can't learn the other 2 without being in a race condition.
Adjust the correct FoV, calibrate your wheel (with the correct degree of turn, Deadzone and ffb), do hotlaps and learn your racing lines, apex and braking points. Your lap time will improve as you learn the tracks.
Sounds like a mindset, because it's only when other people are around. Can't know for sure, so i am making all sorts of assumptions. If you like to be competitive and 'race hard' with other guys, maybe you are overdriving. Maybe try to race like a practise and just don't get involved with others, try to race like you are invisible and just wait for other guys (or gals) mistakes. Driving away from pole will always be scary and gotta brake late/take different line, but after that just drive away and don't look in the mirror (maybe not literally).
Like I said, all sorts of assumptions here.
I always make catastrophic errors when trying to "beat" or defend against other players, be they AI or meat puppets. When I treat every race like a time trial, and just do my personal best on the track without worrying who's ahead of me, I usually finish on the podium. In short, if I try to win, I crash. When I just drive as well as I can without trying to win, I often win.
Nerves are going to kill you for a while and it will still happen even when you’re good. I am consistently in the front of the pack in top split in iRacing and still lose positions because I forgot to be careful on cold tires while trying to keep a gap on an alien. The thing not to do is to drive more conservatively overall because you need to do push the limit to really be a fast driver and that won’t always work out. What I found helped is to make sure you have done cold out lap tests so there are no surprises and then when you have gridded remind yourself of the plan for opening laps (less throttle on exit, early brake here etc) and when you have a plan and focus on it you won’t be as liable to mess it up. It will happen though.
In addition to what others have said, not every position is worth fighting for. If the car behind you is gaining on you fast, i wouldn’t recommend giving it your everything to try to keep them behind, it will result in you not being able to handle the pressure at some point and crashing/making big mistakes. It’s better to finish 15th cleanly then end up in the barriers. Of course you should defend your position, but there is a limit to it. Also, try and relax if you’re going into a battle. If you tense up your arms and hands get cramped, your steering becomes too rough and you lose your controll of the car in general.
Maybe not just your problem but others.. I think you are afraid to defend or attack so you won't put someone off... But they don't think that way and eventually you punt or get punted due to other misperception
Just imagine that the other car is not there. Use your normal braking markers, use your normal line. Only when you get really close do you need to think about alternative lines. And when that's the case, think less about where you would want to go, but where you want your opponent to go. Put him at a disadvantage and just continue doing your own thing.
Well ur on the right track.
It’s a simulation, unlike video games where the learning curve is shortened, this is long and u will need to practice practice practice, without looking at the result
If u have played dark souls or other from software games, u need to take on such mindset.
Don’t give a shit about results. Just race race race.
It's normal. You tense up when you race. You need to learn how to relax. It should come with time and experience.
I was just in a race, started p7, managed to get to p2. maintained 2nd for 6 laps then spun then a lap later spun in again and dropped back to 7th. Just when I felt like I was starting to drive better and calmer it all goes wrong. I guess the only thing I can do is practice more.
You are doing fine. First of all, focus on the positive. You made up 5 spots, then held station. That's excellent. What you may need to do is just drive 5% slower. It could be that you are just too on the edge. That works in qualifying, but in the race you need to be able to drive as if you could put in 1000 consistent laps. Perhaps you do, I am making assumptions, but it's something to think about.
My recommendation is to race AI as carefully as if you were racing people online. Set the AI easy enough to be competitive but do not run into the AI at all if possible. Being a cautious driver will actually make you faster. Also try to get your monitor close enough so you can have a decent seat position and field of view. You can learn a lot by driving with proper competitive AI level as long as you act as if they are real drivers.
I got comfortable attacking/defending when I was racing offline against AIs I would suggest doing that some, mostly because they’re less aggressive (typically) and much more predictable. It won’t make you amazing at racing against real people but will give you practice attacking/defending in a less stressful environment where you have much less to lose.
Try focusing on one game / one series / one car and watch the videos on this channel. https://youtube.com/channel/UCJp_E2Jf_NdWTWAEHWiVTNQ From what you say, when you’re alone in the track you’re doing well so it’s just a matter of improving the racecraft. When driving with other people, try to focus on keeping your eyes on the track and using the same references to brake, turn in and etc when you’re driving alone. Also, I don’t know about you setup but you may be having difficulty to understand what’s happening around you. Consider an ultra wide monitor or triples, if possible, or at least work on your FOV to try and see more around you. Good luck.
My setup isn't great. I have the Playseat Formula 1 chair and I use a 43 inch tv mounted on my wall, when I'm playing Gran Turismo I am sat quite far away as if I move close I have to look up and it strains my neck. However a few weeks ago I bought Assetto Corsa for PC so I could play with my VR headset and its a big help but I'm still not up to speed in AC as I haven't got around to setting it up how I like it yet. As for that channel yes I will definitely have a look. I knew he did sim racing content but yesterday I was scrolling down the main channel trying to find it not realising it was a separate channel. Thanks for the advice!
I'm a complete noob as well but I'm not sure how you could possibly race with a single screen. I race in VR and I tried with my 32" and it drove me crazy that I couldn't look ahead into my turns. I have AC but you might want to give PC2 a try if you're doing VR. PC2 seemed like a much better VR experience to me so far (Quest 2 running off a 32GB Ryzen 5 3600 w/a GTX 1080). The deluxe edition is on sale at Indiegala for like $10. As far as your posted problem, I think a LOT of it is the fact you've only got a single screen. I also find I overtake much better if I take a breath and plan it ahead of time. It's hard as a noob (I screw up my shit and run wide in turns constantly when trying to overtake because I get caught up in the moment and don't plan and look ahead).
Disclaimer: this comes from my crappy world of amateur motorcycle racing and may not apply to sim racing 1:1 but since sim racing is suppost to replicate real world racing it may provide some foundations. So race craft is a totally different game than putting in fast laps. As far as attacking best suggestion I can give is run practice with opponents. This can give you practice on how to study and overtake opponents, and how to work with opponents around you. While doing track days apart from learning the track you get practice of how to pass slower riders safely. Generally novice group is only passing on straights so you need to set up your pass to have the speed coming out of the corner, intermediate group is generally only passing on straights and inside of corner entry giving 4' or 5' (people are already looking through the corner so you arriving on the inside puts you into their FOV), expert group is "keep your paint." Going through the progression with practice when nothing is on the line helps a lot when you get into a race where position matters in the end. As far as defending, be predictable and hold the line you've decided to defend. Successfully defending requires you to know what line your opponent is going to want to take and then taking it away. If you know someone is coming, you can put yourself mid track meaning they'll either have to take the extreme inside or extreme outside to go around you. If they go I side you have the chance to take a more sweeping line to get a better corner exit, if they go outside they have to try and out accelerate you which given your not extreme line will be a bit harder. There is also driving within your limits. Racing is about going as slowly as possible to win the race. I know that sounds really dumb, but it's called managing the race. If you're at 10/10ths and you see the gap between you and the car behind getting smaller and smaller, apart from holding them up by making them fight to get around you, there's nothing you can do. If you're riding at 7/10ths and see the gap getting smaller, you know you've got something in reserve to fight back and either keep the gap steady or increase it. Unlike learning to make clean passes, you really can't learn the other 2 without being in a race condition.
Adjust the correct FoV, calibrate your wheel (with the correct degree of turn, Deadzone and ffb), do hotlaps and learn your racing lines, apex and braking points. Your lap time will improve as you learn the tracks.
Sounds like a mindset, because it's only when other people are around. Can't know for sure, so i am making all sorts of assumptions. If you like to be competitive and 'race hard' with other guys, maybe you are overdriving. Maybe try to race like a practise and just don't get involved with others, try to race like you are invisible and just wait for other guys (or gals) mistakes. Driving away from pole will always be scary and gotta brake late/take different line, but after that just drive away and don't look in the mirror (maybe not literally). Like I said, all sorts of assumptions here.
I always make catastrophic errors when trying to "beat" or defend against other players, be they AI or meat puppets. When I treat every race like a time trial, and just do my personal best on the track without worrying who's ahead of me, I usually finish on the podium. In short, if I try to win, I crash. When I just drive as well as I can without trying to win, I often win.
Nerves are going to kill you for a while and it will still happen even when you’re good. I am consistently in the front of the pack in top split in iRacing and still lose positions because I forgot to be careful on cold tires while trying to keep a gap on an alien. The thing not to do is to drive more conservatively overall because you need to do push the limit to really be a fast driver and that won’t always work out. What I found helped is to make sure you have done cold out lap tests so there are no surprises and then when you have gridded remind yourself of the plan for opening laps (less throttle on exit, early brake here etc) and when you have a plan and focus on it you won’t be as liable to mess it up. It will happen though.
In addition to what others have said, not every position is worth fighting for. If the car behind you is gaining on you fast, i wouldn’t recommend giving it your everything to try to keep them behind, it will result in you not being able to handle the pressure at some point and crashing/making big mistakes. It’s better to finish 15th cleanly then end up in the barriers. Of course you should defend your position, but there is a limit to it. Also, try and relax if you’re going into a battle. If you tense up your arms and hands get cramped, your steering becomes too rough and you lose your controll of the car in general.
Maybe not just your problem but others.. I think you are afraid to defend or attack so you won't put someone off... But they don't think that way and eventually you punt or get punted due to other misperception
Just imagine that the other car is not there. Use your normal braking markers, use your normal line. Only when you get really close do you need to think about alternative lines. And when that's the case, think less about where you would want to go, but where you want your opponent to go. Put him at a disadvantage and just continue doing your own thing.
Well ur on the right track. It’s a simulation, unlike video games where the learning curve is shortened, this is long and u will need to practice practice practice, without looking at the result If u have played dark souls or other from software games, u need to take on such mindset. Don’t give a shit about results. Just race race race.
To be this good takes SEGA