It is a good time to start looking forward to events / series for next year.

I'd like to center the discussion around rFactor and GTR2. Magnum and I will have a separate one for the SimHQ iRacing events available to discuss after the current All American series is over.

The 2011 discussion is here:
http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3227209/1.html

First questions I would ask:

What worked well and 2011 and what didn't?

What was more fun than you expected, and conversely what was a flop?

If you had to pick a single race from any carset/track that was best of the year, what would it be?

What cars look the most exciting in the upcoming rFactor2?

What can SimHQ do better for sim racers?

Has iRacing stock cars killed VHR racing?

Take the discussion any other direction you like, but SimHQ Motorsports' success is dependent on getting what you want to drive, and then offering events that you will find interesting enough to attend.

Thanks for you thoughts!

I'll answer what I can.

What worked well in 2011 and what didn't?

Looking back, the majority of my non-SCES participation was oval racing. I think most of that turned out pretty good. I didn't run across anything that didn't.

What was more fun than you expected, and conversely what was a flop?

Nothing really caught me by surprise, and nothing really failed.

If you had to pick a single race from any carset/track that was best of the year, what would it be?

Out of everything I raced, the SCES cars at Sebring because the fuel/tire settings in that initial race allowed me to use a strategy other than "fill the tank every time in". Good field, good day to night transition, my first endurance race in a sim...all around great stuff.

Has iRacing stock cars killed VHR racing?

I'm sure it's nice, but for those of us who can't afford iRacing it isn't even a consideration.





In terms of rFactor events for 2012, I wouldn't mind seeing a series that features great tracks. It can be regular length race events or something more lighthearted (short 5 lap sprints), but it would feature something easy for everyone to drive (like the PCC mod) on a variety of famous tracks. Let the circuits shine for a while; we always focus so much on racing different types of cars. Maybe this time, settle on a car and use it to tour the world.

What worked well and 2011 and what didn't?

I thought the multi-race series...DTM and SCES...were probably the most successful overall. The 1985 F1 race was a hit, but it was also a one-off race of a historical set in an era most racers grew up with/read about.

If you had to pick a single race from any carset/track that was best of the year, what would it be?

I'd have to agree about Sebring...it brought more of the element of strategy into play, plus it was the first event of a lengthy series and probably had the biggest field. It also taught us that we all need patience at times, due to the makeup of the field, so it helped for the rest of the series and set the tone for a successful long-term series.

What cars look the most exciting in the upcoming rFactor2?

As a long time open-wheel fan, the F1-style models I've seen. But, there's not as many open-wheel fans here as there is sports cars/prototypes. As long as I'm feeling up to it, I'll run in about anything I'm comfortable in.

What can SimHQ do better for sim racers?

I think success is more on the participants than it is SimHQ myself...SimHQ's been great at providing the opportunities, maybe some thought specific mods selected didn't quite pan out to everyone's liking. Some are going to have different tastes is all. I'd like to run VHR (especially if I could paint my own car), but there's something about the FFB in it that really messes me up and it's also a fixed setup series and I've always ran stock cars with the way I want them to feel, not adjusting to something more neutral. I was also looking forward to the F2 races, as I love open-wheelers, when they were announced...but the mod forced me to change my whole way of thinking in setting up a sim car, following real-world principles the majority of the time (yeah, I did use a couple of long-standing sim "theories" for my Indy setup... ), and that made it not as enjoyable for me when I have to accomodate a mod's way of handling physics properties. But it was a success overall and the people that ran it had a lot of fun and the racing was competitive...and that's really all that matters at the end of the day. There's always going to be people that will not feel comfortable with some mods and just won't feel up to running them.

The most successful events seem to be those that allow custom skins (everyone likes to be creative and see those creations on the track) and are of carsets/styles that everyone can be competitive in. As we've got a lot of different talent levels, I think the class configuration mods are the ones that offer the most "bang for the buck" as it gives people more choices and styles to fit their particular interests. Both the DTM and SCES series were class oriented and they seem to have good attendence. They both were also fixed setup series (I think DTM was) and those will allow for maximum participation as I know a lot of people don't have the time to put in to setting a sim car up for every different event....it is slao a long and at times frustrating process and can discourage newer sim racers. Even though I'd rather run in open setups races, I do know that is a key consideration for getting the most participants and that's the important thing.

I'm not sure if rF2 will have that class configurations immediately, but I'm sure it will soon in the form of mods soon if it doesn't. GTR2 has it, and while I know some have problems with GTR2's netcode, my first race at SimHQ was with GTR2 and I had a blast in it myself, but not everyone has it.

Tricky questions to answer as most things are fairly subjective and we all like different stuff but from my point of view...

What worked well and 2011 and what didn't?
The DTM's were surprisingly popular and seemed to maintain good momentum, the two tier system worked well and all the races were exciting. Despite losing a few drivers, the SCES remains top of the pile for me simply because it's the kind of cars/format i like best. The Skoda's. In terms of fun factor absolutely NOTHING comes close to a grid full of these. One off 'special' events were great for focusing interest. Indy and Bathurst spring to mind.

I can't think of anything inparticular that didn't work at all. I was disappointed that the S2000's didn't get much interest.

What was more fun than you expected, and conversely what was a flop?
It's not my favorite kind of racing but I'd have to say that the classic F1's were more fun that i thought. I don't think there were any particular 'flops'. For me it's less about the cars/tracks and more about getting out there and enjoying the racing. Providing there's enough of us on track then anything is fun.

If you had to pick a single race from any carset/track that was best of the year, what would it be?
It would be hard to argue against SCES Sebring. Full grid of cars, great track, challenging conditions. It was a flagship event by any standards. I also enjoyed SCES at Spa too.

What cars look the most exciting in the upcoming rFactor2?
To be fair i'm not much interested in the cars, i'm more looking forward to the new features. If i had to chose i'd go with any GT stuff and the historicals.

What can SimHQ do better for sim racers?
I'd like the odd extra VHR event for sure, possibly using some of the other series too. The core backbone of Multi class endurance/touring cars with intermingled special events works really well IMO. I'd like to see a couple of handicap based events where the faster guys have to drive slower cars or some kind of other system to even the field. As Steve said, the events where people get involved work well, simulation of real world events, custom skins etc. all help people connect.

Definitely important to keep the 'fun' aspect. The Skoda's are testament to that and it's worth thinking about things like sprint cars, off roading, rally x, Trucks (proper European trucks, not the girly NASCAR ones:) These are all things i've seen be very successful elsewhere.

Has iRacing stock cars killed VHR racing?
It's made a dent for sure. The sim racing community is a relatively small place (in gaming terms) and racers often tend to stick to one sim at at a time, so every time a new sim hits the block you get a further dilution as people naturally gravitate elsewhere.

Personally i'm quite sad at the lack of VHR races this year. As Alex said there are many people who don't use iRacing for all sorts of reasons. There's definitely still a place for it IMO.

It's too hot to answer all those questions, but I think one thing which hasn't worked well is 4 class racing. We simply aren't able to sustain those numbers for good racing in all classes, I've been lapping by myself for the past few. Road Atlanta looks fun though, because it brought the P1 and P2 classes more or less into one class.

I am an iRacing guy. So I will focus on the VHR iracing question.

I would have to agree that VHR is not dead. I would do both it they were available. However like most have stated iRacing is more expensive than VHR. If iRacing wasn't fun outside of the SimHQ races I would not continue paying for it. VHR on the other hand I have but do not use a lot. If SimHQ offered a season or even just a select few races I would definitely be apart of it. But I am not going to go out a join another racing League with VHR. It comes down to preference and the question do you want to play a online only racer or a offline/online racer.

From the initial event (Sebring) it looked like it would work, though.


For whatever reasons, people have steadily lost interest and left SCES behind.

We could go into long discussions about why that has happened, but unless we're coming back for season #2 it might not be worth the time and it would DEFINITELY be a topic for a whole new thread.



Multi-class racing definitely has a home here, though. We're not a huge group but we're diverse in our skills. While I've been a contender in P2 there are guys in other classes that would be a nightmare to go up against. And of course we also have Cossacco who completely blows the curve for everyone.

Ok here's my 2 cents...

What worked well and 2011 and what didn't?

That's a very subjective question, and for me there was a lot on offer this year that I enjoyed taking part in and some I sadly missed out on... I like a few others have really enjoyed the multi class racing of the SCES and DTM series', and the weight penalites in the skodas and DTM made things more even and competitive... As far as what didn't work... Can't really say..

What was more fun than you expected, and conversely what was a flop?

The 85 race at Paul Ricard... I've never got along well with those cars, nor the track, but that race was a blast although I was still more then happy to see the chequered at the end though... I wouldn't say that anything was a flop, but the attendances of the SCES have been disappointing after Sebring, sure the P2 class has been competitive, but the other classes need fields for it to feel like a proper multi class race...

If you had to pick a single race from any carset/track that was best of the year, what would it be?

SCES Sebring would be hard to top multi class racing, full field, tough conditions, but then again Zandvoort in the DTM was a huge blast as well...

What cars look the most exciting in the upcoming rFactor2?

ALL OF THEM!!!!!

What can SimHQ do better for sim racers?

The only thing I can think of is what I've said a few times in other threads, that for major series like SCES that go on for a few months, there be a break the weekend before so there's 4 practices for the series event over the fun series or one off races...

Has iRacing stock cars killed VHR racing?

For this freshly blooded VHR noob I can't really comment as Iracing is not on my agenda at all... The idea of a subscription that needs to be renewed just puts me off..




Completely agree this subject should get it's own thread, such is my love for these even if they just get run as one offs I'll be in them next year...





I quite like the PCC mod idea, maybe with weight penalties to spice things up, but yes more great tracks of the world is always very welcome in my books...

Oh, and maybe some off-road or rally events.

As this was my first year of racing at SimHQ, I'll give my noobs perspective.


What worked well and 2011 and what didn't?

Without a doubt for me what worked well was the fixed setup aspect of most of the racing. As for what didn't work, it was more a question of numbers for some of the races. The VHR races could have been phenomenal with some more entrants.


What was more fun than you expected, and conversely what was a flop?

the multi class racing (DTM & SCES) was the most fun in that they were the best attended races, But personaly My best moments were in the VHR cup Races from Tona and Dega! Flop for me was races where open setups were used such as the F2 races. (at least I think they were F2)


If you had to pick a single race from any carset/track that was best of the year, what would it be?

Single race pick for me would have to be Taladega with the VHR cup cars but it would have been even better to have our own skins on the cars.


What cars look the most exciting in the upcoming rFactor2?

The sixties F1 cars without a doubt!


What can SimHQ do better for sim racers?

Not a lot. Ask not what SimHQ can do for you but what you can do for SimHQ. The one thing SimHQ could do with is more drivers, so if we can all encourage other drivers to give SimHQ racing a try then that would be great. To help with that we need series that are easy to drive to encourage more in. Look at the Meganes popularity on the open servers. I really believe that is down to how easy that mod is to handle.


Has iRacing stock cars killed VHR racing?

Not at all. iRacing burned a lot of the old Papyrus sim racers when they screwed them over when they were issueing writs and trying to sue everyone in sight and I will never forgive or forget that. If nothing else, that incident should teach us the value of maintaining a healthy competition in sim racing production.

I did not run enough SimHQ to answer all the qstns but will throw in my 2 cents worth:

I ran the DTM series this time last year and felt it was spot on, a great mod and tracks.

My preferences are rFactor, fixed setups to even to field for closer racing, and weekends not during PST time zone dinner time (9 to 10pm EST). I get too much screen time @ work to do wk nite racing.
Also races < 60 minutes, and prefer multi sprint type races.

Skoda Fits all these so count me in - SeeYa at Mid Oh!

Cheers

I like the idea of Fixed setups for a weekly series. But if you do a series that runs every two weeks or once a month than I think a fixed setup would be wrong.

Id obviously love to do more oval stuff, not just with VHR stuff but even the Indy cars, maybe run them on some ovals. I cringe to try the road course stuff with y'all as I'll crash more than likely a lap or two in and not have any fun.

First, I should preface my responses by noting that this was my first year in participating in SimHQ events.

What worked well and 2011 and what didn't?
I have tended to join the shorter series (1-3 races) so they have seemed to me to be the best. That is, a quick blast of preparation, practice, racing, and then on to the next flavor.

What was more fun than you expected, and conversely what was a flop?
Skodas for sure were way more fun than expected. No flops come to mind.

If you had to pick a single race from any carset/track that was best of the year, what would it be?
The one that really stands out in my mind is the 1985 F1 race. It was SOOOOOO hard and I eventually wrecked out of the race. But it was strangely satisfying in that it gave me an insight into that era and those vehicles that I would not have obtained without the SimHQ event.

What cars look the most exciting in the upcoming rFactor2?
I don't know much about the set of rFactor2 cars but the 1960s F1s surely make me think of GPL and the fun that sim delivered.

What can SimHQ do better for sim racers?
My only response would be more of the same. Online racing can be found in many places these days but only SimHQ provides such an interesting mix with competent organization behind it to make it work. The word eclectic comes to mind. I hope that it is taken as a compliment since that is how it is intended.

Has iRacing stock cars killed VHR racing?
I do not race stock cars so I cannot respond here.

Take the discussion any other direction you like, but SimHQ Motorsports' success is dependent on getting what you want to drive, and then offering events that you will find interesting enough to attend

Others have mentioned the issue of fixed versus open setups. Some folks just plain hate one or the other and will avoid events that have the option they hate. I tend very strongly to prefer open setups but usually can come to agreement with almost any fixed setup. The work done by the setup gurus here at SimHQ no doubt has a lot to do with that. I don't think there is any good, sweeping answer that will make everyone happy all of the time but an idea has occurred to me and I present it here. Consider events where a fixed setup would be the preferred way to organize. I wonder if an option to have an open setup could be made available but with a catch. The catch would be some handicap, perhaps weight or a different vehicle with slightly less performance. I haven't really thought this through so it might be a mess to manage but the hope would be that you could attract a larger field (seems to be a constant goal).

Thanks for everything.

Dave Bradley

From my point of view as someone who used to race nearly every event here for about three years, had about three years off (crappy internet) and came back this year, I think SimHQ Motorsports is doing okay. I think the recipe is still a good one...have a few high end events or series (prizes are a bonus) throughout the year and keep the casual guy (someone who might not want to commit to a full blown accurate F1 season or something) happy with less historically accurate more fun type series, and then throw in some just goofiness like we had with the Skodas at Hitchin to blow off steam and just have fun. Add to that, like SimHQ usually does anyway, VHR at Daytona and/or Talladega, the Indy 500, Bathurst 1000, LeMans, etc.

Fixed vs Open setups. For a big series where points and/or prizes might be involved it should by all means be open setups. Not to say you can't share setups, but it gives you the chance to tweak and find what feels best for you. I like open setups if there's a big race in two+ weeks and I have time to seriously practice to get ready for it. Fixed setups are perfectly fine with me for short series or for fun series or single races. Fixed setup races are like the IROC races where all cars have the same setup and it comes down to the driver's skill and not the machine for the win. Fixed setups usually keep the racing tighter which makes it more enjoyable for the casual guy rather than being left all alone. It also might get more of the lurkers wanting to give online racing a try. One thing that might help with some enjoyment would be some shorter than 2 mile courses. I remember a few years back racing PCCs around a bunch of Sweden's shorter courses. It was a blast! It gets lonely some times on the long courses if you get separated, but with short courses you don't get bored.

I like the idea of a PCC world tour for a series. I think I could drive Porsches anywhere and have a good time...they're a lot of fun.

An idea we tried a few years ago was the Off Road Racing (trucks) series and was actually more of a hit than we thought it would be. We even had a few of the "purist" racers give it a go and they stuck with them and did quite well.

I wouldn't mind running in a V8 Supercar season! Points and all!

You can do whatever open wheel racing you want. It's not my cup of tea but I may join to be a field filler, and every once in awhile I get a car to work well on a course and might even be competitive...but it's not a guarantee.

Got to do some Megane racing...period.

Might throw in a Lupo hill climb.

My favorite race since I've been back was the Bathurst V8 Supercars...although at 2.5 hours my back was killing me. Most fun for laughing out loud were the Skodas at Hitchin...and maybe Cadwell. No flops from where I'm sitting.

We need to figure out how to get folks like VBA_Rhino and others to join us on some road course goodness! Everybody had their first road course race at one time, and we don't bite! We do roundy-rounds, but road courses are where the real racing is. Our group of folks here at SimHQ Motorsports just want more drivers on course and we're all more than willing to help out the noob. With our help you're only a road course noob for a couple races until you start to get it and before you know it you're running mid to front. If nothing else, get your feet wet in something like the Skoda series where if you're not bumping and banging (and laughing)...you're not racing!

What worked well and 2011 and what didn't?
Things that did not work for me were my health and then my work schedule :-) Thankfully the first is better. Will work on second to have more time in 2012.
DTM series were series were superb and Skoda's too I heard
SCES - while it looked like crowded series on the beginning, the attendance detoriated for various reasons. I think it's cool to have sponsors and prizes, but I think the latter did not work as one would expect. The dominance of pace that Wojtek Kozak and Darren Blythe presented in their respective classes might have discouraged some drivers who were interested in prize aspect alone. Plus the 'official' status gave organizers headaches as it limited the content that could be used.


What was more fun than you expected, and conversely what was a flop?
did not attend enough to comment in fair way


If you had to pick a single race from any carset/track that was best of the year, what would it be?
My Spa P2 podium was highlight of my simracing 2011 season. Awesome immersion of racing.

What cars look the most exciting in the upcoming rFactor2?
Impossible to tell untill we try them but seems that ISI is focused on historic cars

What can SimHQ do better for sim racers?
You are doing great job already. Let's talk more about timing of weekend events. If after Sunday lunchtime time slot would be easier for SimHQ friends from America's side of the pond, I am happy to start simracing later hours in Europe. Of course if there's enough time for our Australian friends to shower and go to school/work after race :-)
On very personal note, I would prefer races being on Saturday rather then Sunday, as I often start my business travels Sunday evening or I am "recovering" from F1 broadcast :-) Saturdays would also give Australians more timing comfort, I think

Has iRacing stock cars killed VHR racing?
hard to compete with what iRacing offers in oval simracing universe
but I do not follow oval racing neither I have much interest in simracing it

My personal opinions.

What worked well and 2011 and what didn't?
In the first place, racing has to be fun for me. And some cars I just can't drive and struggling with them all the time is no fun. Therefore I'm not racing them. Not even with the good company here at SimHQ. That are cars like modern F1 cars and the modern DTM cars.

The SCES is great. But maybe the prizes made it a little to serious and took some of the fun out of it.

What was more fun than you expected, and conversely what was a flop?
The Skoda's. I knew they were fun, but how they are run here and with the big grids is just awesome.

If you had to pick a single race from any carset/track that was best of the year, what would it be?
I liked the 1985 F1 cars. Only thing that I didn't liked about that were the added drivers aids. (I know that may have helped getting more people to join)

What cars look the most exciting in the upcoming rFactor2?
I haven't really looked at anything for RF2.

What can SimHQ do better for sim racers?
I would love to see more historic races. Like F1 1971, HistorX, DRM mod and DTM clssics for GTR2
Or fun mods like truck racing, rally cross and offroad racing.

Has iRacing stock cars killed VHR racing?
I wouldn't know. I stopped after the first few VHR races. Turned left enough now. And stopped after around 2 years with iRacing. Payed more than enough for cars and tracks that I can't use now.

I haven't been around much lately, but here goes:

I appreciate fixed setups for single-event stock car races. Stock cars are a specialized setup path, and it makes sense to supply a setup for those events. It also makes sense to have fixed setups for show-up-and-drive fun-racing.

As in the past, open setups should be the norm for any sim racing series IMO, with free exchange of setup information and files. Setup adjustments are an integral part of sim racing. If anyone doesn't have the inclination or time, use someone else's setup, as a starting point if nothing else. Tweak... you'll be glad you did.
________

The DTM series was a lot of fun. The only negative aspects were the mod's built-in auto-spin, which wasn't too bad, and the fixed setups, that caused the designated setup engineers to eventually shut down outside inputs and setup changes.

I'm not a big fan of extended endurance sim-racing sessions. If rF2 has a more user-friendly and reliable driver change feature, it may change my opinion.
The SCES series may be turning out to be just like a number of prior series: Starts out like gang-busters, and then peters out after 2-4(?) events. It may have lured in some bodies, but will they stick around after the series is done... and the prizes are handed out?

VHR stock car races - Anytime. I've missed the past few months' events, but I notice I haven't missed any stock car races... so it's been a while.

Historical/Modern F1 - I was part of the '91 F1 race, and missed the '85 race. The historical F2s would have been fun, but I couldn't make those dates/times. A full-length modern F1 series? Way too much.

As for the cars that will be a part of rF2, it's probably wait-and-see. I know that the current rF modding platform shouldn't be judged by its built-ins. Of the cars in the current rF, I'd probably pick the rF3 as the best.

A 3-4 Race Series length may be about right(?). V8 Supercars, GP2, '67 Eagle, Indycar/CART Factor (oval/road/street)?, Multi-class tin-tops?

Hope to be out there on the SimHQ track again soon.

What worked well and 2011 and what didn't?


I enjoyed the SCE races prior to the current official series. I liked being able to make certain races, and skip other ones without affecting anyone really (occasionally certain classes would start to fill and I'd just run something different). The current requirement to register in advance put me off, as I knew I wouldn't be able to make all the race dates and I certainly wasn't going to be competitive for the podium at any of them. Why bother taking a spot someone else might be able to make use of?

What was more fun than you expected, and conversely what was a flop?


I didn't race enough this year to really be able to say anything in particular was a flop.

If you had to pick a single race from any carset/track that was best of the year, what would it be?

Again I didn't get a chance to race enough this year to really single anything out.

What cars look the most exciting in the upcoming rFactor2?

Hmm probably the Can Am style cars.

What can SimHQ do better for sim racers?

Due to my lack of time to practice I really enjoy cars that are a bit more docile to handle, like the Formula BMW's, PCC's, VW Beetles, etc. So long as the driver is familiar with the course they can make a decent run in any race. Better drivers will of course do better, but weaker drivers wont spin out going into the first turn, or be forced to drive so conservatively that they get lapped every minute or two. I certainly don't begrudge folks wanting to drive more technically difficult cars, it's just not for me currently. The F1 '79 and F-BMW series we had last year (or was it 2 years now?) was a lot of fun IMO. Both types of drivers had cars for their tastes, and it ensured the grid filled up.

Has iRacing stock cars killed VHR racing?

I left iRacing a year ago, so it really hasn't affected me. I'm not a big stock car racing guy, but the shorter tighter courses like Bristol are fun. I'd run a VHR series so long as it wasn't too time intensive.

Take the discussion any other direction you like, but SimHQ Motorsports' success is dependent on getting what you want to drive, and then offering events that you will find interesting enough to attend.

Overall I'd say a series of shorter tracks, and medium length races (30 mins to an hour or so) using easier to drive cars with either fixed or limited setups would be my vote. Something along the lines of F-BMW's, PCC's, heck even the stock Panoz GT cars. To increase the field size a comparable set of higher end cars would be a good addition, F-1 cars for the open wheel races, etc. would add more drivers to the grid potentially while keeping the feel or the race similar.

-Jenrick

What can SimHQ do better for sim racers?

This is about rFactor.

Patches, car sets, tracks, etc., should be in the identical directory structure as the installed files.
rFactor
.GameData
..Locations
..Vehicles
...etc...

These files also should have a revision to indicate the sequence and there should not be separate additional files added after a patch. Instead, include new updates in the whole patch file and increment the revision.

For revision indicators, use an alpha-numeric scheme, or (I prefer) a date scheme.


Don't do this - Additional Car, from SCES Event 6:
---------------------------------
SCES Carsets

Consolidated carset - 184 MB - Last two races we have had problems with drivers keeping up with carset updates. This download is a complete set to date, and includes all cars needed for SCES Road Atlanta. Note: Neither the server or this download carset includes the default ILMS cars. Do not add them in for the SCES races.

http://simhq.net/downloads/motorsports/rfactor/SimHQ_2011_SCES/GameData.zip

Additional Car / Entrant (added October 26th)

IMPORTANT: You need to add this new entrants car or you will get an error when connecting to the track "vehicle not recognized". http://simhq.net/downloads/motorsports/rfactor/SimHQ_2011_SCES/RoadAtlanta/ENSMA_Road_Atlanta.zip
---------------------------------
Instead, the original file for the car sets would be named -
SimHQ_2011_SCES_Carsets_20110921.zip

And after adding the Additional Car it would change to -
SimHQ_2011_SCES_Carsets_20111026.zip

And if two releases were done on the same day then the second release would be -
SimHQ_2011_SCES_Carsets_20111026-02.zip

When the file is unzipped the file/directory structure would be organized as -
SimHQ_2011_SCES_Carsets_20111026
.GameData
..Vehicles
...etc.

This way it will be crystal clear how the patch gets applied to the installation. And it would work very well with mod organizers like JSGME.



When a patch unzips like this -
ENSMA_Road_Atlanta
.SCES - ENSMA Racing Team - DBR9
..etc.
It is not clear exactly where the files go, and a mod manager like JSGME cannot handle it.

Same with the Ring patch for the Skodas. If it had had the right GameData -> Locations -> etc. structure then it would have gone in right the first time.



Wrecking Crew

Game Stock Cars and their DLC single seaters!!!!!

I guess rf2 is still at least 6 months from reelase date

GSC is a star content now!

I'm probably the least qualified member to write something in this thread, my only participation being a DNS in Bathurst V8 event. However, if you guys like fun racing, like Skoda events, so much why don't you try the Mercedes Benz Truck Racing Series? There's an rFactor version for that mod. I only tried the GTR2 version, though (kindly informed by M4Driving in the other thread). Drove one in a 6 laps offline race with 24 AIs at Suzuka, and it was so much fun, I couldn't stop laughing from start to finish. Really, if the sight of an 18-wheeler head loosing control in a turn and spun around doesn't make you laugh, nothing will! Just remember to prepare a RedBull and something to ease the pain on your stomach from laughing so much before the race.

What worked well and 2011 and what didn't?

I've got mixed feelings about multi-class racing general. While SCES brought some new names into the fray, with our participation numbers being relatively low, the end result is I tend to end up racing 1 or 2 other drivers and all others you either need to duck and cover as they come whizzing by you (P1) or they are so much slower than you (GT2) that they're really not much more than a distraction from the task at hand. Hopefully some of our new friends will hang around and join in on other events in the future that do not have prizes at stake. For me personally, no doubt I'm a casual racer and tend to enjoy the "fun series" type events more. I wish I could consistently run with DB but I'm not really willing to practice at a track for weeks on end in order to do so.
Hosting semi-fixed setup type events I think works out well for many, myself included, for others its a complete turn off. If they are open setup races I would hope those that know what they're doing will readily share with others, but then again, a good set will give someone that little advantage and by human nature many will be hesitant to give that advantage away freely.

What was more fun than you expected, and conversely what was a flop?

Early om I really wasn't digging the DTM's at all but I came around after a couple weeks at the wheel but then we get right back into the whole multi-class conundrum again running two different cars, one being considerably faster than the other. The Indy race was a lot of fun as were any of the VHR events. Can't really say anything really flopped but the classic F1 events were sometimes a challenge to enjoy only because of the driving prowess required to handle one of those beasts. Regardless though I think I participated in and enjoyed any and all events posted.

If you had to pick a single race from any carset/track that was best of the year, what would it be?

That's tough mostly because I suffer from CRS. Off hand I would say the Indy 200? and Brickyard 150?. The DTM's at the ring or any of the later races that were held were also loads of fun.

What cars look the most exciting in the upcoming rFactor2?

Without a doubt, the 67 F1's on classic tracks. You don't know fear and courage until you've hung an Eagle out with your hair on fire on the 67 Spa. More than a specific car/track though, I'm really more excited about the new platform and hopefully some new and additional participation from others. RF1 is getting old and as such makes it hard to get someone newly excited about it.

What can SimHQ do better for sim racers?

That's also tough as SimHQ tends to not want to focus on a specific genre of simming. For a very long time I would visit SimHQ mostly for news, articles, reviews and discussions relating to my phiter pileit persona but my focused has changed over the last couple of years to be almost racing exclusively although there is someone out there pushing me hard to get back into blowing stuff up with a jet again. Keep the banners going on the homepage to encourage more online participation. Something needs to happen though as our online racing population is for the most part stagnant. Kill off the multi-class racing unless the numbers get much bigger. I want to race against DB, Stewart, Cossaco, Peirre, Alex, etc., on equal platforms. If I'm going to be running laps out there by myself for the most part, it might as well be offline.

Has iRacing stock cars killed VHR racing?

No, it is alive and well elsewhere and unfortunately that's exactly where I've been lately. I do like some variety in my racing but for the best door to door competition, it's really hard to beat stock cars.

What worked well and 2011 and what didn't?

Personally too much for me didn't work at all. First and foremost too many disconnections come to mind, which severely dented my motivation in the end to participate in further races. Hence I haven't touched any racing sim for 2 months now, including single-player.

What was more fun than you expected, and conversely what was a flop?

Tops: I tremendeously enjoyed the F1 1991, F1 1985 and F2 1976 races (as long as there was no....see above).

Flops:

- Indy. I just wasn't good enough for that. But that's my personal limitation.

- SCES didn't work for me this year. Imo the spirit was unfortunately less relaxed compared to last year, then I had a disco after exactly 2.5 hours at LeMans, which set me badly back in points. And generally I didn't feel competitive nor comfy enough this year.

Hence I don't think I'll sign up again for a series where races are as long or longer than 2.5 hours and which simultaneously means a longtime commitment. I could imagine to get tempted again if the fantastic WSC70 mod gets used, as it was planned two years ago, but the race was canceled then.

- DTM...well, these touring cars eventually turnt out not to be my cup of tea really, I learnt that back then. Also my problem, but I generally just prefer open wheelers.

If you had to pick a single race from any carset/track that was best of the year, what would it be?

Suzuka F1 1991, F1 1985 and F2 1976 at Hockenheim.

What cars look the most exciting in the upcoming rFactor2?

So far the vintage open wheel cars for me.

What can SimHQ do better for sim racers?

First of all, the reason why I abstained from racing in the last 2 months are not related to SimHQ in itself. I just got frustrated with it and needed a break. My preferences are in a nutshell: Not too long races, shorter series, single events, open wheelers.

Has iRacing stock cars killed VHR racing?

I don't do VHR anymore and neither do I use iRacing, hence no opinion.