Why SimRacing Gets Worse As You Get Better !

[@izzieb]

Simracing gets worse the more you do because you also watch more GamerMuscle, increasing despair.

[@NoTechDrama]

I wanted to like your comment, but you've got 69 likes

[@BeowulfGaming]

I am sticking to offline racing in VR against AI and keep buying shit and hardware I dont need to compensate for being bad and i am loving it :D

[@stefandenninger920]

exactly the same here! 😄🤟

[@ZheikoNileth]

Yea, after spending well over 2k on my simrig, I just got beaten by a guy on logitech g25... welp!

[@rickywylde8137]

youre not alone with that 😃

[@Ezpzlmnsqez]

I can relate to this comment

[@tabs1913]

This is the way. 👍

[@onetripwonders]

Great video. A great few ways to stay mediocre at sim racing is to bounce between different sims and cars constantly, don’t practice more than 30 min before any race, and then have a kid so your racing time is about 2 hrs every Sunday after a couple drinks. Hope that helps!

[@Clovis5119]

There's really a strange distribution of skill in this hobby, with the vast majority of drivers being either very bad or very competitive. If you're moderately quick and consistent then you're too good for casual servers and probably not good enough for tryhard leagues, especially if you don't want to spend hours trying to come up with a setup that exploits the limits of the physics engine.

[@privateblop9485]

That's me!

[@harrygaylordrums]

Literally me too 🤣 pure struggles

[@RonaldRegain]

Thats why I love skl based match making. I never gonna get a pro, but Im way to fast for open lobbiss. At LFM I always have some people on server to enjoy good clean racing.

[@thrasherdave1428]

That is so me

[@iPain3G]

It depends on personality. I'm in the 1-1.5sek behind the alien void but i never lost the motivation. I'm fighting with myself to close the gap to the aliens but i also take time to play other games or do other stuff. You also can start from the back and find your way through the pack or try other titel. You have so many option to have fun even when you are in the void. For me it sounds more like an excuse.

[@williams.k4399]

I'm in the same boat and I agree 100%.

[@hibye-jx3dy]

Agreed

[@mikelshwede]

Solid points. I haven’t raced for 6 weeks, was knocking on the door of 4k iRating however being naturally competitive and reasonably good requires more time than want to put into it. Going to just race and just see what happens in the next season. I definitely had more ‘fun’ when I was getting into sim racing, once you fall into the rabbit hole of taking it super serious it sucks the fun away.

[@sbbeowulf8296]

that goes for anything in life

[@rover1374]

Lucky I’ll never have to worry about being better than average.

[@stenovitz]

Interresting POV. I recall this exact unmotivating feeling of 'getting stucked' in early 2000s after a season of formula online competition league. Which left me a feeling of 'duty' rather than 'pleasure' and actually debonked all simracing for 6 months or so round 2006 (just before GTR2 relase as I recall it). But then after several classic gentleman race weekends IRL, I found my driving force again: Oldfashioned uncontrollable classic race cars. It's simply enjoyment on a diffent level with no ABS, no paddlemania, no power steering, no ASR - just raw machine demanding driving skills. Lots of unknowns to be accomodated with. Then add: if you take the competition as a challenge to yourself - and not so much your competitors - theres always room for improvement. Even when you are drinking podium champagne on a weekend basis. Just like golfing of which I've catched up lately - spoke with a champion a couple of weeks ago - it's the struggle against yourself which delivers both the frustations and pleasures as an addiction. Same goes with simracing. If you are about to get stuck in boredom - get yourself a challenge in another far more manual car, maybe with more power than grip, using old-faschioned H-gear, heel&toe and old universal virtues of driving skills. Go even on other kind of venues, e.g. rallying or something completely different. As a life long track hunter I could'nt live long simracing same 20-30 perfect condition tracks over and over again in GT3 paddlecars....zzz So ensure to get yourself the challenge switcing type of car and track type once in a while - my personal sim engine is still fully on fire after my break some 16 years ago - and this even mostly just driving different classic-, vintage and antique racing cars leaving lots of room for the challenge 'taming the monster', switching between very different cars of nature. Max fun for both absolute beginners and créme de Elite ❤️

[@_xndrzt]

GM presents Microeconomics 1.01 : the theory of diminishing returns

[@cypherzeros]

Dude... I've been feeling like I lost my mojo for sim racing for a while now, but never thought about it in this context. Spot on! Through the years, I went from single player to multiplayer, having a blast along the way. But now I'm stuck in that no man's land you mentioned, just racing alone in a gap online between the aliens and the rest of the pack. I'm finding single player titles with good championship/career experiences a bit more fun. Titles like ACC, AMS2, and even Project Cars2 and F1 22, where a season can have realistic variability in terms of weather, damage, multi-class, etc. It makes even the more accessible/general play titles fun.

[@THETRUTHZ]

We need more f1 racing, the other cars are fun but f1 is where the real fun starts :)

[@wigglynips]

For me it is definitely the fact that when you start to get better, so does the competition, with that seems to be the seriousness with which opponents take it. That just isn't for me. I enjoy playing on a semi casual basis. I'm not into the sweaty e-sport mentality and can't be bothered with people that take it seriously. For me it is still definitely just a game and a hobby, i'm not here to be the best, i just want to enjoy racing against other people.

[@bluebell2334]

I have really noticed this in raceroom in the last few months. I started to train for races and went from top 200 to top 30 in terms of rating. It is definitely more fun if you dont care about your ranking and just enjoy the races. Tryhard races are often the least fun bc everyone wants to be the next simracing superstar.

[@andreamasiero3329]

I’m in the same spot as you, 4500 irating so slightly above the average iRacer but far from the aliens and I totally understand your point: and that’s why it’s important to go out your comfort zone, trying new car/ tracks and combo, the moment you stop learning is when the frustration start.

[@roccothamanoidis]

Everybody needs to find his spot, where racing meets personal goals and comfort zones. Even if it means to sometimes trade one for another. A good chunk of joy however I get out of growing skills together in a league with guys of different skills. To see how they also get better over time, resulting in a better racing experience for everybody.

[@TheDive25]

It's the same with tennis. Once you reach a certain level you have almost no one left to play unless you become a maniac and start traveling to tournaments ect..

[@justpostedagain]

It's actually the same with everything. Took me a while to work it out, but obvious when you think about it. Chess, wine (once you can identify the cheap ones, you have to buy the expensive ones), skiing, cycling, running etc etc

[@RotGoblin]

Quite frankly, the most fun I had when simracing, was mucking about in your random Project Cars 2 lobbies, with cars with wonky physics that I couldn't take too seriously, so that was just turn brain off, and just have fun. And it was. So, thank you for those memories GM.

[@nathantw]

I think the most fun I had was with PC2 multiplayer racing in Dubai with go karts and a full grid. That track was long but not too long, which made it great. I tried to setup a stint later but nobody really bit.

[@aqulex84]

Fully agree with you. The moment you get in the "void" in between two skill classes is the moment where endurance multiclass racing comes in perfect because with the faster and slower guys you always will have great racing moments

[@SammyHendrix507]

Coming from super competitive games like dota, starcraft, and a variety of things that require practice and repetition (Guitar). I found Sim Racing to be this hidden gem of satisfaction vs popularity. This is a great video as I feel I really needed to hear this. This turned out to be such an amazing hobby where I can forget about my desire to climb rating, and just enjoy the battling that comes with racing. I also learned to enjoy hotlapping and practicing mid race instead of spending time doing it outside a race. Thanks for the video and the inevitable reminder to slow down and enjoy the journey.

[@q_bzy]

You are perfectly describing iRating from 1k-1800

[@benjohnson5222]

Speaks to me this video. Being just good enough to notice the flaws in my driving but not good enough to fix them. Cursed.

[@RotGoblin]

2K to 2.5K iRating is where it's at, above 4K it's INCREDIBLY unfun, and not only does it become less fun, because you need to put in hour after hour of sweating in practice sessions to develop your racecraft and setups, it produces a significant number of fast racers who can only run one line, and absolutely can not RACE, and have no idea how to behave around other vehicles. Top split 4K iRacing was absolutely soul destroying, despite the fact I was able to podium consistently.

[@karlsamson1765]

I agree. It can sound silly but it’s spot on. For me I suppose the majority of the enjoyment now comes from who I’m driving with and the friends you make in the hobby. But the racing and the effort involved to be at a competitive level isn’t as much fun as you get into higher level racing

[@tokonjudo]

2 things have always been true in life, if you increase your competition things get harder, and trying harder fails harder. Do your natural best and job done.

[@zolwiq007]

It's the same for many other hobbies. I was a part of audiophile community for a while and most of people there were focused on listening to the gear instead of music itself. The higher you are, the quirkier it gets.

[@thetechfromheaven]

It is the same with guitar amps, at one point you just get tired of everything and end up buying a Boss Katana and a computer to replace a room full of tube amp stacks...

[@mrfirefool]

LOL TOTALLY agree with you GM. Ive been there. Nowadays I just race casual offline racing with AMS2 and assetto corsa and get my daily kicks 😁

[@pilot3788]

A little bit like real life racing then. Start and have a lot of fun learning the tracks during races whilst making friends..... and progress to a point where your ego starts costing you loads of money and you throw your teddy out of the pram over, well, everything.

[@tonesnaps]

this is actually a great perspective. i may just stop while im still ahead lmfaoo.

[@chasezas]

Thanks GM, this is the perfect motivational video to hype me up between my scheduled weekly league races. 😂😂

[@rickswanracing3139]

Very interesting perspective and I agree. My enjoyment comes from hard fought battles. That and I enjoy creating POV content for my channel, and to fabricate realistic SIM cockpits to enhance the experience. I know I will never be an alien, but if i can plant my butt in a cockpit surrounded by something that feels like a real car, and race hard... i am having a good time.

[@n3rdstrength]

It's a real bummer but this is absolutely true and unfortunately true for most things in life. Getting gud ruined Gran Turismo for me. I used to play Sport religiously and it was so much fun being a B or A ranked driver. Once I really started getting good way up in the A+ ranks it just got boring and I felt myself regressing because I was only racing from the back. If I actually set a lap I'd just destroy everyone or like you said there's that one person that's leagues ahead and I take 2nd or 3rd easily. But like I said, that's most things in life. I used to be really into weight lifting and crossfit. The first few months, even year or two are amazing, you're changing rapidly, the gains are huge. And then you'll go like a year and only add 1lb to your best squat, it's maddening.

[@Theoloop]

This is spot on and also hilarious. I'm not an alien but decently quick. I have more fun when I go in with 0 practice instead of getting the time in and going 10/10 for sure

[@richardwagner9176]

you are spot on, alos imagine the levels of stress competing at the top level where everyone is pretty much maxing out the potential of the game/car and also has a huge ego, and next race you know those bastards will be there again, and they know it too so everyone is sweating their balls off constantly lol

[@TeSL9]

You are so right. This gives me some good inspiration. Nice to be average. 😊

[@LooseCohesion]

Great points. I guess that's why some of the top drivers create smurf accounts and do last to first challenges...

[@SingleRacerSVR]

HMMMM, Jumping onto my favorite AC Online Nordschleife Servers / doing 1 single lap without crashing / being in the Top 5/Top 10 in the list on first go / then spending 4-5 hours chasing down those just above me. Your right GM, it's definitely getting worse the better I get... ;P All joking aside - you have some VERY valid points that I totally agree with. And so nice to see "multiple" video's on KZbin from you again Mr Twitch Man ; ))))

[@lugs118]

100% agree with GM. It was all much more fun when there was a good rate of improvement and progression. What keeps me interested now is discovering older cars that are usually more challenging to drive and have lots of character.

[@arride4590]

Play against AI! Problem solved.

[@ACasualRacer]

Exactly, though I don't race enough to stay good

[@EddieOtool]

Handicap. Throw in a deliberately bad setup on a smurf account and try to make the most out of it. Its like playing with your children: you have to find a way to enjoy yourself all the while not constantly destroying them at games.

[@GamerMuscleVideos]

Nah just destroy them , gives them a good life lesson and shoes em who is boss 👍

[@EddieOtool]

@@GamerMuscleVideos Not recommended. Therapy too expensive afterwards. XD

[@benistingray6097]

Agree, i had a similar problem even tho i made my life more miserable myself. The faster and more consitent i got, the more serious i took it and the more pressure i put on myself to do good and so the disappointement was much bigger when something went wrong. Also this hyper competitivness took a toll on me and i enjoyed driving less and less. In the end i had to take a step back from racing and do more things i actually enjoy, casualy running Nordschleife online in AC or Shutoko, playing more BeamNG, i did more cruising and drifting on cool maps, just things that are less competitive and more fun.

[@Thaddarwin]

Recently moved from flight to driving sim. Finding your videos a gem for the beginner through to the more experienced…! Already want to upgrade my entry level 920…!

[@robertrossi9364]

I went all out with a full blown dual sim rig. Was on DCS obsessively until I got my Fanatec gear. DCS is great but no where near the enjoyment of sim racing.

[@RunN1st9]

I simply enjoy the car/track and improving my lap times. I’m an offline racer and bumping up the AI is a nice accomplishment. I’m running iRacing AI between 65-80 skill range.

[@Username_Invalid]

I race for immersion for the most part. The better the car feels to drive the more fun I have. VR, motion, wind, shakers made sim racing so much more fun for me. I know money shouldn’t matter but gear can definitely help.

[@threenineabi]

Maybe it’s just me but I enjoy the sweat part of simracing. Maybe it’s just my competitive nature but it motivates me to get better

[@gountzas]

That theory reminds me of newbie gains the first year of working out. After that is just very small incremental changes

[@JonFestinger]

Makes me grateful that after 25 years of simracing I still pretty terribl

[@daifuco]

A friend of mine who is an alien or near-alien says that the top splits of iRacing are not fun because people are overly aggressive. The fun is in the middle splits

[@norm_olsen]

Given everything said in this video, I can now understand how Saitama feels. Becoming too strong ruins the fun! Luckily for me, I suck rocks through a straw, so there is PLENTY of room for sim racing improvements! But should the day come where I start consistently blowing away everyone on the track, I think I'll just keep going for the sake of complete and utter world domination (which would be totally fun in my opinion)! This will take a while though... and by a while, I mean an eternity!

[@tiagobelo4965]

Absolutely agreed mate, best of luck with your world domination plans!

[@Rave-agent]

I aspire to become average.

[@ClickerSnapper01]

A very thoughtful video! Absolutely agree and I have noticed that when the aliens or faster drivers get behind for some reason and try to make a recovery to position some just can't stop...slow down and enjoy the race ( take awful risks ) and force other racers off track even if there is a battle of racers in front of them. They are in the mindset of hating to lose? No matter what the cost is to others...IMHO. So thank you for the post!

[@BASHERSKINZ]

yep, aliens that are out of position are the worst, they think they are entitled to the position and will just drive you off the road

[@kevinhadj82]

Yeah that is also another aspect of getting better : it creates expectation and frustration if the performance is not achieved.

[@Tempest261]

All of this is true, and probably not discussed enough. Especially once you get good enough to race in custom leagues, you'll inevitably start encountering other drivers that are increasingly grating, if not downright toxic. I'm not sure what the solution is, but I personally had to take a long break from sim racing because of this phenomenon.

[@andreaiachini7517]

@@bbrod14 I absolutely don't agree with your statement. I talk about the human part of your statement.

[@nathantw]

I love playing online, especially passing all the cars that wreck on the first turn or lap. Unfortunately for me, though, it doesn’t take long for those cars to start passing me since they’ve all got some super duper NAS, Turbo engine that’s finely tuned for the track. Since I never took the time to learn all the settings I usually end up racing for time. It’s great watching all the people disconnecting while I end up pulling the rear and finishing 4th or 5th. Sometimes even 3rd and a rare 1st.

[@mattalford3932]

I don't win a lot, but I have some of the most amazing races. Palms sweating, forget to blink lol. The guy 3 seconds ahead in first is just turning laps lol.

[@niallith]

probably why im only sitting on 8 wins in 1 year! often in top or 2nd split and im simply not good enough to compete for wins!

[@TheTubeshooter]

He who has the most fun wins.

[@dathyr1]

I agree with you on the 2nd point saying you become too good for the average SIM drivers because of the amount of hours you have put into SIM racing, and you probably have now fine tuned your SIM equipment. You almost have to find other drivers of your level and setup a league for premier SIM racing. i thought that is what IRacing does with their level ratings. Note, I have never done IRacing, but watched several you tube videos of races. If you do get with drivers with skill levels less than yourself, just have fun and don't take it so hard. Remember we all started from a lower skill level at one time. Happy Holidays.

[@cool3rking]

Completely agree! I just lost over 400 iRating due to a problem with my pc. Was down in the 1500's and have had a blast! Actually cleaner racing overall.. I've not been shunted up the rear half as much. There's always the exception, but by and large it's been great. I've been fighting for podiums even when I haven't qualified. Different mentality for next season I think 👍 Thanks James

[@naspotsev4658]

I always race against myself, wether I am 10 seconds in front or in the middle of the pack. Problem solved. ; )

[@andreaiachini7517]

That was the change that made me enjoy even the competitive part of the game. And also a good part of autocritic should be part of the process. A lot of people says : " COMPETITIV IS TOXIC1!11!" Than they are not even able to recognize that they are so bad at driving with other people. And if they often get involved in accidents, it is not "bad luck", but more a "you didn't git gud". I play ACC and LFM. There was a period were I got 3 penalties. I genuinely thought those people were exagerating reporting me. Than I watched more carefully the replays. And I recognize I was driving quite poorly, and I had to change absolutely my driving style. Not other people had to change, BUT ME. Believe me. Since that period I never got a penalty again. And 5 month are passed from that period. So maybe now I learned the lesson, and also improved at driving.

[@ThedubIsSilent]

I can relate. It’s hard to remember that it’s just entertainment.

[@lowfastracing]

Great post Mr. Muscle!

[@hibye-jx3dy]

I disagree. We chasing those numbers and we enjoy it 😁

[@yasharnoohi3893]

the thing is that mostly simracers set like small goals for themselves to reach by certain point and as they reach those goals (IRating for example and other things in other sim's) they will get better at it. if you don't set goals it becomes a bit pointless and if you do you will get better at it

[@craigyirush3492]

James Baldwin seems to be having fun, as do the ACC guys like Jardier.

[@tommynott4310]

I agree to some extent. I do think more leagues could take the approach of noy announcing the track until 60 mins before the race. At least then it somewhat handicaps people's practise time. Good drivers will be good but spending 10+hrs hotlapping to save 0.5secomd is not enjoyable, nor does it create dynamic races

[@mikelshwede]

Yup I race in a league that announces the track on race night. Certainly evens it out, plenty of good drivers out there who have other responsibilities outside of sim racing and can’t do 500 practice laps like some guys with endless free time.

[@tommynott4310]

@@mikelshwede I have considered doing a Indy car league on IRacing with this system. Announce 10 tracks at the start of a 6 week season. Or something to that extent

[@TheGooGaming]

I'm more of a sim-driver than a sim-racer. Anyone else?

[@Urban4Wheeler]

So this is good news. I’m horrible and want tot stay that way. I’m like the back of the pack grid in F1. If I have some good or great battles in the back of the pack and sometimes the middle I am a happy camper. I’ll never be the best but as long as there’s some competition for me I’ll keep racing

[@rassiracing5104]

If you enjoy winning a lot of this goes out the door. I don’t really race for battles, I enjoy seeing a high IR lobby and doing better each time. I also don’t find I ever stop progressing.

[@kacperbudyka315]

driving touge in AC was a blast for me, close battles, epic overtakes, and driving on the edge, it was great until i got soo good that my friends couldnt keep up, and now i cant find people to race against, beacuse majority of people are too slow, to fight against me (3.28.929 Usui, with rx-7). beacuse of that i moved on to ACC, and now i can be average again :)

[@wwjnz9263]

I agree with you. I'm not a pro or an alien but I did get pretty good at Forza. I had fun up until I started seeing nothing but flaws in Forza's physics and FFB. I had to quit head to head racing due to things like sticky cars, broken setups and the same results every time I raced. If I led, it was a commanding lead. If someone was ahead of me it was by a lot, and that person was an alien. I stopped multi-player in FM5 through to FM7. I dabbled and now I see all the fast people practically drifting every turn while the back runners are driving a bit more realistically... I can't... I just can't. So now I'm an also-ran in Raceroom, completely ignorant of setting cars up and all the cheeses in multi-player. I couldn't be happier.

[@simongymer199]

Totally agree with this. Been in that zone for many years where I'm better than average but not got the time or desire to get to that next super level, which means, like you said, you just get left into this limbo area where, assuming you avoid the Lap 1 chaos, you don't have many good races. I got back into iRacing recently and they added AI since I last played and I prefer racing the super amazing AI. Humans in sim-racing are generally unncessarily super angry and super aggressive all the time and want to be rude and insult you. I turn off all chat and all voice comms as I can't stand most sim-racers. LOL. League racing is still the best. You get to know people and respect people and most the leagues actually aren't these super competitive e-sports cobblers that you see on all the headlines. They are just people wanting to having some clean respectful fun in their spare time. It's a bit like real life careers. People think you are a moron cause you don't want to climb up the monkey ladder and don't have any particular career plan. They just can't understand wanting to do something for fun and enjoyment and not need to be the best ever plumber or in this case sim-racer. How dare you not want to be better at what you do. Sorry but I'm quite happy being pretty good actually, I don't need to be the best ever!

[@clivem.johnsonjr.2576]

Great video. You are getting better at being a KZbinr. Keep up the good work.

[@Rapid_GT]

I'm so glad that I now know I've alot to look forward to being so crap for the foreseeable 🤣🤣🤣 cheers 🍻👍

[@paulcole]

Totally agree, I started to get reasonable and hold my own in top splits getting some podiums etc - I lost the enjoyment… I had like 5 months off and switched sims, nowhere near as quick now and I enjoy it again. Has a lot to do with despising the setup process too lmao

[@bsmracing6592]

i usually race low or mid split in iracing, it’s better than top split ramming

[@_Ligneel]

I think it really depends what you do on the game. Official races aren't the only thing you can do. You can always go do stuff with some mates and have an awesome time regardless of how skilled you are.

[@GamerMuscleVideos]

If you get faster you won't be racing mates as they will be too slow. Best thing to do is endurance racing as a team but that then requires quite a big commitment from a group of people.

[@_Ligneel]

@@GamerMuscleVideos kinda depends on the mates :)

[@seebarry4068]

I was only thinking about this earlier. I’m only an iracing B-licence (road). To keep my mpr up, and not cut off access to my content, the races I need to compete in are more technical. It’s a poison challis.

[@EhPlusSimRacing]

Thanks for the tips! I'm just at the point where I'm starting to almost kinda not suck so bad... I guess I'll stop practicing so i don't accidentally get good. XD

[@ITZNOIDO]

I’ve found as I’ve gotten better I’ve become way more competitive which has kinda ruined the experience for me I’m a A+ driver on gt and in 95 percent of lobby’s I have the exact issue that you said where it’s really only me and one or two other drivers that are battling throughout the race the rest are at least 10 seconds behind each race, don’t get me wrong I still love sim racing and usually play for a bit each day but it’ll never be the same as a year ago when I was a mid b driver. Great advise take notes people

[@99chrisbling]

I’m not fast, but have joined some pub servers and lead from start to finish. It’s the most boring experience you can have.

[@nooch86]

I miss the feeling of it being tricky to control cars. I used to have to concentrate quite hard and be consciously smooth and precise with my inputs. After a few thousand hours and a few thousand dollars on better gear, there is practically zero challenge in controlling the car, unless on the absolute limit (which gets tiring fast).

[@andreaiachini7517]

It is for that I enjoy multiple sims. ACC is my "competitive" game (competitive is maybe too much, let's say I am above average). And where I go to race "seriously". Than there are public lobbies, and other SIMS to enjoy the game without thinking to the result. That doesn't mean I go there to do a destruction derby, or I don't care about driving well.

[@robwalker4452]

I agree that it sounds true, but I've never reached that very top level so I wouldn't really know.

[@allanlansdowne340]

I lost the have fun appeal of league racing. I don't have any fun being the car at the back of the race and never improving. I stick to offline racing driving at my pace and enjoying it.

[@Rich-pj9wv]

I get more pleasure from GT7 and F1 games these days. Much more chilled.

[@memoNo1719]

Interesting point of view. I've been at this for 4 years now. And now I'm 1 to almost 2 seconds at the top of the world. ACC / rF2. And I'm very motivated to keep going. But I don't have the time for that. I have 4 sons and I work. in view of this fact, my performance is satisfactory for me. I just don't have the time to train. But I think that's a good thing. Less is often more and I love sim racing. It's very lonely at the top. Literally, isn't it?

[@daeshawnwilkins166]

And not just simracing. Racing in general. Forza 7. All you can do is league race. There's no integrated ranking system in it that's actually worth using. I was a top 75 driver. And having a player base as big as Forza motorsport, whenever I hopped into an open lobby, it's either a crash fest or im off into the distance. Pretty much everyone above me I know or I'm friends with. And we're always practicing to beat each other cause we have no one else to race against. Anyone in the Top 200 of forza or gran turismo knows this. It doesn't suck that much cause at the end of the day knowing your a person that people consider as "Alien" is kinda an awesome feeling not gonna lie. But it really is hard to jump into an open lobby and just have a clean, good race. Heck half the time we have to handicap ourselves and start from the back. It's fun to test yourself from time to time. But it's usually ruined for the simple fact that turn 1 is usually where the most crashing happens.

[@scirion]

Most points made are true. However, the true benefit of getting ‘good’ and experienced is that you tend to narrow down your sim choices. You stop salivating over ‘updates’ and ‘new DLCs’ because you finally understand they’re mostly a waste of time in terms of performance improvement. I have all the sims but now know that rFactor 2 is the only one worth spending time on.

[@GamerMuscleVideos]

I'd say it's the opposite or more of a curve. In that you start driving loads of random crap , then you get esporty with a specific sim or specifc car then you realise at the high level it just turns into mostly a case of who invests the most time with x sim x car and then you go back to enjoying different things how they handle new tracks and generally just having nice close casual racing with friends. Same with Counterstrike , first you enjoy random maps casual servers , then you get into getting really good at a specifc roll with a specific gun playing a specifc position to get to top rank. Then eventually you realise you can't be the best for ever and you learn where your top is or how much time you have to spend on a game and eventually end up playing more casual modes mods or doing ranking playing different positions or with different weapons with friends. Also If you think RF2 is the only sim worth spending time on you are just missing out don't get me wrong I love RF2 but other sims have fantastic content / physics engines that let you actually "drive" properly as well.

[@isocuda]

You can move into series you suck at, but in general if you're starting to grind ABABs and hitting Chad level. It's time to get an actual license and start renting seats at regional events. Or get everyone onto Wreckfest, the ultimate racing simulator 😛

[@sirjakeking]

since cresting the 4k ir mark theres been less people to race against that make me compete but when i do the races are wonderful. im exactly in that bubble of the aliens pulling off and the field being a pitstop behind unless some of the guys near me join. i know im very much the odd one but i love pushing myself to keep improving. it's turned more into pushing myself to keep finding improvement and being happy with that and the hard close battling I sometimes have then anything. TO GM: if you still havent found any and want to speak with some aliens theres a iracing Discord with 5-10 of the top 1% on IR i can get you a link to. currently the discussion of what to race so they can have competition was happening over week 13 and week 1.

[@ekstrajohn]

i really agree with this. i was super competitive. ruined the fun

[@terjehelle]

I do agree. Lucky I’m so bad at SimRacing, I’m medium fast even after over 20 years with pedals and wheels… 🥳

[@gtssage]

I am ok with being crap at racing sims as I am chicken sh*t to race against people online. Also, a person needs to put in many hours of practice and that requires dedication. Although, I do have to say that my every day non-racing, normal, real life driving is pretty good.

[@thracian2072]

That's why I'm quitting and selling my rig. I'm new and I really suck and don't make any progress. I already hate it, and I'm not sticking around for anymore of this masochism. Tied it, but just not for me.

[@FilingAccount]

Only GM will ever attempt to keep people slower than him like this.

[@chepilevski]

Yep, is all about dopamine hits and the less difference that hit have from the already established base line , the less satisfaction we get 😁 Simple biological way way we function as a human being😛 Not easy to be a human James but we have to deal with it 🤭

[@GSSimRacing]

This is why leagues and/or splits exist 🤔 . That being said, the better you get, you'll likely race with cleaner and better drivers, generally speaking.

[@moogleslam]

The issue about recognizing that every sim has issues once you really get to know them. There is no perfect sim right now. iRacing has all the best systems and member count, rFactor2 has the best physics and force feedback, AC has the best modding, AMS2 has the best mirrors and VR (except shadows), ACC has the best graphics, R3E has the best audio. It kinda leaves me frustrated with each of them in different ways, and wishing I could frakenstein them into one god sim.

[@HlspwnsWorld]

Man speaks many truths 😌

[@Vesa549]

All I hear is GM’s long winded excuse as to why he doesn’t get any faster or isn’t any faster... lmao 😂. Just kidding you make some really good points, also why I keep myself on the higher end of average and just have fun.. recently got into team endurance racing, THE most fun I’ve had in sim racing in my 20 years or so of doing it 👍. Although it’s a bit on the competitive side 😎 Peace and love yo 🇨🇦

[@srt5490]

As far as I am concerned, I agree with you. Top racers may not share the same opinion as they feed on hardcore competitiveness. However, please let us know what skill level is considered average in iRacing? For instance, I can fluctuate between ir1300 and ir1700. Anyone above ir1700 is alien to me. I should practice more often. Jumping into race sessions unprepared is my bad habit. Finally, need to mention that I found myself very patient when it comes to adjusting and experimenting with my cockpit for the immersion factor and not so much when it comes to car setups.😛 I presume not much of a competitive nature in me.

[@ramsaysg4251]

Watching most esport races are 99% of the time very dull. A procession with little on track overtaking as the drivers are all at the same level and make very few mistakes. More entertaining to watch a streamer and enjoy the salty shenanigans