GTRevival to Get Online Racing Platform to Rival iRacing

September-GTRevival-newsletter.jpg
In its latest newsletter, Straight4 Studios has announced it is working with Sim Racing System’s creator to rival the iRacing online platform with GTRevival. Mont Tremblant also teased.

Image credit: Straight4 Studios

GTRevival increasingly intrigues sim racers. Under development by Straight4 Studios and helmed by Ian Bell, the title is set for a private beta release at the end of this year.

Very little is known about the game, other than Bell’s motivation to satisfy the desire of racing fans and the inclusion of the Lister Storm as well as Sebring and Lime Rock Park. Previously, in a chat with the company’s CEO Ian Bell, we learnt that the team is focussing on single player modes with this title. But in a recent newsletter, it seems GTRevival is also looking to challenge the online might of iRacing.

Lister-Storm-in-GTRevival-1024x576.jpg

Lister Storm screenshots unveiled in recent Straight4 Studios newsletter. Image credit: Straight4 Studios

GTRevival Online Racing Platform​

As part of the September newsletter, Straight4 announces that it is working with Henrique Alves, the man behind Sim Racing System, in order to create the game’s online racing platform. Akin to Low Fuel Motorsport, SRS provides Assetto Corsa players with regularly scheduled online races. It seems the same formula will appear in GTRevival.

In the newsletter, Alves mentions that GTRevival will offer a “competitive system” adding to racers’ virtual careers. He goes on to mention his hope of providing fans with a “solid alternative to the current leader in the sector.” Clearly focusing on iRacing, the title may have a challenge on its hands, with the likes of Low Fuel Motorsport and more recently, rFactor 2 setting up its own online system.

Mont Tremblant on its way?​

As aforementioned, GTRevival already has a trio of confirmed tracks. Interlagos, a circuit often seen in development screenshots will join Sebring and Lime Rock Park. But in this most recent blog post, the developers also mention a photography mission to Mont Tremblant.


Situated in Canada, this was a popular racing venue throughout the Can-Am days. It featured a raw layout, winding through the valley, much like Brand Hatch. However, in more recent times, it has fallen off the map, hosting very few major series.

Whilst not officially confirmed for the game, it does appear that Mont Tremblant may be on the studio’s wishlist. Ian Bell is currently holding a competition allowing his followers to guess 10 circuits featuring in the game at launch. The person that guesses all 10 correctly before the end of October will win a Project CARS box print. If no announcement is made earlier, perhaps Bell will confirm this unique Canadian circuit at the end of the month.

What would you like to see in GTRevival? Tell us on Twitter at @OverTake_gg or in the comments down below!
About author
Angus Martin
Motorsport gets my blood pumping more than anything else. Be it physical or virtual, I'm down to bang doors.

Comments

I hope they don't overextend their ambitions and create something that is subpar.

If they manage to make great AI and online experience that rivals Iracing, even if it ends up being a bit worse, then this might very well be one of the most anticipated sims for me alongside Assetto Corsa 2.
 
Premium
I don't like discussions about "single player with good AI is better" or "multiplayer online is better". I believe it is a personal preference and non of them is better then the other. I like doing them both.

For me, racing against real people online comes much closer to racing in real life compared to single player against AI. I have not seen any AI yet which behave like real humans. And the fact AI drivers are not human, and the opponents in a online session are, which you can actually talk with in the discord voice chat, makes a great difference for me.

But at the same time, with all those different sims, each with there own online serves, divide all the sim-races over all these serves. So it makes it harder to find enough people who use the same sim, are at the same level as you are and like to drive on the same car/track combination in the same event configuration. Then single player is the solution if you just want to race a bit when it suits you.

So I don't know if it helps if there is another new sim with a wannabe iRacing online serves.

At the same time I don't understand the discussion about VR. There are people who like VR and don't want to drive without VR. There are people who can't afford decent VR glasses and a powerful pc to run it. And there are people (like me) who tried VR but did not like it and prefer triples or a single widescreen monitor. This also is about personal preference and has nothing to do with good or bad. So if you race in VR, be happy with it, but don't look down on us beceaus we don't use VR. At the same time I am happy with triples and respect the VR racers for what they do.
 
Last edited:
I have not seen any AI yet which behave like real humans.

But at the same time, with all those different sims, each with there own online serves, divide all the sim-races over all these serves. So it makes it harder to find enough people who use the same sim, are at the same level as you are and like to drive on the same car/track combination in the same event configuration.
You perfectly summarized why "we" want more focus for AI.
 
You don't know what they have, your imagination is driving your post, their work is driving theirs.
common sense says "just wait and see" it'll be Christmas soon and we'll get to open our presents then.
Well "common sense" also says you'll have to wait a lot longer than Christmas to "open your presents" considering it is still more than a year until release. Historical facts and basic logic is "driving my post" but since you have already been factually wrong in your post then we probably disagree on many things.
 
Premium
Well "common sense" also says you'll have to wait a lot longer than Christmas to "open your presents" considering it is still more than a year until release. Historical facts and basic logic is "driving my post" but since you have already been factually wrong in your post then we probably disagree on many things.
I guess you're not signed up for a beta release test then... lol
 
Premium
You perfectly summarized why "we" want more focus for AI.
Even if the AI is perfect, these are still no real humans with there own feelings and ego and you can talk to in the voice chat. So even then I would prefer a multiplayer race with real humans. But I get your point, I also like racing against AI and better AI would help.
 
For offline use, will it be as full featured as GTR2? I think that is the reason GTR2 is still so popular.

For online use, can the market support two competing pay-to-play sites?
 
Premium
For offline use, will it be as full featured as GTR2? I think that is the reason GTR2 is still so popular.

For online use, can the market support two competing pay-to-play sites?
I believe* that the GTRevival sim is planning to be free to play... however they work that out, but as I mentioned earlier I'm only interested in the single player mode, so if it's GTR2 but better I'm in


* I could be wrong, but I don't think I am.
Edit: Nope, not wrong the latest newsletter confirms this
 
Last edited:
More than any online stuff i want the AI to rival games with the best AI on the market - F1 22 is currently the KING when it comes to AI races, they know how to defend, attack and also make realistic errors and crash themselves out. I am tired of sims focusing all on online and having AI as an afterthought, make better single player experiences too ! The other ones that have amazing AI races are SRX The Game and World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing. Nothing comes anywhere close to these three games (not played F1 23 yet).
geoff crammond's f1 games already had top artificial intelligence 30 years ago. I don't understand how the level and professionalism of the game makers has fallen to the level of amateurs. they simply cannot get good AI made.
 
I guess we'll just have to wait and see if the track state is the same in this one as it was in the pCARS series...

Where the random weather scripts throw out different results for different drivers online leading to drying lines with completely dry corners for some and completely wet tracks for others...

And with a tyre model that is based off of the joke that is the SETA tyre model I don't have high hopes for it's physics...

At least it'll be good for the 10 minutes on defaults crowd like the Madness engine titles... But why both when Forza does that better...
 
Last edited:
I believe* that the GTRevival sim is planning to be free to play... however they work that out, but as I mentioned earlier I'm only interested in the single player mode, so if it's GTR2 but better I'm in


* I could be wrong, but I don't think I am.
Edit: Nope, not wrong the latest newsletter confirms this

Where? I've read all the newsletters and I haven't seen any mention of free to play. Did I miss something?
 
Premium
Where? I've read all the newsletters and I haven't seen any mention of free to play. Did I miss something?
In the September edition of the newsletter, 6th paragraph...

"Marketing at S4 found some issues with the current Online Mode in the Game Design Doc, and the decision was made to—as always—find the solution in our community. Because the sim racing community is where all good things happen (yes, we’re pandering…). Those of you who have used Sim Racing System will be happy to hear its founder, Henrique Alvez, has now joined the studio. His secret mission? Find solutions to our Online Mode that will make it compete directly with those nice fellas over in the US (and make sure the mode is free to play). You can find out all about Henrique’s plans below (so much for secrets then…)."

I've purple highlighted line, though the light blue linky is in the newsletter and won't work here.
 
In the September edition of the newsletter, 6th paragraph...

"Marketing at S4 found some issues with the current Online Mode in the Game Design Doc, and the decision was made to—as always—find the solution in our community. Because the sim racing community is where all good things happen (yes, we’re pandering…). Those of you who have used Sim Racing System will be happy to hear its founder, Henrique Alvez, has now joined the studio. His secret mission? Find solutions to our Online Mode that will make it compete directly with those nice fellas over in the US (and make sure the mode is free to play). You can find out all about Henrique’s plans below (so much for secrets then…)."

I've purple highlighted line, though the light blue linky is in the newsletter and won't work here.
Thanks, I did miss that.
That said, it seems there's nothing set in stone just yet:
 
they simply cannot get good AI made.

Priorities. Limited development time. Seeking largest customer base.

All contribute to good AI not being a major concern. In today's market excellent AI will not have the sales of good multiplayer.
 
Premium
What about an AI-generated backstory/story mode that tracks everything and creates a novel about your racing career?

This has an appeal seemingly far removed from the story mode games I've splashed around with in the past, adding a personal element... an individual career for each player, the idea is head and shoulders above the rubber stamp career modes from other studios.

So yeah, this appeals to me as it's an ongoing thing like 'another life'... but for me it would have to be off line and for others it would have to be at least an option, with a free (non career) mode for those times you just wanna test a mod or play around.
The future looks good, because the video has been seen and cannot be unseen, and if GTRevival don't do it then someone else will.
 
Premium
I think an AI generated career or game mode would be ground breaking, I made the same comment on the youtube video but I can see it making a huge game out of a simple structure. You could take something simple like the Street Rod games, and let AI build a narrative that would make it huge and engaging, expand the scope out to epic proportions.

Austin just discovered the future.

Also, consider not just setting up your character, But set up the world you race in.
 
Last edited:

Latest News

Article information

Author
Angus Martin
Article read time
2 min read
Views
10,333
Comments
79
Last update

How are you going to watch 24 hours of Le Mans

  • On national tv

    Votes: 234 34.1%
  • Eurosport app/website

    Votes: 186 27.1%
  • WEC app/website

    Votes: 130 19.0%
  • Watch party

    Votes: 57 8.3%
  • At a friends house

    Votes: 16 2.3%
  • At Le Mans

    Votes: 63 9.2%
Back
Top