iRacing Season 4 Hotfix Released

[Paul Jeffrey]

Following the recent massive new build for iRacing, the American studio have dropped a further, smaller, update to the simulation.

Given the designation of 'hotfix', the latest update to drop for iRacing is still enviable in size and contains plenty of goodies for players of the online only racing title.

Released in reaction to some reported issues following the large 'Season 4' update deployed earlier this month, the new patch can be downloaded with immediate effect and will be required for all players wishing to access the simulation.

Season 4 Hotfix Notes:

Rendering

• Fixed an issue where some objects around older tracks were rendering with an outdated environment map.
• Fixed an issue where the graphical AutoConfig was limited to a maximum of the first 256 monitor resolutions/modes.
• Fixed an issue with the view of Broadcasting Mode.

Audio

• Fixed an issue where having too many sounds playing at once could cause disconnects or crash.

Rallycross

• Slightly reduced the grip on dirt sections of Rallycross tracks.

VR

• Fixed an issue where virtual mirror rendering appeared too dark when HDR mode was enabled.

Paint Shop

• A new sponsor, Simucube, has been added to the Paint Shop!

Controls

• Fixed an issue where a second clutch input was functional while using vehicles that do not have a clutch.
• A new Logitech API has been integrated.

Cars:
Audi RS 3 LMS

• Engine oil cooling capacity has been increased.
• Tire scrubbing sound volume has been increased.
• Brake bias is now adjustable in Fixed Setups.

Dallara F3

• Brake bias is now adjustable in Fixed Setups
• A new fixed vehicle setup for Formula Sprint F3 has been added.

NASCAR Xfinity Chevrolet Camaro 2019

• Talladega Superspeedway setup has been updated.

NASCAR Xfinity Ford Mustang 2019

• Talladega Superspeedway setup has been updated.

NASCAR Xfinity Toyota Supra

• Talladega Superspeedway setup has been updated.

Skip Barber Formula 2000

• Engine smoke now correcting emits directly from the engine.
• Minimum tire pressures have been increased to 25 psi.

Tracks:
Circuit de Barcelona Catalynya

• Fixed an issue with course cutting on the final corner.
• The 1x zone at Turn 1 has been adjusted
• Fixed a geometry seam in the track at Turn 10.

Fairbury Speedway

• Fixed an issue with a T-pose flagman.
• Fixed an issue where cars could sometimes get snagged by the wall at Turn 1.

Like what we do at RaceDepartment? Follow us on Social Media!

 

 

[Nick Hill]

I was lapping the Skippy last night at Summit Point. Fun stuff!

 

[Copef1]

I was lapping the Skippy last night at Summit Point. Fun stuff!

Me too, and it was fun. I renewed my membership for the first time in a couple of years, and with the new tires on the Skippy, F3, and a few of the other cars, it has gotten a lot better in my opinion.

 

[sjb266]

I was lapping the Skippy last night at Summit Point. Fun stuff!

Same.. it's way more fun to drive now... but i'm still too slow!

 

[farjam]

We have lost so many skippies in last 2-3 days...

 

[1185323118]

Fixed an issue with a T-pose flagman.

lol

 

[liby88]

has someone bought iracing over steam? can i pay everything with paysafe card than? or still only creditcard?

 

[Ryan Robbins]

I tried out the Skippy and F3 last night and I really love the way those cars are handling now. I can finally drive iRacing more aggressively after the tires warm up. The shadow to sun effects are very nice as well.
With iRFFB the force feedback on my T300 is pretty good as well.

I am not seeing many drivers online when I want to race though? Has anyone noticed a downturn in participation?

 

[tlsmikey]

The skippy and the GT1 (Vette and Aston Martin) are amazing on the new tire model. The GT1's are especially fun to drive now as you get better feel from them and they slide around a bit.

The only car i'm not liking on the new tire model is the F3. It feels too stable, to the point where it's near impossible to spin and it seems to rotate a bit unnaturally from the drivers perspective. Maybe that's intentional, I don't know....just don't think it's supposed to be like that.

 

[Nick Hill]

Please forgive me for what I'm about to say...you can make a pretty strong case that iRacing is the best simulator on the market.

Individual sims do individual things (sometimes multiple things) better than iRacing to be sure, but as a total simulation package? I dunno...iRacing delivers the goods in so many ways. And then, as the icing on the cake, you've got the competition system. Come on.

There are plenty of reasons to dislike or "not prefer" iRacing, but I think if we're all being honest the main root cause of angst towards iRacing is the money. Face it, iRacing is expensive. Like, "ouch" expensive. A car and a track can cost as much as an entire sim. And, on top of that, all the stuff you feel like you "own" is behind a pay wall (legally, I still don't understand how that works but it's been that way all along, so you better believe they've got the requisite fine print written to get away with it).

I haven't found a way to rationalize the "iRenting" thing...it just kind of sucks and you gotta kind of ignore it in my experience. The cars...they're pricey, but I think the name of the game is "pace yourself". Focus in on a series or two for a while (even if it means stagnating for a bit in the license system). DON'T do what I do, which is pull up the "Popular Races" guide, go "ooh, Formula 3 at Tsukuba" and then own the F3 car about 15 seconds later (and then repeat the exercise the next 3 nights with 3 other cars...idiot).

Tracks are easiest to justify. Pulling no punches: no one does tracks like iRacing. The variety and quality is unmatched. As far as scenery goes...I dunno, some of those RVs look lifted from NASCAR Racing 2003 I guess, but if you want beautiful scenery, Forza Horizon is probably better for you. I'm talking about the track shape and surface itself. All those little details - cracks, bumps, weeds, etc. Not only is it stunning eye candy, but that's the kind of stuff your brain takes in out on a real track (often serving as a reference point or a reminder a reference point is incoming).

For me, if you see a new track in R3E (I absolutely love R3E, by the way) you're gonna lay down like $3-6...and that track is gonna be "pretty good". Certainly good enough to wheel around on, have some fun, and get an idea for how to get fast on it in real life. iRacing, you're shelling out $15+ per track...but, man, you feel like you are getting THE track down to the inch.

 

[Nick Hill]

As far as the feel of the cars go... drastically improved overall. You can really get aggressive and pitch the cars into corners if you want and keep it controlled. I can't believe I'm going to say this, but you can even "over-drive" the cars. Historically in iRacing, if you put one toe over the line, it resulted in an uncatchable slide/spin way, WAY too often. Now you can really flog the cars and have a chance of keeping them in the road (though you'll of course be off line and slow).

I have 3 different sims I prefer over iRacing in terms of FFB (R3E, AC, and AMS), but it's not as though the FFB is bad...just not to my tastes, I like a bit more back end feel in my FFB (even though that's not technically "realistic").

 

[BrunoBæ]

There are plenty of reasons to dislike or "not prefer" iRacing, but I think if we're all being honest the main root cause of angst towards iRacing is the money. Face it, iRacing is expensive. Like, "ouch" expensive.

Personally the only reason I aborted my 5+ years membership was iRacings joke of tire model.
It was not because the price.

Hehe and its quite amusing these days to see a lot of people who in recent years sharply (and aggressively) have defended iRacings phantastic TM as state of art (against the whole competition) - but now when it really looks (and sounds) like iRacings V7 TM for the FIRST time in the companys history probably get on level with the best TMs of the competition - these same people admits that for the first time its now possible for them to drive iRacings cars aggressively.
Aggressively in the same way as racing cars allways have been driven in real life!
But OK better late than never.

But after having said that - and hoping the hype about the V7 TM is correct - then the iRacing full packet (cars, tracks, 24/9-service, schedule and server management) will be almost impossible for other racing games ‎to compete with.
Yes I agree that for a lot of people the price level is a problem - but that could be the rescue plank for the other racing games in the future.

EDIT: Ups-adaisy sorry I was missing the most urgent part in my description of iRacings full packet:
(cars, tracks, 24/9-service, schedule, server management, physics and tire model)

 

[Eckhart von Glan]

wait? we have nearly converted Bruno B?

 

[JamieG]

I hope they are going to update all the rest of the cars very quickly. If before I managed to accept the tyre model for what it was, now it became unbearable to drive anything outside the skippy and the GT1

 

[Jonathan Young]

It’s not the price that bothers me about iracing, in fact I think most genuine sims are dramatically under-priced for the value we get from them. I’ve never found the car behavior, the FFB, the graphics or the sound to be particularly convincing. In terms of immersion, iracing lacks a lot compared to, for example, ACC. But there’s no questioning the fact that their multiplayer is head and shoulders above anything else. Wouldn’t it be great if you could hack a sim together from the best part of all of them and really make something special?

 

[BrunoBæ]

wait? we have nearly converted Bruno B?

Hehe I have still a backdor open.
Because Im still resisting exchanging my self-controlled Win7 with the MS controlled Win10.
And as iRacing proudly have announced conserning this then .....

 

[traind]

My number one criteria for a sim is handling feel. I spend much more time lapping than I do racing so feel is essential for me. NTM v7, at least on the two GT1 cars, is a big step forward in heating dynamics from lap1 and in feel & control at and over the limit once the tire is up to temperature. Its been a long time coming... but now it appears its really here. Please remember most cars in iRacing are not on this tire model yet so if you are going to try iRacing for the first time, or again, make sure the cars that have it are ones you like.

There are lots of great aspects of iRacing but the tire model, while a fascinating technical exercise, has held it back. Another feature that has held it back for some people is lack of AI. Tony Gardner's latest comments on the AI development sound like they are in the last lap before they release v1 of AI. They are beta testing it with regular members right now. If they get it right, I think this is also a big win for the sim.

 

[MarcG]

My number one criteria for a sim is handling feel. I spend much more time lapping than I do racing so feel is essential for me. NTM v7, at least on the two GT1 cars, is a big step forward in heating dynamics from lap1 and in feel & control at and over the limit once the tire is up to temperature. Its been a long time coming... but now it appears its really here. Please remember most cars in iRacing are not on this tire model yet so if you are going to try iRacing for the first time, or again, make sure the cars that have it are ones you like.

There are lots of great aspects of iRacing but the tire model, while a fascinating technical exercise, has held it back. Another feature that has held it back for some people is lack of AI. Tony Gardner's latest comments on the AI development sound like they are in the last lap before they release v1 of AI. They are beta testing it with regular members right now. If they get it right, I think this is also a big win for the sim.

I'm certainly one of many eagerly awaiting their AI, that's when I'm gonna resub and with the recent announcement of the Aussie Supercars coming to the Sim that's another pulling factor. The rest of the Sim is just fine in my eyes, VR runs great, graphics I never fuss over, Sound is a bit "meh" but I can live with it, everything else is alright and the new Damage Model does look great.

But ultimately I still get bummed out by their "Renting" policy, when I buy Tracks & Cars I want to use them forever, not just when I have Subscription to the Monthly service, yes I get this is their way of doing things and obviously they have made a great/fantastic success out of iRacing...but I just don't like the Renting system. Sell the Base Game to use outside of a Sub for £50 for all I care, I'd pay that if the AI are good enough, keep the Track & Car Buying policy they have but just give us the Base Game to play whenever we chose.

 

[MPortnoy]

Is AI still in the works? any ETA?

EDIT: Nvm, I just read two posts above me. Apparently in final stages

 

[M D Gourley]

I'm certainly one of many eagerly awaiting their AI, that's when I'm gonna resub and with the recent announcement of the Aussie Supercars coming to the Sim that's another pulling factor.

100% agree with that statement...and it is possibly going to cost me a lot of money to purchase all the cars and possibly tracks that I want that have come out over the last couple of years...but if the AI is good, by my standards, it will be worth it.