iRacing Working on Day/Night Transitions (Kinda?)

[Paul Jeffrey]

iRacing.com have confirmed work is well underway to bring day/night transition to the simulation, releasing a short preview video to highlight the progress made so far.

Now before you all get too excited, the video doesn't exactly look like the very dead of night will be simulated in true 24 hour cycle, more something along the lines of early evening / early morning to full daytime from what I can see. Regardless of this however, I'm sure I speak for many within the sim racing community when I express my pleasure that the developers are at least looking toward some kind of time of day inclusion within the simulation.

With a premium placed on realism (to varying levels of acceptability), and with a growing list of endurance specification cars and sanctioned 6, 12 and 24 hour events, it is only right that iRacing make a move towards providing some level of atmospheric day/night transition within the title. After all it always felt a little bit awkward having to compete in 24 hour race events set either solely in full day or full night conditions.

Being something of a surprise to many within the community, iRacing have taken to social media with a new video showcasing the secretive work in progress of time of day transitions within the simulation. Judging by the brief video clip made available by the developers, it looks very much like development is well underway and could be close to something like a public release in the near future.

Now as stated earlier in the article, it doesn't look too likely that full 24 hour day cycle will be present, at least at first, but it is no doubt reassuring to know the developers have acknowledged this blatantly missing feature from their title and are actively looking to improve this aspect of the sim.

However you feel about the current time of day settings in iRacing, feast your eyes on the preview video below and make up your own mind on the direction the studio have chosen to take in the coming weeks and months. I for one feel it is an excellent piece of news for the players of the sim, and should go a long way towards keeping what is essentially one of the oldest titles on the marketplace something like fresh in the imagination of the sim racing public.

iRacing is available exclusively for PC, and can be downloaded either independently or through the Steam network.

Check out the iRacing.com sub forum here at RaceDepartment for the latest news and discussions regarding the simulation.

Pleased to hear of time of day transition in development for iRacing? Could this feature encourage you to spend more time in the sim? Let us know in the comments section below!

 

[Lorenzo Bonder]

As I mentioned to so many people around me in groups and league groups, expect see this coming in January 2018.

 

[TylerDurden4321]

It looked like what AC is doing - only up to 6pm, no night -, which is not particularly great. I love AC, but what R3E does actually looks better and more individual.

This stuff is only exciting if you have a transition that includes a night state.
It was the best thing about GT6 and pCARS1.

 

[melanieuk]

Shadows are very weak in this sim, 15 Seconds into the video, while the shadows are moving away from the rail crash barrier on the right, there was no shadow casting, seemed like the shadows was appearing from under the crash barrier, and only casting on the asphalt, grass and sand.

I remember watching a video over a year ago, Kaemmer, had a dream of racing sims eventually having photo realistic graphics, iracing has a long way to go, rFactor 2 has over taken it visually.

 

[thepharcyde]

whats this then?

 

[Nick Gregory]

Only 9 years later!

 

[melanieuk]

I'm sure iracing as had night since 2014, it isn't dynamic like Project cars, it is understandable why people would think it doesn't have night racing, because there really isn't much videos of it, and the ones I've seen they are all Spa at night.

 

[Case_]

Now before you all get too excited, the video doesn't exactly look like the very dead of night will be simulated in true 24 hour cycle, more something along the lines of early evening / early morning to full daytime from what I can see.

IMO they're just showcasing the transitions, so that's why there's not full night in the video.

 

[Ryan Robbins]

This and rain are so long overdue in this sim! How can it be the most realistic without?

 

[Will Mazeo]

 

[James Cook]

It's about time all racing sims offered night racing.

 

[Emerson Meyer]

Only 9 years later!

Well, it´s a good pace...in considering that almost 5 five later RR still don´t have tire pressure control, and even so is called in here a "simulator" .

Tell me more when the planned "iRacing model" to be implemented by RR reach the sun light...

 

[David Dominguez]

I remember watching a video over a year ago, Kaemmer, had a dream of racing sims eventually having photo realistic graphics, iracing has a long way to go, rFactor 2 has over taken it visually.

If you talk about photorealism, then we must be playing different games.

 

[snyperal]

Well now, this is some great news. I hear six car grids and some gt3 love is in the pipeline too. Great stuff!

I think racing around the nurburgring at night would be terrifying! Can't wait.

 

[Patrik Marek]

cool, but hope they include night in that transition as well
it could wait for dx11of course, but would br shame if they cut corners like kunos is doing

 

[Kurupt CDN]

Well, it´s a good pace...in considering that almost 5 five later RR still don´t have tire pressure control, and even so is called in here a "simulator" .

Tell me more when the planned "iRacing model" to be implemented by RR reach the sun light...

I like what you did there
Deflect a negative comment, by throwing in a missing feature from another title not even mentioned....well played lol

Good to see this feature being worked on, it will really add to the immersion in endurance races.

 

[randMracer]

I like what you did there
Deflect a negative comment, by throwing in a missing feature from another title not even mentioned....

That happens a lot around here.
For the price they charge it should already have day/night transitions, dynamic weather and lighting, realistic damage, etc... It claims to be the number one sim, but lacks in a lot of features that other sims already have.

 

[MatzeLoCal]

I strongly believe that it will be a full day/night-circle (this title of the video also hints that IMHO).
But I don't think that iRacing will get a "full glory" night like pCars, it will be a night like it's currently available for certain tracks (Spa, Daytona, Sebring)

 

[Sascha Henken]

That happens a lot around here.
For the price they charge it should already have day/night transitions, dynamic weather and lighting, realistic damage, etc... It claims to be the number one sim, but lacks in a lot of features that other sims already have.

You are right about the price and about what we have by now. iRacing started from scratch with their old NR2003 engine and reprogrammed it completely. I´ve never understood why they haven´t used a licensed graphics engine like Unreal whatsoever. I have never understood why it took so terrible long for iRacing for such a thing like day/night transition. It makes me feel their technical progress is very very slow but throwing out content like hell to compensate the costs.

I predict to see this full feature to be released somewhere in Q3 or Q4 2018.

 

[Keanu Buschmann]

Well now, this is some great news. I hear six car grids and some gt3 love is in the pipeline too. Great stuff!

I think racing around the nurburgring at night would be terrifying! Can't wait.

There you are right. 6 cars for next Seasons Blancpain Series is confirmed. Also Snetterton as a Track. Maybe a Flat 6 engine coming?