Buying ACC just for competition servers worth it?

[Pattrone]

I have AC for all my driving needs and when it comes to racing i do online leagues which are pre determined times that are either days away or hours away.
I just want a good racing experience that I can just jump on straight away, practice a bit and race, bonus if it tracks my stats and matches me accordingly, also does anyone play that game mode?
With that said, is it worth it?

[Pattrone]

Originally posted by turtleCZ:

Originally posted by Pattrone:

my wallet would hate me.

You want for free what is paid so it will never work the same.

When did I say I want anything for free? ACC is a paid game, which I paid for and I don't mind paying for the DLC for it, what I do mind is endless iRacing subscriptions and extortionate prices for cars and tracks. I don't know if this is a language barrier or what but I never mentioned anything about "free".

[goblueteam]

yea honestly not sure whats up with those responses.
dont get me wrong iracing does have a much better built in online system but the game itself is not better and to buy all the content is probably 2000$ or something crazy and you still need to buy new content every year if another game did have a online system that was as good i think iracing would die very fast although many people are probably pretty loyal to iracing although i dont exactly understand why probably because they spent so much money on content i guess.

there are so many 3rd party leagues and communitys that are free in ACC if only you could access them through the game and not have to goto a website/use discord and everything else to signup/join it would be much better even if there was just a built in web browser tab in ACC lol

there is also a big update coming april 19th for ACC so its a good time to start the game

[turtleCZ]

Originally posted by Pattrone:

Originally posted by turtleCZ:

You want for free what is paid so it will never work the same.

When did I say I want anything for free? ACC is a paid game, which I paid for and I don't mind paying for the DLC for it, what I do mind is endless iRacing subscriptions and extortionate prices for cars and tracks. I don't know if this is a language barrier or what but I never mentioned anything about "free".

Console games have paid multiplayer. You need to pay for it if you want good online racing. And GT is even console flagship. You can't expect anything similar for free on PC.

[Pattrone]

Originally posted by goblueteam:

yea honestly not sure whats up with those responses.
dont get me wrong iracing does have a much better built in online system but the game itself is not better and to buy all the content is probably 2000$ or something crazy and you still need to buy new content every year if another game did have a online system that was as good i think iracing would die very fast although many people are probably pretty loyal to iracing although i dont exactly understand why probably because they spent so much money on content i guess.

there are so many 3rd party leagues and communitys that are free in ACC if only you could access them through the game and not have to goto a website/use discord and everything else to signup/join it would be much better even if there was just a built in web browser tab in ACC lol

there is also a big update coming april 19th for ACC so its a good time to start the game

Thanks mate, i don't really mind it being 3rd party and having to go to other website to access it, going to build up my rating for LFM and see how I get on then, thanks a lot for your help.

[Pattrone]

Originally posted by turtleCZ:

Originally posted by Pattrone:

When did I say I want anything for free? ACC is a paid game, which I paid for and I don't mind paying for the DLC for it, what I do mind is endless iRacing subscriptions and extortionate prices for cars and tracks. I don't know if this is a language barrier or what but I never mentioned anything about "free".

Console games have paid multiplayer. You need to pay for it if you want good online racing. And GT is even console flagship. You can't expect anything similar for free on PC.

Once again, no one is talking about FREE, what is wrong with you?

[Saab Jitsu]

Originally posted by turtleCZ:

Originally posted by Pattrone:

When did I say I want anything for free? ACC is a paid game, which I paid for and I don't mind paying for the DLC for it, what I do mind is endless iRacing subscriptions and extortionate prices for cars and tracks. I don't know if this is a language barrier or what but I never mentioned anything about "free".

Console games have paid multiplayer. You need to pay for it if you want good online racing. And GT is even console flagship. You can't expect anything similar for free on PC.

I get what you're saying. To play online on a console like Xbox you need a Xbox live subscription. Help me understand why some refer to iRacing as iRenting. I'd like to do some of the super late model stuff on there but it's my understanding that if a car or track i want isn't part of the intro pack I gotta buy it? Fair enough, it's just very specific content DLC which is cool because you can get only what you want but if my monthly subscription lapses do i lose all my DLC and have to pay all over again? That would suck if you invest a lot of money.

[Pattrone]

Originally posted by Roscoe P Coletrain Jr:

Originally posted by turtleCZ:

Console games have paid multiplayer. You need to pay for it if you want good online racing. And GT is even console flagship. You can't expect anything similar for free on PC.

I get what you're saying. To play online on a console like Xbox you need a Xbox live subscription. Help me understand why some refer to iRacing as iRenting. I'd like to do some of the super late model stuff on there but it's my understanding that if a car or track i want isn't part of the intro pack I gotta buy it? Fair enough, it's just very specific content DLC which is cool because you can get only what you want but if my monthly subscription lapses do i lose all my DLC and have to pay all over again? That would suck if you invest a lot of money.

From what I understand, the subscription part gives you access to "compete", the DLC you buy is owned by you forever, so if the subscription would end, that will mean you won't have access to use the service but your owned DLC will still be there. Similar to a console game for example COD, you own all the multiplayer maps but your xbox live runs out, you still own the maps you just can't play them online.
Please someone correct me if I'm wrong.

[turtleCZ]

Originally posted by Pattrone:

Originally posted by turtleCZ:

Console games have paid multiplayer. You need to pay for it if you want good online racing. And GT is even console flagship. You can't expect anything similar for free on PC.

Once again, no one is talking about FREE, what is wrong with you?

You want for free what can't be free.

Originally posted by Roscoe P Coletrain Jr:

Originally posted by turtleCZ:

Console games have paid multiplayer. You need to pay for it if you want good online racing. And GT is even console flagship. You can't expect anything similar for free on PC.

I get what you're saying. To play online on a console like Xbox you need a Xbox live subscription. Help me understand why some refer to iRacing as iRenting. I'd like to do some of the super late model stuff on there but it's my understanding that if a car or track i want isn't part of the intro pack I gotta buy it? Fair enough, it's just very specific content DLC which is cool because you can get only what you want but if my monthly subscription lapses do i lose all my DLC and have to pay all over again? That would suck if you invest a lot of money.

And some more money for flagship.

What I understand you just buy what you need and subscription is necessary for racing.

[Pattrone]

Originally posted by turtleCZ:

Originally posted by Pattrone:

Once again, no one is talking about FREE, what is wrong with you?

You want for free what can't be free.

Originally posted by Roscoe P Coletrain Jr:

I get what you're saying. To play online on a console like Xbox you need a Xbox live subscription. Help me understand why some refer to iRacing as iRenting. I'd like to do some of the super late model stuff on there but it's my understanding that if a car or track i want isn't part of the intro pack I gotta buy it? Fair enough, it's just very specific content DLC which is cool because you can get only what you want but if my monthly subscription lapses do i lose all my DLC and have to pay all over again? That would suck if you invest a lot of money.

And some more money for flagship.

What I understand you just buy what you need and subscription is necessary for racing.

I never said I want something for free? Why are you being so dumb I don't get it.

[Saab Jitsu]

Originally posted by turtleCZ:

Originally posted by Pattrone:

Once again, no one is talking about FREE, what is wrong with you?

You want for free what can't be free.

Originally posted by Roscoe P Coletrain Jr:

I get what you're saying. To play online on a console like Xbox you need a Xbox live subscription. Help me understand why some refer to iRacing as iRenting. I'd like to do some of the super late model stuff on there but it's my understanding that if a car or track i want isn't part of the intro pack I gotta buy it? Fair enough, it's just very specific content DLC which is cool because you can get only what you want but if my monthly subscription lapses do i lose all my DLC and have to pay all over again? That would suck if you invest a lot of money.

And some more money for flagship.

What I understand you just buy what you need and subscription is necessary for racing.

So say $120 USD for the base cars/tracks and a year of online racing plus whatever cars and tracks I purchase Vs. a 1 time purchase of a title like Forza/ACC/AMS2 ect. at what ever you happen to catch it at and then the DLC of which you have no choice in other than buy or don't buy, but with free server/lobby online racing.
I like the choice of content but 120 bucks a year is a big pill to swallow. Maybe at half that yearly, maybe. Even if the racing is less wreckfest and more clean that's a big nut each year.

[goblueteam]

the big issue is if your trying to compete in specific seasons or leagues on iracing typically the content changes all the time so your sort of stuck buying a lot of stuff I had the base content for a year i played it for maybe 3-4 hours that whole year you also dont get much with the base content.

some streamers have said just to compete in one season/league basically a race a week for 5-6 weeks or w/e you want to call it championship haha dont know the iracing lingo is 150$+ sometimes to get a car and the tracks needed and then the next season will have a few different tracks so another 20-60$ or w/e it ends up being.

so it really is kind of different when a single car or track can be 10-20$ i dont think people would have so much issue with a 10$ monthly fee for the servers as it makes sense but the content on iracing is really expensive and yea most people dont need all of it but still to have what is availible in most games for 40-60$ would probably cost 400-500$ on iracing and you have to pay 10$ a month to access this content as well.
it would make more sense if you could at least play offline for free and only pay for the online access monthly its sort of like renting stuff you already paid for so it just does not sit well with me.

either way i supported iracing for a year+ without playing it while paying for it so i feel like i can give my opinion it is fun but feels older/outdated to me but the price tag really makes it out of touch even with sim racers who spend a ton of money on gear iracing is for people who are either super addicted to sim racing or dont care about value for money.

[thief_035]

@OP
here is how competition servers in ACC looks like in 2023.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MpHAFq6iVo

and comparison with some other sims and simcades (GT7 included) https://www.youtube.com/@TraxionGG/search?query=Multiplayer%20Racing%20Review%20of%202023
more to come from that channel to fill the list.

my suggestion: find leagues. nothing better of racing with people you know and they know you. tons of help in their discords. penalties, stewards, streams etc.

competition servers in any sim (and services like LFM) you can run (most of the times) safely and with people that fit your level but thats not always the case.
leagues have all this and many more

[EF_Neo1st]

Given people do mistakes and f-ups in every sim (iracing and discord groups included), aside from the "late defensive move" everything else at his first race was "normal mistakes" people do and he chosen "sort of" poorly (as usually that is the end result of spinning at grass but maybe he was not exactly paying attention to that driver in front in particular), also unlucky with how to try to avoid the accident.

Lots of what is in his video is the result of poor driving from people that usually have a hard time to stay within the track boundaries and Bathrust isnt really the best for that, also the more on the middle to end of ther grid (or at the end of the grid) you start the more you are to encounter that kind of behaviour (mistakes and people not knowing how to fight for a position, for same reason, lack of understanding and lack of skills).

LFM, iracing and race groups are not exactly a "sure to avoid these" drivers and situations as LFM benchmark for joining LFM is not high (also it can be "someone best track" and being worst to far worst at all other tracks), iracing is also prone to that and even jerks (much like high SA servers in ACC and even CP servers or LFM, where the jerks just think they are entitled to position or drive with no care whatsoever to others as others usually do their best to avoid so they go bold all the time forcing others to hand "their position" or to never try a move) so no one is safe from that and even some iracing or LFM videos at youtube show that you may encounter the idiots around from time to time . . sometimes the streamer himself being one of those, it is just a "go watching videos at youtube" and eventually stumble upon someone using others as brakes or doing the late defensive moves, not knowing how to share a turn or even a straight, the higher "skilled" the drivers are the less prone to all that, but it still happen . . . maybe the heat of the moment, "maybe".

The amount of idiots and jerks at ACC open servers may vary through the day and through the days, it is higher when the game goes on sale and from my experience it is higher at ACC between 40SA and 60SA, becomes better after but not "clean of it" and ZERO SA servers usually being cleaner (0 SA to some 20SA) as it is people legit having a hard time or fast drivers or aliens just looking for a place to practice and not be alone (again, from my experience at ACC through some years).

[Pattrone]

Originally posted by EF_Neo1st:

Given people do mistakes and f-ups in every sim (iracing and discord groups included), aside from the "late defensive move" everything else at his first race was "normal mistakes" people do and he chosen "sort of" poorly (as usually that is the end result of spinning at grass but maybe he was not exactly paying attention to that driver in front in particular), also unlucky with how to try to avoid the accident.

Lots of what is in his video is the result of poor driving from people that usually have a hard time to stay within the track boundaries and Bathrust isnt really the best for that, also the more on the middle to end of ther grid (or at the end of the grid) you start the more you are to encounter that kind of behaviour (mistakes and people not knowing how to fight for a position, for same reason, lack of understanding and lack of skills).

LFM, iracing and race groups are not exactly a "sure to avoid these" drivers and situations as LFM benchmark for joining LFM is not high (also it can be "someone best track" and being worst to far worst at all other tracks), iracing is also prone to that and even jerks (much like high SA servers in ACC and even CP servers or LFM, where the jerks just think they are entitled to position or drive with no care whatsoever to others as others usually do their best to avoid so they go bold all the time forcing others to hand "their position" or to never try a move) so no one is safe from that and even some iracing or LFM videos at youtube show that you may encounter the idiots around from time to time . . sometimes the streamer himself being one of those, it is just a "go watching videos at youtube" and eventually stumble upon someone using others as brakes or doing the late defensive moves, not knowing how to share a turn or even a straight, the higher "skilled" the drivers are the less prone to all that, but it still happen . . . maybe the heat of the moment, "maybe".

The amount of idiots and jerks at ACC open servers may vary through the day and through the days, it is higher when the game goes on sale and from my experience it is higher at ACC between 40SA and 60SA, becomes better after but not "clean of it" and ZERO SA servers usually being cleaner (0 SA to some 20SA) as it is people legit having a hard time or fast drivers or aliens just looking for a place to practice and not be alone (again, from my experience at ACC through some years).

Great input, thanks for all that info. My plan was to build up some SA from practicing and doing career for fun, I'm in no rush for multiplayer at the moment as to my surprise I'm having a ton of fun in singleplayer, once I feel confident to race again (by that time my SA will most likely be high enough) I will try some competition servers and LFM. I don't really mind people accidently hitting you or spinning out, everyone makes mistakes. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ that like to use others as brakes or not give anyone enough space I don't mind either tbh, It's not like I'm competing for money, I'm just here to have fun.

[EF_Neo1st]

Originally posted by Pattrone:

Originally posted by EF_Neo1st:

Given people do mistakes and f-ups in every sim (iracing and discord groups included), aside from the "late defensive move" everything else at his first race was "normal mistakes" people do and he chosen "sort of" poorly (as usually that is the end result of spinning at grass but maybe he was not exactly paying attention to that driver in front in particular), also unlucky with how to try to avoid the accident.

Lots of what is in his video is the result of poor driving from people that usually have a hard time to stay within the track boundaries and Bathrust isnt really the best for that, also the more on the middle to end of ther grid (or at the end of the grid) you start the more you are to encounter that kind of behaviour (mistakes and people not knowing how to fight for a position, for same reason, lack of understanding and lack of skills).

LFM, iracing and race groups are not exactly a "sure to avoid these" drivers and situations as LFM benchmark for joining LFM is not high (also it can be "someone best track" and being worst to far worst at all other tracks), iracing is also prone to that and even jerks (much like high SA servers in ACC and even CP servers or LFM, where the jerks just think they are entitled to position or drive with no care whatsoever to others as others usually do their best to avoid so they go bold all the time forcing others to hand "their position" or to never try a move) so no one is safe from that and even some iracing or LFM videos at youtube show that you may encounter the idiots around from time to time . . sometimes the streamer himself being one of those, it is just a "go watching videos at youtube" and eventually stumble upon someone using others as brakes or doing the late defensive moves, not knowing how to share a turn or even a straight, the higher "skilled" the drivers are the less prone to all that, but it still happen . . . maybe the heat of the moment, "maybe".

The amount of idiots and jerks at ACC open servers may vary through the day and through the days, it is higher when the game goes on sale and from my experience it is higher at ACC between 40SA and 60SA, becomes better after but not "clean of it" and ZERO SA servers usually being cleaner (0 SA to some 20SA) as it is people legit having a hard time or fast drivers or aliens just looking for a place to practice and not be alone (again, from my experience at ACC through some years).

Great input, thanks for all that info. My plan was to build up some SA from practicing and doing career for fun, I'm in no rush for multiplayer at the moment as to my surprise I'm having a ton of fun in singleplayer, once I feel confident to race again (by that time my SA will most likely be high enough) I will try some competition servers and LFM. I don't really mind people accidently hitting you or spinning out, everyone makes mistakes. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ that like to use others as brakes or not give anyone enough space I don't mind either tbh, It's not like I'm competing for money, I'm just here to have fun.

Thing is, AI behave in unnatural behaviour and is passive even with its most aggressive settings, also the AI makes no mistake too and part of the people that get involved in accidents too often are usually drivers, not so fast, that use AI to drive the most and expect others to behave like AI (that pulls back when side by side almost always, parking the AI car sometimes, to avoid accident and not fight for position, or that just opens for the player to pass and not fight for the position either when attacked), for the AI the player is top priority and AI will hit the player only if the player is lacking too much on the braking point or turn exit speed and AI is too close to the player to react in time (that is the only part that is true, but players can over-brake the AI braking points at ease at some turns so getting used to the AI braking point is not exactly the best thing as if you are in front and brake at the AI braking point, that is like 15m to 25m earlier, driver behind may not expect and rear end you by not being able to avoid hitting you).

To drive online try to be predictable and understand people do mistakes, also you may do mistakes even if you dont notice at the moment (like braking midturn or at trurn exit where people expect you to be full throttle or returning to throttle, or undershooting the turn by 15m, 25m or even 50m and driver behind not expecting you to brake that earlier).

Yes, driver behind have totake care with driver in front but driver in front must also be predictable and braking too far from the braking point or braking at turn exit or mid turn, or releasing the throttle at turn exit, are all mistakes and may cause a collision.
If you think driver behind you is way too fast for you and you are unsure if you can hold this driver back without causing these mistakes (because driver behind you will try to push uyou to your limits and beyond to see if you make a mistake and go offtrack or go too wide and open for him . . maybe even follow you to try and have a better exit to overtake on the next turn or next straight, so driver behind will be 0.5s behind you or less in many situations) . . . if you think you can not hold that driver back with safety, just open, that is actually what I do if a driver is like 2% or more faster than me, 2% difference is too much to hold someone back for long, it wears my tyres more than his and I will be more prone to mistakes and binning my own race, so not only it is safe as he can carry more speed through and out of turns but also braking deeper, but because he can be 2% slower from his pace all day while I will be forcing myself over the edge all the time until I make a mistake, but if I let that faster driver go I can try to follow this faster driver, get some slipstream and even try to learn something by following the faster driver while we both approach the next group of cars being safe and secure.