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The number of cars driven by the AI is configurable, as is their… uh… intelligence.I’m not the awesome-est of drivers, that’s for sure. The AI can be made to be a pretty amazing driver. However, they sometimes do really weird things. They are pretty insanely good at left foot braking, and they don’t really care if you are in their way, sometimes. AI aggression and strength (speed) are tuneable. Driving with asshats can be good for the soul, though.
What you’ll also notice is a box in the lower right that provides information. This display/overlay has many different modes that can be shown. In this case I am showing lap times, which I haven’t registered yet as I’ve just gone out on course. There is also a spotter that can be turned on or turned off. When turned on, lap times will be audibly read/announced by the spotter. This can be helpful so that you don’t have to pay attention to the display.
Another thing of note is the lack of a steering wheel, and your view of the factory gauge cluster. Whether or not you see the steering wheel in-game, or see hands on the wheel, is configurable. The factory gauge cluster works and displays, but you have other UI options, too.
The cute little factory Corvette HUD is also there, too! Just another nice little detail to add to the realism.
The display can show tire temperature and fuel information.Here you can see that I have 5.2 of 9 units of fuel remaining, and an estimated 9 laps of fuel left before needing to pit. You can also see the tire temperatures reflected in color and number.
Other basic information can be shown.You can configure a button on your steering wheel or your keyboard to cycle through the displays. I drove with the brake pedal depressed so you could see the brakes get hot. It’s just a game, right?
There are several styles of on screen display with components that can be turned on and off.This is the “GTDial” on screen display. The tire temp/info area looks totally different. I also turned on the info overlay for speed and RPM. Why would you use this instead of the car’s own gauges?
You can adjust the field of view and your seating position while in-game to customize how things appear on the screen. If you reduce the field of view or move the seat forward, the car’s gauges might become obscured. The info overlay appears in a fixed position.
Here again, we see a fuel display. This implies that one can run out of fuel. So, clearly there needs to be a way to add more.
1 comment
I completely relate to that feeling of the “addictive” nature of the iRating system. There’s something about that structured progression that makes you take every turn a little more seriously. I spent quite a while grinding through the rookie series myself, and the adrenaline rush when you finally secure that win—even if it’s thanks to others crashing out—is honestly hard to beat.
Beyond the software, I’ve found that my rig’s stability is just as critical for that immersion. When I first started getting serious, I didn’t realize how much a stable power supply or a high-quality power module https://serverorbit.com/power-supplies/power-module/power-accessories mattered. I used to get random disconnects during intense races, which turned out to be voltage fluctuations in my power strip. Once I upgraded to a more robust power delivery setup, I stopped worrying about the hardware failing mid-race and could finally focus on the driving. It’s funny how much we rely on clean power for these high-fidelity experiences.
Do you think the stress of competition in iRacing pushes the hardware to its absolute limit, or is the performance mostly dependent on having the right software tuning?