Perhaps a little naive too...
Just found out (what I think is) iRacings charging model...and it doesn't appear to be what I thought.
My impression was that you signed up - $12 a month. For that you got a selection of cars and tracks. That put you in Rookie level. I thought from there you raced or time trialed and when you're MPR was to the point where you were deemed "safe enough" to mix it with a higher class, you got promoted.
From there I believed you bought a new car in the new class and could race that car in Class D...on the tracks you already had. But apparently not. Apparently, the way their races go, they race a particular track each week. So even if I was promoted to Class D and bought a car AND a track, I would ONLY be able to race that track WHEN it was scheduled to race - and each track "schedule" seems to rotate on a weekly basis.
Ergo - in order to race each week, I need to at least own the track being raced on that week...unless I want to go back to my Rookie level...and then I'm not sure whether that increases your MPR (for promotion).
I'm a little gutted about this. I thought there would be many, many races and with many different tracks. And in fact (from what I recall of the Rookie level) that is indeed what happened on the Rookie level - I wasn't short of races...now I don't seem to be able to race my Class D Mustang unless I buy tracks - and if I want to race each week, I need to buy 1 track a week.
Sorry - just venting at my stupidity and a very clever business model.
JD, I know you and I are avid sim racing fans, and yes, iRacing has a clever business model. What I hear from most guys on iRacing is to treat it like a hobby, and for some it can be. I didn't re-sub since I'm saving up for bike parts and to move to a new town, but iRacing to me has some of the best competition and simulation experience out there, if the field isn't a bunch of turn 1 heroes.
I know the Rookie levels are all the stuff that comes in the basic package. It's a great way to get any sort of appetite started. I raced in the Mazdas for a long time before I started going to the TDI and eventually into the Caddy's when they came out.
It can get expensive, but if you buy the year subs and plan out what tracks you need, it can be an affordable and fun "hobby".
I agree ScottP - it is a very good sim and some of the best online racing I've had.
It's all just came as a bit of a shock...nothing that I read about iRacing suggested the purchases required..and by that I mean if I want to race Class D every week, then I would need every track - because they change the tracks each week. I had thought it was a mix of all tracks each day - I really thought the only thing I would have to lay out for was at least one car when I progressed into a class...I thought tracks would be a "have when you want" thing - I didn't think they were required (and they ARE if you want to race in your class every week)
So I was just knocked back abit.
I'm going to have to think very hard about this. On the one hand there is excellent racing online - on the other there's pressure to buy a new track every week - and if not, then race as much as you can in that week for that track before it disappears from the cycle for the next 4(5,6,7,8?) weeks.
A hobby - I always thought of it like that - but a hobby YOU can take your time in - not you are FORCED to take your time in.
It is a very, very clever business model. I expect it's incredibly lucrative. I thought the cars were priced fairly and I was willing to pony up the do for cars on a fairly regular basis - but add tracks AND monthly subs? OUCH springs to mind.
Now I know, I'll be looking through the series and see what the races are and where purchases are required. Then I'll have to decide if I want to pay all that money for one sim...I do have GTR2, rFactor2 (still in beta), GPL, F1 2011 and Race07 and it's addons...so there's alternatives
No need to apologize about the wargame thing... We are free to talk about any game we like here. ;D
Even My Little Pony Racing (wasn't that you who had your computer near fried by your daughters install of this?).
I can't remember SoM. It doesn't sound like something that's happened to me - but my memory is pretty bad nowadays.