new at sim racing

So last month I bought my first wheel and I decided to try AMS2 and I am happy with the game. I tried to understand how good I am(or how bad) against the AI through qualifying, I realized that I am far away from them, like 10 sec gap, they are extremely fast. I set the strength and aggression to almost 0. I know I have a long way to get my results better but 10 seconds?? is it the AI super fast or am i super slow? and at the race(without qualifying), I see all the cars in front are flying while all the cars behind want to pass me. kinda frustrating.
any tips or tricks?
p.s: I used the formula trainer car at the brands hatch circuit.

 

If you're really completely new to sim racing then your lack of pace isn't really surprising. Nobody just jumps in a racing car and is instantly fast. It takes time to learn, same as any other skill. You'll get better with time, and there is a wealth of information out there such as videos and guides which provide information on technique. (Real racing techniques usually apply just as well to sim racing.) Google is your friend in this regard.

Also, if you think you are going to get seriously into sim-racing, it is well worth investing in some proper gear. It doesn't have to be ridiculously expensive, but you will be surprised what a difference a mid-range FFB wheel with decent pedals can make to your driving.

 

Don’t worry speed will come with time.

Consistency needs to come first and then you can build you speed and then start to look at setups. At least that’s how it worked for me.

These videos may help understand some of the individual actions you need to learn.

The Driver's Univerity - Driver61

 

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If you are getting into AMS2, just make allowances for the fact that it's still in development, so some things such as AI aren't yet consistent across all tracks and cars. I've found most cars I've tried to be quite quick at Brands, but Jerez, Kyalami, Oulton Park all seem to be a bit more realistic for AI, but again it depends on the car.
If you are just getting into sim racing, maybe also consider some of the older titles on steam that are finished and refined games, so there will be less inconsistency. That will give time for AMS2 to mature, I wouldn't dive into beta testing as your first taste of simracing.
Raceroom lets you try the core game for free, there is a Project CARS demo, Assetto Corsa is usually cheap (only buy these older titles when they are on sale, never pay full price). The older F1 20XX games are quite cheap and simulate the race experience very well but the physics and tyre model is more simple, F1 2019 is the best so far for physics. The Dirt Rally games are good (Dirt series is more arcade but still quite fun), DR2.0 has better physics, WRC8 is the best WRC title so far. RFactor 2 is good but quite old now and it shows in many ways but the physics is good. ACC is good but you need a hefty PC to enjoy it properly. AMS1 has great physics but you can tell it's based on an old game. There are some good older ones like GTR and GT Legends, but they are showing their age these days. Live For Speed is old but still amazing in VR.
So there is plenty of choice, lots of fun to be had, but any one of those titles needs quite a lot of time spent getting the best out of them. Sim racer games are seldom pick up and play, they reward devotion and time spent.

 

Why don't you try the time trials?

 

Yep, if you want to check how your doing looking in TT UI is probably going to be more useful than AI times.

 

Also, an investment in a good set of pedals is probably the most important upgrade early on. Quality pedals help you become consistent. If you're not braking properly and consistently, it will be very hard to be competitive. Not impossible, but a challenge none the less.

 

i would not use TT as reference. Many TT laps are made with crazy setups that lasts only for 1 or 2 laps. Low downforce and other tricks just to gain the highest speed. I know kids, who start and crash or abort a hundred times to just get this one and only best lap.
That has nothing to do with sim racing, because in good racing consistance is the real formula.
Fastest laps could ruin your tires, brakes, motors etc, but as you only need one lap nobody cares.
So in my opinion its not a good reference for ambitious beginners that want to learn good driving.

 

IMO people setting the fastest laps are those most likely to be consistent as well. I remember paying attention to it on SRS after reading comments like "I'm not a hotlapper but I'm consistent" and when checking lap times after races there was a really strong trend for laps to look a lot more consistent the further up the finishing order I looked.

For the high end modern race cars setups might be important I guess but OP can download the setup if he wants to compare apples with identical apples in those cars. For a lot of cars default setup is fine for setting TT records.

I think the most misleading thing from TT would be where cars have got slower or faster with updates but for the most part it is going to give a way more accurate representation of lap times than the AI.

 

Agreed! It would be really nice if laptimes were handled like K/D ratios in FPS games. It's an average over time, for each track/car combination. Man would that be awesome!

 

I would agree if you are comparing to the top times but if you are brand new to sim racing just not being bottom maybe enough to know you are in the ballpark.

Or just ignore everyone else and lap against your own ghost car? See how consistent you can be against your own best time?

But most important thing over everything else is that you have fun doing it. Fast slow or average it doesn’t matter. This is your money spent and your well earned spare time at least have fun whatever that means to you.

 

Happy to hear it! I hope you'll have hundreds of hours of fun with AMS2.

I wouldn't worry too much about the AI for now. Depending on the car, track and conditions the AI may be improbably fast or really slow. Either way, it'll also be unpredictable and very aggressive in many cases. So for now you shouldn't necessarily use the AI as a benchmark for your own pace and progress. Heck, I'm an experienced (but not necessarily fast) sim racer and still eat their dust most of the time!

The good news is that AI improvements are next on the main to-do list for the developers, so we can probably expect more consistent behavior soon. The range of strength adjustment for the AI will also be improved, so you'll be able to adjust them to your current skill level.

First off: Have fun! Try a few different car/track combinations, so you get an idea of what's what.
Once you've seen some of it, put in some practice laps by yourself. Preferably lots of practice laps.

For starters, pick one specific track and stick to it for a while. One track that has a large variety of different types of corners as well as very detailed track surface is Brands Hatch. Such a great track to learn the peculiarities of each different vehicle! Also lots of fun.

Another track I really enjoy and would like to recommend is Jerez (no chicane), that's probably an even better track to get used to some of the faster vehicles like the various Formula Classic models.

Also, and this is really important IMHO: Start practicing with 'beginner' vehicles like Karts, Formula Vee and Formula Trainer. Here's the shocker, though: They are not considered 'beginner' vehicles because they're easy to drive - but because they punish your mistakes and teach you proper racing technique!

Take the Formula Vee or to some extent Formula Trainer, for instance: Very little to no downforce (probably more lift in case of the Formula Vee!) and very little weight. This makes for nimble vehicles that can easily be unsettled if your control inputs aren't smooth. (Non-shifter) karts, on the other hand, are hugely under-powered at low RPMs, so in order to be quick you need to learn how to carry speed through the corners. They're also squirrely under braking (or used to in AMS1, I think it's a little different in AMS2), so you may want to stay on the accelerator even when braking heavily in order to retain balance and keep a tiny bit of engine momentum as well. When you're not used to racing you're most likely braking with your right foot, but learning how to brake with your left foot is a skill well worth it in (sim) racing. Same goes for proper heel and toe downshifting (unless you have a disability or injury that prevents you from doing it).

Anyway, once you feel you have a good grip on one vehicle, try another one. And don't be afraid to learn a new track every now and then. A lot of racing is (muscle) memory, and that only comes with lots and lots of repetition. It might seem annoying at first, but once a track 'clicks' in your mind you'll find yourself hunting for ever-improving lap times, one lap after another. As with most things in life, consistency is key, so getting into that 'zone' where everything about the car and track just makes sense is also a skill you can pick up over time.

EDIT: Almost forgot! Practice is good, but as a racer you also need to understand the theory. There's some decent stuff out there on Youtube. Check out Driver61's channel, for example - lots of interesting things to learn about racing technique! Here's the link to his channel:
Driver61