F1 and other high end race formulas have enough real time telemetry on the cars that their speed and position on the track, together with throttle, rpm, brake and steer angles can all be reproduced in a simulation.
Take that data froma a real race, in real time and use it as a basis for online competitors to virtually participate in a real race.
There will clearly be some limitations. Virtual racers will have to negotiate the real cars, but there is nothing to stop the real racers from driving right through a virtual car (the real driver wouldn't know it was there).
Each virtual racer would see only their own car and the real cars, so any number of virtual racers could join a real race.-- Twizz, Nov 17 2009 It has been in the offing a long time http://www.iopenermedia.com/ [The_Saint, Nov 17 2009] Nice link, [The_Saint]!-- DrWorm, Nov 17 2009 Cool.-- DrBob, Nov 17 2009 Wired magazine covered online racing leagues a few years back, and suggested that this exact feature was the next step. They even spoke to some people who were working on it, as I recall.-- BunsenHoneydew, Nov 19 2009 Aww - I thought that was a really good one.-- Twizz, Nov 20 2009 Cracking idea [+], shame for you that it's being baked.
I've signed up for the beta testing. It's like a dream come true for me. My real dad (I'm adopted) was apparently a racing driver, and I always fancied doing it myself, but never got round to taking it seriously. Now I can finally prove I'm better than Lewis Hamilton.-- jtp, Nov 20 2009 you could test how much more Power or brakes you would need, to actually do a better lap than the pro's..,.
Like a KERS of a variable degree, 6 to 1000 kW,.-- sirau, Jun 01 2011 driving an F1 car at competitive speed is a skill. The number of individuals in the world with the reflexes and physicality to even compete is very small. The driver must be constantly aware of position on the track, the positions of other cars, the conditions and behavior of other cars, tiny variations in track surface, grip, tire condition, airfoil tuning, brake fade, all at the same time. With no simulation of this complexity you are playing "racecar hero". . . . it actually makes me a little sad.
Yes cars and racing parts and the work is expensive. It pollutes, it's noisy, its a waste of perfectly good transportation. It's easy to get hurt, even die and you run the very real risk of hurting others, even killing them. On the other hand if a video game can get you going as much as sitting behind the real wheel of a real car that might really kill you then i pity your poor boring soul. Nothing non-chemical has ever gotten me as high as driving in competition. No other activity has packed as much being alive into such a small amount of time. It cannot be simulated. The moment humanity retreats into the vacuous safety of simulated excitement the adventure of life begins to diminish. My children will live real lives of real danger and real excitement, with real scrapes and real broken bones.
I will not teach my children guitar hero I will teach them the guitar.-- WcW, Jun 01 2011 While I would certainly agree that simulation is not a patch on real racing, that doesn't mean it has no place.
Taking the argument to it's logical conclusion, one would eschew a book about medieval Britain in favour of spending a few years living in shit.
Most of us don't have the resource to go racing, flying etc.
Simulation gives a taste of racing. It is a game and should be treated as such. The 'Real' element in this is that the player can pit their skills in the game against those of real drivers in the real race upon which the game is superimposed. There is no 'go back to start' option, if you crash, your game ends, etc.-- Twizz, Jun 02 2011 random, halfbakery