Are you playing the Reno Air Races ? What could be improved

[G-RFRY 1,710]

1 hour ago, 109Sqn said:

Because it would give some people even more excuse to say MSFS is "really just a game for those inferior Xboxers"

Those Inferior gamers are the Game Pass subscribers that bring the millions every month that supports the studios, And the numbers on steam don`t put MSFS in the top twenty and i now your going to say that does not include the hard core PC users, but that`s the same for gamers they don`t all use steam for the games.

[Noel 4,492]

I don't own it but air racing just is kind of an oxymoron to me--I mean in contrast with other 'racing' games where you really feel the speed at point blank range and traction comes into play more for example in car and motorcycle racing on pavement versus air.  It's still there in aviation but the envelope is much larger and it's more fluid in the air racing enviroment.   This is a great game:

 

[Fielder 3,662]

13 hours ago, Scimiter said:

I found it great fun at first, but it is very repetitive, What I disliked was you could be leading a race but then get rammed from the back and find yourself last, very frustrating.

Just like real life! I read about Reno race crashes in the newspapers all the time. Not.

Universe peeps more careful compared to metaverse? 😺

 

[RobF2 150]

You have to laugh when people are livid about no notes on SU9.  Heck, in the FSX world we were overjoyed to get one or two updates 2 years later  🙂

[109Sqn 1,557]

3 hours ago, G-RFRY said:

Those Inferior gamers are the Game Pass subscribers that bring the millions every month that supports the studios, And the numbers on steam don`t put MSFS in the top twenty and i now your going to say that does not include the hard core PC users, but that`s the same for gamers they don`t all use steam for the games.

I think you misinterpreted my post - I'm not one of those who criticise console gamers - I have a PS3 and PS4 myself.😉

[Christopher Low 5,352]

23 hours ago, Scimiter said:

I found it great fun at first, but it is very repetitive, What I disliked was you could be leading a race but then get rammed from the back and find yourself last, very frustrating.

So, a bit like every public server online racing game ever created then?

Edited March 5, 2022 by Christopher Low

[sbclark 55]

Up until about 5 years ago, I had attended the Reno air races for about 25 years. Also, I was at Reno race course the year when Microsoft introduced the FSX version of the race. This was also the year MS introduced Acceleration, which added the Reno race course. Acceleration was supplemental to original FSX.

Microsoft had a large tent behind the stands where they setup PC's and controllers where I could tryout the Reno Air Race software. What sets this older version apart from the newer MSFS Reno race, it was more like the how the actual Unlimited Racers started their race.

First, all the racers lined up on runway 28 at Stead Airport. Behind the racers, is the pace plane, which would roll by these racers, and then take off in front of the stands. Very quickly, the best qualifier, and so on, would take off, until all planes were airborne. Once all the racers were off the ground, the racers would follow the pace and join up on the right wing in a echelon formation.

Behind the airport, was a big hill where this formation would fly, out of sight of the crowd, until they reappeared. The pace plane would turn towards the airport  and the racers would change formation to be line-abreast to the pace A/C. Back then, they called it the coming down "chute" onto the race course. All the planes would pick up speed, and when the pilot flying the pace plane is satisfied with the formation, he would speak on his microphone, "Gentlemen", you have a race. The planes would quickly gain speed and the pace plane would climb up to a higher altitude to monitor the race.

What is disappointing to me, is that who ever developed the MSFS Reno race, did not add this standard starting procedure. The other thing I really dislike, is that the pilot is severely restricted and penalized if this altitude barrier is broken near a pylon. The real racers would fly higher, if they needed to pass a slower plane, or avoid collision. The game designers did that purposely, I am sure, to keep all the aircraft bunched up, creating potential chaos of pilots running into each other, thinking it would be more exciting. Unlike other forms of racing, aircraft must never come in contact.

In summary, I do not fly the MSFS version of Reno anymore, but I remember how much more satisfying the of FSX version of Reno was. I would fly the old version for hours, particularly the month before September when the races were held, because it brought back pleasant memories of all the races I attended those many years.

These races were very exciting, unfortunately the horrible accident that killed the pilot and many others, plus many injuries, killed the spirit for Reno, and stopped all the racers from modifying the aircraft to gain more speed. No race team would want to incur the legal lability if this type of crash ever occurred again. There are a number of race planes that will never fly another race again, because of this risk! 

Edited March 6, 2022 by sbclark