Why I don't play ACC as much as others..

DELETE PLEASE

 

If you're 4-6 seconds off the pace setups are you last thing. Asking for fixed setups defeats the purpose of GT racing whatsoever. Teams work on their setups seasons on end, especially with a new chassis. So don't go with the sole intention to 'do a setup'. Just race and do it on the fly.

 

DELETE

 

Holy ****, Jardier being a drama queen again. In June 2020, playercounts decreased by 9%. In June 2021, it was -11%. In June 2022, it was -14%. The last 30 days we are on -9.6%. Like, calm the **** down.

 

As much as I'd like to have fixed setup racing in ACC, sim racing is for ..maniacs. This is why the ACC numbers are more or less flat, it's a niche. Having said that, if you don't even do multiplayer I don't see much reason to play ACC at all. Time trials? Those are exactly the contests where you need a lot of mileage. Why bother if you don't even have the time? Fixed setups won't help at all. The only fun you can have in ACC if you are an average Joe is battling for position, no matter which position, on a track against human opponents or AI. If you don't like that well there's other games.

 

I don't get to play ACC nearly as much as I'd like to for a number of personal reasons, including having to set up my rig at my office on the weekends because of accommodation. I've been trying to play every weekend but now that summer is here my office turns into a sauna in the evening.
I'm annoyed at myself because I think the only thing I'm lacking is time behind the wheel. I can get within 2 or 3 seconds of top times on default setups and just don't have the time to really get into setups.

I think the next big break through in sim racing will be some sort of AI team that can help you make setups. I think there are some mods that will help with that already.
I still consider ACC to be my main hobby.

ACC is pretty niche, I kind of like that about it, it's much easier to focus on driving and improving skill.

 

DELETE PLEASE

 

If iRacing fills all your wants, there really is no need for you to waste your time in a game you don't enjoy.

On the other hand, if you'd like to keep dabbling in ACC and I'm reading this correctly, neither the safe nor the aggressive setups are making driving enjoyable for you? If so, have you had a look here:
https://www.racedepartment.com/forums/assetto-corsa-competizione-setups.65/

On the other other hand, if you're just driving anyways (which is something I like to do as well, just not in ACC), you could do a pitstop after a few laps to do a few clicks of setup adjustment, then go back out and repeat until the car feels nice. Tire pressures, brake balance, aero balance, the basics. I found that usually in a few minutes you can tune any car to be enjoyable to drive if the stock setups don't suit you. You really only have to put in HOURS if you want to be really competitive, which you said you don't want to be.

 

DELETE

 

What is this "player drops" thing lol. There was a massive update, which caused the player numbers to peak. Now they have dropped closer to the real average. Happens with every single game. ACC right now is effectively the most popular its ever been. But this is just pretty usual Jardier stuff.

 

If you like to drive and unwind why don't you try the original Assetto Corsa (AC) instead? It offers a great driving experience and a wide range of cars and tracks, including road, hill climb, etc., PLUS many tracks and cars are for free!
My poison is putting on some music and driving a Ferrari 458 or 488 on LA Canyons, or Union Island (both free tracks). I replace the GT3 wheel with a round wheel and I enjoy driving on the limit, AC is really great with FFB and trail braking.
Or you can get the Nordschleife DLC and do some track day on a public server.
Or any track from this page, you won't be disappointed: Assetto Corsa | RaceDepartment
Make sure that after installing AC you install Content Manager and Sol.

And check the numbers for AC: it's loved by a huge community of players, they cannot all be wrong

I am in a similar situation to yours (53, with family, playing mostly on weekends). Here is an example of what you can do in AC: last Sunday I found a server with a hill climb called Trento-Bondone (default AC track) and a vintage rally car, the Ford Escort RS 1600 from the early 70s. I jumped in and started playing around with h-shifter, handbrake and clutch to make the car turn and at the same time keep the revs high to avoid bogging down the engine, it was insanely fun!

 

Well, I am also dumb for setups.
But I anjoy ACC very much!

Generally I think, that if you are 4-6 secs off the pace of the aliens, you are doing pretty good, with the "stock" setups.
I found a pretty handy guide, on how to improve a few things on the car, you can find it here:
https://www.assettocorsa.net/forum/index.php?threads/setup-guide-for-beginners.64264/

What I do, with my limited time, to enjoy myself is CP Races. (In Multiplayer menu, the Right side options Competition Server)
I find them enjoyable, you don't have to be part of some racing league, and the racing is still clean mostly.
Usually you are pretty well matched with others, so that you can have a few battles with others.
Races last 30 mins, so not too long.
Also the track are changing every day.

For me this is the best thing in ACC.
And I run also pretty much the stock setup, and can finish between 4-10th palces regurarly - Sometimes podium.

Now I know, that some cars have issues like the old Porsche on bathurst, or the Mercedes on Misano, where the car just turns around in some corners, for that the above setup guide can maybe help you.
Also you can find setups for cars on youtube, where the people show you (for free in the vid) the setup they used.
Some are pretty good, some are nto for me, but maybe worth a try.

 

Building setups that makes the car handle better for you to set better lap times instead of fighting the car is time consuming and requires skill and knowledge. Those things aren't dropping free from the sky. There are a few angels out there who provide free setups as a help for beginners. Otherwise that costs money since time= money

 

Seems a bit pointless getting other peoples setups though. I'm still missing out on understanding what's going on with the setup and how to improve it for my style.
I think setups are the kind of thing were it would be much better if you had someone to hold your hand and explain things as you go along. Which isn't really that viable for most people.

 

I don't get it, you don't want to pay for setups even tho you enjoy ACC more than iRacing, but then you buy a monthly subscription for iRacing which is more expensive than buying a monthly setup subscription for ACC?
If you cancel the iRacing subscription, you can save money AND have setups for ACC

I probably misread your posts somewhere along the way, cuz to me it doesn't make sense xD

 

DELETE

 

DELETE

 

DELETE

 

I did read all of your posts, none of them specified your kids bought you a subscription

Setups are highly personal. 10 different setup shops will give you 10 different setups. Some setups will work for you, some won't. It's the same for iRacing, and tbf, iRacing's stock setups are way farther off pace than ACC stock setups.
If you want a setup that suits you, you're most likely gonna have to adjust it yourself. That's just the way it is, and fixed setups aren't gonna change that.
ACC aggressive setups aren't that great if you want to be competitive, but most of them are driveable and you can probably get within 1-1.5 seconds of the best laptimes.

Most basic setup tip is having your tires in the correct pressure window, for GT3 it's between 26psi and 27psi. Every degree in change of ambient temperature equals plus or minus 0.1psi. So if you have a setup for a 20C ambient temperature, and the race is on 26C ambient, you're gonna want to decrease all pressures by 0.6psi.

 

I read you people talking about setups but ACCs setups are based on glitches, that's what gets me... If you try to develop something that makes sense it won't work.. That's frustrating...
For example: Why did manufacturers created TC2 if ACC players found out it's faster with it turned off? I highly doubt gamers know more about the car than the engineers. Same for caster, camber and toe and other gliched parts.
If the setup made sense it would be ok to spend some time doing it... But it doesn't.