Generic What's the fascination with Nordschleife Tourist & drifting?

I'm with the OP.
For me, drifting is like synchronised swimming. It's not racing, it's showing off how little grip you've got.

 

I think the reason you see so much activity in the Tourist and Drift servers is because it's easy to come and go on your own schedule. I'm in the Nords - Tourist server a lot. It's not that I don't like GT3/open wheel/touring car/etc, it's that I haven't had good experiences finding good races online with AC. IMO, a lot of this has to do with the way AC's online servers work.

With certain other console sims (begins with Project, ends with CARS), you start a lobby that you can configure. You can wait there (in the lobby) for a few people to join, before the qualifying clock starts. This lets you keep qualifying short (10 mins), with sprint formats (3-5 laps). I only have so much time for gaming, so I want to get in as many laps as I can. The lobby format really helps coordinate sessions in a way that packs lots of races in and consolidates good players together. I can race many different cars/circuits with the same group. The bad racers get kicked, and a solid group builds.

With AC, you hop in a server, restart the session, and hope that you get enough racers before the race starts. It doesn't help that you can't invite friends to the server once you've started qualifying either (you can only invite from the car selection screen). I'm really tired of joining a server, getting three qualifying laps, then having to back out so I can join a server with friends. It's just too much hassle. Not to mention, you basically start this process over after every race, unless you really want to race Vallelunga GT2 five times in a row. Heh, most of my friends list have given up and gone back to other games.

I know this is just the same old complaint rehashed for the hundredth time, but I think it has a lot to do with why multiplayer seems so vacant on AC. Hopping in a Nords - Tourist server is a workaround for this issue. The sessions are really long (>15 hrs), so I can hop in and turn some laps. It helps that the Nordschleife model in Assetto Corsa is simply spectacular. Like, mind-blowingly good. I've made a few new friends who are clean and like to lap together.

I think when Kunos figure out custom/private servers, we'll see a resurgence in multiplayer activity. Until then, hop on the Tourist server and give it a shot. My knowledge of the Nordschleife has grown immensely. I find it really enjoyable to get a group of three or four people and turn laps; even if we're not going for outright pace. It's just fun to learn from other people's lines and enjoy the beautiful circuit.

 

Drifting takes a lot of skill and is very rewarding when you start to get it right. When you are in a train with 3 or more cars door to door well there isn't anything better than that. All the precision and skill can make it very interesting to spectate even. I will add that there aren't very many skilled drifters on those servers due to the fact that using a controller is very difficult to be precise and smooth. I'll admit when I race the gt cars are really fun but can be a little too easy to drive which can be very boring if there isn't an opponent very close by.

 

Last night I was in the tourist for a few hours, and find it relaxing you can go out on track when you feel like it, I was having a good battle with someone trying to beat his lap time in his M3 and he trying to beat mine for most of the evening, was good fun.

 

I've just worked out why there appears to be a fascination with the tourist nordschleife ......racing Ac at silverstone , mid online race my peddles needed calibrating, I unplugged and rep lugged my wheel then lost all ffb so I quit the race and sorted it. But now u can't re enter the race lobby as its not available as it it mid race.

nordschleife is never mid race........this needs correcting, could be loads more players online but timing of when you can see them keeps them hidden.

 

Yeah, but how common is that problem? Also, I don't know of any console racing title that let's you re-join mid-race. Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending AC here. I'm just pointing out that I don't think that the situation you encountered contributes much to the current circumstance.

 

It answers why nordschleife and drifting are always at number one in the online lobby, as its effectively always qualifying.

Nearly every racing game I've played allows you to join a lobby whilst the race is in progress, you can't join the race but the lobby is visible, you join lobby and wait for the race to finish.

This is happening 50% of the time for race lobbies - assuming 15 mins qualifying and the race is 15 mins.

50% of the time non drifting/notdschleife lobbies with people in are invisible.

 

Ah, yeah. I get what you mean now. I thought you meant re-join the actual race, not the lobby. I totally agree with you. It's frustrating to constantly lose the group you're with.

 

But i'm pretty sure if you start on an empty lobby of anything and put it at the top of the list people will join quickly. I find both drifting and nordschleife track day very enjoyable though. There are some cool people on this game ... I tried one race so far online and the guys were just too good for me like 3 seconds per lap too good. I must say when you start to understand the proper mechanics of drifting and start to control it the feeling is great.. especially online where you can watch the other ppl around you having some fun

 

That's what I do most of the time. Find a server I like, join, then immediately restart the session so I have max time for others to join. Most races only end up with three or four people though

 

What an excellent reply reminding people that their way isn't always the only way/or best way and to focus on what they do like.
Those who like different partd of the game paid the same money and how they play that game is down to them. You need to please enough people into buying your game so that you the funds to invest improving the game and developing the next game.