Rennsport – First Impressions

After waiting for months and being super excited to see what a new simulation game has to offer, on Thursday afternoon, some of us at Boxthislap.org finally got our hands on the closed beta keys for Rennsport. We couldn’t wait to dive in and try it out. I haven’t had a chance to play it extensively yet, but it’s not like I just turned it on and called it a day. So, let me share my first impressions, totally personal, on what we can expect from this simulator in the future.

First, let’s talk about the nitty-gritty details. The game is available for download on the Epic Games store, not Steam. So, the first thing you need is an account on their platform because Rennsport uses Unreal Engine 5, which is owned by Epic. They must have seen some clear advantages in choosing Epic as their distributor.

Installing the game went smoothly without any hiccups, but before firing it up, you need to make sure you have the latest Visual C++ drivers installed. Here’s the deal: vc_redist.x64.exe – just in case anyone needs them. Once that’s sorted, we finally reach the login screen where you gotta register an email account and set a password. Fill in the deets, pick your favorite car, and then wait for that confirmation email to hit your inbox. Once you’ve verified your email, you have the option to download and install the Rennsport app on your phone. Personally, I decided to skip that step for now.

Logging in was a breeze, and considering it’s a closed beta, the menus worked like a charm. No crashes, no freezes, no funny business. The available options so far are working fine, and the steering wheel and pedal configuration is spot on (just like in iRacing, same drill). Seriously, Raceroom, F1, and Automobilista should take notes. It’s a perfect 10 in that department.

However, while searching for how to set up VR, I encountered an unpleasant (although somewhat expected) surprise. In this version, there’s no support for anything other than a single monitor. With this little setback, I decided to hit the track because there aren’t many options available apart from choosing a car, a track, and hopping into a 1-hour practice session.

The available cars are the four GTD category cars: BMW M4, Porsche 992, Audi R8, and Mercedes AMG. All of them are in their current versions. There are four tracks to choose from: Monza, Spa, Nürburgring, and Hockenheimring. There’s a fifth car, the Praga R1, but it doesn’t seem to be available yet.

Once on the track, the first impression is that the force feedback (FFB) is… strong, especially when it comes to feeling the effects of hitting curbs and certain moments of impact with other surfaces. Since part of the outputs are displayed on the screen, we can see that something is not quite right. The FFB is clipping (the bar reaches the maximum constantly) too often and at ridiculous levels with certain cars. I’m testing it with an Asetek Forte Direct Drive Wheelbase wheelbase, so it’s not due to a lack of power.

This issue is particularly noticeable with the BMW M4 GT3 when going up Radillon at Spa Francorchamps. Even with the force set to just 20% of the total, it clips on the uphill section, leaving the FFB feeling soft like a toy steering wheel. This doesn’t happen in any other simulator, and not even as frequently with other cars in the beta. It seems like something they need to work on for the future.

Another issue with the FFB is that the car feels like it’s floating. There’s a lack of contact sensation with the asphalt, although that feeling disappears completely when driving over a curb. It’s strange because the small effects on the asphalt are noticeable, but it’s as if we’re driving on something that’s not rubber, and that affects the overall sense of feedback. It’s very easy to notice when exiting corners and trying to accelerate, but we have no way of feeling the oversteer until it’s almost too late to correct it. There’s a lack of conveying the loss of traction through the steering.

Setting aside the FFB issues mentioned earlier and being more careful to minimize the second problem, it’s true that there’s potential in the driving experience. The overall feel of the entire package is quite solid considering the stage of development we’re in.

In terms of graphics, there’s nothing to complain about. I’m constantly rocking above 120 FPS in FHD with all the settings cranked up to the max. Sure, there might be some imperfections or glitches, but my screen is so far away that I can’t even spot ’em. The lighting is on point, the shadows are spot-on, and the color palette choices are on the money from the get-go. And let me tell you, the sound is bangin’ too. Personally, I haven’t noticed any issues with it (although a buddy of mine did). It seems to outshine other simulators in that department.

Now, here’s the deal. At this stage, considering we’re stuck with just one car on the track, there ain’t much more to add. This beta has surpassed my expectations, but it also highlights the long road others have traveled to get us to where we are now. We still gotta see how they’ll bring in VR support, how different vehicles will impact performance, if they can smooth out those minor hiccups in the force feedback (I mean, even other streamers’ videos show ’em), and of course, the multiplayer aspect, which is gonna be crucial for the long-term success of the product.

The foundation looks promising, but let me tell you, this story is only just starting, and I guarantee you there’ll be plenty of unexpected hurdles along the way. We’ll be keeping our eyes peeled to see how they handle ’em.