I Love Reno Air Racing, I know you do too.
It is very clear that the game developers love Reno Air Racing as well, what a wonderful addition to the MSFS 2020 experience. The recent arrival of Private Lobbies has been a huge step in the right direction, it has resulted in many hours of fun and new gaming friends. When you consider that this game is only a few months old, I believe the fun is just getting started. Some minor adjustments to the racing experience could have a major impact on many meaningful metrics. The Reno expansion is truly awesome and the race to perfection is about 95% complete, let’s cross the finish line and bring it on home!
This is meant to be an open love letter to those responsible for creating this game, not an open ended list of shortcomings and grievances. Proposed solutions will follow all stated issues so please Rare Bear with me.
GOALS:
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To retain all currently active Reno Racing participants.
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To increase player participation through re-engagement with dormant Reno players and capture the interest of new potential players.
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To improve upon the already great player experience for all that choose to devote countless hours shaving off tenths of a second and perfecting race strategies in time trials and group lobbies.
CURRENT ISSUES AND PROPOSED SOLUTIONS:
For those with a short attention span, let’s get right to it…… !!! (Spoiler Alert) !!!
The solution to many of the issues related to new player retention will be the restriction of the Active Pause feature prior to the first lap in both Time Trials and Group Racing qualification. After the lap timer starts I do not believe there is any harm in retaining this feature for administrative purposes like camera adjustments etc. as I believe this was the developers intended use. The use of Active Pause should still prevent the ability to have the ensuing Time Trial results be officially displayed on the leaderboard due to the potential to improve the “best lap” anytime in the trial run. (Please correct me if my logic for retaining this function is not sound). FULL DISCLOSURE, I am one of the worst offenders of this practice in Time Trials but I did not discover it myself, “I learned it from watching you”. Call me Lance Armstrong, if you must. The best example that comes to mind is of one really fast player that does not utilize this feature/exploit in Time Trials, he is usually ranked in the top 10 and is an absolute beast. But he will never be first on the Time Trials leaderboard without some performance enhancing practices. I’m sure there are other fast players in a similar predicament as well. Another “fun fact”, the fastest players using active pause now will still be ranked similarly after its restriction, the resulting times will just be much closer.
Ok, now for the details…
ISSUE #1: LACK OF NEW PLAYER RETENTION
- First and foremost, the initial experience after purchase is crucial and can make or break a
new player’s interest. (In my experience many hardcore sim players believe they are the love
child of Amelia Earhart and Chuck Yeager, I know I do). Completing your first time trial and
feeling pretty good only to discover that you are 10 seconds slower per lap than the top guys
can be quite discouraging to some. Others find it impossible to fathom and conclude that
“cheating” is the only likely culprit.
Hopefully these solutions are arranged in order of ease of implementation from a programing
standpoint, please excuse my ignorance if they are not.
- PROPOSED SOLUTIONS: Time Trials
[ Removal of Active Pause exploits ]
As explained above.
[ Addition of a new racer orientation feature ]
This could be as simple as expanding on the current pre-race text content to include some
helpful tips and tricks. Examples: “Fly as close to the pylons as possible while finding the best
balance of airspeed and distance traveled” or “Remember to experiment with different propeller
pitch settings to maximize your airspeed” Just some ideas.
[ Addition of visual aids for new racers ]
A sort of “Training Mode” Maybe a ghost plane or virtual flight path that could demonstrate an
effective racing line. Currently the only visual examples of this exist on YouTube.
[ Scheduled resetting of Time Trial leaderboards ]
Mostly self explanatory, giving people a reason to check back in and maintain their skills. Done
by seasons or quarterly?
[ Ability to disable Ghost Plane in Time Trials ]
Another beneficial use of active pause is to get some distance between yourself and the ghost
of your former self. Providing the player with the ability to disable their Ghost Plane would be a welcome addition.
[ Insert more / better ideas here ] …….
- PROPOSED SOLUTIONS: Public Lobby
[ Removal of Active Pause exploits ]
As explained above.
[ The addition of an in game Reno Specific text communication system ]
A system that is only connected to the current lobby and is not dependent on friend requests or
any other system. Examples: “Hey pal, I’m going to dive low entering turn one” or “Don’t forget
to set your prop pitch” or “That was tons of fun, want to fly another race in T-6?” The sim crowd
can be a shy bunch sometimes and this could bridge some of the social gaps. Obviously subject
to content filtering, and maybe translation?
[ Matchmaking - Finding Someone to Race Against ]
We have all spent hours searching lobbies in each individual class, 2 minutes at a time without
any luck, only to select (OK) (BACK) and try another class again and again and again. I
propose a sort of general que system where all available players gather on a virtual tarmac and
wait for enough to start a race. Players can be visible to all (names visible or not) and a player
displays all 4 racing classes selected in order of preference. If a player wants to wait for
Biplanes they can, if they get tired of waiting they can join an Unlimited race. Many details to
work out and potentially complex. I can imagine most players would be absolutely delighted to
use a system like this compared to the current offering.
[ The Scoring and Ranking System ]
Losing points can be discouraging to many players, I suggest an additive only system. A red
arrow pointing down is not much fun. I have not given the granular details much thought but I
have heard this complaint from many players. If a positive only system results in excessive
score amounts, maybe seasons with scheduled resets would give folks a carrot to look forward
to? Many details to work out, maybe address the lowest hanging fruit first. A complex topic but
seemingly important to many.
[ Insert more / better ideas here ] …….
ISSUE #2: KEEPING GROUP RACING FUN AND COMPETITIVE FOR ALL EXPERIENCE LEVELS
- So here’s the deal Lucile…… you are never going to make everyone happy. I fly with a
passionate group of regular racers and I believe most of us share similar viewpoints on
this issue. Most favor group racing in Unlimited and T-6 classes due to the amazing ability
to draft in wake turbulence and pass other players, which results in a ridiculously good
experience for all. Jet and Biplane could use some very minor adjustments to increase
the fun factor, we still love them. Private Lobbies were a big win, more environment
options will only improve the fun factor there as well. The above Public Lobby solutions
apply here as well.
- PROPOSED SOLUTIONS: Jet
[ Wake Turbulence Adjustment ]
The existing jet wash and wake turbulence model may be technically accurate, however it it not
super fun to fly behind and does not seem to reduce drag for all the chaos it creates. A minor
adjustment in area of effect and severity may improve competition. It is not impossible but very
challenging to overcome this obstacle in a race.
- PROPOSED SOLUTIONS: Unlimited
[ Aerodynamic Model Adjustments ]
It would appear that the elevator is largely getting a “free pass”. When applying full elevator at the
pylon the course distance can be drastically reduced with very little penalty to airspeed, while this
is fun it seems a bit too far of a deviation from an authentic flight model. Then there is the
FLAPPY BIRD exploit, “pumping the elevator increases airspeed”. I have never seen this utilized
in group competition but it is responsible for at least the top 5 time trial efforts. You can find a
video of this on YouTube, it’s quite nauseating to watch from the cockpit view.
- PROPOSED SOLUTIONS: T-6
[ None ]
It’s too much fun already!
- PROPOSED SOLUTIONS: Biplanes
[ Wake Turbulence Adjustment ]
The existing wake turbulence model feels accurate however I’m not sure how else to increase
passing opportunities in this class. Maybe a minor increase of drag reduction effect would help.
Currently group races play out like a multiplayer time trial, though still enjoyable.
- PROPOSED SOLUTIONS: All Classes
[ Additional Private Lobby Options ]
Many ideas of varying complexity and seriousness here. Adjustable wake turbulence in both
area and amount of effect would be fun. The ability to race in ridiculous wind gusts or
thunderstorms, we already race at night The ability to turn off certain pylon penalties, sky’s the
limit in a private lobby.
[ Insert more / better ideas here ] …….
ISSUE #3: RE-ENGAGING DORMANT RENO RACERS AND ATTRACTING NEW ONES
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For all those that own the Reno Expansion and do not participate, implementing some of the
solutions proposed above may be enough to convince dormant players to reinvest some time
into this awesome game with ONE VERY CRUCIAL CAVEAT, you have to get them to check
back into the Reno Races. What better way to incentivize players to check back in than…*************** SEE AWESOME PROPOSAL BELOW****************
- PROPOSED SOLUTIONS: For Everybody
[ A New racing Class or Aircraft ]
Nothing will be more effective at getting dormant players to check back in than the mother of all
carrots! If some of the aforementioned improvements are in place ahead of an event like a new
racing class or aircraft reveal, I believe existing player engagement could improve dramatically.
The Gee Bee and STOL Drags come to mind (hint hint).
TO THE MSFS TEAM:
The love and devotion required to bring a game like this into existence is obvious and it shows. Thank you. The few shortcomings listed are minor and to be expected in a new endeavor such as this. I understand flight sims are a bit of a niche and air racing is a niche inside of that. Please stick with us and continue the amazing work. Many of us here in the Reno racing community would love to contribute to its further success in whatever meaningful way we can.
TO ALL MY FELLOW RACERS OUT THERE:
I am sure I have missed topics or suggestions that are important to you, please respond and I will consider editing the initial post to reflect them. I believe it would be most effective to restrict these suggestions to “helpful tweaks” aimed at improving the current player experience, an expansive “wish list” could distract from the goals here and may best be a topic for another thread. Again, this expansion is only a few months old and I am confident that the best is yet to come.
Now go set your prop pitch, avoid the dirt and fly those pylons tight!
Warm Regards,
Chilli
Update:
As per the moderators suggestion, I have begun listing the issues individually in the corresponding category. Links below
[ Active Pause ]