Qin Miao listened to the questions from his classmates, momentarily unsure of how to answer.
How should he explain it?
Qin Miao knew what kinds of games his classmates usually played.
Most of them played mobile games, and a small portion played computer games, which were all online games like LOL or CF, games with high entertainment value.
Qin Miao couldn't explain the difference between the racing "game" of Assetto Corsa Competizione and Need for Speed.
Because Qin Miao had tried, but after a long explanation, they would reply with confusion: Isn't it all just driving?
At that time, Qin Miao realized that this was doomed to be a very niche hobby.
From then on, Qin Miao didn't waste words on it and naturally was too lazy to talk to his classmates about it.
However, facing the curious and probing eyes of his classmates, Qin Miao hesitated for a moment but finally resigned himself to patiently answering their questions one by one.
After all, his classmates bore no malice; they were simply purely curious.
"Yes, there's quite a big difference between driving in real life and driving in games. The only similarities might be the choice of braking points and the timing of turning."
"I'm not very sure. I haven't driven that kind of professional race car in real life. Not boasting, but this is really my first time driving in real life. I feel that compared to the game, driving a go-kart in reality is a bit easier. After all, a go-kart just has a brake, accelerator, and steering wheel, without the need for frequent gear shifts."
"Yes, but as far as I know, only the Assetto Corsa series of simulators on the market do well, but this game has a high entry barrier, and it's basically unplayable with a keyboard. If you want to play, you'll still have to buy professional equipment."
...
In the end, Assetto Corsa Competizione is a realistic racing simulator, only labeled as a "game."
While it can reduce difficulty, during races, the organizers required that all aids be turned off, so when Qin Miao and the others raced, apart from the physical sensation, it was the same as a real competition.
Assetto Corsa Competizione can be considered a professional racing simulator, even used as a substitute for training.
Of course, Assetto Corsa Competizione is not the pinnacle of simulators.
The pinnacle lies in simulators developed by major F1 teams.
The cars in ACC are calibrated in collaboration with official manufacturers, with everything aimed at being close to reality.
However, you can't modify the car much beyond what's provided; it's as if the car is locked, permitting only limited tuning.
The training simulators for F1 teams need to simulate training based on real-time upgrades offered by the team's engineering department.
For example, after a particular stage concludes, the team engineering department proposes a new upgrade plan.
They upgrade the car's rear wing, reducing drag while increasing rear downforce.
The team's simulator can simulate the actual performance of the car's upgrade based on test data.
Additionally, drivers can feel the specific changes brought about by these upgrades when practicing with the simulator.
This method allows drivers to better understand their vehicles.
Of course, this isn't something that all team simulators can achieve.
Teams like Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull have excellent simulation effects because they invest a lot of money and have reserve drivers who can help upgrade and improve the simulator when official drivers practice.
Teams like Williams and Haas consider it good enough if their simulators can achieve 70% simulation.
Simulators are really important, especially since the three practice sessions before the main race are often not enough for drivers to get familiar with their cars and tracks.
So, there is still a gap between ACC and the simulators used by F1 teams for their own purposes.
Of course, the gap is not as big as the one between Goat Simulator and DCS World.
After chatting for a bit longer, Zhu Hong, with an unpleasant expression, called on the classmates preparing to participate in the competition to take their positions on the two-seater karts.
In a sarcastic tone, he came in front of Qin Miao and said, "You have to do your best too."
Qin Miao was baffled by Zhu Hong's words.
However, besides that, Qin Miao had no other feelings since he was never good at reading people's expressions, nor could he detect the sarcasm in Zhu Hong's tone.
Originally, Qin Miao wasn't a person with keen observation skills. If he noticed someone with an unhappy expression, he would just think that the person might be in a bad mood or not feeling well physically.
Now, because of the issue with Fan Yue, he was feeling a bit downcast and antisocial, making him further disinclined to care about others. He just wanted to go home and lie down.
So at this moment, Qin Miao was very calm, unaffected by Zhu Hong's sarcasm.
Zhu Hong noticed that Qin Miao remained unfazed, causing his eye to twitch and his brow to furrow even more.
Let's hope this guy doesn't affect my plan.
Thinking so, Zhu Hong sat in the two-seater kart along with Fan Yue.
The race was about to begin soon.
After moving his body a bit on the ground, Qin Miao and Qimeng had missed the chance to let Qimeng get a feel for the kart earlier because of the delay.
Following the instructor's call, they pushed their cart to the starting grid of the starting area.
Today, there were a total of 18 people participating in the race, with 9 karts in total.
Without a qualifying race, the order was determined by a first-come, first-serve basis.
Qin Miao and Qimeng were in a pretty average position, ranked fifth.
Zhu Hong, however, had pushed his kart out of the parking area early, securing the first position.
After all, it was Zhu Hong who paid for the fun today, so the classmates had no complaints about his position.
"You go first, I'll take care of the later part." Arriving at the go-kart, Qin Miao told Qimeng, "Later in the race, just keep a normal mindset, and it's okay to go slower. Completing 5 laps safely is enough. After that, you don't have to worry about anything. Leave it to me."
Qimeng asked worriedly, "What if I drive too slowly and fall too far behind?"
Qin Miao looked at Qimeng strangely, "I'm just here to pass the time. Once the race is over, I'll leave. Falling behind is no big deal."
"True." Qimeng nodded understandingly.
Just as Qin Miao was about to sit in the back seat of the go-kart, Qimeng came over to carefully check if his helmet was properly worn.
Qin Miao was taken aback, and then curiously asked, "Are you that unconfident in your driving skills? Afraid you'll crash and kill me?"
Qimeng: ...
Struggling to control the urge to hit someone, Qimeng gritted her teeth and tightened the nylon strap at Qin Miao's neck, then silently sat in the driver's seat of the two-seater kart.
Qin Miao didn't notice Qimeng's odd demeanor and got onto the back seat after she was seated.
When they reached the starting grid, the kart was already started by the instructor, so now, the nine karts were just waiting on the starting grid.