Finally got it to let me edit my post...

I have been trying to scrape up the funding to do this for some time, but I recently decided to use a crowd-funding website.

I am building a trailer, to house up to <s>8</S> <B>12!</B> simultors to mostly run LFS, I plan to setup at various events, car shows, festivals etc... as many as I can book the space for.

This is a link to the DRAFT page... I am still working on it, some info is just place holders or samples, so project is not live yet.
A visit here will answer most questions, if not create more...
http://www.indiegogo.com/project/preview/0bb7c570
This link will change and stop working once it goes live.

With no video, a high goal, and not much in the way of perks that I can actually ship out, I am not expecting it to succeed, but I am very hopefull.

Too bad there was not a way I could give away LFS licenses cheap as perks. Any ideas for smaller rewards?

I hope you get this project up and running. Have you advertised it at other sim forums and allowed the possibility of adding other sims in eh mix?

Wow this is a cool idea, hope it turnes out great. I just don't really get the nascars and the map with the star in the picture, unless your going to be using some mod or something.

The nascars are part of my logo from my slotcar site, which this trailer will be part of... http://www.SlotCarRental.com

I intend to do whatever race sim I can get to run on the PCs... so pretty much anything. I am however just going to start off with LFS just to get it off the ground... it will also be the main sim used.

What I need is something to give as perks/rewards... or its not gona get a penny. I tried adding in a race entry fee to win a simulator.... but that is for a race in the trailer, so limited to those who can get to the location. Which is what the star is showing, my location... it is a map of the state of Michigan, and the great lakes, in USA, for those that are not familiar with it...

I really hope this will be successful, it's a great way to attract people to LFS and give them a taste of what's what. Good luck with your project

I did a similar thing a few years ago but with sailing simulators. It was not a huge success, but It did at least attract a small crowd. My platform was not mobile though, I used a shed in a popular marina. With the mobility you might have a good chance to go where the people are. Good luck with your undertaking.

Quote from Sueycide_FD :

I hope you get this project up and running. Have you advertised it at other sim forums and allowed the possibility of adding other sims in eh mix?

AFAIK from the more popular simulators only LFS has very friendly (cheap) license conditions for using it in public rental simulators. Most of the other simulators have ordinary multi-public licenses which are quite expensive when compared to single copy for personal use.

Quote from Ped7g :

AFAIK from the more popular simulators only LFS has very friendly (cheap) license conditions for using it in public rental simulators. Most of the other simulators have ordinary multi-public licenses which are quite expensive when compared to single copy for personal use.

im sure LFS would be beyond pleased with an oppertuinity like this, if it all goes to plan, they stand to get alot of advertising for little or nothing.


win / win for everyone

As expected, without something I can mail off, and without spaming the heck out of my link... funding is pretty much null.

Good news is I will be doing the Detroit Grand Prix in June, but only with the SlotCar Track... since at the current funding rate the simulators will not be ready in time.

I am also pondering the use of iRacing... just costs way too much especially for 8 to 12 systems lol.

Have you considered crowd funding?

http://www.kickstarter.com/

Quote from Skagen :

Have you considered crowd funding?

http://www.kickstarter.com/

Umm, please see original post? This is a link to a crowd funding page... on IndieGoGo... KickStarter only allows art based items, they rejected the trailer project. IndieGoGo allows anything, even pretty much cyber begging. lol.

I am getting closer to a final version of the simulator housing...

Should I bother making it look like a car? lol........... does it look too power wheels-y or racecar-bedish?

A bucket seat, wheel and pedals are already going to captue quite an audience from what I've seen, so don't overdo it with the housing.

Unless you can fabricate a easy-to-install car shaped box similar to your design that you can put on for actual auto racing events.

Quote from Rappa Z :

A bucket seat, wheel and pedals are already going to captue quite an audience from what I've seen, so don't overdo it with the housing.

this

Have you signed up for a cormmicial license with LFS?

I am not going to actually buy 8 to 12 commercial licenses for LFS, until I actually have the computers to install it on... why pay for the month(s) that the things are under construction?

The iRacing support just let me know how much their commercial license would cost... about a grand per seat, per year, more than 10x what it will cost for LFS. They want WAY too much for their code... for 8 to 12 grand a year I will buy a bunch of real cars and enter those junk car races, with a $500 car price limit. Heck I could pay a few programers to make a crude sim in 2 years, for $20k lol...

The car appearance is a side effect of the new design. I thought the new design looked kind of skooterish or gokartish, so I figured slap a few wheels and head lights on it, move the rear support beam up higher for a spoiler and it looks like a car... not much extra to it, since it will all be CNC or WaterJet cut. So the basic sim will have no fenders/wheels. The fenders can be added later or sold seperately.

Tomarrow I attempt to get a loan, we will see if a bank has any desire to use the trailer/sims as collateral for itself.

Well after life events got in the way, I am going to take another crack at it.
I've been redoing the Indiegogo page the last few days, and have redesigned the trailer/frames, but the design will likely change again, or I may just cave and buy pre-existing.

That looks sweet

Quote from Draconious :

...I've been redoing the Indiegogo page the last few days...

And the address is? The link in the 1st post doesn't work.
Sweet anyway!

Finally got it to let me edit posts... I was doing it wrong.

Link above is fixed, and temporary... project is NOT live yet.

Current issues, are obviously money, but also getting a hold of someone to build the trailer. I have three quotes pending from different places, however they tend to not respond. Same place will likely be building the race seats as well... which I can offer as perks, provided that I find a budget way to ship them.

I am making an attempt, a crappy attempt, but an attempt, to get sponsoring from LG, Logitech, AMD, and VMware. At least these are the 4 most logical companies, since I am using their stuff, and the trailer would be a rolling demo booth for tradeshows.

I was at the Canadian Grand Prix this year and one of the vendors had a hauler with single simulator set up for use. Even though we passed by on Saturday morning, when the stands were empty, there had to be 20+ people waiting for this thing. We passed it again on race day and the trailer was filled to the brim, probably 50 people waiting.

Really, the only limiting factor to the crowd was the fact that everyone was awful and a 50 person line would take a couple hours to finish. With 3 or 4 simulators I could see the crowd scaling up proportionally, as the wait time cuts down. Get it in the right place and I have no doubt it will work.

Was their single sim a motion simulator, with actuators? Just curious why there was only one, usually those take up more space. And cost as much as a real car.

I've been wondering if people would still be just as interested if they were NOT motion simulators.


I am still trying to think of things to offer as perk rewards that can actually be shipped. While it is what some people do, T Shirts just seem silly...

Even thought about selling off my hotwheels from when I was a kid, but while they are old, they are not old enough to be collectible, and they are half of them are beat to hell and back. I also have a tackle box full of about 300 Micro Machines... those should be even easier to ship LOL...

If I had an RP machine, something else I've been wanting to do for a while. I would print out plastic LFS cars and send those...

Logitech is out as far as sponsorship, so maybe Thrustmaster , although they sent me email to tech support and sent it back with a blank email response, and closed the ticket... lol

In Hobbitville we have the same motion V8 car system returning big bucks. 3 laps of Bathurst in a V8 (guess the game..)

Makes great money. If you want to do this forget LFS, I can get a licence with an inferior game, but include all NZ tracks. The people paying the money don't play these games, however they do love racing the track they are watching the racing at. They also will pay $ bucks to try to be the fastest at that track over a weekend.

Or, just race their favorite circuit any other time.....

LFS is the best sim, for those who want the best feel, online, etc..., but, for those who want money from punters, forget it. I cannot provide NZ tracks with LFS, I can with other sims.......

And, as for my racing I use the best, I really don't care about that however when it comes to charging punters to do a hot lap of Pukekohe, Hampton Downs, or Manfield.



It's $ on the table that LFS clearly doesn't want......
Sweet, not my issue, tried saying that there is money here, got told to shut up, ROFL..........



Actually, in NZ atm, any sim that offers this is a winner....


Or this.....










Kia Ora, Ngā mihi nui kia koutou katoa.

There was only one setup because most of the booth was set up for some merchandise display. That said, the only reason we saw anyone go up there was to have a go on the simulator.