BLACK SCREENS:

So the last few times I had the sims running, I got a few black screens.
People were in the race pods trying to race at the time, so I was too flustered trying to get it back up and running for them before they asked for their $ back, to collect or rename the replays.

Usually it would just recover, sometimes really fast, and sometimes it took a couple minutes.

One time the first black screen of the day caused the sims to all run at about 40fps (it is capped at 60fps in settings), it then black screened a few more times that day, recovering at 40fps each time. One of these times it black screened and did NOT recover. I had to reboot the entire setup to get it working again.

I checked temps, and I do not believe it was due to an overheating GPU, as I don't think it went over 80, unless the temp sensor is bad. I replaced the PC CASE fans anyway with new noctua fans, and added a few more.

Just a little worried that it is happening more frequently on the main host computer lately.



SIM TOURNAMENTS

I am trying to get a monthly/weekly tournament league started for local racers.
With entry fees and prizes to motivate payment of those entry fees.
If I can get some regular "league" players maybe this is another way I can afford to keep dong this. I would like to do another one ONLINE, but I fear for people cheating to win the prizes.


RAIN

Events are still being rained out left and right... I can go a week with no rain, then ON THE HOUR the scheduled event is suppose to start it starts POURING until the event is suppose to end... then a week of no rain again!!! -- I guess someone is telling me to do something else for money. I will be renting out a local wedding reception facility on the off days, to do my own tournament events.



EVENTS

I need to find more events to do. I previously mentioned 3 BIG events coming up.

The one for a magazine/tv show failed, they just stopped responding and ignored all contact after saying they were interested in it. OH well it RAINED hard toward the end of that event and canceled out their main event drag race, so I am glad I wasn't there to get rained on, AGAIN.

Another for a car-show-event group was RAINED OUT, but they had a rain day, and since they paid me to be there, I was giving races for free, so it was the busiest event I have done yet, all 8 seats were full almost the entire event. I almost passed out from heat, sun, work, etc... The problem was, their rain day was on the same day as another event I was scheduled to do, however it RAINED on the event I had to skip, so I guess I snuck around the rain that day and got 1 good event in.

The 3rd event, is in 2 weeks, and while they keep saying they are interested, they have yet to confirm or make any setup plans. So I do not know if they will pay me to give free races, or if I will have to charge $ to make it worth it to be there.

I have an inquiry pending for a corporate party event in Chicago, however they want it to be NASCAR themed, and LFS does not do NASCAR, aside from putting nascar skins on the cars. Maybe they will change to F1 theme It is also in NOVEMBER, which means there is potential for ice on the roads on a 1000 mile round trip with a trailer, so this one might not happen.

Quote from SimulatorRental.com :

SIM TOURNAMENTS

I am trying to get a monthly/weekly tournament league started for local racers.
With entry fees and prizes to motivate payment of those entry fees.
If I can get some regular "league" players maybe this is another way I can afford to keep dong this. I would like to do another one ONLINE, but I fear for people cheating to win the prizes.

I just wish u good luck.

Think online might be an option (if comunity online racers wasn't this small).

Most are cruising. And when racers we often know up front who has the better hand

Might give it a change (cheaters easy to detect and all racers will check) just keep reply's.

Thanks, Good Luck is the best kind.



I started a thread for my future online racing events.

https://www.lfs.net/forum/post/1940479#post1940479

After losing my largest repeat client, and having most of the events canceled due to weather this year, I told myself if I do not get 1 corporate event, and a new repeat client, I would give this up. And I was about to come on here posted that I had given up... however, I was contacted by a very BIG company, and was hired to do an event, in the sports stadium that they own, there is a good chance that I will be doing it again next year.

I waited until AFTER the event to post about it, since every time I post about it before hand it gets canceled.

I was not allowed to take photos of anyone at this event, on the off chance it was a player, because they do NOT endorse my product, and even if they did I cannot afford that.

This was yesterday, but this event still has me exhausted and in pain today. It was non stop racing, with a line that was long enough that I had to reduce the race length to only 4 laps to get everyone a chance.

Damn, that's fortunate. Well done! So how'd it go with the organisers, were they impressed enough to retain you do you think?

Wow this looks cool, would be nice someone would do that also here

Many congratulations for the project!
I am sorry to be far away if I would not be a great frequenter of your service
I am very glad to know that they are using LiveForSpeed force friends hug from Portugal!

Thanks, and yes I got lucky that they found my site in time to do the event.

There was some talk about making it easier to access the setup location next time... so maybe?

I need to make setup and transport of the cockpits easier though, the amount of work to un strap, unload, move them across the stadium set them up etc.. was too much for 2 people. I thought I already made it easy, but I need to set it up so there is less time messing with wires.


A quick video walking past the setup.


I meant to get more photos of this, but once people sit in the seats, I focus too much on the event and forget the photos...


I quickly tossed together some skins for the event...


At first I could not get my 2nd computer to recognize the skins, or the bill boards logos for Black Wood. I restarted reloaded, re copied, moved, etc... I had to change the folder name of all the other LFS folders I had for past version before the bill boards would work, and never got the skins to work. So they were only visible from half the seats, the rest were showing white cars.

Finally some cool news! I am glad for you!

Just completed first Event of 2019 last night.

Congrat , that is a dream for me

Did the skins work?

Yes the skins worked, it was just my stupidity, rushing, and 10 different LFS folders that caused the issue. lol

Last month I did the 2nd event at the stadium, this is a video of the setup, but before it was operational.




Changes since the last time anyone saw it:
2 new "Spectator View" screens
2 New "How To Video" screens. (plus a 3rd on the table)
Cockpits are all bolted together


I've already been asked to quote the 3rd event at the stadium.


I took a while to post an update because I've been in a mood... due to trashing the side of my trailer against the pole to get into their parking lot. Their parking gate, was not designed for vehicles with trailers. Tt takes a standard width lane, and then reduces it down to the size of their drop down gate, so its about the same width as the trailer.

After going around a corner the trailer fell off the curb into a situation, it was either rub the protection/bumper pole, or back up and take out their security fence, and the way the trailer was on a tilt the corner of that fence would have punctured the trailer walls.

Since I had already bumped the pole with no damage last time, I just went for it, and unfortunately this time it dragged the whole side of trailer (was a lot closer to it then I thought I was).

Trailer is, for the most part, ok. It just has a crease along the side (hopefully easy to fix), and a few bumps along the bottom in the frame area (not so easy to fix), plus it squeaks a lot going down the road now.

Oh well... the intent was to UPGRADE the trailer by now anyway... but I doubt that will happen as I am not really making enough money to do that.


Also,

I am really disappointed in some large campgrounds around me, I was hoping to setup there and sell races, and or hold tournaments for the camps. But as usually they don't even want to hear what I am doing, let alone allow it. I was hoping to pull this thing with a small RV, and hop around from camp ground to camp ground...

That's rotten luck... A stadium without decent access for trailers, that's wild. Your setup looks really professional, can't help but think it could do with a poster stand or two though to give punters something to lure them in or advertise the name and logo of your venture. You might already have one, I just haven't seen one in your videos.

I hate to see you struggling to realise the full potential of this... I hope your luck changes.

Yes I need to advertise a LOT more, like more than NOT doing it at all.


At these larger events, I do not advertise myself, as it is a paid corporate event, and the goal is to focus on their company not mine.


I have upgraded my "how too video" which has a few minor ads within it, but only good where I am already setup. It is work in progress... will link to latest version later.


I searched online for videos/photos of the Little Caesars 60th Anniversary event, but only found one video where my simulators are in it for a few seconds, and really far away. (see attached photo)

Very best of luck with it!
You're certainly due some better luck at this stage...

I really hope you may able to perform better. Especially when there is hard work behind of it!

So, while I have done a few repeat events for the big client I have, I have not really done many events this year.

So.... I am currently on the fence, going back and forth, trying to decide if I want to temporarily pull the simulators out of the trailer, and try open a "store", for 6 months over the winter (holloween to april 1st), as a test to see if a store front would do any better or worse than the trailer.

I hardly have any cash right now, maybe 1 months rent... so this would have to generate enough cash to pay for the space.

I have a few spaces in mind, one is cheaper, but feels like it is in the middle of nowhereville. But it is next to a coffee shop, hungry howies (pizza), and a dairy queen (ice cream).


Not sure how I will generate enough interest, or get enough people to show up in this short 6 month time span, but I would like to hold regular race tournaments with cash prizes (out of the race entry fees).

Would be nice to get the surrounding highschools to use the location as a e-sports racing center, since e-sports seems to be a thing now....


I figure first few weeks I am open, it is free races for anyone that shares online photos of themselves in the cockpit to their fb pages/groups/etc...


Maybe its time to TRY indiegogo again, and have the rewards be free racing for donars…


If the store does not work... then it may be time to strip the trailer and liquidate.

Maybe if you could have enough space put some ps4's with street fighter (which is surprisingly addictive) or something on them to diversify your offer, I don't think everyone can enjoy simracing as we do, maybe by seeing the cockpits beside them they will get interested.

Maybe in the future, right now I need to concentrate on what I have already spent a LOT of money on, and try to get it to make money to pay for the other things that could be added.

I have found a POTENTIAL location to setup over winter, just need to sort out numbers and some other things, and decide if having next to no parking will still work... they will have to park a few buildings down the street.

This location is inside a coffee/tea/shake shop.

I assume for a small number of rigs rather than the whole fleet? Otherwise, that's a huge coffee shop!

Well its 2 adjacent units, the current lease owner, has a coffee shop in one, and is using the other for taking portrait photos, but they don't need the whole space.

It wont look like this for the 6 month test, as I am just putting the sims in, and seeing what happens, but if it makes money I may stay put a while and build it out something like shown. Still trying to come up with various floor plan ideas.

The town has nothing for teens to do...

Damn, that's major and looks awesome! Fingers crossed for you that it works out and you get to realise those designs.

I wish you the best! I hope you manage to fill it up. Good advertising will be the key!