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If I remember correctly, it was also rejected on the basis of whose spot would they be taking. If our sweet spot is 12 drivers per Division, adding another 1, 2 or 3 to that division would require we remove 1, 2 or 3 existing drivers, who had earned their way there.

Seems like the simplest way to deal with new drivers was to have them earn their way into the correct division.
.

I agree with this.
Although a fast driver may have to wait 1-2 weeks to be in the proper division, you are not just kicking someone out who earned it.
 
And yes, I ran my cars 9 hours overnight on Tsukuba, and practiced. All of them. :crazy:

I just do the 200 mile Laguna Seca eduro, depending on the car, it takes 2.5 to 3 hours. Pretty sure 90+ percent of the cars will be broken in after 200 miles.

When do we get to usually find out next week's combos?

We ask the combos be chosen today and are posted shortly after they are made. This gives everyone the week to get ready!!!
 
I just choose the 9 hour because I can go to bed at 10 and reset at 7 am, go to work, reset after I get home from teaching school, then play around... break in 2 cars a day easy on week days.
 
If I remember correctly, it was also rejected on the basis of whose spot would they be taking. If our sweet spot is 12 drivers per Division, adding another 1, 2 or 3 to that division would require we remove 1, 2 or 3 existing drivers, who had earned their way there.

Seems like the simplest way to deal with new drivers was to have them earn their way into the correct division.

The alternative would be to risk lag/online bug by adding the new drivers to the Division they qualified for and not removing anyone.

I think we prefer not to take a chance on that.

Also with my hotlap times by myself I probably would be in the bottom of D1, but adding in traffic and everything that goes with a full field, I'm right about in the middle of D2 which is where I belong until I can manage traffic better. I think the way it is now works. Don't fix it if it ain't broke.
 
What an awesome night in Div 2! Kudos to doughboy for the incredible job hosting the room! Congrats to Zero for his overall win!! Well done my friend and I am glad to see you take it. As of now I am not ready to move up the ladder to Div 1, and very proud to be in a group of fierce and clean racers that show a lot of respect for the other drivers!
A quick comment on the yellow line at Daytona. Not to sound condescending, those of us in the know understand that the yellow line is not to be used to gain advantage on the other racers. If put to a vote, I vote that the line should be used for just that. No passing on the start or on the straight.
Thank you again Div 2 racers for a great night on the track!
 
In days gone by, when I got to make a couple of choices, I agonized over the options. I didn't take it lightly. I viewed it as making a decision that was going to affect the level of enjoyment of everyone. Felt a little daunting, to be honest.

I don't know if our current winners feel the same way, but I suspect to at least a degree they do.

I realize it's not a life or death decision that's being made, but it does affect 30+ peoples gaming experience.

I put some thought into my selections. My thinking was that I need to pick a track that is easy enough to learn that someone could pick it up and know it within a week. I also tried to pick cars that were easy enough to drive so as not to have people slipping all over the place. Overall my theory has been to pick something that is easy to learn but hard to master.
 
If I remember correctly, it was also rejected on the basis of whose spot would they be taking. If our sweet spot is 12 drivers per Division, adding another 1, 2 or 3 to that division would require we remove 1, 2 or 3 existing drivers, who had earned their way there.

Seems like the simplest way to deal with new drivers was to have them earn their way into the correct division.

The alternative would be to risk lag/online bug by adding the new drivers to the Division they qualified for and not removing anyone.

I think we prefer not to take a chance on that.

This is why I made my comment in response to HogsterGT, I knew our resident ninja would step in and give all the details.

Like I said HogsterGT, the majority of this group is in favor of the current model.
 
That hurts - it's accurate, but it hurts. I was sometimes in his rear view mirror. Maybe a little speck, but I was there!

I did have a few moments when there wasn't alone. I don't remember them all.

And I even got a 3rd place finish last night. That was because I survived an early wreck, and one of the drivers ahead of me literally dozed off. It was the last race of the evening and he drove right off the track. Those behind me were likely faster, but didn't have enough time to catch back up to me.
 
In days gone by, when I got to make a couple of choices, I agonized over the options. I didn't take it lightly. I viewed it as making a decision that was going to affect the level of enjoyment of everyone. Felt a little daunting, to be honest.

I don't know if our current winners feel the same way, but I suspect to at least a degree they do.

I realize it's not a life or death decision that's being made, but it does affect 30+ peoples gaming experience.

I agree 100%, I found the choice to be difficult to make. I wanted a car/track combo to be worthy of the skill I had witnessed the week before. So I based my choice on the following:
  • The S2000 has just enough torque to get the rear-end to step-out if given too much throttle too soon
  • The turns of the track are technical enough to force you to take the turn correctly or pay the price for it
  • Tire choice (based on PP value of car) means you need to be let the car do a little sliding to be fast, but keep the car on a short leash she get away from you

In race 2, lap 6, last turn - I let my car run a little too wide and I just caught the rumble strip and then the grass on the exit of this turn, and it spun around, slide across track and hit the wall to driver's right. :( This exactly what I was referring is point #3. I was & am glad I found this car and track combo. :) I am sorry that a little less than have the group didn't like this car and track combination. I ad a lot of fun with this combo, and I had hoped everyone else would too.
 
Vol Jbolaz & anyone else who wants to be faster:
Mopar & I hold practice session nearly every night during the week and have even offered tutoring to help drivers become faster. I'm pretty sure we will be doing the same thing tonight. You are welcome to join us.
 
I agree 100%, I found the choice to be difficult to make. I wanted a car/track combo to be worthy of the skill I had witnessed the week before. So I based my choice on the following:
  • The S2000 has just enough torque to get the rear-end to step-out if given too much throttle too soon
  • The turns of the track are technical enough to force you to take the turn correctly or pay the price for it
  • Tire choice (based on PP value of car) means you need to be let the car do a little sliding to be fast, but keep the car on a short leash she get away from you

In race 2, lap 6, last turn - I let my car run a little too wide and I just caught the rumble strip and then the grass on the exit of this turn, and it spun around, slide across track and hit the wall to driver's right. :( This exactly what I was referring is point #3. I was & am glad I found this car and track combo. :) I am sorry that a little less than have the group didn't like this car and track combination. I ad a lot of fun with this combo, and I had hoped everyone else would too.

I had a great time with this combo as well. For all of the points you made. When I first hopped in the car, my first thoughts were, just let me get through this. But after a little practice and watching some replays, the coordination needed between braking, throttle control and steering inputs made for a super fun time.
 
I had a great time with this combo as well. For all of the points you made. When I first hopped in the car, my first thoughts were, just let me get through this. But after a little practice and watching some replays, the coordination needed between braking, throttle control and steering inputs made for a super fun time.

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

...I feel a little better now. *sigh* :)
 
I think the questions needing answers are:

1. Is something broken with the reward system?
2. If there is something broken, what is broken and what is the fix?
3. Is everyone going to love every track/car combo (no matter who picks it)? (somewhat tongue in cheek) :)
4. If there isn't anything broken, let's go racing!!!
 
I rushed home for lunch so that I could respond to some of the posts, but I've just spent my entire lunch just trying to finish reading the posts lol.. :boggled:

I've got so many things I want to comment on, but I have to go back to work now. I'll provide some responses when I get home in the evening. Thanks to everyone for voicing their opinions on all matters. This is exactly the type of community that we were hoping for!

:gtpflag:
 
I put some thought into my selections. My thinking was that I need to pick a track that is easy enough to learn that someone could pick it up and know it within a week. I also tried to pick cars that were easy enough to drive so as not to have people slipping all over the place. Overall my theory has been to pick something that is easy to learn but hard to master.

Coming from a person who's picked the combo 5 times and just the car 2 more...it's hard. Aside from the nsx, which i chose purely because I liked it, I chose the BMW concept, spirit rx7, leggera, skyline, supra and jaguar with the group in mind first. It took work but all minus the jag and supra were received well. I spent my lunch hour on mondays testing and then chose best fit.
 
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I think the questions needing answers are:

1. Is something broken with the reward system?
2. If there is something broken, what is broken and what is the fix?
3. Is everyone going to love every track/car combo (no matter who picks it)? (somewhat tongue in cheek) :)
4. If there isn't anything broken, let's go racing!!!

To point #1:
Personally, I don't think there is anything wrong with the reward system.

To point #2:
If the rewards system is broken,m then why did everyone join this group knowing that the top 3 drivers in Division 1 would get to make the choices for the tracks? If you didn't like it before you signed up, then why did you sign up? I'm not trying to be a "B-word", I'm just asking the question as direct as I can.

To point #3:
I didn't have a problem when jlbolwer chose to replace the car for the HSR. I personally would not have picked a slow car for a fast track, but then again, it wasn't my decision to make, it was his, and I respected that. I'll be honest with all of you, when I read that he picked the Sky Window car I was like :boggled: & :( then I was like :crazy: and then :grumpy: then I was like :banghead: and finally I was like :cool: lol

Bottom line, it was his choice, deal with it, move on. I hated this car for the HSR track but I practiced, I ran it, I figured it out and then we (the group) voted this combo out. Majority wanted this combination removed (me too, but I couldn't vote). It's fair, it's simple, it works. do we have to like or love the car/track combos picked by others, no. Just run it the best you can and be done with it, and then vote to have it removed or changed. What's the big deal.

for the record, I would have changed the track, but I completely understand and respect jlbowler's decision. :)

To point #4:
Let's just race!
 
What about if you watch something on Hulu or Netflix? Do you experience connectivity problems with those types of services? The speedtest doesn't take very long, and it could be your getting your paid for data rate, but the consistency isn't there and that's causing the problem.

What happens when downloading a large file? Does your data rate stay pretty constant or does if fluctuate?

I know your not going to like my answer, but it sounds as the wireless service from the grain elevator to your house is the problem. You said you were close to the grain elevator. How close?

My parents live in the country and had a similar wireless setup as they cannot get DSL/Cable. The service worked ok for web browsing, but I was there house-sitting and decided to play battlefield heroes and the lag was bad enough i couldn't play. I don't remember what up/down rates they were getting, but it was the only reason i could come up with to why I experienced such bad online play.

Netflix on the PS3 works wonderfully. Very rarely does the video pause to drop the quality a notch. Most of time we're watching video at SDTV quality or better. It's hard to tell because I don't think it says what quality it's running at.

I just downloaded a 560 Mb file. It started at about 610 kb/sec. Within the first minute it moved up and stayed between 635 kb/sec and 640 kb/sec for the rest of the download.

I am about a half mile from the grain elevator (actually, according to google maps, just 1700 feet). There is very little in the way of interference or obstacles between it and my antenna on our roof.

Traditional lag (jerking cars, "wagging" and the like) has been a problem next to never for my connection on GT5, even under the older connection. The low latency must be helping that. The only problems that I've had are this of not being able to see a driver, and occasionally not being able to hear someone on their mic. I'll be able to hear one side of a conversation but not the other.

Many of you long-term S.N.A.I.L.s can attest to the fact that I typically have no lag or other problems when racing or playing cat and mouse, etc. I have been in rooms with Zer0, Lead, Diabolic, Rally, doughboy, cheeb, Spooble, Spic and others without a problem. It's only when certain people show up that any inadequacies/incompatibilities with my connection show up, and then they typically show up for both of us.

My older 2G connection had obvious problems when gaming. This has not shown any except for the mis-connection between me and other drivers.
 
To point #1:
Personally, I don't think there is anything wrong with the reward system.

To point #2:
If the rewards system is broken,m then why did everyone join this group knowing that the top 3 drivers in Division 1 would get to make the choices for the tracks? If you didn't like it before you signed up, then why did you sign up? I'm not trying to be a "B-word", I'm just asking the question as direct as I can.

To point #3:
I didn't have a problem when jlbolwer chose to replace the car for the HSR. I personally would not have picked a slow car for a fast track, but then again, it wasn't my decision to make, it was his, and I respected that. I'll be honest with all of you, when I read that he picked the Sky Window car I was like :boggled: & :( then I was like :crazy: and then :grumpy: then I was like :banghead: and finally I was like :cool: lol

Bottom line, it was his choice, deal with it, move on. I hated this car for the HSR track but I practiced, I ran it, I figured it out and then we (the group) voted this combo out. Majority wanted this combination removed (me too, but I couldn't vote). It's fair, it's simple, it works. do we have to like or love the car/track combos picked by others, no. Just run it the best you can and be done with it, and then vote to have it removed or changed. What's the big deal.

for the record, I would have changed the track, but I completely understand and respect jlbowler's decision. :)

To point #4:
Let's just race!

Okay, well.. I was kind of going to let it go, but this answer is getting a bit bitchy.

In the D3, round 1 had much closer racing than round 2. Uhm... isn't that the point? Don't you actually want racing?

Maybe in D1, the racing in round 2 was close, I wasn't there. But that goes back to the problem. The elite drivers pick technical combos and the poorer drivers suffer.

To quote the OP:

And finally, our league features Promotion and Relegation in order to ensure that our members are in competitive races, regardless of their skill level. It doesn't matter how fast or slow you are, you will almost always be fighting to gain or defend a position on the track. These three elements are unique to our league as it is, but when combined together, they provide a one-of-a-kind racing experience unlike anything seen before!

I have to say, that isn't quite true. You have to be at least be sort of elite before you will be fighting to gain or defend track position. If you are like me, you'll see people at the countdown and then you'll only see someone when they spin off course.

As to a fix... uhm... why are all three divisions on the same car/course combo? I don't understand that. They can be on different schedules. I can't figure out any reason why that would be a problem.
 
If you're having a hard time on a car/track combo, practice it more. If you can't do that, drive it carefully when it's time to race it. If you don't like it, vote for it to leave. If it doesn't leave, practice it some more over the next week. If you still can't race it, count on the other four races to bring your point total up.
 
It's only when certain people show up that any inadequacies/incompatibilities with my connection show up, and then they typically show up for both of us.

Interesting you say that, yesterday for the first time, a buddy and I had a problem connecting up. We've been playing GT5 since launch. We live in the same town, have the same ISP and Modem/Router. In my lounge with me as host, he couldn't connect getting an incompatibility with host message. We tried with another friend as host, we could both get in the Lounge but I couldn't see or hear him and the same for him. The third friend could see both of us.

We both exited the game, rebooted the PS3, cleared the GT5 cache and everything was fine :odd:
 
Okay, well.. I was kind of going to let it go, but this answer is getting a bit bitchy.

In the D3, round 1 had much closer racing than round 2. Uhm... isn't that the point? Don't you actually want racing?

Maybe in D1, the racing in round 2 was close, I wasn't there. But that goes back to the problem. The elite drivers pick technical combos and the poorer drivers suffer.

To quote the OP:



I have to say, that isn't quite true. You have to be at least be sort of elite before you will be fighting to gain or defend track position. If you are like me, you'll see people at the countdown and then you'll only see someone when they spin off course.

As to a fix... uhm... why are all three divisions on the same car/course combo? I don't understand that. They can be on different schedules. I can't figure out any reason why that would be a problem.

Did you miss the post where I said that I will let Div2 & 3 drivers to make suggests on what track I pick this week? I would ONLY make my selection from those suggests, but in the course of a couple of hours, NO ONE has made any track suggest to me. This is your chance to pick, I have given it to you, and yet NO BODY has even made a suggestion - including you. :(

I understand group 3 didn't like my selection because it's too hard - fine. Here is your chance, use it or I'll pick the the track I want , which will be a more challenging track that will make Autumn Ring feel like a Sunday Drive.

I have 24 hours to make my selection which means I have until 11pm EDT to finalize my choice. I'm giving you and everyone in Div 2 & 3 to voice your picks on the track. As far as I know this has not be done before, I the rules did not say that I had to make my selection of my own free will. I'm giving up MY prize to you and others in the group, so you have a voice. I strongly urge you to use this opportunity, don't waste it.
 
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If you're having a hard time on a car/track combo, practice it more. If you can't do that, drive it carefully when it's time to race it. If you don't like it, vote for it to leave. If it doesn't leave, practice it some more over the next week. If you still can't race it, count on the other four races to bring your point total up.

But still... why are all three divisions using the same combos?

Again, if I'm going to drive alone, I can do that on a different night. No need to show up on Sunday.

Also, several people seem to have this notion that anyone can be Vettel. The only reason we aren't is because we don't practice enough. That is just bull. I only have so much talent. I accept that. I've been playing GT5 for over a year now. I've gotten better, but I'm never going to be as uber elite as the rest of you.

I mean, yes... I can leave you guys to it. I'm too slow for the SNAIL league. I get it. But... it is kind of demoralizing not able to find a group of casual drivers that aren't uber elite.
 
I don't practice much. I use my bspec drivers to break in the cars and if I can, I run the Wednesday night practice session. Other than that one night, I might run five laps at each track during the week.

For the record, I voted to get rid of combo #2 just like most of the div. 3 drivers. I have had it engrained in me since a very young age that you don't slide the car around the track to be faster. It tears up tires and you're not faster if you don't have any tires left. I know it doesn't apply to the short races we run here but that is the way I was taught to drive and old (good) habbits are hard to break.
 
Did you miss the post where I said that I will let Div2 & 3 drivers to make suggests on what track I pick this week? I would ONLY make my selection from those suggests, but in the course of a couple of hours, NO ONE has made any track suggest to me. This is your chance to pick, I have given it to you, and yet NO BODY has even made a suggestion - including you. :(

Sorry for the double post, the thread moves so fast. :)

I did miss that. Again, thread moves fast. How about this, though:

You pick whatever track you want. In D1 and D2, it will replace the round 1 track. In D3, it will replace the round 2 track. You still pick. But each division gets to dump the one they don't like. So each division will diverge a bit, but will always have the same new car/course combo. We will run it for at least a week.

Does that make sense?

My suggestion... well... I love Fuji. GT more than F, but I like F well enough. There is a very good clear line (most poeple don't follow it because they brake too late), but the track is wide enough that you can make a mistake and keep going, plus the runoffs are paved, so if you really mess up you don't crash.
 
In the D3, round 1 had much closer racing than round 2. Uhm... isn't that the point? Don't you actually want racing?

Yes we want close racing, but if only car/track combos that fit your capabilities are chosen, you won't get any better. In fact I'd suggest you'd get bored. Granted, driving by yourself in a race with 10 or 11 others isn't ideal, but if every combo, was vanilla, foot to the floor, brake, turn, rinse repeat, that'd get old fast.

Maybe in D1, the racing in round 2 was close, I wasn't there. But that goes back to the problem. The elite drivers pick technical combos and the poorer drivers suffer.

Elite drivers picked the car/combo for round 1 too.

I have to say, that isn't quite true. You have to be at least be sort of elite before you will be fighting to gain or defend track position. If you are like me, you'll see people at the countdown and then you'll only see someone when they spin off course.

That's too bad, and believe me I've been there. I raced 50% F1 2010 races in that exact same situation. After the first turn everyone was gone, up until they lapped me. But I didn't give up, I got better and eventually was able to have some respectable finishes.

Not saying you're giving up, I'm just trying to lead into, we have two elite drivers who have committed their time to help anyone here get better. If that's your goal, I'd take them up on it.

As to a fix... uhm... why are all three divisions on the same car/course combo? I don't understand that. They can be on different schedules. I can't figure out any reason why that would be a problem.

I can think of some reasons, tripling the number of combos that need to be kept track of. Also, if we announce the Division splits on Saturday, that doesn't give the people on the bubble much time to get ready, if they go from D2 to D3 or D1 to D2. It may create a greater sense of separation between the Divisions. And who's to say someone that wins D3 is not going to pick a challenging combo?

Again, took so long with this, wonder what the Ninja count will be :)
 
But still... why are all three divisions using the same combos?

Again, if I'm going to drive alone, I can do that on a different night. No need to show up on Sunday.

Also, several people seem to have this notion that anyone can be Vettel. The only reason we aren't is because we don't practice enough. That is just bull. I only have so much talent. I accept that. I've been playing GT5 for over a year now. I've gotten better, but I'm never going to be as uber elite as the rest of you.

I mean, yes... I can leave you guys to it. I'm too slow for the SNAIL league. I get it. But... it is kind of demoralizing not able to find a group of casual drivers that aren't uber elite.

I think you're selling yourself short. I'm not asking you to practice to perfection. I'm just saying that if you had a hard time with a car/track combo, perhaps practicing a bit to smooth out the rough edges would take care of it.

Why should all three divisions be on the same combos? To put everyone on the same playing field. If Div II were the 450-550 PP level and Div I was above that, you're going to find lots of problems, such as:

1: People comfortable at PP<550 but terrible at PP>551. If they are promoted to Div 1 because they are good at the slower cars, they may be miserable when they're racing there.

2: The completely different atmosphere in the races between divisions would make the entire league seem disjointed.

3: Someone might not like the combos in one division or another, and will just want to stay there, making even promotion seem like a punishment, leading to sandbagging and lowering the competitive drive in a division.

I could go on...
 
@apmaddock

Not sure what else to try, maybe if I can get those ports listed tonight. That might help.



Althought I'm new to SNAIL I vote to keep it the same across the divisions
 

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