Combo championship series

[RomKnight]

FLX, for some reason I think I was using your tune. But since it was a different track I might have other settings or even default ones.

Anyway, the car seemed fine but like a boat in some chicanes and that rear left tire problem... Which I think it happens because of my driving... err... style

Anyway, cool racing last night. VERY close indeed.

Thing is, there ARE problems with setups. Mine were swaybars in the Z4 for round 1 and gearing. Even if I had it right (for me) after EXTENSIVE testing, in the actual race the 5th gear was shorter.

From now on I might just leave the cars stock and hope for the gearing to stick

 

[FLX1981]

Fuzzy, my S3 redlined on the Nürburg long straight... which is clearly not what I geared it up to. And I usually drive with lots of brake pressure but in the S3 and the Z4 I had almost none. I had to brake at least a second before my initial brake point from training to even almost stop in time for the curves.

The difference online/offline testing tunes is night/day for me at the moment. Same car, same track - 2 completely different experiences.

Was like that in 90% of all my online races since Sunday. Only in the RTR-X and the Z4 race I did with Rommie last night it felt like it should. Rest of the time I was hustling useless POSs round the track. Edit: And with the Falken 911, but that was stock.

@ Rommie: It was really cool, especially with the turquoise overpowered Beetle in my rearview!

 

[FLX1981]

@ Zee: For the Bentley Race did you mean Silverstone National or Silverstone International 2009? Probably the latter, right?

 

[RomKnight]

That Bentley is awesome almost stock. Lets see how it behaves with 1499 PI.

What pink beetle? It must have passed me when I crashed but I don't remember seeing it in my mirror...

 

[Zeeco_9]

@ Zee: For the Bentley Race did you mean Silverstone National or Silverstone International 2009? Probably the latter, right?

Yeah I think it is the Silverstone International (2009)....as long as it has the (2009) at the end, it will be the right one

 

[TexasTyme214]

All that practicing at Silverstone National for nothing! It was only 5 minutes though.

 

[FLX1981]

Damnit, that Bentley race will be awesome! Like throwing an elephant round a minigolf course! Fun!

 

[RomKnight]

Due to a motorcycle accident, my friend and colleague is now in hospital. So I'm alone at work for the second time this year but this time I'm not sure for how long.

Because of this my time to practice and (de)tuning are now reduced. No worries about missing the races on Sundays so far. All is not lost.

I'm not worried about results though because i'm an hell of a driver

FLX, I just got this news but we will still own the tracks so don't worry. These guys cant even drive a shopping cart from what I've seen so far

 

[FLX1981]

Best of wishes to your colleague. An hour of practice on raceday should be enough to destroy those talentfree slow-goers. Especially that steve180d or whatever he is called.

For bugginess reasons I m not so keen on spending hours on tuning atm anyway.

 

[FLX1981]

And to the surprise of absolutely nobody on this forum, I found a new bug: My Liveries dont get saved anymore. After a restart they are gone.

Is it only me or is the game getting rougher and buggier while its aging? Feels like its close to dying...

 

[STEVE182rs]

@Tex all set and good to go for sunday mate, need to get on time trial now tho if your up for it later? I wonder what cars will be out this week in d class !

 

[Vaxxtx]

@Tex all set and good to go for sunday mate, need to get on time trial now tho if your up for it later? I wonder what cars will be out this week in d class !

Steve, I guess you didnt hear the news? We raced yesterday instead of tomorrow due to schedule changes. Sorry you missed it. No need to get online Sunday......

Speaking of D Class cars. I am betting more people will be using the RX8. I never cared for it, but it is one of the top dogs in D hands down.

I am still sticking with other cars though.

 

[TexasTyme214]

@Tex all set and good to go for sunday mate, need to get on time trial now tho if your up for it later? I wonder what cars will be out this week in d class !

We'll definitely get another practice run in for sure. I wonder what we're using as well! Whatever car that is, I know one of my cars needs to be a little polished before we decide.

Speaking of D Class cars. I am betting more people will be using the RX8. I never cared for it, but it is one of the top dogs in D hands down.

I am still sticking with other cars though.

It looks like originality only works for one round. Then it will become the norm the next round. At least that's my opinion.

 

[FLX1981]

No it wont. I couldnt ever drive a clean lap with the RX8 in Shift 2, even if my life depends on it. Funny thing is: I drove the 230hp version in real life several times and I loved it. Nearly bought one twice before deciding to get an A3 instead.

The RX8 in the game behaves on dry tarmac like the real car in the wet - its nowhere near the same grippiness, control and fun.

 

[Zeeco_9]

I thought a lot this week about different options to try and eliminate the collisions we had last week. It is very difficult in this game to formulate a precise rolling start, but the option is to do a fomation lap and then at a predetermined spot to hit the throttle. In this case it is the easiest to assign that spot to the grid roster painted on the straightaway at the end of lap one. It will be the responsibilty of the racer in the number 1 position to lead the pack to that point and then hit the throttle. During the formation lap you run at +/- 60/70% of race pace with all racers holding their positions.

We have the option of doing a qualifying short time attack before each race, to determine our starting positions....or just keep with the random starts.

What do you guys think? Shall we try it tomorrow? 💡

 

[Vaxxtx]

I thought a lot this week about different options to try and eliminate the collisions we had last week. It is very difficult in this game to formulate a precise rolling start, but the option is to do a fomation lap and then at a predetermined spot to hit the throttle. In this case it is the easiest to assign that spot to the grid roster painted on the straightaway at the end of lap one. It will be the responsibilty of the racer in the number 1 position to lead the pack to that point and then hit the throttle. During the formation lap you run at +/- 60/70% of race pace with all racers holding their positions.

We have the option of doing a qualifying short time attack before each race, to determine our starting positions....or just keep with the random starts.

What do you guys think? Shall we try it tomorrow? 💡

I am willing to try it.

 

[Zeeco_9]

Vaxx do you want to do a qualifying time attack before the race? The only snag is we have to allow time for it and extend the races with one lap eg class D 5 lapper to a 6 lap to account for the formation lap. It might be too time consuming...

 

[RomKnight]

I say, just start the race and hold your horses. We raced a few times already and everyone should understand we start with cold tires... so don't push it. Its not that difficult.

Plus, beating Steve and Texas is M.I. 4 so why make their job easier by crashing

I just hope I don't have to waste one lap for everybody to form a line and then hit the gas...

We can agree on NOT USING NITRO in first lap though...

PS: When in doubt, don't (tm)

 

[Zeeco_9]

Trying to make the start of the race to complicated is only going to mess it up, so we keep it simple. Today the class D race will have a formation lap (as explained above) to see how effective it is. Race 2 and 3 will have the normal start like we always have. Be cautious at the first corner and if you accidently hit someone allow that racer to regain his place. We have raced enough together to know what to do by now 👍

 

[Zeeco_9]

Some points we can all read again

There are times patience seems to be a lost art. The other problem is that if everyone waits too long to make a move the front row starters have the race to themselves. I don't know if anything can be done as I "think" most incidents are related to collision detection, at least I hope so.
I look forward to online racing for a sociable event.

+👍

I have seen on many online races the biggest issue with crashes is down to ONE thing....awarness. Sometimes you get into tunnel vision and dont pay attention to what (or who) is around you. I have seen two cars at the start go side by side then the car just a LITTLE ahead turns right into the other. It happens quite a bit. Here are just MY tips:

1. I know lots of people hate using the look left/right buttons, but a QUICK look shouldnt be too much of a distraction.

2. Use the look back button a LOT. Took a corner wrong? Know you lost some speed? Look back and see where the person behind you is now. Most likely on your butt or about to pass. Pick a line and stick with it. I hit the look back button so often I can probably drive all the tracks in reverse.

3. Look at the top left corner and see how many seconds or .001 seconds the car behind you is. If they are CLOSE and you dont see them in your "look back" chances are they are beside you. Look at the corner coming up, and decide what side they are most likely on, and be ready to make a clean line to give them a chance in the corner as well.

4. Listen to the sounds. I can tell where a car is usually just by the sound of the car relative to mine. Not everyone uses surround, but if you do it helps.

5. You are gaining on a car. Dont assume they know that. Pick your chance to pass but keep in your mind the chance they dont know you are passing and be ready for a quick move. Also if you ARE right on their butt, be patient with it. Choose a portion of the track you know you are faster on to overtake.

We really shouldnt have to go the extra mile to make a risky pass, but sadly the collision detection sucks, and we have to deal with what we are given. I am sure we would see more close battles if it wasnt for that big issue.

Also, Tex's suggestion is rather good. A formation lap would help quite a bit I think. We could even go further and do a 5 min time attack (qualify) lap to pick the positions before the race, and get into them during the formation lap.

Just some thoughts. I love this series and look forward to the races every Sunday. I dont want them to end.

+👍

In the virtual world it is all about winning at all cost (offline racing conditioning), in real life racers don't take unnecessary chances because of the consequences.
We can overcome the anxiousness and learn online racing etiquette but the lag is a physical limitation that we have no control over. New racers to the group should be informed of the "gentleman approach" to our online racing and the lag problem. The rest of us still have some learning also - finishing 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. is not a bad thing - especially if we are not "clearly" faster or don't have a good clean line to improve our position.
Also, we have to remember that the racer in front of us may be slow/slowing not because "he" is slow it may be that they are giving the racer ahead of them room.

+👍

Now, I have IDs always on (when a bug does not disable them....). Latency range from 200 to 400ms everybody in green while in lobby indicator.

If someone tell me I hit them I will not doubt but rest assured, it'll not be on purpose as I several times go off track to avoid hitting someone.

As a last example, Steve128rs passed me right before the tunnel entrance from the left (I was aware of if because I saw him in the mirror) so I hold to my line and it was still very close and no incident.

I also remember legends series and the BMW. Side by side with fatkrakr and although I did not see him I knew from the start he was there so, just hold the line.

This leads me to agree with Vaxx and awareness plus assuming the guy in front migh change his line just because tire grip and not owns fault. The only direct blame I do is when I'm hit from behind IF I did not make an emergency brake (mostly because lag issues with cars "jumping" in front of me or crash in front of me)

BUT I always keep my distance and I usually wait for an error (or if after 2 laps the guy in front constantly has a window in the same spot ). As I said, I don't consider side by side scrubbing a deliberate collision while in passing manoeuvres.

All these talking to say I'm agreeing with Vaxxtx AND please tell me if I hit you even if I didn't know because it'll tell me so I can "learn" how much distance is needed to avoid a collision.

My 2¢ and forgive me if I messed up while (un)aware. I really don't want to loose this races we're having.

+👍

I say, just start the race and hold your horses. We raced a few times already and everyone should understand we start with cold tires... so don't push it. Its not that difficult.

Good points folks 👍

 

[FLX1981]

The tracks today all have lots of space to avoid collisions in the first turns without ending up in sand or grass, that should be a good thing too. For these tracks, I dont think we really need to do anything. Also we are all warned by boss Zee after last week, so our awareness should be higher.

But I think its a good Idea to try the warmup lap in the D-class race for later events. Qualifyings would be too time consuming, I think, plus too confusing with finding your spot and all that.

D-class race today is at Dubai, so where is the point to hit the throttle after the warmup lap? Start/Finish line?

 

[RomKnight]

D-class race today is at Dubai, so where is the point to hit the throttle after the warmup lap? Start/Finish line?

That would be OK since everyone should be already in a straight line when the 1st guy hits the throttle.

But let me a add a point here. During the first lap, RL pilots are supposed to form a line as we will do at a moderate pace and in an "engineered" style instead of just follow naturally (this will hopefully change now).

Thing is, we will be in a line at the end of that first lap and hiting the throttle before time might have its consequences. That being said I my suggestion goes to NOT forming a line.

For those who ride motorcycles, in group travels we never ride directly behind the guy in front. Let me try drawing stick men

| rider 1

| rider 2​

| rider 3

|rider 4​

|

and so on...

Look, just like in the grid line :sarcasm:

Also, IRL rolling starts happen this way.

This will hopefully reduce the 1st guy advantage a bit by avoiding the accordion effect so common before 1st corner (but compressing instead of expanding )

And yes, I'm using that RX8 just because I'm just tired of trying to tune a car just to fail miserably. I literally need hours just to get it wrong

 

[Zeeco_9]

Okay so we will try to line up like Rom's stick men

Maximum of 2 restarts per race will also be in effect from today....hopefully we will get going straight away but Texas needs a bit of help sometimes 👍

 

[TexasTyme214]

hopefully we will get going straight away but Texas needs a bit of help sometimes

I have a feeling that there's something wrong with that statement

 

[STEVE182rs]

Hey chaps, looking forward to tonights races great track choice Zee silverstone is my second home. Just back from a 600mile road trip which passed silverstone, I hope to be online in a hour or two Tex.

 

[FLX1981]

I think I just heard some guys in Europe and the US screaming "OH NOES!!!"

 

[Zeeco_9]

I have a feeling that there's something wrong with that statement

Typo error

Hey chaps, looking forward to tonights races great track choice Zee silverstone is my second home. Just back from a 600mile road trip which passed silverstone, I hope to be online in a hour or two Tex.

I think us UK lot should organise a Saturday raceday at Silverstone. They have various options to choose from...as long as I can take the GT-R for a few laps, I will die peacefully

 

[FLX1981]

LOL what the hell whas that today... 10+ restarts to get 1,5 races finished. EA and SMS should be ashamed, this game sucks Brontosaur balls!

When its working, its so much fun to race with y all but all that feezing, bugginess, autolog disconnect crap is just so frustrating I wanna drive to EA Germany to hulk their office to shreds!

 

[TexasTyme214]

LOL what the hell whas that today... 10+ restarts to get 1,5 races finished. EA and SMS should be ashamed, this game sucks Brontosaur balls!

When its working, its so much fun to race with y all but all that feezing, bugginess, autolog disconnect crap is just so frustrating I wanna drive to EA Germany to hulk their office to shreds!

Pretty much. My connection was doing pretty well that round too! Had I been driving the Mini, none of these problems would have occurred. Sorry guys

 

[Zeeco_9]

LOL what the hell whas that today... 10+ restarts to get 1,5 races finished. EA and SMS should be ashamed, this game sucks Brontosaur balls!

When its working, its so much fun to race with y all but all that feezing, bugginess, autolog disconnect crap is just so frustrating I wanna drive to EA Germany to hulk their office to shreds!

I don't know if I should laugh or cry. This game is driving me to drink