I think your assessment of the divebomb situation is overly simplistic. If I enter a corner 0.5 ahead of another car, I am almost certainly committed to the racing line and set up to hit the apex and accelerate out. If the car behind is at the apex when I get there, he did it by taking a ridiculous and unpredictable approach. He might be able to get around the turn, likely with a very, very poor exit, but by the letter of your interpretation I’m in the wrong. Hello, constant divebombs and penalties to the car ahead.
Similarly, your point about re-entry invites everyone to target a re-entering car. Just nudge anyone who comes back on and give them another penalty.
I think you’ve misunderstood my point about SR. It’s not supposed to differentiate on the basis of skill. Even low skill drivers can avoid contact by being aware and cautious. If the game was filled with drivers who want to drive clean, then everyone should be SR S. We then have DR to determine skill matchups.
Ultimately my point is that lots of systems seem logical in isolation, but when they’re implemented there are always unintended outcomes and manipulation. If it was easy to implement, every game would already have done it.
I agree with you on tighter rules for dive bombs, but it is the accepted definition.
First this should be part of GT7 etiquette as well. It's sort of implied with the one move rulke but not stated directly anywhere
On a straight, a defending driver has the right to suddenly change direction, even using the entire track width if they are fully ahead of the attacking driver. The same right does not apply in or immediately before the braking zone for a corner. Sudden changes of direction just before or within the braking zone are considered extremely dangerous, as they can leave the attacking driver nowhere to go. This rule is not stated explicitly in the FIA sporting regulations, but is considered an “abnormal change of direction” under sporting regulation 20.5
Obviously some change of direction is allowed within the braking zone — the optimal racing line usually involves some amount of trail-braking — so it is up to the stewards to decide what constitutes an “abnormal” amount of movement.
This can also be detected by the game, any sudden changes in direction in a braking zone where there is nothing in front to avoid should put the blame on you when something happens. The game knows the racing line, abnormal deviations from it can be detected.
The texbook method for overtakes is to already be alongside in the braking zone
Consider the textbook method for overtaking in a corner: the attacker takes an inside line, gets alongside the defender in the braking zone, and beats the defender to the apex. If the attacker is ahead at the apex, there is no dispute over ownership of the racing line. The defender must yield. But what if the attacker is only partially alongside? Who owns the apex then?
Different racing series have their own criteria for how far alongside an attacker must be to have a claim to the apex. In Formula 1, the norms have been explored and refined over the years as a result of drivers like Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher pushing the boundaries and exploiting any gray areas. Today, it is generally accepted that the attacker must be at least halfway alongside the defender when they reach the apex to have a reasonable claim to this piece of track. Moreover, the attacker should not have achieved this position by carrying too much speed to make the corner — this method is called dive-bombing.
GT7 is a different racing series and the 'textbook' example in Beyond the Apex shows the very thing we both hate, diving in from 0.5 sec behind.
When overtaking, you may have to give up on the optimal braking scenario we learned about previously. Even if your driving line goes wide at the corner exit and you are not able to accelerate under optimal conditions, it can still be worthwhile prioritising getting in front of your opponent when braking.
Hence my rather weak definition for a dive bomb, being able to make the corner is basically all GT7 requires. And if you see a move like that coming (which you often can) let them through and undercut, pass them again at corner exit. If they really go that fast to beat you to the apex they will overshoot the apex and leave the door wide open to go under. But I'm also for assigning the 10 points and penalty to the car coming from behind if contact occurs and the defender already left more than a car width to the apex. The attacker couldn't make the move in the space that was available to him, so it's on him. The attacker is also required to keep inside the white line, if he goes too far to the inside he will be coming from off track and automatically have the blame.
Anyway, being alongside in the braking zone before turn in should really be the requirement for a move like that. Races would clean up considerably if GT stopped promoting these dives as the way to make a pass. The AI does it, it's the only move the AI detects and leaves you room for, it's encouraged in Beyond the Apex and if you beat the other guy to the apex the penalty falls on the defender regardless whether the attacker could make the corner or not.
Why would people target re-entering cars? To discourage that, if that happens, all that's needed is leave the SR Down, 3 point deduction, for contact with a re-entry / unghosting ghost. Which would be better. The penalty falls on the one with the responsibility to avoid a collision on re-entry, yet avoiding to miss a re-entering / unghosting car should still cost you a little. Irl it would be damage, without damage 3 demerit points seems fair.
The point of SR was to match people with equal 'mindset', DR to match people of similar speed. On a 2 tier selection method you have to make a cut off somewhere. Making equal 'chunks' would provide the best match ups on DR. Get rid of DR resets and divide everyone in equal safety groups. Now you have the rubbing is racing crowd together, the no contact races have their own group, and wreckfest players have their own selection as well.
Over time the system can perhaps refine the division when it becomes clear how many points / 10 hours reflects the standard you would want for SR.S. But sorting everyone on one scale (instead of the + and - yoyo system) that's not easily manipulated, will at least keep the trouble makers away from the no contact drivers.
If it was easy to implement, every game would already have done it.
I got this idea from my insurance provider. Bunch of years ago they had a promotion to drive around with a gadget in your car for a couple months to measure your driving style and base a discount on that. You could follow online what it measured. It was very basic, it simply noted hard acceleration and hard braking events measured over time. If you drive steady, look far ahead, anticipate other traffic, never a need for hard braking. Well sometimes to avoid an idiot not stopping for a stop sign. But in the long run it works.
Someone has to be the first, a contacts over time system as safety rating will work.
