The SR Sportsmanship Rating Downward Spiral Club

[englishbob]

I have been playing this game since day one, but just recently one of two things has happened with SR in the game...

1) players stopped giving a ****
2) the game is badly balanced

I spent quite a bit of time online this weekend, which has seen my SR rating slide from B to E. For every time I'm shunted, bashed off the circuit the SR points go down regardless of if it was my fault or not.

Classic scenario, Suzuka first double right corner, get hit from behind which sends you into an uncontrollable situation where you get pushed into another car, you get penalised. Etc etc

On each SR rating tumble it plays more and more like Mad Max as you spiral downwards, players blatantly ramming and crashing into others deliberately. Now at E level it seems impossible to me to get out of it again.

Judging by the qualifying times on the class E races, there are obviously skilled drivers here. Potentially prior B (or above class) drivers that have become as disillusioned as me with this online system of control that has lost its way.

It all started off so well, but now it plays like just about any other online racer. Only the offline content update can save this for me now.

 

[Potato_Head]

I dunno. I've stopped trying to go for positions. If I can, I simply give up any contested position. I'm happy to finish last, I just don't want to deal with some [insert abusive word] driver out-braking themselves, or dive bombing me.

 

[baldgye]

On each SR rating tumble it plays more and more like Mad Max as you spiral downwards, players blatantly ramming and crashing into others deliberately. Now at E level it seems impossible to me to get out of it again.

I'm going say that this isn't true, it's just going to require some work to do.

I got into a spiral a few weeks back where I went from S to B, it wasn't a fun time, but I was able to get back to S and I've stayed there. It's actually silly easy to massage your SR level up to S.
What I did was a joined a one make series without a quali time, so I started last. Slapped on a podcast or some music and then trundled along at the back. It's surprising how far up you can actually finish by doing this, people are horrible drivers for the most part and you see them spinning out crashing out and you just happily trundle past!

After a couple of races of doing this back to back, you'll notice some of the same guys (or at least I did) and build up a kind of friendship, they know you'll let them through so they don't fight you.
And if you do run into a few people you let go that you wish you didn't... that's what the warm up lap is for!


Right after and during my spiral down the SR ranks, I shared you're view. But if you make sure that when you're back up the ranks, you qualify for a good 20-30mins and set really the best time you can you'll start higher up and have some good races. Also good to pick your events and tracks wisely, I avoid Assange Village (I think that's the name, or close, the one with the banked hairpin), and GR4 races because they are just a mess.

 

[LNSE492]

Mine went from S down to B and back to S again over the weekend.

The B was harsh - some guy in a VW hit me from behind in T1 at Suzuka, then made a move around the outside going into the S bends so I let him go. He then barged the next guy off the track in a Megane, and seeing this unfold I eased off to keep my distance. At the next bend he ran wide, rejoined dangerously and bumped the Renault into my path. I couldn't avoid that one and I got a 10 sec penalty for bumping this poor guy off the track and dropped down to SR:B and the guy that caused all the havoc escaped the race with an improved SR!

Regarding the point about qualifying times, I'm not sure what happens with my races but it seems the faster I go, the lower I start. Yesterday's Suzuka races are a good example - when I loaded the game up there were only a few minutes left before the race start, so I only had time for one banker lap. It was a steady 2m11.5s that was good enough for 5th on the grid. For the next race, I'd improved it to a 2m10.1s, and that placed me 7th. From there, I subsequently got it down to a 2m9.5s and that was starting me about 9th on average, and then finally a 2m9.1s that had me jumping up and down the top 10 for the rest of the night. It just seems to me that the quicker I go, the harder my opposition. I rarely see the benefit of improving my time and after 165 races, I've only had 11 pole positions.

 

[VFOURMAX1]

Regarding the point about qualifying times, I'm not sure what happens with my races but it seems the faster I go, the lower I start. Yesterday's Suzuka races are a good example - when I loaded the game up there were only a few minutes left before the race start, so I only had time for one banker lap. It was a steady 2m11.5s that was good enough for 5th on the grid. For the next race, I'd improved it to a 2m10.1s, and that placed me 7th. From there, I subsequently got it down to a 2m9.5s and that was starting me about 9th on average, and then finally a 2m9.1s that had me jumping up and down the top 10 for the rest of the night. It just seems to me that the quicker I go, the harder my opposition. I rarely see the benefit of improving my time and after 165 races, I've only had 11 pole positions.

The next quote inserted in this message is from several weeks ago as I was trying to figure out if it was possible to get starting positions higher on the grid to give you a better chance of getting a top finish.

I took the other day and placed a qualifying time that was intentionally slower than my pace possible on the track, I ran 5 races and was placed in grid position between 8th and 14th. Room Q times were between 3 seconds faster and 5 seconds slower than my time. In a couple of those races I gained 10 positions by race end.

Next I went and placed a new Q time 2 seconds a lap faster than my previous time. Same track, same race, same day. I then proceeded to race another 5 races. I was placed in grid position between 8th and 16th. Room Q times were between 3 seconds faster and 10 seconds slower.

It seems that I am always placed in a mid grid position and all of the races that I enter always have drivers from DR races from higher levels. I realize that they say it is determined by who is online at the time but in a 10 lap daily race on prime time I am sure that each daily race start time has multiple lobbies kicking off a race at the same time on the North American servers.

So as you can see my "improving" my lap time to move up on the grid test did not at all seem to influence my starting position at all only move me into races with faster racers. This test was all the same day, same daily races and done during prime time hours. For some reason it seems rare for me to have a top 5 starting position although in multiple races I have gained 10+ positions from a rearward starting position.

I wish I knew the secret, this has been the same for ranking levels DR, B, C and D. SR ranking has always been S.

 

[DriftMethod]

@baldgye mentioned the unfortunate truth. Just stay away from Gr. 4 races and be cautious about the events you drive in. I've witnessed some impressive driving and sportsmanship in Gr. 3 races.

 

[Mr616]

The next quote inserted in this message is from several weeks ago as I was trying to figure out if it was possible to get staring positions higher on the grid to give you a better chance of getting a top finish.



So as you can see my "improving" my lap time to move up on the grid test did not at all seem to influence my starting position at all only move me into races with faster racers. This test was all the same day, same daily races and done during prime time hours. For some reason it seems rare for me to have a top 5 starting position although in multiple races I have gained 10+ positions from a rearward starting position.

I wish I knew the secret, this has been the same for ranking levels DR, B, C and D. SR ranking has always been S.

I've started to notice this also. It seems the only time I'll get a top 5 grid slot is after I've raced DR:A & S's and got my ass whooped. I yoyo between hi DR:B into low DR:A but that never lasts long lol. SR has always been S.

It doesn't bother me much because I just like to have good racing and battles regardless of position, but the days of me starting top 3-5 are long gone. Maybe 1 in 10 races.

 

[stevenhiggster]

More kids and casuals on at the weekend. I'd avoid weekends.

 

[ASH32]

You can get away with pushing others about now, you have to hit them very hard (or clear off track) to get a penalty. The Megane is also an easy car to exploit this with without risking your race if you are the sort to chose to do this and it's the only way some drivers will ever win so it's no wonder some do it.

I got pushed about a lot earlier in todays Megane cup until I improved my qualifying time, start any lower than the first few cars and you'll get people forcing their way past you all race, as soon as you get stuck behind someone by trying to pass properly, you start getting lots of contact from the cars behind, so that's another reason for some of the failed overtake attempts, they will be from drivers who know if they don't go for it soon they will be on the receiving end.

 

[NoFinClue]

Suzuka was utter mayhem yesterday. Only thing to do is have a session where you only concentrate on a clean race. Even that is a challenge below B, but it is possible. I went down to D, once just to see what it was like, and I regretted it.

If you need motivation, you could try to get some rewards for the number of clean race bonus, instead of winning.

 

[Furinkazen]

Went from A to C to A to B in 9 days

 

[JeffKill]

Don't know if its the time of day that I play or what. But I moved up to SR/S after just a few races, and have stayed there since then. I never seem to have problems with people crashing though. I've only run into a couple idiots and it was easy enough for me to avoid them. I usually qualify within the top 4-5. Currently DR/B, SR/S.

 

[PorscheHD]

This weekend i went down from S to A after many weeks in S because of the Nordscleife, today iam in bad races with A and B drivers and its allot more messy get to S and stay in S is the secret voor clean races.....

Edit:

And B we keep falling down haha strange system......

 

[TSTO]

Don't know if its the time of day that I play or what. But I moved up to SR/S after just a few races, and have stayed there since then. I never seem to have problems with people crashing though. I've only run into a couple idiots and it was easy enough for me to avoid them. I usually qualify within the top 4-5. Currently DR/B, SR/S.

I'm with you there, I've been SR S since day one and haven't fallen off. But it comes at a cost that best I got so far was 2nd place. I've done 50 races so far. It's because I try to be super clean and try to overtake cleanly most of the time. Yesterday I qualified 3rd on Autodrome Lago Maggiore Gr.3 and it was intense but the dude in second place had a laggy connection from Mexico and was nudging me and top guy the whole way through. I ended up getting knocked by 4th place guy and finished 5th. I've yet to get that "FIRST VICTORY" joy. Sometimes I do encounter many fools on even SR S but for the most part people really do try to stay clean, mistakes do happen though.

 

[GT6mebe]

C feels like hell. I can only imagine the horrors of E.

 

[Sven Jurgens]

It's better to do longer races, the first corner penalties are sometimes enough to get a red rating in an otherwise clean 3 lap race. I now concede positions at the start to avoid the badly positioning drivers trying to win the race in the first corner. When I follow perfectly behind someone, there's a good chance someone else behind bumps me into them, and that's with SR.S maxed. Even when they don't shunt me into the person in front of me I still get down rated. I don't know what the game wants me to do, teleport? I need that Knight rider jump boost button.

Anyway since I stopped doing FIA races I haven't been subject to downward spirals anymore. FIA race is carnage, easy to drop from S to A getting pinballed around the track. Then 2 more first corner messes in A, down to B.

It pays off to get to SR.S though. People at least try to drive clean, it's mostly the penalty system that screws you when someone pushes their car a bit too hard. No deliberate punting. (Well not often anyway) And stay away from Interlagos and Meganes and Beetles.

 

[toddstar77]

without rage quitting I've never seen or been to E and back. There's been some door bashing in my DR:B / SR:S races, dropped to SR:A a few times, a couple of clean races later and back to SR:S..... I'm really wondering what the OP has been doing to slide that far that quick?

 

[markvanhaze]

Sounds all too familiar. I worked my way up to Dr:B and Sr:S and now I am barely on Dr:B with my Sr rating down to B. All in one Sunday afternoon.
I think I will do the podcast thing and trundle along in an A race for a while to get my Sr back.

 

[englishbob]

I got into a spiral a few weeks back where I went from S to B, it wasn't a fun time, but I was able to get back to S and I've stayed there. It's actually silly easy to massage your SR level up to S.
What I did was a joined a one make series without a quali time, so I started last. Slapped on a podcast or some music and then trundled along at the back. It's surprising how far up you can actually finish by doing this, people are horrible drivers for the most part and you see them spinning out crashing out and you just happily trundle past!

After a couple of races of doing this back to back, you'll notice some of the same guys (or at least I did) and build up a kind of friendship, they know you'll let them through so they don't fight you.
And if you do run into a few people you let go that you wish you didn't... that's what the warm up lap is for!

While this is something you can do as some sort of solution, its not exactly a great game-play experience is it?, just to sit on the track and poddle along just to get your points up (aka doing a Coulthard).

Its like playing an FPS and not shoot anything for game after game.

 

[baldgye]

While this is something you can do as some sort of solution, its not exactly a great game-play experience is it?, just to sit on the track and poddle along just to get your points up (aka doing a Coulthard).

Its like playing an FPS and not shoot anything for game after game.

I mean, your still racing, just not getting involved with other people’s races, picking up places when they spin off and have accidents.

I’m now back in SR-S and after a couple of shakey races I’ve had 4/5 brilliant races driving door to door alongside other guys.

It’s worth it.

 

[markvanhaze]

Yup. Im back on SRS but my DR is now C... Oh well.