rec.autos.simulators

Seems like every online race I run, the cars ahead of
me weave slightly.  They don't hold a straight line -
they weave a half a carwidth in either direction
(some considerably more). Pretty quickly, too.

Are drivers doing this intentionally to "make their
car wide" or is this just an online effect?  When
I view the replay, I see my car moving in a straight
line, as smooth as I can get with my Gravis Xterminator,
but other cars around me weave.

It affects me when I try to get under someone in a corner -
respecting their line, I might add - but I have to leave
a little extra room or else we bang.

It's hard to believe such fast lap times can be achieved
if your car is constantly weaving, even in the turns.
I would think you'd need to be very smooth to run fast
lap times - Of course I'm a backmarker so what do I know...

Race on

--
Doug Appleyard
"Bound to cover just a little more ground"

Sent via Deja.com http://www.racesimcentral.net/
Before you buy.

sounds like just the nature of the on-line beast...... any time you have
enough latency or problems staying in sync with the host, you're gonna see a
certain amount of wiggle.... don't know how to explain to just learn to look
past it and focus on the car's actual line and location, you just get used
to it with time....  but you're right, it does make passing a little
nerve-wracking  :o}

This is called warp.  If ALL other cars weave around while your online, then
your connection leaves something to be desired.  Warping is caused by
"packet loss", your losing data sent by the race server.  Your computer must
maintain the position of all other cars, and it relys on updates from the
server to keep them positions fresh.  If your losing packets of data, then
your computer will keep the other cars in the position it last knew, then
update the position when it gets fresh data.  If you drop packets for a
second, then get fresh packets, the other cars will snap to their new, fresh
positions.  This can be a bad thing if your in a tight pack.

    I would bet it's because of "prediciton code" where N3 is predicting
where the car's gonna be in a second or two instead of actually polling the
modem for that info.  Then when N3 GETS the updated position info, if it's
wrong it has to reposition the car.

Gunner