rec.autos.simulators

OK I like to run Tally with OPP. strength at 105% in realistic mode w/
restrictor plate on! and race length at 50% to 75% all damage and
everything. Ok now to the question! When I qualify the best I can do is
196.010 while the AI is doing 202.XXX and so on. Now call me stupid are
whatever but I don't think I'll ever see 202.XXX when I qualify!
So I start the race in last place and proceed to the top 10 in 8 - 12
laps(39 car field). Finally I catch the leaders in about 30-40 laps. OK
Why? these guys are qualifying about 5-8MPH a lap faster but are 1-3 MPH
slower than me in the race! Is this realistic?

Thanks

Justin

Hello,
        Your oppenent strengh is to high. If you lower it to 100%, then you can
qualify better with realistic speeds.
--
                                        Sincerely,
                                        Mark

Come and visit the page SPEED!!!!!
Has great Utilities, Setups, Cars, Links, and more!
Here go and check the place out at
http://www.nascarnet.com/~speed/

For E-Mail info,

Yeah, but what's the fun of realistic qualifying if you then blow the
doors of the field in the race.  Winning a race at 105% isn't that
tough, but you do have to do it from 39th position.  The obvious
solution is to edit the BLAP line in the taladega.txt file to slow down
the AI qualifying speeds.   That way you can get both competitive
qualifying and racing.

--

The IWCCCARS Project: Q & A Representative
http://www.theuspits.com/iwcccars/index.html
http://userwww.service.emory.edu/~ebusch/

I don't want to race at 100% the AI is way too slow!

Thanks for the info Eric but I haven't really gotten into editing the lines
in nascar2 (besides mirrors). What value should I use in the BLAP line?

I guess it depends on how much faster they are then you.  Try
increasing that value a bit and see how much of a slowing effect it
has.  Just keep doing it bit by bit until you reach a happy medium.

--

The IWCCCARS Project: Q & A Representative
http://www.theuspits.com/iwcccars/index.html
http://userwww.service.emory.edu/~ebusch/

line?

Increase the RELS setting to speed up the field.

DNR Enterprises
http://members.aol.com/dredick825

: Thanks for the info Eric but I haven't really gotten into editing the lines
: in nascar2 (besides mirrors). What value should I use in the BLAP line?

From the "Hacker's Track FAQ"
<http://www.teleport.com/~mcarver/trackfaq.htm>:

BLAP  30400

This defines the posted hot lap times that your opponents run in
qualifying and practice. (30.400 seconds) If you are beating the pants
off of them in qualifying and don't always want to start on the pole
(yeah right!) lower this number in 10th's increments.

From a post by Josh Beaulieu:
 You're getting too complicated here.  BLAP is, measured in thousandths
of a second, the best possible lap an opponent will do in qualifying at
RELS=100.  If RELS is, say, 101; then the actual best possible
qualifying lap will 1% quicker than the BLAP value.  BLAP only affects
qualifying. RELS is the relative speed of the opponents, both in
qualifying and during the race.  So while BLAP only affects qualifying,
RELS affects both.

--
**************************** Michael E. Carver *************************
     Upside out, or inside down...False alarm the only game in town.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=<[ /./.  [-  < ]>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

The problem is this ....

The AI runs way too slow in turn 2 - making it very easy to drive under
them and pass two or three cars down the back stretch.  Also, the AI cannot
draft offa the back of your car because you will dust them through turn 2.
I have been struggling with the Talladega AI trying to make them faster
through turn 2 - but merely changing the LP file to provide a higher speed
through the turn does not help.  If anyone knows other track factors that
effect AI speeds - please let me know.  I would like to provide a rev2
Talladega AI patch to fix this and leave the opponents strengths at 100.

/THansen

Question:

After reading this thread, I went and downloaded the TRACK.TXT FAQ from
M.C.'s site.  While very informative, it left me with another question.
Namely,  the RELS line.  According to the FAQ, this line is the " relative
strength of the field in percentage compared to the human player".  So,
what it the opponent strength setting under the regular option menu for?  I
am using the modified TRACK.TXT files from your site, thanks, btw, and the
RELS line for Tally is set at 104, and I have the program set for 100% AI
strength.  What is the difference in these settings?

While I qualify decent, usually top 10, I usually pass everyone on the
first lap ( no pace lap ) and then it is just a matter of time till I start
lapping traffic.  

Anyway, just wondering what the difference is between these two setting,
and which one takes precedence.

Thanks,

Robert

A better way to describe RELS is that it controls the relative speeds
of the AI drivers in relation to their speeds at other tracks.  Say you
like to race at 100%, but at Talladega the drivers are too slow and
it's too easy to win there.  What you can do is increase the RELS line
so that you can keep the opponents strength setting at 100%, and still
speed the AI cars up a bit at Talladega.  Basically it's a way to fine
tune the tracks so you don't have to change the Opponents Strength
setting for every race.

--

The IWCCCARS Project: Q & A Representative
http://www.theuspits.com/iwcccars/index.html
http://userwww.service.emory.edu/~ebusch/

I

They may be "relative to each other".

From as near as I can tell (I haven't tried messing with this yet, but I
read
the same stuff as you) you was to adjust the QUAL & RELS rating so that
what
you see happen doesn't happen. If you are lapping traffic in the race, but
not
qualifying that great you can adjust the numbers to get what you want.
I think in you case you want to raise the RELS number...

You can think of them as pretty much being multiplied together. (Opp
strength * RELS is "effective AI strength at a given track") The
reason they are separated is that some human drivers are better at
certain tracks than others; so if you've got a smokin' setup at
Bristol such that it's no fun, but all the other tracks are right
given the opp strength setting you use, bump up the RELS at Bristol
which will pick up the AI's cars at that track only, allowing you to
tweak the game to always be challenging...

---Jim Sokoloff, Papyrus