rec.autos.simulators

Tried a modem race with someone last night, with one of the tracks we
ran on being Martinsville.  During practice, I noticed two separate
instances where an AI car came off turns 2 or 4 (doesn't matter) and
stayed right there on the inside of the track.  When the pit wall came
up, they scrape it and it causes the car to go right across the track
to the outside wall.  There doesn't seem to be any reason for them to
be so low coming off the turn.

Also at the same track, and during the first such AI incident, I
rammed right into the AI car that had come across the track.
I managed to pull the car to the inside next to the pit wall.  The
front wheels were both gone so I assumed (from N1 experience) that I
would not be able to steer very well getting to the pits.  So I just
waited for the tow truck.

Meanwhile, a major backup had been caused with other cars getting
involved in the wreck as well.  I waited and waited for the tow truck,
watching all the while as the backed up cars hardly moved.  Finally
they started going, the tow truck still hadn't come, so I started
moving.  I was happily surprised to find out that I could steer
somewhat, despite both front wheels being flat or gone.  I pulled
around turns 1 and 2, slowly moved down the backstretch, and suddenly
the tow truck takes over for some reason (even though I'm moving and
it isn't supposed to work if you're not completely still) in the
middle of the backstretch, pulls me through the pit wall, and begins
the process of towing me the rest of the way back to my pit.  A
definite bug if you ask me, not to mention the fact that he pulled me
right in front of a car trying to exit pit road.  A towed car should
never impede another competing car's progress.

About Talladega, I was in the very same modem race, but at 'Dega.  I
had worked my way up to third from an 8th place starting spot, there
was a wreck and a caution.  I was happy and frustrated at the same
time when my engine just broke something all by itself (random
breakdown) during the yellow flag laps (happy for the realism -- Hey,
things happen!).  I coasted down to the apron and waited for a tow.
The tow didn't begin till just before the green flag fell.  So here I
was being towed at a snail's pace at the beginning of the long
backstretch, with the entire field flying by at near race speed.
Watching the scenery I begin to realize how completely unsafe it is
for anyone to be towed (particularly for the towing crew) while the
race is going full speed around them.  This never happens on the real
circuit.  The green flag doesn't go until the damaged cars and the
clean-up/towing crews are safely out of the way.  This slightly
unrealistic bug needs to be addressed as well.

Just thought I'd notify any Papyrus reps that happen to be scouting
the newsgroup.  Perhaps these little bugs can be fixed in one of the
planned patches.

Kyle Langston
_________________________________

http://www.racesimcentral.net/

This is unlikely to be patched for the following reason:
A car being towed is "invisible" and cannot interact with other cars
and objects in the world. (hey, it was either this, or no tow option
at all...)

So, while it appears quite unsafe, it's actually not much of a problem
at all, except for the degraded realism...

---Jim Sokoloff, Papyrus

  If you are invisible while being towed how come some times the AI cars
hang up behind you? (like in a tight corner for instance) Seems to me that
it works alot differnt than the way it does on hawaii.

That's a good question (which I'm forwarding to "the man" who knows
about such things...) The intention was that they should be invisible,
but there exists the possibility that they are invisible to the
collision portion of the AI code, but not to the code which the AI car
uses to determine how to drive.

---Jim Sokoloff, Papyrus

So you mean that even though the AI may hang up behind you, they wont
collide with you? So in a multi player towed cars would still pose no
threat to the rest of the field?

Jay Taylor

That is correct. To the other human players, the car is not visible.

However, it can cause one problem and that is when the car stops being
towed and reappears from towing hyperspace, you would not want to be
in that pit stall. (BOOM!)

---Jim Sokoloff

Jim, how about for N2/NRO you add that sparkly transporter effect from Star
Trek just before the car beams. ;)

Dave Sparks
IWCCCARS Project: http://www.theuspits.com/iwcccars/index.html
Late Night League: http://www.sequoia-dev.com/Hawaii/latenite.html
Hawaii Handle: davids

   Maybe for N3 when we all have Don's P7-600's...

   And the patch for GP2 finally comes out...  ;)

Before you send me UCE, I know what you're thinking...  Did he complain
to five or six postmasters last month?  Now, you must ask yourself one
question: "Do I feel lucky?"  Well, do you, punk?

Kyle Langston
_________________________________

http://www.traction.git.net/nrcentral/