s*** happens, that's racing. But there's a few things you might keep in mind
to improve your chances:
- drive on Papyrus' servers and report wreckers to Papy. This is effective -
reported wreckers get banned from WON/ Sierra.com
- try driving on road circuits or the more difficult-to-drive ovals. Easier
tracks are riskier in terms of meeting wreckers.
- try using the well reknowned servers. Some hosts (or bosses) will eject
wreckers or admonish bad drivers. You may not know yet which these servers
are, but you'll learn it in a while.
- try to foresee from the behaviour of a car whether the driver could be a
wrecker, and to prepare yourself. In the race, cars lingering at standstill
or driving slowly are suspicious, just like slower cars changing roadsides
more than once in front of you. Anyone not qualifying or qualifying very
poorly is moderately suspicious - no red alert yet, but at least he should
be watched in the race. Cars doing donuts excessively in practice, speeding
through the pits, shortcutting a lot, driving fast but crashing all the time
or doing other uncommon antics repeatedly can be wreckers (maybe sometimes
spontaneously out of frustration with their own inability). Be twice as
careful when you're the leader, as the leader is the preferred target.
Try to see wreckers as an additional challenge - it's not racing, but it's
there, so deal with it.
But your impression that this happens in 75% of all races is wrong. AAMOF, I
cannot remember when I've seen the last wrecker on an RC, and I've certainly
not yet seen one in N2002.
Therefor, don't give up, stay at it. Online racing can be very satisfying.
Achim
