rec.autos.simulators

Well I've come a long way from the initial release of N2.

I'm currently at the point that how yellows are handled glares brightest.

We all know that once a yellow is handed out that you get to race to the
finish and then lineup in your proper order. This sometimes takes a little
time depending on the wreck. With this part I have no suggestions for
improvement it seems fine.

Once you get in line it seems like it would be a good idea to be able to press
a key to lock your car in the line and let auto-driver take over. Until 1/2 or
1/4 lap is left before going green. In a multiplayer atmosphere the same would
apply.

Here's were you can get creative and have some option toggles.

1. would be to accelerate time once everybody is locked in their proper
position, causing less actual driving at 60 mph. This would be nice to keep
things on the move.

2. after everyone is locked, have the program automatically go through a
series of replays on the accident that caused the yellow. Like TV, I think
this would be so neat.

The good thing about the lock method is that it could give you sometime to
relieve yourself (important for late Friday night racing in my circumstance)
or do some small task while your parading around the track a few times.

The length and time of yellows to me seems like there could be a better way of
handling the dead time. Locking your car in the minimum would give all racers
a couple minutes usually to take care of even more important business!!

Q.B.M.

This would be great in a solo race, but I think it would***people
off in an MP race if their yellow was accelerated (and they had no
choice) and they needed the cool down period.  You could say that if
one didn't want to have the caution accelerated, they just would avoid
locking the toggle.  But in that case everyone in the field would have
to agree to have the caution accelerated, which would be very rare
IMO, particularly with large fields.  Probably not worth the expense,
even if only in time,  to code it in.

If I need to pit, I want to be concentrating on getting too my pit
stall as fast as  possible without speeding.  Replays might be 'neat',
but would be a major distraction for those actually paying attention
to the race.

If someone has damage and needs to pit, fix a little, get out before
being lapped, pit again, etc., etc., the "yellow-locking" feature
wouldn't be too appreciated.

I think a chat feature ala-NASCAR 1 multiplayer racing would be a
worthwhile addition.  This way the drivers could chat away during the
yellow, perhaps release some steam, or make an apology.  :-)

Kyle Langston
_________________________________

http://www.racesimcentral.net/

You do realize that there is no reason at all for extended yellows
right?  I mean, pause the game to take a leak instead of relying on a
caution because I don't think it takes my computer long to forget to
draw  the cars involved.  I do like the replay idea though.
--
"You stick to driving your typewriter and I'll stick to driving the
racecars"-Freejack
David W. McFarland

'87 LX hatch

REPLY:

I can't when I'm playing multiplayer. No pause. Those yellows get so long on
late Fridays-early Saturdays that before the game starts I know to bring 3 to
4 beers to the table for each race. Let me say it gets quite painful. But even
without this scenario there's still a lot of nice little things that could be
added to the yellows to make things a lot more user friendly.

What type of code adjustment can I make to shorten yellows if I choose?

Thanks,
Q.B.M.

Smart-ass hat on:

There already is a toggle to do just want you want.  Turn-off Yellow
Flags!

Smart-ass hat off:

I did enjoy the "cruise control" in the Indy 500 Sim.  Of course in
those days I was racing via joystick and my throttle finger was damn
tired after a few hours and I prayed for a yellow so I could pop it into
"cruise control".  

However, I work on keeping the heat built up in my tires under yellow.
Will "cruise control" do that for me?  

Smart-ass cap on:

Can we have a "cruise control" for Tally?  It gets damn boring just
*** out waiting for the checker. ;-)

Smart-ass cap off:

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

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

There's are big reason to race with YELLOW ON that go way beyond what your
simple answer suggests.

I've found if your race with yellows off, if there's a sizeable wreck the AI
drivers get hung up in the wreck bigtime. You can go from last to first in
seconds. This pretty much screws up the whole race. This happens in nearly
every multiplayer race, somebody's gonna hit someone. So what happens in this
scenario normally is all the human racers end up in the front with the AI
behind which wouldn't be like this if yellows were on. This problem is very
unrealistic.

The other thing with yellows is they save you sometimes. That is if your in a
spin out or such instead of being 30 seconds plus behind the leader you get
placed back inline with a win still possible. In a multiplayer enviroment is
where it's more appreciated. It's nice to keep all the human racers in it
battling, it makes a much more invigorating expierence.

Yellows make the game better IMO, turning them off isn's as black and white as
it seems.

Instead of disagreeing to disagree. I'm asking for the option to have a few
different ways of handling yellow flags, I'm not asking to do away with
realtime full control either.

Also as a disclaimer I would like to again state many of the little problems I
bring forth may not be noticed nearly as much in a single player game, but
these problems do exists in multiplayer games. So if some are arguing from a
single player pespective you may be right about that, but please be
considerate.

It could be a toggle option in the menu.

I agree the track is the most boring one. Zzzzz.

Q.B.M.

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

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

Good race at the Brickyard, (Old'Indytrack guy)

     [===]   Go Rubens Barrichello, Jacques Villeneuve,

     | ! |   And all you that thinks that Jacques Villeneuve is
      |!|    from Canada, your right!! He's from St-Jean sur le
      |o|    Richelieu, 30 minutes from Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

    [--I--]      
       v  
Fran?ois Mnard "Wasupe LeGrand"
Nien Numb in the National Star Wars League(X-Wing vs Tie-Fighter league)
http://www.dakotacom.net/~strange/
http://www.starwars.com/      
Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition,N2,Gp2,Icr2.How can my life be better?
May the force be with you, always!!
Que la force soit avec toi, jamais!(for you French people)
Excuse me for my poor English(I'm French speaking)