rec.autos.simulators

I've been experimenting with sims for about 6months now. I've been playing
SCGT,  Nascar 3, GPL, GP3, F1-2001.

What I'm wondering is how long should it usually take to learn new tracks
(road tracks).  How do simmers do it? How do pros do it? I'm sure not
everyone has the same techniques. Are there any tools?

THanks...

BTW, I don't use any of those girlie F10 or roof cam views. It's all
done in the***pit.

Gerry

In GPL the shorter tracks take about 10 - 15 laps for me to memorize what to
expect for the next turn. I try to relate the surroundings to where I am on
the track. It probably hepls to have a photographics memory. :-)

Nascar ovals are trickier for me since I don't drive them often. I usually
never know where the pits are, but I suspect that I would have to practice
pit stops quit a few times before I felt comfortable about the location of
the pit entrance.

Tore

Keep in mind that before the individual tracks it takes hundreds of laps on
many tracks to refine your driving technique which is a key stepping stone
to doing well before attacking a new track.  So general experience with the
sim/car is crucial.

I once asked a real life pro and he said it takes about 8 laps to get the
lay-out right and get on to the quick laps (he was talking about Spa BTW).
It's probably easier in real life than in a sim. On a kart track it takes me
only a few laps to memorize it, in GPL it takes a lot longer...

Bye,
Leo

When I drive in real life into an unfamiliar suburbia maze of streets, I can
find my way out surprisingly easily, but if that maze was in a sim I think I
would get lost instantly.  I guess real life has a lot more track-side cues,
better resolution and peripheral vision.

Yup.. after 5-6 laps on the Ring in real life we knew every corner. I
had the advantage of knowing the Ring from GPL, but my friend never
drove on the Ring in GPL and the track after 5-6 laps too.
So much easier in real life with all those extra textures and scenery
:)

Andre

1st)  Find and follow the driving line.
2nd) Find the exiting speed of the corners.
3rd) Find your braking points going into corners.
After you have all of that settled, then work on speed.

Of course, all easier said than done.
I get frustrated with my set-up for a corner.
I get too eager, turn in early, and screw-up
my line for the next few corners.

In GPL, I spend most of my time figuring
out how to attack corners.
Obviously, to do this, you have to be familiar
with the track and predict what line to take
through the road yet to come.

It's a lot like english in pool....
Except at 200 MPH.
________________________

Jim

       For some sims and some tracks you can find "track guides" on
the web by searching.  While these describe the track as driven by
someone who's pretty fast, they are invaluable, even for us slow
folks.

One lap?!?  Wow, that's why I take so long to get up to speed.  It takes me
longer than one lap to know where the turns are.  I'm *still* having problems
with Goodwood, after a lot of laps... :(

Eldred
--
Dale Earnhardt, Sr. R.I.P. 1951-2001
Homepage - http://www.umich.edu/~epickett
GPLRank - under construction...

Never argue with an idiot.  He brings you down to his level, then beats you
with experience...
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Goodwood and other airport circuits are always gonna be hard to learn
because they are so flat. All the planes are parallel to you and the 3D
engine can't give you the cues you need. I still miss brake points at
Silverstone despite hundreds (probably thousands) of laps there. I'd kill
for a graphics update that put brake markers on the corners!

Indeed, completely flat tracks are incredibly hard to learn, just like in
real life. It was probably one of the main reasons that I had such a
dreadful test at Bedford. I just couldn't judge the distance, quite stupid
but true.

Normally I get up to speed quite quickly, quite often I'm within 2 secs on
my second lap in a gokart. And it's not much different on a regular track.

In sim racing it depends on the simulation, in GPL I used to learn the
tracks very quicky. But you just keep on setting pb's, because there are so
much areas to improve (just driving, not to mention the setup).