rec.autos.simulators

I've derived tremendous enjoyment from GPL (rank +27), and have been
trying desperately to enjoy Nascar 4. I must say that it makes
watching the races on TV make more sense since I now have an idea
about how yellows and pitting etc work. And NASCAR 4's realism in this
area is impressive. Graphics are a treat as well.

I remember being very frustrated with GPL's twitchiness in the early
days (I drive the Lotus) but I think I am even more frustrated with
N4. Trying to run in a friendly league - either I take a stock "fast"
setup and lap a second a lap slower than everyone else, or I download
a faster setup that is so twitchy I cause 3 yellows in a row and quit
in frustration.

Can this beast be slayed? After say 50,000 laps of being smashed
around by the AI, will the light come on and I will be competitive AND
be able to control the car??

Fed Up, Wilf

I wsa in the same boat. What kind of wheel are you using? I gained a lot of
control and speed in N4 when I ditched the NasPro2 Logitech and finally went
to a TSW2. That solved my problem. I still am not the fastest, but the game
is far more managable and enjoyable than before. I'm even better at GPL now
because of it.

Phillip

Wilf,

First of all - dont make the same mistake everyone else does; I.e go hunting
for some "ace's" setup and think that will cure your problem....

Speed will come - with time and with the setup that is right *for you*.

Try to find a mid-point between the fast but uncontrollable and the slow but
nice handling.
Try and get hold of some of Doug A's setups - they are generally very well
balanced.

(Now if I only had the URL here ... :-()

--
ed_

Well I started with the fast setup as a base for most of my setups.  I just
went out and worked on taking out whatever I did not want in the setup.  I
like a touch of understeer, but like at Watkins the fast setup seemed a bit
too pushy too me.  Resetting the shocks and working the springs till I could
drive thru the corners faster and also make the car easier to drive overall.

I know there are a bunch of guys who are really fast in N4 and can drive a
setup that is very twitchy. I cannot and usually work towards a setup where
I am comfortable  in a corner and able to get down and push the car to its
limit

Dave

One thing I really like about N4 is that you really have to get in there
and design your own settings to suit your own driving style. Downloading
fast setups isn't going to do a thing. It may be fast but if you don't
drive the same way as the person who developed those setups, your tire
wear will likely differ to theirs.

http://www.sportplanet.com/team-lightspeed/

Has a setup guide that I've found invaluable. Also some track guides
that make things a little easier to learn.

Cheers,
Rod.

Doug Arnao's setup page:

http://www.vehiclecraft.com/n4/

Wilf,

A couple things that might help -

- practice, practice, practice.  Sounds like you are already on that road,
so no more to say on that.

- learn how to setup the car.  That probably sounds flippant, but it is not
meant to be.  N4 really takes things to a new level and you really need to
get in there and get a good understanding of all your setup options and what
their impact will be.  You might want to check my setup guide at
http://www.frogdogracing.com  There are many guides out there that go into
great detail - I tried to consolidate as much of them as possible onto a
single page that you can use while practicing.

- establish a good practice protocal.  We've all probably heard that you
should only change one thing and be sure to keep notes of changes.  jmo, but
I think up to now, a lot of people were able to shortcut this step in
previous Nx titles.  There may be a few out there that can still do that,
but I think the majority of drivers could improve a lot faster if they take
the time to do this.

Anyway, just a couple ideas that I hope help you out.  Good luck!!!!

Jeff Causey
FrogDog Racing

If I could find time to do a decent Ring lap, I would have a negative Rank
in GPL (maybe 1 or 2 seconds, nothing great).  I love GPL and I love real
race courses.

I also enjoy NASCAR because it is easier to race and be competitive and win.
But there is one huge problem for us F1 fans that is exacerbated by N4's
realism: it is more difficult than you think to drive a substantially
asymmetrical set-up. When all is going well, it's fine, but when you need to
make a quick correction because you did something foolish (often) or the AI
did something foolish (more often), the imbalance of the car can really,
really throw you for a loop.  The same thing happens to me in GPL if I use
one of the hot lappers off-balance set-ups.

This might be your problem....??

Marc.

Thanks to all for your replies. At least I can see I am not the only
one having difficulty making the transition from GPL to N4.

Wilf

Well THAT sucks.  There are those of us who have NO setup skill... :(

Eldred
--
Dale Earnhardt, Sr. R.I.P. 1951-2001
Homepage - http://www.umich.edu/~epickett
F1 hcp. +16.36...Monster +360.54...

Never argue with an idiot.  He brings you down to his level, then beats you
with experience...
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I can't speak for Wilf, but usually ANY change I make to the car makes it
WORSE.  Say a setting is at 0.  I change it to 1, and the car is worse.  I
change it to -1, thinking I simply went the wrong way with the numbers - the
car is worse.  I can't seem to make it BETTER, no matter what I change...
I'll print out your setup guide, and the other one that was mentioned, but I'm
not encouraged.

Eldred
--
Dale Earnhardt, Sr. R.I.P. 1951-2001
Homepage - http://www.umich.edu/~epickett
F1 hcp. +16.36...Monster +360.54...

Never argue with an idiot.  He brings you down to his level, then beats you
with experience...
Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.

Eldred..try this...

default is 4 in core.ini switch to 2

[Task]
max_grabs_per_update_w_track_view=2      ; Max frames/update with track view

Dave C.

  Try this:
  load up any of the speedway tracks(not the SS ones) and run a few laps
with the medium setup(I forgot the name)  then hit the pits and drop the
REAR TRACKBAR two clicks on each side.
  If you were having problems before with the tail end stepping out, this
simple fix will help stick the back.  However, it's not the fastest setup,
but you will have a stable platform to begin running tons of laps
  The old N2 theory was to NEVER make a change until you've run at least 10
laps.  Then, starting with getting the tire temps right, change ONE thing at
a time.  Repeat as necessary...I should point out that I too am totally
helpless when it comes to setups so my advice might not be the best  :)
dave henrie

How does that help your setup skill?  I must have missed something somewhere...

Eldred
--
Dale Earnhardt, Sr. R.I.P. 1951-2001
Homepage - http://www.umich.edu/~epickett
F1 hcp. +16.36...Monster +360.54...

Never argue with an idiot.  He brings you down to his level, then beats you
with experience...
Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.

Hiya  guys, I'm another one who has great difficulty in working out setups
and usually rely on Doug Arno's or Bob Stanley to get me reasonably on the
pace.

I've read  a lot of information on setup and although I sort of understand
what is being said it just doesn't translate well when I try it myself.
Either you've got it or you haven't.

I had a league race yesterday at Lowes' Night and knew even with Dougs or
Bob's setups I wasn't going to be in the running.

As I happened to be off work with a medical problem I resigned myself to do
some testing.

What I did was run about half a dozen different setups and ran the car until
my front right tyre hit the yellow and then added a couple of more laps and
then exported my times for comparison. (40 laps)

In the end I butchered one of Bob Stanley's Texas setups  and ran with that
in the nights race. My times aren't very flash and somewhat embarrassed by
them compared to the "fast guys" but so you have a perspective of it I ran a
best lap 30.3xx and by the time I hit yellow and did another 10 laps (around
47) my times were in the high 31's.

I made a tactical error and pitted when I should have hung on to 4th place
and waited for the leader to pit. It cost me a lap and I never recovered
from that. Only a couple of yellows in a 160 laps race. I finished 6th.

However I was doing ok with lap times and the result could have been better.

The point is??

I found that the fastest setup wasn't necessary the best once you start
getting past 30 laps and have to consider tyre wear  in the bigger picture.

I'm thankful to anyone who is decent enough to post a good setup which
surely makes for better racing and assist us hopeless setup technicians...

Stu C