rec.autos.simulators

With regard to what Dave Gymer was saying about improving your car
setups, here's a few tips about how to make the computer cars brake later
and all round a bit more competitive.

Here's what I've done...

Used Karusell's editor which can be found in Dave Gymer's utilities in
his F1GP page, and bumped the AI horsepower right up to around 970 which
sound a lot at the moment, but bear with me.  I can't remember what I set
the AI grip to. It used to be 23 before I changed the horsepower but I've
put it down to about 15 now (don't quote me on that). You'll have to
change it to what suits you.

Anyway, the next stage is to use Dave's AI editor GPCSetup to change the
AI setups so that they have mega amounts of wing. We're talking 64/64 on
most of the circuits apart from perhaps the faster circuits like Germany.
Also make the gear ratios really long so they don't run out of gears half
way along the straight. As for the brake balance try about 20 to 25 at
the rear...they can handle it. DO AS DAVE SAYS THOUGH AND MAKE SURE YOU
BACK UP THE F1CT**.DAT FILES FIRST IN CASE YOU BALLS UP!

Now becasue you've given them loads of wing, they'll be dead slow
right...wrong, that's where the mega horsepower comes in.  You'll need to
tune it a bit so you get them going at a reasonable top speed.

But what you should end up with is 25 cars that accelerate like nobodys
business and brake almost as late as you because of all that wing and the
brake balance they have.

Much more exciting.

Anybody else got any good tips??

Tony Sime

: ... As for the brake balance try about 20 to 25 at
: the rear...they can handle it.

I did some messing around with the CC setup brake balance, and as far
as I can tell, it seems to be completely ignored, in so far as it makes
no detectable difference to CC lap times.  Did you actually see a
variation here?

Well if you've looked at the laptimes then you'd be in a better position
to know than me.  It may be that they are braking later because of all
that extra wing and it is actually nothing to do with the brake balance.
I could be mistaken but it appeared that as you put the brake balance
towards the back there seems to be a peak in how late they brake. Really
high rear values seemed to make them have to brake a bit earlier, as did
values around 00R. The peak seemed to be around 20R.  Try looking at the
hairpin at Australia.

I'm partially going by the values I use myself.  I find values between
10R and 20R are pretty good for late braking.  Anything further towards
the back and the car gets very sloppy and difficult to drive.

I will have another look when I get the chance. Is there anyway to log a
computer car with GPPerf or a similar program so I can have a better look
at this?

Tony

I wouldn't expect the brake balance to affect the CC times much.  The
balance shouldn't directly affect the braking power.  Changing the brake
balance will simple prevent one end or the other from locking up.  And
since the computer cars do not brake terribly hard, the balance would
have to be quite bad before they had to adjust their brake points
to prevent locking up.

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Gary Beeton
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