rec.autos.simulators

    After racing in Hawaii for over a week now (approx 20 hrs via MCI)
it's time for me to share an opinion.  On the whole I'm really enjoying
the time spent.  After all it is a game isn't it?  I have been modem
racing with my brother for over a year with full field AI cars
(100-103%), but this is a whole different ball game from the AI cars.  
They are predictable whereas the humans are not.  The main problem I see
so far, other than intermittent lost connections for no apparent reason,
is that people are impatient and try to win the race on the first lap.  
This in turn results in the inevitable 1st lap crash.  This is not the
fun part after having to wait through 10 minutes (long distance,
remember) of practice/qualifying before not being allowed to get through
the first lap due to a crash.  This is happening mainly at Talladega with
no pace lap, but happens at other tracks also even with pace laps.  Why
can't people wait for everyone to get going clean and then take a shot at
moving up?  Do any of these people watch the races on TV?  I also wonder
if the majority of racers are making a local call and don't care (or
even have a driver's license).  I assume that most are but I know that
there are many others as myself on long distance where the time (money)
is limited.  Last night for instance I only made it to the backstraight
at Talladega in 1 of 5 races that I ran there.  Five wide in turn one just
doesn't cut it.  True I should have qualified better than mid-pack but that's
another story.  The IROC-type race was a little better but not much.  Overall
my feeling is that it is a great time.  I just wish that patience would prevail
so we could race and not demo derby.  Anyway, thanks for listening to me air
out.  I realize that the racers on this group are not the ones causing
the problems.  Hope this was not too long-winded.  Any comments or other
opinions??  Later.
                                        Mike Bruno
                                        Hawaii -- JMB55

[...snip]

I agree with you Mike, I've found a decent strategy in pick-up races
with strangers is to not come out of the pits until after the green
flag (don't select "Race" from the game menu).  I did this once in a
field of 26 cars, was 12 or 13 after one lap and ended up with a top-5
finish.

Matt Myers

---------------------------------------------
Expressing individualism is just plain wrong.

                          Crow T. Robot

[many mishaps deleted]

Everyone who's serious about MP NASCAR goes through this stage. I will
repeat what I was told when I started agonizing publicly about it myself.
Join a league, find some people you trust to race with. The IVGA has
several series going (www.ivga.com), there's also the PFSS open series,
Bill Cranston has one going (www.synapse.net/~crankstr), but it might be
full by now.

Oh, and stay out of Talladega 0-15 pickup races. <g>

Dave "davids" Sparks
Sequoia Motorsports

-Nobunaga

Here's an idea.  Don't qualify in front.  Just sit at the very tail
end and accelerate slowly.  Watch with amu***t as the field wipes
outself out and you whiz into contention.  If you are a fast driver
you might catch the leaders...but the upside is that you can avoid all
the trouble and run clean while all the 'hotshots' sit in the pits
swearing at each other.  My very first race on Hawaii I had a terrible
qual and was in back, and to compound matters accidentally took the
race setup with 22 gal of fuel, thus dooming me to running
significantly slower.  So as I'm comnig out of the start, all hell
breaks loose in front of me, but I don't care...I just cruise through
it and end up placing 4th out of some 30 drivers...  That's good
points...good to increase your skill rating and get you out of that
soup.  That's going to be my strategy for getting my skill rating up
to where more patient racers await.

Randy

SHHHHHHH! Don't tell everyone, that is my idea also. got me up to a skl
lvl 2 and I don't race that often, can't afford it. My only problem is
that I run a 'Dega now as I am getting up to speed on the backstrecth it
seems some other " driver" , and I use that loosly, will spin and instead
of sittinig there drives straight across the track towards the wall and
naturally right in front of a very stunned ME. Nailed the bastard right in
the door at 170+. Ruined my day and my skl lvl hunt. Oh well next time
I'll know better.

Gene Gagne

Dave "davids" Sparks
Sequoia Motorsports