rec.autos.simulators

Ok all, I'm getting better at this sim now, and am managing the 1:10s. I
was just wondering if maybe some of you faster ones out ther might post
their laps to alt.binaries.simulators.autos?
I know I'm easily capable of going faster, as I haven't yet completed a lap
without some kind of a very scary moment, but really I think we could all
do with a little help from the really fast people..

Oh, btw, before you all tell me to go to "the apex", I have and there is
only 1 fast lap (1:08.80 I think) and that was using an auto transmission,
and either he is *very* smooth, or he had braking and/or throttle help
enabled too.

Auto transmission, pah! thats for wimps, We real men can change our own
gears! :-)

Thanks

Steve

There's really nothing wrong if one wants to use an auto trans. I don't think he
 use the "aids"..

My blap so far is 1m08.5.. I will drop it tonight since Mr. Arnao and Mr. Wallac
e are a wee bit quicker..

bTW, Mr. Arnao in the 1m07s..

In the beta builds, I think they are doing 1m06s

What if he had no buttons?

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Done, although the lap isn't one of the faster ones (mine or "all
time").

Smooth is fast, and the lap I posted was pretty smooth too. On some
tracks it is faster to really go crazy, but The Glen is a very high
speed track and carrying that speed out of the turns and along the
straight is a big factor - that means smooth. It is fun to hang the
tail out all the way through the loop though :-)

Cheers!
John

Chris Boll here, I did the lap on the apex (1:08.80 ) I just used auto
transmission, but NO other aids. I`m now down at 1:08.50 but still not a
perfect lap and as I saw there are a few guys already been faster.

see ya
Chris "Flying-C" Boll
Motocross Maniacs
http://www.geocities.com/~chboll/

I'm running a pent2-266 64M Matrox M2 with only some detail turned on,
manual trans and no driver aids and my best times so far (only about 5
hours of driving) are 1:17, 1:18, and 1:25 for GP, GP2 and GP3
respectively.

I find the Brabham easiest to drive, the Lotus is faster but more
nervous and the Eagle is different!

I have the hardest time getting into the 4th turn (the loop?) and final
turn.  Any advice you could offer?  I go down two gears before the 4th
turn and usually don't shift up again before the end of the left hand
guard rail on the exit.  Am I in the right gear? Should I go down three
gears and shift mid turn?

Any idea if the Millenium II card will be supported in the final
version?  Even if it's not I don't really care, I'll buy a 3dfx if I
have to.  Great sim, Papyrus are the best.

Any help is greatly appreciated.
Many thanks
Alan Owens

How??? any hints? I'm down to the very low 1:10s now, but still make far
too many mistakes... Can you lock your brakes if you try and are just being
very careful (this is the best way to do it then I take it?).

p.s. the auto transmission bit was a joke (juliandata didn't seem to
understand) - thats why I put a smiley at the end of it.

Steve

Joe

As the rear brakes loose, backing off the throttle decreases traction
(engine braking) and slides the rear wider. Applying throttle brings
the rotation of your rear tyres back up to the level of the road speed
which increases traction and walks the back end into line with your
forward direction.

Therefore, to steer the car, back off the throttle. To control the
back end, increase the throttle. It's just a matter of practice to
learn how to walk that tightrope between too little throtte (engine
braking and spin) and too much throttle (wheelspin and spin, or
understeer and barrier).

I have a feeling I haven't explained this very well, and it's because
I'm trying to explain a feeling. It's like people who ask doctors if
they have had an *** or not - if you don't know if you have had
one, you haven't. In GPL if you don't know if you got it right, you
didn't. When you walk the line and slide the tail around, balanced on
throttle and steering you WILL now - it feels great! :-)  You need to
attack the race course pretty hard to achieve this (***footing
around won't do it) and it's not the fastest way, but it looks
seriously cool in a replay!

For the loop I generally brake just slightly past the advertising
board on the left hand side, drop two gears, ease off the brake as the
car crests the hill (fronts go light and lock) then drop another gear
with more braking before turn in. I usually have to have a slight
countersteer tp catch the rear of the car which is still going too
fast. The turn itself I treat as a double apex now I come to think
about it, going in hot to drift _slightly_ wide, thus allowing a late
apex and getting onto the throttle earlier for the long straight.

Cheers!
John

   Slightly Past the advertising Board???????? You must have better
brakes than me or by the sounds of it better braking technique. I assume
you mean you begin braking just after the sign disappears from view? Is
this with the beta or the demo? If I was to begin braking after the sign
disappeared I would have no chance of making the sweeper at all! Then
again, I am still running in software mode and was running with track
texture only for an excruciating 1.09.99 and upon turning track texture
off for a few more fps got to a 1.09.45 with ease. I think I'll need to
get a Rendition card this weekend to keep up with you guys :)))))

Yes, just as it leaves the screen on the left. I've wired my throttle
and brake to different axes, and this helps car stability when
braking. With both on one axis you are lifting right off the throttle
AND going onto the brakes. Without telemetry or knowledge of the
damping, and anti-dive on the car it's difficult to know, but that
often sets up a "yo-yo" type effect which makes it very difficult to
brake effectively. That's real world, so I'm not sure if it would
apply in GPL - I presume so since the physics are _very_ detailed.

This is with the demo. Software mode may be the problem, as I
generally have a slight countersteer flick on the way into the turn.
Rendition cards are pretty cheap even for a V2200, so it would be a
very good buy. They're fairly good in D3D as well, so well worthwhile
of the price is right.

Cheers!
John

   Decided to get the Voodoo II and am ECSTATIC. Went from 1.09.45 to
1.08.22 in no time. Funny thing is I'm not nearly as good thru T2/T3 yet
but the car is so much more controlable, particularly under brakes. I
still need to begin braking before that sign disappears though :)

My impression was that if you started to lose the rear end that more
throttle would break the wheels lose faster but I guess you are looking
for a little more weight transfer to the rear without wheelspin.  It's
easy for me now in the GP2 car but the GP car is still a handful.

Thanks again
Alan (at work)

- If you have wheelspin (wheels rotating too quickly for the road
speed) then adding more throttle will spin you more quickly (since you
are further reducing the available grip). This can be useful when you
have surely spun and want to make sure the car spins enough so that
you face the right way - boot the gas and increase the spin.

- If you have downshifted too early or backed off the gas too much
then your wheels will be unable to rotate quickly enough for the speed
you are going, and that is why the rear starts to slide. Basically it
has the same effect as pressing the brake.

The GP car takes quite a bit of practice, but once you get the hang of
it you'll be hooked. A full-on lap in the GP car is a real experience,
and gives an immense feeling of achievement when you get a lap right.

Keep at it!

Cheers!
John

GPL is tough but fair.  It seems to get better and better the more
experience you gain.  It's tough to know whether the rear-end is
stepping out because you are carring in too much speed, engine revs are
too low, or too high, too rapid a turn in, bad line, out of the groove,
whatever.  But that's the great thing about it.  For the first time in a
sim I'm learning a technique other then "point and squirt".  I can run
laps of Elkart Lake (not exactly point and squirt) in ICR2 under 1:45
with some consistancy but it's a wholely different and more rewarding
experiance to run 1:11 in GPL.

Thanks again for the advice.

Go hard or go home!
Alan

Joe