rec.autos.simulators

Following are some of the major points of interest of our service.  
Im willing to discuss these areas further based on interest.  Please
feel free to add onto this thread & Ill respond as soon as I can.  
If theres enough interest, Id be open to spinning this discussion
off into its own newsgroup.

-  This fall, Papyrus will be releasing an online service allowing
users to dial-in and race against each other in groups of 2-32 (of
course, I suppose that you could technically race in groups of 1-32,
but playing with yourself...).  The service will provide for multiple
concurrent races.

-  Initially, the service will support NASCAR Racing under DOS.  Upon
release this Christmas, we will add "the next generation" of Indycar
Racing under DOS, Windows & Macintosh.  In the first quarter of 1996,
we will be adding support for NASCAR Racing under Windows & Macintosh.
Users on all 3 platforms will be able to race against each other.  It
is planned that all future Papyrus products will be supported on our
multiplayer service.

-  Current users of NASCAR Racing will be able to download an
"enhancement" to their current version which will make it
"multiplayable".  Upon release of the service, new retail packages
will automatically include the multiplayer enhancement.  We are also
planning to release a "freeware" version of the game which will be
MULTIPLAYER ONLY, and will include a limited number of tracks (1 or 2).

-  The service is currently in ALPHA test & will be switching into
BETA testing in May.  Were getting close!

-  Access to the service will be primarily through 800 #s... with
some local access numbers.  Due to the nature of "real-time" ***,
we have somewhat unique requirements for data lines.  If youre
interested, Ill be happy to get into a deeper discussion of
telecommunications, but for now, Ill just do the short version...  

Most online services are primarily concerned with bandwidth (baud
rate) and not very concerned about latency (the amount of time it
takes for data to go from point A to point B).  So, data networks such
as Sprintnet which support high bandwidth (28.8 on down), can get away
with latency of up to 5 seconds.  If youre on one of the major online
services, nobody really notices or cares if it takes an average of 2.2
seconds for the host to respond to your stock quote request.  In car
racing (or any real-time game), 2.2 seconds is "death".  If you dont
believe me, hop behind the wheel of NASCAR Racing, get bumper to
bumper with someone at 200 MPH, & turn off your PCs monitor for 2.2
seconds.  How did that wall feel?  :-)

For voice lines, telephone companies obsess about latency.  When you
talk to someone on the phone, no matter where in the US you both are
calling from, you hear each other virtually instantly... the latency
is virtually 0.  The bottom line is that real-time online games need
low latency... Today, that means that they need voice lines (though
new data technologies hold great promise).  This leaves 3
possibilities today: wait until low-cost, low-latency data networks
exist, local/limited access only, or long distance charges.  Option 1
just doesnt sound like a lot of fun.  Game networks such as PlayNet
& Dwango (online Doom) opt for option 2 - the local access route.  
Since Doom supports only 4 players, setting up in major cities works
OK.  For Papyrus games, a highlight of our network is a high volume
of players in each race... we want national access to a central
service so people from all across the country can play against each
other.

The net of this (no pun intended) is that we have negotiated some
extraordinarily low rates for 800 service, but even so, voice lines
are more expensive than data lines.  Were doing our best, but please
dont expect to see $3/hour rates over 800 #s.

-  System requirements for the service/games are planned to be
essentially the same as they are for the single player versions...
plus a modem, of course!  Modems speeds of 9600 - 28.8 will be
supported.

-  The focus of the service will be on what subscribers want -- key
to this is race scheduling.  There will be three ways in which racing
will occur.  First, we will have "open races".  We will cycle through
all available tracks on a number of "game servers" and allow anyone
at any skill level to immediately jump into a session.  The open
races will cycle through 10 minute practice sessions followed by 10
minute race sessions.  They will then set up for another track &
begin the cycle again.  

Second, races will be scheduled by users.  We will have a "scheduler"
which will coordinate the multiple concurrent races which can be run.
A user will be able to either "nominate" a race, or they can join a
race that has already been nominated.  For example, say that I log in
& want to race at Bristol.  I will be able to nominate a race there,
along with all pertinent options (race length, damage on/off, yellows
on/off, etc... even "IROC" car setups if I want). As a race nominator,
I will be able to select the skill level(s) that I want to allow into
the race. All users on the service will have a skill level associated
with them (skill levels will be dynamically set/adjusted over time
based upon a number of criteria... essentially gauging how well you
have performed in relation to other racers).  The purpose of the skill
levels will be to help users to set up races against their "peers"
(in terms of racing skill level).

Conversely, as a user, I will be able to look at the races currently
nominated on the scheduler & join any of them (as long as I fit
within the parameters of the skill levels for that race).  
Once a critical mass of people online decide to join a nominated
race, it will begin.  

The third way to schedule a race will be through leagues.  Users on
the service will be able to organize themselves into groups (leagues)
and "pre-book" time blocks on the service for their events (e.g.
every Tuesday night from 8-9 EDT).  Each league will assign a league
administrator who will be responsible for setting up the race (track,
settings, etc.).  Each league will be given a private forum on the
service for discussions, file exchange, etc.

Thats probably enough of a "core dump" for now.  Like I said, if you
have questions or comments, please add onto this thread & Ill do my
best to get back to yall as soon as I can (please be a little
patient... as you might imagine, things are pretty busy about now!).
There probably a number of people reading this who have been involved
in testing so far... so feel free to join in the discussions.  
Thanks!!!

1.  I currently play an online game called SVGA Airwarrior.  I pay a
$1.50 an hour.  You'll have to be fairly competitive with that if you
want my money.  I also pay a $30 a month fee to CRIS which provides this
service.  Have you considered CRIS as a viable option?  They have an
incredibly fast network setup.  Delays are even more important in
Airwarrior.  If you get a delay of say 2 seconds you could have planes
warping in from 2 or 3 thousand feet to 500 yards.  Not good when your
trying to stay alive.  Please consider CRIS.  You can reach CRIS at cris.com.

2.  What are you going to do about accidents and damage?  On Airwarrior
there are many aholes who love to***with your head.  I could see
people crashing into people on purpose after they have been lapped, etc.  
I could see many people losing their tempers.  Will you charge people
while they wait for a game to form up?  That could become very expensive
for me the consumer.  I don't want to pay to sit around, even if I can
practice.  I would rather practice offline and pay to race online.

I sure hope this works.  Good luck.

Thanks,
Beau

I am very familiar with both Air Warrior & Concentric Research.  As for
CRIS, all I can say is that we have talked to & continue to talk to them.
As for your comment about delays being more important in Air Warrior, that's
not exactly true.  Air Warrior was designed to work in high latency/
low bandwidth environments.  Until recently, the main path to them was
with a 2400BPS modem via GENie.  Because you are never really wing-to-wing
(read bumper-to-bumper) with your opponents in AW, they get away with
warping to compensate for latency.  Air Warrior still supports 2400BPS
GENie users in the same sky with 9600BPS CRIS users. As a CRIS user, you
have an advantage.

CRIS, your hourly rate is based upon how many hours you spread the $30
flat fee over. I really can't get into a discussion of our pricing model
at this point, but we are very aware of what others are charging for
what they offer.

As for "crashers"/trouble-makers, we are going to great lengths to set
up our service to maximize users' satisfaction.  There are those who really
enjoy demolition derby, those who are hard-core racers, and a lot of
people in between.  The service is being built to accomodate & protect
all interests & skill levels.  I think you'll be very happy with what
we're doing.

Thanks for the comments!

--ed.

How should you deal with this?  Well, you mentioned skill levels.  How about
if someone is goofing off, and someone else can prove it (via a replay file,
maybe?), the offensive person gets dropped down one level.  If they are
dropped low enough, they won't be able to race with anyone else but those
in the 'reject level'.

Another option is to have one track set aside at a certain time for these
people to goof off to their heart's content.  Like a demolition-derby :)

Also, will there be 'officals' watching the race?

--

---
" I want my control back,
  but I'm afraid, I'll lose that feeling." --- Sammy Hagar, -=VH=-

 <snip>

  The rates don't bother me as much as the latency.  I tried the Sierra
Network a long time ago and warping was a real problem.  I think I paid
like $0.50 an hour...  even at that low of a price I didn't think it was
worth it.  If the multiplayer network makes driving as smooth as driving
alone then I'd be willing to shell out $5/hour without complaining.
BTW, what is the network going to be called?  Or is it too early?  
Will there be a setting for mechanical failures?  It'd be a little
unrealistic if no driver falls out because of problem with the car.

<snip>

I can't wait until it starts!  :D

Kevin

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Hartsdale, NY        "BsOiRgInNaGture"         Cloud 9 Internet
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Or Delphi in the UK have a link to the US Airwarrior host with almost
no delay could something similar be tried?

Or am I clutching at straws?

--
Steve Rawlinson
London, UK

As for the name, we're not ready to announce that yet... stay tuned.

Car damage & engine problems are integrated into the game.

--ed.

--ed.

Great suggestions!  We are very much in tune with the varied desires of our
users & want to accomodate them to the best of our abilities. We are taking
a number of steps to ensure that "peers" are able to race against each
other without the constant worry of the "renegade".  Also, as you point out,
there is certainly a time & place for the renegades to have fun.

We will have replays of all races & all users will have the ability to enter
a protest.  Because there will be multiple concurrent racers, we can't
watch everything live, but there will be a monitoring structure in place.
Like I said, this is a major focus for us... I think you'll be pretty
happy with what we're doing!

Thanks again for the suggestions!

--ed.