rec.autos.simulators

First...tire wear...If I'm squealing the tires (when I hear the
tire screaching sound) am I actually locking up or spinning the
wheels?
I'm assuming that during a turn (w/no brake or accel) when the
tires squeal, I'm sliding a bit...
Do these actions wear the tires (tyres :-) out a more than usual?
Should there be any tire squealing at all?  I never hear it from
the computer driven cars.

How about damage...do small bumps into the wall or other cars, that
is, ones that don't show up on the damage indicator have an effect on
handling or tire wear?

Now...as far as driving...I remember reading something about computer
assisted steering. It seems that there is always a little bit of aid
on steering - even with all driving aids off.  Sometimes I have a
hard time diving into a turn early or exiting a bit sharper.  When
I'm on the correct line for the turn, unless I go in too hot, I feel
like the computer "helps" me around the corner...

How about pitstops...do computer cars pit for fresh tires?
Is there any control over conditions during a season...I went
through a whole season of short races and I never got a wet race.
How about changing conditions? Will is start to rain in longer races,
giving some strategy to pit or not pit for rain tires?

I'm sure I have a bunch more...I just can't remember them now...
Thanks for any help!!

Reed

I said it...not them.

: First...tire wear...If I'm squealing the tires (when I hear the
: tire screaching sound) am I actually locking up or spinning the
: wheels?

Generally, you can hear tire squealing under turning (understeering
that is), hard braking (I think) and under acceleration. Try turning
the traction help off and you'll see (or hear<g>) what I mean.

: I'm assuming that during a turn (w/no brake or accel) when the
: tires squeal, I'm sliding a bit...

yep..understeer usually.

: Do these actions wear the tires (tyres :-) out a more than usual?
: Should there be any tire squealing at all?  I never hear it from
: the computer driven cars.

I think it may..because after 20 or 30 laps when you get on a new set
of D-tires for a couple of laps, the squeals diminish considerably
(but not totally). Don't go by the computer cars... They usually brake
enough so that they're not sliding through any turns.. Although I
don't think they would make a sound if they were going too fast anyways..

: How about damage...do small bumps into the wall or other cars, that
: is, ones that don't show up on the damage indicator have an effect on
: handling or tire wear?

No I'm pretty sure they don't. I think its all or nothing. Either bust
a wing or you're OK..:)

: Now...as far as driving...I remember reading something about computer
: assisted steering. It seems that there is always a little bit of aid
: on steering - even with all driving aids off.  Sometimes I have a
: hard time diving into a turn early or exiting a bit sharper.  When
: I'm on the correct line for the turn, unless I go in too hot, I feel
: like the computer "helps" me around the corner...

Thats steering assistance. It can be turned off in the edit controls
menu off of the options menu. Be warned however that turning it off is
not for the faint of heart<gg>..Its a h*ll of a lot more difficult to
drive with SA (steering assistance) off. I just started driving with
noSA in the Compuserve F1SA  racing series (GO SPRTSIM)and I now find
with a lot
of practice, I can come within 2 or 3 seconds of my best times when I
used SA. It is a lot more fun once you get used to it though. You can
cut apexs nicely and accurately(sometimes) and you generally have to
really concentrate all the way around the track. Turning it off has
made it just like I bought the game all over again!!<GG> You need a
good analog joystick to have any chance of driving SA successfully
though..I use a CH Flightstick. I hear that steering wheels are
another way to go if you want to turn SA off.

: How about pitstops...do computer cars pit for fresh tires?
: Is there any control over conditions during a season...I went
: through a whole season of short races and I never got a wet race.
: How about changing conditions? Will is start to rain in longer races,
: giving some strategy to pit or not pit for rain tires?

Yes computer cars pit for tires. Not all on the same lap though. Wet
races appear at random..I have had about 15 wet races come up since I
go the game (2 yrs ago) but you can force a wet race if you want to.
I think its switchable in the QuickRace Options menu.. Once it rains,
it rains..and never stops.. This is one of the things I hope they
implement in the new version..It would be nice to have it start
raining halfway through.. BTW..if you're a little sick..you can try a
wet race without SA...<GGG> But I wouldn't want to be anywhere near
the track if you did!<GG>

: I'm sure I have a bunch more...I just can't remember them now...
: Thanks for any help!!

No Problemo.. :)

RQ
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Damage is wierd sometimes.  You can bump into a wall at 125 mph and not
break anything, but you can also bump into another car at relative velocity
of about 50-75 mph and break something.

Keyboard players have to use steering help.  It's annoying.  Sometimes, well
a lot of times, it will steer you into a car as he is making a pass.

To get rain on quick race you have to change the setting.  If you mean
championship season set at less than 100% race distance, then that
is kind of weird.  

:       I was just trying it with steering help off and it was impossible.
: No doubt my joystick (Gravis, 2/3 years old) didn't help because it is
: erratic. Still I found that you couldn't even go in a straight line no
: matter how steady you hold the stick. This puzzles me since I know my
: stick is ok in the left/right axis. It may also be the I/O card on which
: the joystick port is since it's not speed matched to my computer (a
: miserable 386SX-20).

I have a 386DX-33 and the game card must be pretty old..(2 or 3 yrs
old at least). I *did* have a Gravis Analog Joystick too, and when I
had it I tried driving nonSA *once*!<gg> I couldn't do it either..
Although, like you say it worked fine with everything else.. Then I
broke it after some hard racing at Imola and I went out and bought a
Flightstick (only about 7 or 8 dollars more..) and it really really
helps..

Also, what version of the game do you have? Version 1.05 (the latest)
has an added adjustment for maximum steering lock which can calm
things down quite a bit.. Version 1.03 is stuck with a setting of 28
degrees which makes it very touchy on the straights. I have mine set
at 12. This makes it a little tougher to get around the tightest
corners but its nice and stable on the straights..

:       It's really a pity because even with all that I suddenly felt free
: to go through corners like I want. I could even run on the grass. (I did
: manage to drive a little as long as I stayed in 1st gear, faster than that
: and it wouldn't go straight)

Thats the best thing about it.. You can go from one side of the track
to the other when *you* want..and take the best line yourself.. Its a
lot tougher but a lot more fun.. I am usually around 5 seconds slower
without SA as I was when I had it turned on (depending on the track).
Its also nice to be able to zip through traffic and pull out beside
the AI cars in the tightest of quarters. If you don't have version
1.05 let me know.

RQ
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        I have that. I found that setting the stick to "non-linear" helped
a fair bit! But it was still essentially unmanageable. I tried it with SA
off, non-linear, Rookie level with all aids on at my best track (Monza)
and I still couldn't make it around the course.

--
Max Behara
Molly: "DS+MC" Bt+W C 1.2 X+++ L W C+++ I+++ T+ H+ S++ V+ P-
"The Net interprets censorship as damage and routes around it." - John Gilmore
  - Have modem, will surf. -

A company called CH products. There are several models available (I
have the Flightstick). They have a good reputation for making durable
high quality products. Mine seems as smooth and as solid as the day I
got it.. Its tension is not adjustable like the gravis stick but it
makes playing WC (and Indy500) a whole lot easier. Also, it does not
have any buttons on the base. It has one on top of the stick and one
in the trigger finger position. THere are other models with buttons on
the base and extra buttons on the top as well.  

:       I have that. I found that setting the stick to "non-linear" helped
: a fair bit! But it was still essentially unmanageable. I tried it with SA
: off, non-linear, Rookie level with all aids on at my best track (Monza)
: and I still couldn't make it around the course.

Yeah, I have mine set to non-linear as well. Driving nonSA takes a
fair bit of getting used to but once you learn to handle the oversteer
etc.. you'll feel trapped driving with SA..

Later,
RQ

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1. I'm using the stick for steering only, with the buttons for accelerating and braking.
This isn't ideal, as I can't shift, but until I get around to building my wheel/pedal
combo (been on the back burner for months!) it's the best I can do.  

2. I've been playing IndyCar a lot lately, so I have a much more delicate touch
on the joystick.

I still really enjoy this game after almost two years.  Sure, I like the cool
modelling of ICR, but I still prefer the smooth 25fps of World Circuit and will
put up with its more primitive modelling and graphics.  I found that with steering
help off the car's dynamics are much more realistic.  Before, if the rear end broke
traction, I would just have to slam the joystick "into" the skid, and the car would
straighten itself out.  Now, if I'm over-zealous catching the skid, the car is
thrown into a much more *** "reaction" skid in the opposite direction.
Great Fun.

Also, who does wet-race graphics better than World Circuit??

Stephen Ferguson

"There's a madness to my method"

: 1. I'm using the stick for steering only, with the buttons for accelerating and braking.
: This isn't ideal, as I can't shift, but until I get around to building my wheel/pedal
: combo (been on the back burner for months!) it's the best I can do.  

I know of a lot of WC racers that don't use the steering help on
Compuserve who drive the same way..(auto-gears). If you don't have a
wheel or your joystick is too twitchy, this is the way to go..

: <stuff about ICR>

I was thinking of getting this but I only have a 386DX-33 and I don't
want to have to set it at 10fps to get decent speed. How adjustable
are the detail levels? On minimal detail, does it compare (smoothness
wise) with WC?

: Great Fun.

Controlling the oversteer has to be the best feeling in the game..<g>

: Also, who does wet-race graphics better than World Circuit??

IMO no one..(How does ICR handle wet weather as far as graphics go?>

RQ

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It doesn't.  ICR just has too much computing to do to achieve the same frame
rates as WC.  Sure, I'm impressed with the modelling in ICR, but I bought the
game to have fun.  On my 486/33 the comparison is 25fps in WC and 15 in Indy
Car.  The net effect is that is is really difficult anticipating and reacting
to other cars with such a choppy frame rate.  Try playing WC at your regular
speed and then turn the frame rate down to about 60% of that level and you'll
see what I mean about frustration as you pound into the back of cars or
overcompensate with excessive braking.

|> : Also, who does wet-race graphics better than World Circuit??
|>
|> IMO no one..(How does ICR handle wet weather as far as graphics go?>

Very poorly.  Just a dark sky.  No spray.

Stephen Ferguson

"There's a madness to my method"

Modem Play is now much better, too.

Rain - well, much more realisting in F1GP, since there is no spray in the
air in ICR. I'll live with this, since you could never win a rain race in
F1GP
anyway.

Peter

I still have atleast 1 more question...I can't find the option to
turn off SA!!! I've looked in every menu option...I've raced with
all help turned off (the ones you toggle with the function keys
while driving) - and no change...I think the first person who
answered said it was in race options but all I have there are the
racing help (I would assume it would be there but it's not).  I
looked all through the manual and found no reference to steering
assistance...why don't manuals have an index...that's the only real
way to find stuff in reference material.  However, I've probably
typed "assistance" 5 or 6 times for the copy protection and didn't
even know it :-)  So anyways...where is it?

A note or two...

I found I drove better without the "best line" help.  With it,
I would concentrate on the line and not the corner...since the
proper way to drive is look 1 corner ahead think 2 corners ahead,
I tried driving without the help.  Now I stare at the apex of the
corner...unless I'm dealing w/traffic, I don't look anywhere else.
I seem to be able to feel where my car is on the track relative
to the corner so I can brake in time and turn in at the proper time.
Although I do get a little help from the distance markers.

Wheel spin sucks...

You don't really have to brake for the pits...I came to a dead stop
after a 60mph approach.

I like...no make that LOVE the ability to save in the middle of the
race.  Does ICR allow this?  NASCAR doesn't, Mario Andretti doesn't.
Try a 500 miler in one sitting...

Did Microprose make a Motorcycle GP racing game..I have one that
is SOOOO similar to F1GP in looks and feel, I think I got it in
a pack of 3 sports games (golf, basketball, and gp bikes).  I can't
find my disks to verify.

ok..enough rambling
peace
Reed

I'm curious though about what other "racers" are using for a frame rate,
and on what type of computer? Thanks in advance for all responses.

--
Tim Robinson                    If you're not having fun, then
Winnipeg, Manitoba              you're doing something wrong!

                                a car(Meatloaf)(Especially if it's a Corvette)

--
Tim Robinson                    If you're not having fun, then
Winnipeg, Manitoba              you're doing something wrong!

                                a car(Meatloaf)(Especially if it's a Corvette)

Cameron