Microprose Formula One Grand Prix/World Circuit
Hall Of Fame
officially located (and much prettier) on the WWW at
http://brains.cc.rl.ac.uk/https/hof/wcpchof.html
The WCPCHOF is published every two weeks on rec.autos.simulators, by
request via Internet e-mail, and on the World Wide Web. Direct comments,
questions, membership applications, bloopers, and anything else to Dave
`Gizmo' Gymer at one of the addresses at the bottom of this page.
Commodore Amiga players might want to check out Edo Nijmeijer's
Amiga Hall of Fame
by contacting Edo at 130...@pc-lab.fbk.eur.nl.
Notes from the editor
Edo, the administrator of the Amiga HoF, will hopefully be back on-line
soon to continue running it. There was some trouble at his university and
a whole bunch of students are suspended while it is investigated.
Andy Coates, who ran the brains WWW server, is moving to a new job. The
future of the WWW version of the HOF is therefore a little uncertain;
would anyone who could provide a long-term home for it and a few other
bits and pieces contact me.
DUG has driven his heart out in a determined attempt to regain the number
one spot, and was within a point of doing so by Friday morning.
Unfortunately for him, just before I left work on Friday IV sent a bunch
of new records that move the goalposts again and cement him firmly back at
the top!
I now have a few more GPPerf files, but do keep them coming in. When the
WWW issue is sorted out I'll arrange for them to be downloadable directly
from the pages, and also (hopefully) arrange FTP access.
I've slightly changed the policy on wall braking. Even if contact is
accidental, if the time would beat the best at the track I'd greatly
prefer it if you'd submit the time for the "rallycross" category rather
than the standard one, because otherwise you're robbing others of deserved
points. If you don't have a standard entry at the track, if you ask for
points then I'll allocate the same way I do with save/restore times, ie.
with a slight penalty.
This has been applied to MAN's time at Phoenix, since he's already said
that he inadvertantly used wall braking, and because he actually gains a
little by the move. I also moved GA's time at Monaco; he also gains
points, but if he's sure he didn't touch the wall then I'll move it
back.
Rules and regulations
You must use Formula 1 Grand Prix (a.k.a. World Circuit) on the PC;
players are strongly advised to upgrade to version 1.05. See the FAQ for
details of where to get the patches from.
You need to get a driver ID from me to enter, but I can allot one when you
send your first record(s) in. I sometimes let people choose their own. So
if you want to join in, just mail me your real name and e-mail address,
and your preferred DriverID (if any).
I do publish times set by cutting corners or chicanes (what I call
"rallycross" records), but you need to tell me because those times do not
count towards the championship. Using the grass at the side of the track
is okay as long as it wasn't used on purpose.
"Wall braking", that is, using the walls of circuits like Monaco and
Phoenix instead of brakes, is illegal, except for absolute records. The
best way to ensure that this is not done is to run with indestructability
turned off at those tracks. Minor accidental contact with the wall is
acceptable (but won't do your times any good!). If you make accidental
contact with the wall and it allows you to drive a time in excess of the
fastest currently at that track, please enter it for the "rallycross"
section; if you don't already have a time at that track or you want the
old time for that track removed and the new one scored instead just say
so.
Using AI cars to brake is also illegal. Mere accidental bumping is okay;
they're pretty stupid so we have to make allowances.
Drafting (slipstreaming) AI cars is permitted, as is using an editor to
alter the computer cars' power. Player power must be left at the default
716BHP. Drafting a human player with two linked machines is not legal.
There is no restriction on the AI grip setting but players are asked to
keep it to a maximum of 15, just in case it does have an effect. When you
submit a record, if possible please let me know if it was clear or if you
got a tow, so that I can include the information in the WWW page for
others trying to match or better your times.
Laps must be driver in one complete go; you are not allowed to drive part
of a lap, save the game, come back, and then reload if you don't drive the
rest of it perfectly. You may, of course, simply pause the game (and
examine the replay). This rule is relaxed for both "rallycross" records,
and for records in the "perfect" category.
Use of a game editor which permits wing settings outside of the normal
limits (0 to 64) is not permitted.
I prefer people to include their setup details, but do not require it. You
may use any tyre compound. Note that up to and including version 1.03, a
bug in the game allowed you to set very fast times during the race at
Mexico; such times are illegal.
Feel free to tell me anything else you think important when you send times
in. I'm always willing to discuss the rules. Many people ask what format I
like the results in; as long as all the information is there I don't
really care, but I usually recommend something like the following.
DriverID: DPX
Standard (no corners cut, no save/restore):
Phoenix:
1m16.743 30-Feb-95 64/50:04F:25,33,41,49,57,65 Clear
Interlagos:
1m13.342 27-Jul-96 30/10:02R:25,33,41,49,57,65 Slipstreamed
The setups and slipstreamed/clear indication are, of course, optional.
The scoring system
The scoring system was inspired by the IICC HotLaps system, but has a new
twist. The fastest time at each track scores a fixed number of points;
slower times score in proportion, down to a cutoff point which is some
fraction of the fastest time slower (this is all based on the average
speed, rather than the actual time). A more mathematical explanation
follows.
Given C (the "cutoff speed fraction"), F (the "fastest time score"),
and H, the highest speed at the track, we can say that an entry of speed
N (the "normspeed"), where N=H*(1-C), scores 0 points, and that an entry
of speed H scores F points. The range of speeds over which entries score
points (the "points spread"), is of magnitude P, where P=H*C. So an entry
of speed S scores P points, where P=(S-N)*(F/(C*H)).
The current values of C and F are to be found on the WWW pages.
The net impact of this is that two similar times score similar points; the
greater the difference between two times, the bigger the difference
between the points they score. The nature of the scoring system means that
you gain points for improving your times even if you don't improve your
position at each track, and that you can't lose points unless the fastest
time is beaten.
Miscellaneous
If you know non-Internet people who might like to join in, either read the
"hosting" page on the WWW version or ask me to mail it to you.
The full lap record listings are only available on the WWW; the plain text
versions sent via mail and news contain only the top 10 standard times.
The driver list is only available from the WWW; you should know who your
are, and I don't want to be mailing out too many files!
Ivanhoe (IV) has spotted a potential future problem; on 24 January 1995 he
pointed the following out to me.
Due to the rapid decrease in time necessary to complete the laps in
F1GP, especially in Imola (-0.853s in 30 days), I have done a little of
calculation and discovered a potential problem to arise in the future.
If the average rate of decrease does not change it follows that on or
about the 15th of April 2002 a driver will break through the 0m00.000
mark, hereby driving at an average speed which exceeds the speed of
light.
As you probably know this will entail problems with causality, meaning
that it will be possible to cross the finishing line before even
starting the lap.
When it comes to this, there may be organisational difficulties too
because you will have to post the HOF before the laptimes are driven.
Now how are you going to do that, eh?
I guess we better hope that F1GPv2 comes out before 2002.
dgy...@GDCARC.co.uk
Dave.Gy...@laUNChpad.unc.edu