rec.autos.simulators

   Ok, I've read the text files, I've read the quick fix guides, but
I have to be honest; I still use a lot of guesswork!  I understand the
principles of the physics involved (although I swear something I read
was contradictory!) but I don't seem to translate it into what I'm
"feeling" in the car.  What should I work on first?  Second? Last?

   Also, I am using a GP1 on a 486DX-33Mhz system.  If I race with other
cars, ALL detail needs to be turned off.  At practice I can use skids/paint.
Seriously, how much will this affect my time?  At 97% opponent strength I
tend to keep in the top 5; 100%, I might stay in the top half (??).

   Jp

I originally ran N1 on a 486-25. It can be done, but it's impossible to get
a good (25fps or better) frame rate. I really didn't know what I was
missing, but when I upgrade the improvement in drivability was amazing.
With a slow frame rate you don't have enough information to correct the
car. Being able to respond as soon as something happens makes a huge
difference in lap times and your ability to avoid accidents.
As far as setups go there are some great guides here:
http://www.sequoia-dev.com/Hawaii/latenite.html that will tell you
step-by-step the best way to develop a setup.

Have you had a look at my setup guide?

  http://www.sequoia-dev.com/Hawaii/Features/setupguide.html

One problem though, NASCAR 1 has a bug in the physics model that causes a
car to tighten up rather dramatically. This makes it quite a bit more
challenging to find a setup that you can control for the first few laps of
a race, that doesn't become completely undriveable by the end of a fuel
run.

Frame rate has a tremendous effect on lap times. With a better frame rate,
you can setup the car much looser, which will both improve your lap times
and make your RF tire last longer.

Dave Sparks
IWCCCARS Project: http://www.theuspits.com/iwcccars/index.html-ssi
Late Night Series: http://www.sequoia-dev.com/Hawaii/latenite.html