rec.autos.simulators

...

I saw a (space) game lately, which emulates a universe shared by all
players globally. So there is a(n array of) server(s) somewhere
keeping up the universe. You can fly around in virtual space (compare
to the Matrix' way of thinking) and meet other people, see other
people's builded structures, even destroy them while they're offline).

You could, with an open mind and the world to back you up, create a
virtual racing world like that. With lots of leagues though, so a lot
of people can participate on their own level and in their own
timescheme. But with interaction through all the different types of
leagues, so that you may move up, but that you need required skills,
nettazoids (net-buckazoids) and equipment to enter different leagues.
That way, you can have a real globally virtual driving arena, in which
everyone can participate. Ofcourse there are already a lot of leagues,
but somehow globalizing this seems to have potential.
It's just a lot of work and must be accessable. But certainly
possible. The only problem is how to keep it nice, so that even if
you're not that good at racing, that you still have a good time in
this virtual world. Everyone wants to race an F1 car, if only to try
for a couple of times. And in virtual universe, there should be enough
F1 racing leagues to handle a lot of different levels of expertise of
the drivers.

Ofcourse, you also have to have a server (preferably more than 1),
which keeps the database of all drivers and what they're doing and how
much they're making. Probably a problem is that a lot of people don't
have the patience to try and grow in this virtual world, and just want
to barge around everywhere they like.

A cool feature, not new, would be if you could watch ongoing races as
a guest. Probably because of bandwidth concerns the number of viewers
could be limited, although ofcourse, using delays (just like satellite
transmissions), you could have the actual *race* server send out a
'viewer' stream to a different computer, which then acts as a
broadcast channel to many others. So the bandwidth is offloaded to
another computer. And if that one is full, the 1st broadcasting server
might send a viewer streamer on to the next server, which can handle
again a number of viewers. Even though things are then perhaps delayed
for a second or 2, this does not make a difference to the viewer, just
like in television.

Too bad I don't have the telecommunications here to do those kinds of
tests. Would be like the Matrix Racing Channel online. :)
Perhaps with provisions that there are many spots where you can just
hop in and race, this sort of virtual world might attract a lot of
customers. Ofcourse all non-paying or cheap (perhaps some closed and
paid-for leagues if you don't want to mess around too much).

I'll let this sink in; I'm doing a car sim which has goals like these,
but there's no sign of multiplayer yet, hehe. But nice to keep in the
back of the mind.

Perhaps one day, if we can come up with a good clean protocol to
broadcast racing games, real commercial games might pick it up and
start broadcasting, hooking into the MRC.

All very possible actually, just a lot of work and a lot of
persistence needed.

Ruud van Gaal, GPL Rank +53.25
Pencil art    : http://www.racesimcentral.net/
Car simulation: http://www.racesimcentral.net/

The vision I had for the internet part of it was, to enable the
initial distribution to be as small as possible (and also make it more
difficult for people to go straight into F1 - they'd have to work to
get there [ of course, you don't want it TOO hard, and there should be
some work-around for people who just can't get past the Sprint Car
Grand Nationals, but know they can drive an F1 ]. This way the initial
Cd/s could come with, say, a few dozen "bush league" tracks from
around the world with cars to match (think DTR) and maybe a few of the
series that would be considered "next level up". Then as you get
better and the contracts come rolling in, it's just a matter of
downloading the F1 (or your series of choice - it shouldn't be linear)
tracks and vehicles. Anyway, my programming is no where near good
enough to even think about any of this - yet - but i'd like to see it.

The important part is a good, 'realistic' career mode, the mechanics
of the thing are for people smarter than me to work out :-) Like I
said in my original post, I like to try and simulate a career with all
my simming - but it's not quite as satisfying, and of course i'm not
averse to changing the rules for 'promotion' when it becomes apparent
i'm going to finish in the top 5, not the top 3.... ;-)

Something like the Soccer Management games, where you recieve offers
from clubs based on performance, starting with some non-League pub
team and moving up to the Premier League, into Europe, etc, is what I
want - if that wasn't already clear ;-)    (my, I can ramble... but if
there are any ambitious developers out there reading this, get to work
will ya? ;-)

DG

I know exactly what you mean.  I set up an exel spreadsheat to chart a
'career path' through DTR.  X number of feature races to *qualify* for a
given series with a minimum number of seasons experience.  For example, to
run the highest series in the Streek Stock catagory I had to have six (I
think) feature starts.  To race the entry level Pro-Stock car, the
requirement was 10 features plus a full season in a street stock.  If
memory serves correctly (and your milage may vary), I needed 50 features +
1 season in a Steet Stock (to avoid the 50 races being street stocks) to
get into the entry level Late Model series.  Once a year is completed in
LMs, the option on where to go to for the next season was based entirely on
the level of experience obtained. 70 features got you into the ASA (in this
case it would be N3 cars at the bull rings - kinda like running the cars at
all the short tracks the trucks/bgn/wc cars had available) running at 30%
distance races.  85 features got you into the ARCA series (mostly the short
& intermediate tracks *no road courses*) and roughly 40% distances.  100+
features got you into the Busch Grand National circuit - basically 50%
races at most of the same venues as WC.

Oh, optionally, if you wanted to end up in The World of Outlaws you could
branch off into the sprint divisions & DTR racing once completing a season
of LMs.

So far it sounds great - and it was.  I got one driver to finish out a
season at the Ratbag Grand National level (winning the championship to
boot!) and gratduated to a solid BGN ride.

This is where the system breaks down.  There is no possible way to simulate
a career in N1/2/3/4.  I have yet to see/hear of a way to do it and to date
haven't seen a third party method of doing it.  (If there is someone
capable, I'd like to see a way of fixing the starting grid to simulate the
twin 125 & the Daytona 500 field as well...)

I'm with you Goat, I'd like to see it.  I'm not about to hold my breath
though...