run up the back tire of the guy in front of you...Stops you real fast!!
dave henrie
dave henrie
Lol, yeah, saw that.........oops :) Haga made no friends that day, eh ?
John
Jonny
definitely *not* an alien ;-)
I think it should be very obvious to YOU what planet you come from!
What others may think about you is a very different matter...
Malc, who has been called an alien, but isn't (honest!)
>John
>Similarly, there are things you can do that they can't.
>Also in your setup, check to see if it's symmetrical.
>Jim
> Also keep in mind, the AI has a whole different physics model(or lack
>of)then you do. There's numerous things they can do, you'll never be able
>I'm getting my lap times down at Silverstone, but in a six car AI raceI
>can't stay with the two fastest cars. One problem I've noticed isthat the AI
>cars brake later than me on most corners, and manage tostay on the track. If
>I try to brake later (which means I have tobrake harder), I find the front
>end of the car starts squirming allover the place. Usually results in
>stepping on to the grass followedby a spin. Is this a brake bias problem?
>How can I retain carstability with later/harder braking?Thanks.--Cpl Hicks
>> As a general rule, the top AI will always be very hard to beat, but
>> not impossible. They use your previous best times for that track as an
>> indication of how fast they should go, but I don't think this changes
>> during the race, so if you've improved, you should be able to beat
>> them.
> Would it be fair to say that if you can beat them, you're probably
> an alien? Or is the 'alien' cut-off faster than that?
> Jonny
> definitely *not* an alien ;-)
Alex.
That is an essential feature of AI to be able to brake later
than any human (or alien) can. Fortunately in some other corners
AI is much slower.
Here I assume that you don't lock rear, but the front gets
out of control. When this happen, does it always turns to the same
side or it may turn in either direction?
If it can go in both direction I would suggest to set bump equal
to rebound (or even 1 click higher), especially at the front.
If it only turns in one direction that's probably caused
by very asymmetric settings (primarily camber). To check
if it's the case try to symmetrize your setup and see
if the problem stays. If it goes away you will either have
to learn to counter-steer to avoid going off the road under
the braking or live with symmetric setup which will probably
cost you few tenths on most of the tracks.
Alex.
> I wouldn't worry too much about beating the AI, they are designed to try to
> beat you, but mainly to prepare you for the online races. Although they
> don't use the same physics as you, the line they follow and their braking
> points should be good enough that you can learn from them.
> Can you give an idea of the track/laptimes you're doing? Can you
> consistently do 1:30 laps at Monza, for example? I can't find you on
> GPLRank.
--
Cpl Hicks
At that speed I wouldn't worry too much about the AI, you've got room for
improvement.
A competitive time at Silverstone is around 1:30, like Monza, and would get
you a decent grid position at any online race.
Rather than worry too much about the setup (you'll get 50 different tips,
all good, from 50 people) try to improve your exit speed from the corners.
Silverstone is basically a point & squirt circuit, but because it has a few
corners leading onto long straights, you need to get a good exit so you can
carry as much speed as you can into the straight.
Generally I've found that braking for a little longer and turning in later
works for most corners there, and it's surprising just how much extra speed
you can get rid of in the last couple of feet before you turn in, meaning
your exit is more controlled.
If you start braking later, you'll risk overshooting the turn in, but if
your turn in point is a little later (and consequently your apex), you'll
have time to lose enough speed to turn in without swapping ends.
Give it a go!
The other thing is, if you're using any driving aids (apart from the racing
line) then switch them off. You'll be quicker, alot quicker without them
once you're used to it.
Malc.
John
> > Really ? What is that ? Not being a smartass, honestly can't think of
> >any thing.
> >John
> >Similarly, there are things you can do that they can't.
> >Also in your setup, check to see if it's symmetrical.
> >Jim
> > Also keep in mind, the AI has a whole different physics model(or lack
> >of)then you do. There's numerous things they can do, you'll never be
able
> >I'm getting my lap times down at Silverstone, but in a six car AI raceI
> >can't stay with the two fastest cars. One problem I've noticed isthat the
AI
> >cars brake later than me on most corners, and manage tostay on the track.
If
> >I try to brake later (which means I have tobrake harder), I find the
front
> >end of the car starts squirming allover the place. Usually results in
> >stepping on to the grass followedby a spin. Is this a brake bias problem?
> >How can I retain carstability with later/harder braking?Thanks.--Cpl
Hicks
--
Cpl Hicks
While I have to admit I could probably do a 1.37 with the keyboard, don't
blame the controllers unless they're broken ;-)
I use home-made (split axis) pedals & a ff joystick that are pretty
knackered but I'm used to them. Just use whatever's good for you.
If you're okay with modulating the brakes (backing off if you lock them up)
and can apply the throttle progressively then your pedals are 'good enough'
for now. Buy the speed-7's later ;-)
What part of the world are you in? Or more to the point, do you have vroc
set up & if so what time are you usually on? I could probably give better
constructive criticism of your technique if I could see it. Racing online
was probably the best thing that happened to my laptimes. Somehow it's just
more real than racing the AI ;-)
There isn't really anything else to suggest other than read the book that
comes with gpl and practice, practice, practice...
Malc.
> > > The other thing is, if you're using any driving aids (apart from the
> racing
> > > line) then switch them off. You'll be quicker, alot quicker without them
> > > once you're used to it.
> > No I'm not using driving aids. Well last night I could go no quicker
> > than 1:37 which is pathetic. I'm trying to get the pedals smooth, as
> > I've noticed that any sudden change (esp coming off the brakes) is
> > bad. But my pedals don't have much travel and it's not easy to do
> > smooth controlled braking. Then again, I guess all you hot lappers
> > could do better on my gear (TM Modena Pro)
> While I have to admit I could probably do a 1.37 with the keyboard, don't
> blame the controllers unless they're broken ;-)
> I use home-made (split axis) pedals & a ff joystick that are pretty
> knackered but I'm used to them. Just use whatever's good for you.
> If you're okay with modulating the brakes (backing off if you lock them up)
> and can apply the throttle progressively then your pedals are 'good enough'
> for now. Buy the speed-7's later ;-)
> What part of the world are you in? Or more to the point, do you have vroc
> set up & if so what time are you usually on? I could probably give better
> constructive criticism of your technique if I could see it. Racing online
> was probably the best thing that happened to my laptimes. Somehow it's just
> more real than racing the AI ;-)
> There isn't really anything else to suggest other than read the book that
> comes with gpl and practice, practice, practice...
> Malc.
--
Cpl Hicks
That's one hell of an improvement!
When I first started out, like most people I chose the Lotus. After several
hundred spins & crashes I tried the slower cars (the Cooper (Coventry) was,
and still is my favourite) and found that with less power, I had to race
more cleanly and smoothly to match my Lotus times. When I went back to the
Lotus, I got a huge improvement in laptimes, because I was still using the
techniques for the slower cars, but with more power I could lap much faster.
Then I went back to the Cooper & again tried to match my Lotus times and so
on.
I've kept doing that & I've just changed from a period of 3-4 months mainly
in the other cars back to the Lotus again, hoping to improve my GPLRank a
bit.
The Monster Rank tables are really handy for spotting what car/track I'm
weak on, so I concentrate on getting my Monster Rank numerically close to my
GPLRank & so on.
A 1:34.xx is fast enough to race online, although you'd still be a 'mobile
chicaine' towards the end of most races, but learning how to be overtaken
without holding the faster driver up, and more importantly without losing
time yourself is an important lesson, and one many online racers could do
with learning themselves;-)
Online racing also gives you the chance to see how other drivers take the
corners, so that you can see where you're going wrong, and what their
braking points are etc. It also puts you under more pressure than racing the
AI, mainly because you'll not want to 'spoil' someone else's fun by holding
them up or taking them out. The majority of drivers are polite & courteous,
and as long as you are too, it won't really matter how fast or slow you are.
Someone always wins, someone always has to come last!
I'll make sure I'm in the main GPL chatroom at 8pm tonight, and we'll see if
there's a suitable race to practice in. Silverstone doesn't come up too
often unfortunately, but Monza's always a popular track, so we'll just have
to see at the time.
Alternatively mail me a replay (keep it small though, I'm on dial-up) & I
can rip your technique to pieces in private if you prefer ;-)
Malc.
--
malc (at) belper dot plus dot com
GPLRank -30.08
Monster Rank -34.21
Just some quick thoughts here. First, have you tried GPL Replay
Analyzer? There is no better way I know of to figure out where you are
losing time than to pull up one of your replays and compare it to the
ones that come with the game.
Secondly, is it possible that the problem you are having is not so much
braking itself but what happens after braking? Most of the cars are
quite stable under braking as long as you a) brake in a straight line,
b) don't lock up the wheels, and c) don't push the brake bias too far
rearward. The problem I think a lot of people have (and I still have if
I don't consciously watch for it) is that the rear end is going to come
out as you get off the brakes and turn in, and so if you are not used to
that there is a tendency to stay off the throttle and try and correct
with steering. Don't do it! The rear end is supposed to come out as
you turn in, and the right way to catch it is to get back on the
throttle. Smooooothly.
It is amazing how much more stable the cars in GPL feel if you get right
back on the throttle after releasing the brakes. It is also amazing how
much faster you can enter a corner when you do this properly. It's a
bit tricky, because you have to get the timing (a very brief pause is
sometimes helpful) and the feel right (too little throttle and you
understeer off the outside, too much and you spin), but once you get it
you will be amazed at the difference. Watching replays is helpful,
listen to the sound of the engine and watch to see where the speed
starts to come back up, this will give you some idea of the right
timing.
Hope that helps,
Hal
0 < GPL Rank < 100 ;o)