Totally discouraged by Nascar 4

I've derived tremendous enjoyment from GPL (rank +27), and have been trying desperately to enjoy Nascar 4. I must say that it makes watching the races on TV make more sense since I now have an idea about how yellows and pitting etc work. And NASCAR 4's realism in this area is impressive. Graphics are a treat as well. I remember being very frustrated with GPL's twitchiness in the early days (I drive the Lotus) but I think I am even more frustrated with N4. Trying to run in a friendly league - either I take a stock "fast" setup and lap a second a lap slower than everyone else, or I download a faster setup that is so twitchy I cause 3 yellows in a row and quit in frustration. Can this beast be slayed? After say 50,000 laps of being smashed around by the AI, will the light come on and I will be competitive AND be able to control the car?? Fed Up, Wilf

I wsa in the same boat. What kind of wheel are you using? I gained a lot of control and speed in N4 when I ditched the NasPro2 Logitech and finally went to a TSW2. That solved my problem. I still am not the fastest, but the game is far more managable and enjoyable than before. I'm even better at GPL now because of it. Phillip "Wilf" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

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> I've derived tremendous enjoyment from GPL (rank +27), and have been > trying desperately to enjoy Nascar 4. I must say that it makes > watching the races on TV make more sense since I now have an idea > about how yellows and pitting etc work. And NASCAR 4's realism in this > area is impressive. Graphics are a treat as well. > > I remember being very frustrated with GPL's twitchiness in the early > days (I drive the Lotus) but I think I am even more frustrated with > N4. Trying to run in a friendly league - either I take a stock "fast" > setup and lap a second a lap slower than everyone else, or I download > a faster setup that is so twitchy I cause 3 yellows in a row and quit > in frustration. > > Can this beast be slayed? After say 50,000 laps of being smashed > around by the AI, will the light come on and I will be competitive AND > be able to control the car?? > > Fed Up, Wilf

Wilf, First of all - dont make the same mistake everyone else does; I.e go hunting for some "ace's" setup and think that will cure your problem.... Speed will come - with time and with the setup that is right *for you*. Try to find a mid-point between the fast but uncontrollable and the slow but nice handling. Try and get hold of some of Doug A's setups - they are generally very well balanced. (Now if I only had the URL here ... :-() -- ed_ "Wilf" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > I've derived tremendous enjoyment from GPL (rank +27), and have been > trying desperately to enjoy Nascar 4. I must say that it makes > watching the races on TV make more sense since I now have an idea > about how yellows and pitting etc work. And NASCAR 4's realism in this > area is impressive. Graphics are a treat as well. > > I remember being very frustrated with GPL's twitchiness in the early > days (I drive the Lotus) but I think I am even more frustrated with > N4. Trying to run in a friendly league - either I take a stock "fast" > setup and lap a second a lap slower than everyone else, or I download > a faster setup that is so twitchy I cause 3 yellows in a row and quit > in frustration. > > Can this beast be slayed? After say 50,000 laps of being smashed > around by the AI, will the light come on and I will be competitive AND > be able to control the car?? > > Fed Up, Wilf

Well I started with the fast setup as a base for most of my setups. I just went out and worked on taking out whatever I did not want in the setup. I like a touch of understeer, but like at Watkins the fast setup seemed a bit too pushy too me. Resetting the shocks and working the springs till I could drive thru the corners faster and also make the car easier to drive overall. I know there are a bunch of guys who are really fast in N4 and can drive a setup that is very twitchy. I cannot and usually work towards a setup where I am comfortable in a corner and able to get down and push the car to its limit Dave Wilf <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

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> I've derived tremendous enjoyment from GPL (rank +27), and have been > trying desperately to enjoy Nascar 4. I must say that it makes > watching the races on TV make more sense since I now have an idea > about how yellows and pitting etc work. And NASCAR 4's realism in this > area is impressive. Graphics are a treat as well. > > I remember being very frustrated with GPL's twitchiness in the early > days (I drive the Lotus) but I think I am even more frustrated with > N4. Trying to run in a friendly league - either I take a stock "fast" > setup and lap a second a lap slower than everyone else, or I download > a faster setup that is so twitchy I cause 3 yellows in a row and quit > in frustration. > > Can this beast be slayed? After say 50,000 laps of being smashed > around by the AI, will the light come on and I will be competitive AND > be able to control the car?? > > Fed Up, Wilf

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says... > I remember being very frustrated with GPL's twitchiness in the early > days (I drive the Lotus) but I think I am even more frustrated with > N4. Trying to run in a friendly league - either I take a stock "fast" > setup and lap a second a lap slower than everyone else, or I download > a faster setup that is so twitchy I cause 3 yellows in a row and quit > in frustration. One thing I really like about N4 is that you really have to get in there and design your own settings to suit your own driving style. Downloading fast setups isn't going to do a thing. It may be fast but if you don't drive the same way as the person who developed those setups, your tire wear will likely differ to theirs. http://www.sportplanet.com/team-lightspeed/ Has a setup guide that I've found invaluable. Also some track guides that make things a little easier to learn. Cheers, Rod.

Doug Arnao's setup page: http://www.vehiclecraft.com/n4/ "Ed Solheim" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:7Rfn7.13904$[email hidden]... > Wilf, > > First of all - dont make the same mistake everyone else does; I.e gohunting > for some "ace's" setup and think that will cure your problem.... > > Speed will come - with time and with the setup that is right *for you*. > > Try to find a mid-point between the fast but uncontrollable and the slowbut

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> nice handling. > Try and get hold of some of Doug A's setups - they are generally very well > balanced. > > (Now if I only had the URL here ... :-() > > -- > ed_

Wilf, A couple things that might help - - practice, practice, practice. Sounds like you are already on that road, so no more to say on that. - learn how to setup the car. That probably sounds flippant, but it is not meant to be. N4 really takes things to a new level and you really need to get in there and get a good understanding of all your setup options and what their impact will be. You might want to check my setup guide at http://www.frogdogracing.com There are many guides out there that go into great detail - I tried to consolidate as much of them as possible onto a single page that you can use while practicing. - establish a good practice protocal. We've all probably heard that you should only change one thing and be sure to keep notes of changes. jmo, but I think up to now, a lot of people were able to shortcut this step in previous Nx titles. There may be a few out there that can still do that, but I think the majority of drivers could improve a lot faster if they take the time to do this. Anyway, just a couple ideas that I hope help you out. Good luck!!!! Jeff Causey FrogDog Racing "Wilf" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

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> I've derived tremendous enjoyment from GPL (rank +27), and have been > trying desperately to enjoy Nascar 4. I must say that it makes > watching the races on TV make more sense since I now have an idea > about how yellows and pitting etc work. And NASCAR 4's realism in this > area is impressive. Graphics are a treat as well. > > I remember being very frustrated with GPL's twitchiness in the early > days (I drive the Lotus) but I think I am even more frustrated with > N4. Trying to run in a friendly league - either I take a stock "fast" > setup and lap a second a lap slower than everyone else, or I download > a faster setup that is so twitchy I cause 3 yellows in a row and quit > in frustration. > > Can this beast be slayed? After say 50,000 laps of being smashed > around by the AI, will the light come on and I will be competitive AND > be able to control the car?? > > Fed Up, Wilf

If I could find time to do a decent Ring lap, I would have a negative Rank in GPL (maybe 1 or 2 seconds, nothing great). I love GPL and I love real race courses. I also enjoy NASCAR because it is easier to race and be competitive and win. But there is one huge problem for us F1 fans that is exacerbated by N4's realism: it is more difficult than you think to drive a substantially asymmetrical set-up. When all is going well, it's fine, but when you need to make a quick correction because you did something foolish (often) or the AI did something foolish (more often), the imbalance of the car can really, really throw you for a loop. The same thing happens to me in GPL if I use one of the hot lappers off-balance set-ups. This might be your problem....?? Marc. "Wilf" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

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> I've derived tremendous enjoyment from GPL (rank +27), and have been > trying desperately to enjoy Nascar 4. I must say that it makes > watching the races on TV make more sense since I now have an idea > about how yellows and pitting etc work. And NASCAR 4's realism in this > area is impressive. Graphics are a treat as well. > > I remember being very frustrated with GPL's twitchiness in the early > days (I drive the Lotus) but I think I am even more frustrated with > N4. Trying to run in a friendly league - either I take a stock "fast" > setup and lap a second a lap slower than everyone else, or I download > a faster setup that is so twitchy I cause 3 yellows in a row and quit > in frustration. > > Can this beast be slayed? After say 50,000 laps of being smashed > around by the AI, will the light come on and I will be competitive AND > be able to control the car?? > > Fed Up, Wilf

Thanks to all for your replies. At least I can see I am not the only one having difficulty making the transition from GPL to N4. Wilf

In article <3b9e17b6$[email hidden]>, "Jeff Causey" <[email hidden]> writes:

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>- learn how to setup the car. That probably sounds flippant, but it is not >meant to be. N4 really takes things to a new level and you really need to >get in there and get a good understanding of all your setup options and what >their impact will be. You might want to check my setup guide at >http://www.frogdogracing.com There are many guides out there that go into >great detail - I tried to consolidate as much of them as possible onto a >single page that you can use while practicing. >

I can't speak for Wilf, but usually ANY change I make to the car makes it WORSE. Say a setting is at 0. I change it to 1, and the car is worse. I change it to -1, thinking I simply went the wrong way with the numbers - the car is worse. I can't seem to make it BETTER, no matter what I change... I'll print out your setup guide, and the other one that was mentioned, but I'm not encouraged. Eldred -- Dale Earnhardt, Sr. R.I.P. 1951-2001 Homepage - http://www.umich.edu/~epickett F1 hcp. +16.36...Monster +360.54... Never argue with an idiot. He brings you down to his level, then beats you with experience... Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.

In article <[email hidden]>, Rod Prince <[email hidden]> writes: >One thing I really like about N4 is that you really have to get in there >and design your own settings to suit your own driving style. Well THAT sucks. There are those of us who have NO setup skill... :( Eldred -- Dale Earnhardt, Sr. R.I.P. 1951-2001 Homepage - http://www.umich.edu/~epickett F1 hcp. +16.36...Monster +360.54... Never argue with an idiot. He brings you down to his level, then beats you with experience... Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.

Eldred..try this... default is 4 in core.ini switch to 2 [Task] max_grabs_per_update_w_track_view=2 ; Max frames/update with track view Dave C. EldredP <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > In article <[email hidden]>, RodPrince

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> <[email hidden]> writes: > > >One thing I really like about N4 is that you really have to get in there > >and design your own settings to suit your own driving style. > > Well THAT sucks. There are those of us who have NO setup skill... :( > > Eldred > -- > Dale Earnhardt, Sr. R.I.P. 1951-2001 > Homepage - http://www.umich.edu/~epickett > F1 hcp. +16.36...Monster +360.54... > > Never argue with an idiot. He brings you down to his level, then beats

you > with experience... > Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.

Try this: load up any of the speedway tracks(not the SS ones) and run a few laps with the medium setup(I forgot the name) then hit the pits and drop the REAR TRACKBAR two clicks on each side. If you were having problems before with the tail end stepping out, this simple fix will help stick the back. However, it's not the fastest setup, but you will have a stable platform to begin running tons of laps The old N2 theory was to NEVER make a change until you've run at least 10 laps. Then, starting with getting the tire temps right, change ONE thing at a time. Repeat as necessary...I should point out that I too am totally helpless when it comes to setups so my advice might not be the best :) dave henrie "EldredP" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > In article <3b9e17b6$[email hidden]>, "Jeff Causey" > <[email hidden]> writes: > > >- learn how to setup the car. That probably sounds flippant, but it isnot > >meant to be. N4 really takes things to a new level and you really needto > >get in there and get a good understanding of all your setup options andwhat > >their impact will be. You might want to check my setup guide at > >http://www.frogdogracing.com There are many guides out there that gointo

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> >great detail - I tried to consolidate as much of them as possible onto a > >single page that you can use while practicing. > > > > I can't speak for Wilf, but usually ANY change I make to the car makes it > WORSE. Say a setting is at 0. I change it to 1, and the car is worse. I > change it to -1, thinking I simply went the wrong way with the numbers -

the > car is worse. I can't seem to make it BETTER, no matter what I change... > I'll print out your setup guide, and the other one that was mentioned, butI'm

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> not encouraged. > > Eldred > -- > Dale Earnhardt, Sr. R.I.P. 1951-2001 > Homepage - http://www.umich.edu/~epickett > F1 hcp. +16.36...Monster +360.54... > > Never argue with an idiot. He brings you down to his level, then beats

you > with experience... > Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.

In article <cRSp7.1844$[email hidden]>, "David Ciemny" <[email hidden]> writes:

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>Eldred..try this... > >default is 4 in core.ini switch to 2 > >[Task] >max_grabs_per_update_w_track_view=2 ; Max frames/update with track view > >Dave C. > > >EldredP <[email hidden]> wrote in message >news:[email hidden]... >> In article <[email hidden]>, Rod >Prince >> <[email hidden]> writes: >> >> >One thing I really like about N4 is that you really have to get in there >> >and design your own settings to suit your own driving style. >> >> Well THAT sucks. There are those of us who have NO setup skill... :(

How does that help your setup skill? I must have missed something somewhere... Eldred -- Dale Earnhardt, Sr. R.I.P. 1951-2001 Homepage - http://www.umich.edu/~epickett F1 hcp. +16.36...Monster +360.54... Never argue with an idiot. He brings you down to his level, then beats you with experience... Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.

Hiya guys, I'm another one who has great difficulty in working out setups and usually rely on Doug Arno's or Bob Stanley to get me reasonably on the pace. I've read a lot of information on setup and although I sort of understand what is being said it just doesn't translate well when I try it myself. Either you've got it or you haven't. I had a league race yesterday at Lowes' Night and knew even with Dougs or Bob's setups I wasn't going to be in the running. As I happened to be off work with a medical problem I resigned myself to do some testing. What I did was run about half a dozen different setups and ran the car until my front right tyre hit the yellow and then added a couple of more laps and then exported my times for comparison. (40 laps) In the end I butchered one of Bob Stanley's Texas setups and ran with that in the nights race. My times aren't very flash and somewhat embarrassed by them compared to the "fast guys" but so you have a perspective of it I ran a best lap 30.3xx and by the time I hit yellow and did another 10 laps (around 47) my times were in the high 31's. I made a tactical error and pitted when I should have hung on to 4th place and waited for the leader to pit. It cost me a lap and I never recovered from that. Only a couple of yellows in a 160 laps race. I finished 6th. However I was doing ok with lap times and the result could have been better. The point is?? I found that the fastest setup wasn't necessary the best once you start getting past 30 laps and have to consider tyre wear in the bigger picture. I'm thankful to anyone who is decent enough to post a good setup which surely makes for better racing and assist us hopeless setup technicians... Stu C

In article <wUiq7.9788$[email hidden]>, "Stu_C" <[email hidden]> writes: >I made a tactical error and pitted when I should have hung on to 4th place >and waited for the leader to pit. It cost me a lap and I never recovered >from that. Only a couple of yellows in a 160 laps race. I finished 6th. How many people typically drop out of N4 races as opposed to in GPL? I realize that this was a league race, but I'm curious abour the pickup or practice races. Eldred -- Dale Earnhardt, Sr. R.I.P. 1951-2001 Homepage - http://www.umich.edu/~epickett F1 hcp. +16.36...Monster +360.54... Never argue with an idiot. He brings you down to his level, then beats you with experience... Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.