I tried it, I'm dead slow, but I still get loads of points...
Something wrong with points on Race 3?
It seems that it takes in account all cars on the server even if only 2 cars compete in each class, so everyone ends up with 20-120 points...
I did a race yesterday with a XRR-GT2 and poor set, 4 seconds off WR pace, and still got something like 25 points for it - 3rd place 30 seconds behind leader and last of the class if I remember well. That is way overrated
Is there a way to get it less rewarding? Or am I alone here thinking licences should be earnt, not given?
Honestly I should have received 0-5 points for this race... closer to 0.
@ J@tko you are right, I spent ages passing this XFR - very close indeed except braking and fast curves.

Seems like a good idea to boost the use of these rolling things...
By the way you should update the CTRA page bit describing race 3:

"Race 3 is a fast and furious server, but don't be put off. Standards are exceptional in this server, most particularly in the GTRs. GT2-Class and GTR-Class cars are the domain of Silver and Platinum licences respectively."

...and thanks to the OP for posting it here, where we all (kind of) expect to find serious info.
To the moaners, posting it HERE is funny. In the bad joke thread it would be merely amusing, ruining the surprise effect.
Where are we going if we have to explain humour?

Hi CTRA (Sam I expect),
I've not been racing actively on CTRA servers lately (nor racing this much I must say) and logged on the ctra website today.
I can see pbs added to the myctra page, very nice addition, and also a sanskript-looking bar on top of the page, telling me I got 23 GP points this month (3 XRT races on BL1, reminded me of my long demo times...except the track and car changed faster than my setups).
After clicking all links (everything working smoothly, no worries there) I can see this month's standings in all categories and many more of these "GP points"
So:
What are these GP points, and how are they (basically, please no maths!) calculated?
What are they / will they be used for? (it looks like part of a bigger plan from here, but maybe I'm just paranoid)
Would you care to enlighten my poor soul?

Thank you.

Quote from Leonidae-MFT@GTP :

Well, greedy bank hasn't managed to kill my interest for this game, so I'm probably going the voucher route.

Yeah, the instructions were there, and even moneybookers had instructions on their site, but I do not have printer, thus they were pretty much useless. I tried my best to explain them, even wrote on paper what the instructions were, but the staff of the bank obviously lacks english skills.:dunce:

No instructions to the bank needed - only transfer money from your bank account to a local (finnish) moneybookers account provided by moneybookers (similar to paying a telephone bill through the bank), containing a reference text that will link the transfer to your moneybookers account.
You will then be credited (5-10 days) and can buy on the net from the moneybookers account (instant).

Moneybooker fees are close to zero if you do it correctly.
Just spend some time reading their (well hidden, non intuitive unfortunately) faq.
http://www.moneybookers.com/app/help.pl?s=fees
Upload fund via bank transfer is free in Finland and Australia.

Extract from their website:

I used moneybookers as well to get my license, it only cost me 1.75% change fees and a free bank transfer (free because you send money to a moneybookers account in YOUR country, not in UK. They have accounts in all the countries listed - link above.)

I hope this helps, good luck.

Just have a go with the set attached -
the inferno set is a hotlap set, designed to go really fast, so it is very unforgiving.
It will allow you to drive on the edge but will grant a severe punishment if you step out of the line!

The set I posted does not use a locked differential so it is easier to use (turn - in is easier) and when you meet kerbs you will lose power but not control. It allows some margin for racing compared to hotlap sets.
I can do 1.34 - 1.35 with some consistency with it.

Best thing is to watch and then follow - find a good server first!

Well, I do
AS tracks with the chicane, if you miss you braking point at the end of the long straight you end up wide and you may have to cut according to your (failed) line, in order to avoid the rest of the field. I did that mistake a few when I jumped from LX6 into a FZS and back in CTRA servers.

Quote from Doorman :

Sorry to drag this thread up but I didn't want to start another on the same subject.
My idea is to inflict cutters with a 5 second penalty every time they go off track. The technology is in place as in hotlapping. Go off track and lap is invalidated. Instead of invalidating, plonk a time penalty on 'em! How long would it take to train people up to the art of keeping it on the island?
No only that, you wouldn't have to put tyre stacks/straw bales in strategic places, which elicit howls of anguish (It's on the racing line!) and nothing needs to be done to the tracks themselves.
As a side issue it may well induce a little more care in the general driving standards
Thank you.

The idea seems good to me, only problem (as stated above) is the unfairness, the arbitrary application of the penalty.

Ex: If 2 drivers end up in the above described chicane at the same time, and play if fair, they may be forced to take wide lines way off the ideal racin line and thus get undeserved penalties for it.

Ex2: miss your braking point under pressure and you get a bit wide - ok, you slow down and get back on track, position lost. Did you deserve an extra 5 second penalty for it?

Extra obstacles (visible) do a better punishment job in theory but with the current collision detection they might as well send you to the moon... and if your field is tight flying tyres may cause a massive wreck - mass punishment?

I think a few cones well disposed with a collision detection, penalty linked (like training? I'm no programmer but it seems possible), may work, because it might be easier to tweak (penalty after a number of cones, or penalty above a number of cones/ lap or anything the like).

Thanks for digging up this thread, interesting to read knowing how LFS evolved. We are coming closer to a solution it seems

AS2R is FXO dream!
See, long straights and tight corners - high speed braking, full throttle exit.
The chicane is the only issue with the FXO but due to its grip advantage it is manageable.
Whatever balancing solution is found, it must not be based on this track only - try on SO (longer ones) or FE tracks.
BTW I kept to RB4 on AS2R and managed high 1:14 / low 1:15 due too poor driving and setup abilities, but still had fights with FXOs (lost all of them on the straights though) and XRTs and even scored a few points. I do not think the TBO balance is that bad.

I voted no restrictions.
It is not entirely correct as I would like to see some restrictions in the setup options (preventing extreme setups), preventing the FXO from becoming ovesteery. It seems to me that the standard understeery FXO does not have such a huge advantage over the other 2 cars.
It is not possible to enforce a server side setup restriction to my knowledge but I hope LFS will evolve and make it impossible to tune all car this way.

I do not like the idea of separate results for the TBO cars, it would feel like racing alone in your class during the LRF/TBO race 2.
I was racing (struggling?) on AS2 with the RB4 yesterday, I usually prefer the XRT.
RB4 is no match for XRTs and even less FXOs on the straights there, but that may closer on a twistier track / FE, SO. Is that so?

I just wonder where the difference is coming from, is it due to the FXO being really faster or is it due to weird setups (far from realistic) creating oversteery FWD cars, exploiting the absence of limits to the setup options?

If we want to find out, I would suggest that we try a fixed suspension setup (or the choice between 2-3 official CTRA setups - neutral, understeer, oversteer) on this server for 1 day - based on good will as there is no solution to limit setup options server side to my knowledge.

Very good post (again!)
+1 to the Wiki / Manual

Damn I must be getting old. I already feel I'm going way too fast at 50mph / 80km/h through blackwood T1 in XRG...
@becky, that was a good post to read, thanks.
So what can we conclude from the moaning tendency post-Z? My theories:
1) Most of the LFS moaners do post here, which increases their visibility compared with in-game population
2) Satisfied / patient ones do not feel the need to shout around
3) Kids education these days... enjoy the ride, as the path to go to the goal IS the goal, fun and excitement. Especially in a driving sim.

Quote from Crommi :

Doesn't sound like a powerhouse, I have no clue how much 13,5 foot-pounds is in Nm but I get a feeling it's somewhere between stationary and "Oh no, uphill. Unload shopping bags!"

Just wondering where the shopping bags were stored in the first place

to farcar, well said.
I appreciate the game and am happy to contribute with my license (and test patches debugging) - What the dev team has achieved there is more or less a dream for us all working, so my license is a thank you for what we had and now have, as well as congratulations! carry on with this idea as long as you get enough fun and income from it.
To those saying slow progress, please read Scawen's post about kids education again

...
maybe post this kind of flamewar fodder into the improvement suggestions section so that I do not stumble upon it?
Thanks

I agree with the above Moose on physics, aerodynamics and draft forces are not yet at the level needed for this very specific type of racing.
Collision system improvement (on its way it seems ) is also necessary, as well as aerodynamics affecting damage.
Before that is done oval racing in LFS will feel strange and arcade-ish I think. I see no point in adding it to CTRA at the moment (not that my opinion affects CTRA decisions in any way )

Slightly OT... but not this far so I hijack the thread.
How can I download a replay of a race I was not in? I would like to check last night's tbo races as the commentaries are varied...
I raised a fake report to download one race and erased it but it is a stupid thing to do, there must be a smarter way to achieve that (feels like killing a fly with a bazooka...)

Disclaimer: I am speaking only for myself. I do not feel like a sheep, LFS is the only game I have purchased for...xx years (since some floppy discs during Atari computers times .

I want to say thank you to the dev team, and especially to Scawen, for the following:
I like the game for what it is but also as a unique piece of software, which possesses the characteristics of objects created by skilled craftsmen (good and bad ones, overall very positive - like a hand made english car (or expensive swiss watch) maybe?)

I appreciate the tone Scawen puts in the communications on the forums lately, taking a little more time to explain his choices in development and sharing with us what the next steps could be. Some here should read these posts more carefully before spamming nonsense.
The test patches forum is very informative, but maybe a read only feature and special registration granted by the mod team to post in there would help keeping the spam (even friendly spam is spam) out.

I have little interest in eye candy but still think that the tracks and cars look very good even on my laptop, at least good enough not to worry about them and concentrate on racing. Which is what I am (still) here for.

Also thank you for remaining focused and working hard despite sometimes harsh and unrefined criticism on these forums. Sometimes when I read them I feel than if I were in the dev teams place I would need to take a long break from LFS.

So thanks and please continue creating this unique sim.

Racing on CTRA2.
"T3STOST3RONZOR111++" rams you off the track at T1. In the process YOU take half of the field out.
!!! "T3STOST3RONZOR111++" says sorry!

You get off the server to watch the replay and report "T3STOST3RONZOR111++" . Join back, not allowed due to a massive drop in safety ratings.
...

You
A)Join CTRA1, and continue racing with "T3STOST3RONZOR111++" and his friends?
B)Join DRIFTZOR club with disabled rating stuff
C)Turn off LFS and go live a normal life for a change?

Apart from that I like your idea.
Have a :trophy_br, no medals in store.

Last edited by Mille Sabords, Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:14. Reason : horrid typo

Quote from Woz :

Look at the yellow rating in CTRA. Yes you pick up yellows sometimes when its NOT your fault but over the course of time your rating gives a good reflection of how clean you are on the track.

TBH: If the system were such that servers had to enable a filter to block dick head drivers then its not a prob. If you are a dick you have to play on unfiltered servers until you rating gets better. That is good punishment for being a dick in the first place.

I do not see a chance for this - who would open servers for wreckers on purpose?

Quote from N I K I :

I think the main point is still not realized.

TBO's aren't used because we are sick of getting beaten by LRF's.
You still can say bla, bla it's different class, but overall win is what counts.

Which win?
You get a CTRA win if you win TBO class (provided there were enough cars) even if you are one lap and several places down LRFs, so you must be referring to LFSW wins stats?

I try to join Race2 even if it is empty, but after 2 "races" alone I quit...
And when there are 4-5 LX6s on the server, you can always ask around to get a few into TBOs.

Race1 is fun, I like the lower powered cars and close races with varied skills (sometimes frustrating).
I also remember when I started CTRA race1 I was happy to find fast guys on the server to learn from them (Biohazard for example was pretty active then) - newbies only server would be hell and no improvement chances.

I suggest getting rid of the forums because all that comes out of here lately are stupid suggestions