Hi,

Welcome to the AutoX Compo test. The purpose of this test is to see if one can make a nicely automated autox competition, with realtime results shown on a website. Anyone with an S2 license can join in the competition. You just join the host (details given below) and follow the instructions.
Because of the test nature of this current competition, feedback is appreciated on how to improve things, keeping in mind this should become an automated thing. Maybe something doesn't work properly, or maybe something isn't clear. If you have any comments, just leave'm here.

the host : -host no longer runs-

Some special commands you can use on the host :
!help - shows the following commands :
!rank [user][ranknr] - show your or someone else's rank (by username or rank number)
!next - show the couple of racers next in line
!skip - skip your turn (when it's your turn)
!away - set yourself aside from racing - you will not be invited
!back - report yourself back in duty again

the (temporary) webpage with results : url obsolete

Hope you'll like the idea

thank's to Moonclaw - I'm using one of your layouts for this test

Sounds like a really great idea, will have a go later

would love to join, even if it is just to chat to a dev and get some gossip!

How do I get the LFS protocol to work? LFS:// links dont work for me.

EDIT: I found the answer.

That was really fun good app, although I think Vic you had more than 2 attempts so maybe it's not logging properly?

Really liked this, usually these thngs arn't fun on your own but this one is class, really nice layout too, well done.

Quote from wheel4hummer :

How do I get the LFS protocol to work? LFS:// links dont work for me.

EDIT: I found the answer.

it's a good idea to post the answer even if you were able to figure it out yourself. im guessing he found join2lfs: http://www.lfsforum.net/showthread.php?t=121

Is there any other way to register the protocol? I dont really want to install something im not going to use. Surely there is a simple reg file floating around that will register it?

great fun!

i tried a driver change... it showed both my drivers on the LFS list but only showed my registered name on the site. I'm not sure if that was made intentionally or not.

Also for the number of attempts...it doesn't seem to count all of them, because i did way more laps than that. For what i can understand, it seems to count the number of times you set a new pb. Maybe "attemps" is not the proper word, although i can think of anything else right now.

i ran the track once earlier today and got the fastest time... then i told u guys that the car was capable of a 2:01 WR with a decent set
looks like i was right

Cool.

I guess I spotted a little "bug". When my time has come I joined the race and there was a message: restarting race in 3 seconds. Then another player connected just as race started to restart and race didn't restart because of that. I guess I should've restarted manually then?

One other thing we noticed today: driver can use shift-S to pit and he'd be given another chance to try again from the start while others can only wait.

Also, once happened that new player connected just as another crossed the line and system didn't have a chance to put him to spectate, and untill he doesn't do it himself all others can do is nothing but curse him if he behaves like an idiot by staying on track. And another idiot thing to do it keep joining the race when its not his turn, system keeps putting him to spectate but he keeps joining and prevents the real one than should join to join. (eventually he got bored though)

Misko, you got that close to breaking 2 minutes and then let it be? Someone's gotta break 2 mins soon.

I need a better setup. Or maybe I just don't really know how to drive FWD all that well yet (total RWD snob here, lol).

As for a bit of feedback on the process...

it's definitely an interesting idea that you're working on here, Victor. I like the web page listing all the results (and that someone's actually trying to do something for autocross! )

But it feels pretty clunky as a driver on the server, but I guess a lot of the clunkiness is due to having to get LFS to do stuff it wasn't designed to do in the first place, using the scripts and commands via the bot.

The auto-restart each time a person enters is kind of weird. Usually a course will be good to go without needing a restart - unless someone's been an idiot, of course. which is probably why the restart is there.

At real autocrosses, we're usually sending cars off every 20 to 30 seconds. But I think this would be tricky to get working right in LFS because lacking proper built in support you'd need to rely on people to join in the right order, at the right time, and not to go wandering around off course causing problems, etc. One car on course at a time does offer the advantage of allowing everyone to watch what you're doing (for better or worse), but at the disadvantage of having to wait 2+ minutes per person, for often a good 10-15 minutes between runs. Last night I was forgetting the flow of the course and how the car handled while waiting and was just getting worse.

The number of attempts? It appears that that is only counting the number of completed runs? I had a few attempts where I screwed up and crashed, and never finished the run, and they weren't counted. Surely an "attempt" is considered to be any run you start - not just the ones you finish. Can those get counted too?

Can the web page display the times as raw time + penalty time = total time, like how the results show inside of LFS (however that is)? Admittedly this particular course mostly has indestructable barriers, but with courses made of cones it's far more likely that penalties will occur, so it's often good to see the raw time in addition to the total time.

It would be cool to somehow, magically, be able to see replays of the top few people's runs. But I realise this isn't at all likely to happen at all due to the technical requirements of setting that mechanism up.

Victor, when you get a chance, can you restart the scripe please, it's kinda broke atm.

It's just recycling through the name of people who were in the server, like Misko, Prophet, Noghost, Tonix and stuff like that, never comes to letting people in who are in the server.

script restarted - i'm now back home again and will be on the lookout for touble (and will read and fix the reported bugs)

Thanks.

Started playing up again.

EDIT - can someone get rid of the noobend currently abusing the system?

Oh well, it was running good untill some saddo practiced every cut in the track and where every checkpoint was, he got to the end and waited so he could try and disguise his time a few seconds faster than the rest.

So maybe a more bomb proof auto x route has to be made...

yup, that is defenitely one of the things that needs looking in to.

that's also one reason why i chose this layout, which has almost only immovable objects (to force ppl to stay in the path), but there are gaps here and there so cutting is made possible :/

Maybe a time limit could also be set? There was someone who kept restarting so he had 3 runs.

Yeah, and there was someone who didnt read the instructions and kept joining when it was my turn. It should kick you if you try to join more than 3 times when it isnt your turn.

anyone got a replay of bawbag getting a 1:58? that is like 9 seconds faster than my time... omg

One thing, I don't know if it's intentional, but the penalty someone gets is not counted towards the resulting time

E: also ANYONE can vote to end race and succeed

Quote from Bawbag :

Victor, when you get a chance, can you restart the scripe please, it's kinda broke atm.

It's just recycling through the name of people who were in the server, like Misko, Prophet, Noghost, Tonix and stuff like that, never comes to letting people in who are in the server.

There are currently four of us on the server, but only 2 (actually about 4 people but 2 have left the server now) are being invited in a loop. Does the script need restarting again or something?

I and another would like to have a go if we can, please.

Thanks
Tim

restarted - sorry was out. I don't know what causes this 'out of sync' inviting - it always happens when i'm not around.

about the above reports, thanks, they're noted.