The online racing simulator
Top Tips for a Newbie?
(57 posts, started )
Top Tips for a Newbie?
Hi all,

Just discovered this wonderful game. Don't have a wheel at the mo, but hope to get one soon as I can't get on with a mouse at all.

Need some tips. Is there anything I should know? Also, I need to know what the keyboard shortcuts are for tyre temp and that kind of thing. A mate told me you could view these. Anything like that would really help me.

Cheers fellas.
Well here is a good place to start:

http://www.lfswiki.net/index.php/Main_Page

F9 tyre temperatures and loads
F10 damage
F11 live settings
F12 pit instructions

Also, try to work your way through the lessons to build up your skill before jumping on-line and ghetting shouted at by impatient pro's!
aah - I think I may already have done that. I'd tried to keep out of everyones' way though. Cheers for the link
Welcome to the world of LFS!!

Tip number 1 - and you already know it - get a wheel

Or you could use the mouse to drive, plenty people are fast enough with the mouse, keyboard is more difficult to get fast.

Quick shortcuts:-

F12 - Tyre and on the fly setup changes
F9 - Tyre temps
F10 - Suspension damage
SHIFT+S - pit in
SHIFT+R - vote to restart
SHIFT+Q - vote to qualify
2 - save multiplayer replay

Some notes:

Joining a server and voting to restart straight away will not please most
Causing a crash at turn 1 is usually the best way to get kicked/banned

Other than that - have fun and get racing
  1. Learn the driving etiquette (see LFSWiki)
  2. If possible, learn the CRC rules (see LFSWiki) although there aren't many people who drive by them. But it's still good to know what you're allowed to and what not
  3. Accept that you aren't the fastest out there, so don't try to desperately fight for a position and risk ruining somone's (and your) race
  4. Watch hotlap replays to learn the driving line and to see where you're currently slower. As a newbie, you'll never even get close to that time, but it still helps heaps
  5. Do not try to 'push hard', period. It will only make you end up in a wall and probably even much slower. Drive carefully and S M O O T H.
  6. Consistency is the key. If you drive one second slower than someone else, but he in return ****s up every 5 laps (taking him more than 5 seconds to recover), you're still faster than him.
  7. One last thing, if you get blue flagged, don't panic. Let the one behind you pass when it's safe for both of you. You don't need to give up and crash into a wall just to let him pass (that is, when you're actually racing for positions. if you just joined the race then get off there ASAP). Also, when in doubt, it's alot easier for him to pass you when you stay on your line. For example, if he approaches you on a straight and has much more speed, then just stick to your line, he'll pass you anyways. Do not try to 'evade' him there, because it sucks if both drivers decided at the same time to evade eachother by going in the same direction.
  8. Actually, I lied. This is the last thing : when you crash/spin, wait until the track is clear! Don't try to blindly enter the track. It will make people very mad. Also if you spin and you're likely to end up on the track, stay on your brakes until the other drivers nearby have passed you. It's very annoying to find someones car rolling over the whole track into you while you tried avoiding him (on the apparently 'wrong' side).
Use common sense
drive fast dont crash
Be kind to others and they will return the favor. dont do any dirty blocking and be carefull when coming out of pits.
- Be courteous
- Drive cleanly, firmly and fairly.
- Say sorry when it's your fault
- Wait until the race has finished before either trying to get it restarted or asking racers if they could share their setup.
- Most of all, don't desperately try and pass people at the first corner on the first lap. A race usually lasts for five or more laps, not just one corner. Even if it's unintentional, over-zealous attempts into the first corner by an inexperienced driver can be incredibly frustrating for those around them on the track.
Watch your mirrors.
Don't change lines midway through corners when being lapped
Be polite
Admit to mistakes, and be tolerant of other peoples mistakes
Never ever TRY to be faster than you are capable of. Speed will come in time.
Dont defend your position so much that you cause an accident. Let them go, and draft them on the following straight.
Ask nicely for setups - they are not yours by RIGHT, but by the niceness of others
Respect everyone, regardless of speed, but kick wreckers.
#11 - Vain
When trying to become better, try to approach the limit from below. It took me ages to learn that it's easier to drive cautious in the beginning and get better after a while than driving fast in the beginning and crashing until you actually manage to drive a complete lap.

Angryminer
* Have patience
* Have understanding friends
* Tell me I'm awesome
* Shout at our resident spammer for reaching 900 posts already
1. Dont tell Bob he's awesome. Bob thinks he's awesome enough already
2. Don't give conflicting information!!!
3. Keep driving and stay as far away from these guys as you can ^
Its probably been said before but this is very important:

be VERY careful when exiting the pits mid race, always check your mirrors, your map and stay inbetween the two yellow lines.
If you have never driven a track/car combination before, practice it offline for a while first. Then don't be afraid to jump in and join the races on a server. Online is where this game realy, realy shines.

Also, don't be afraid to investigate some of the league races. Many of them qualify via hotlap and devide the racers onto different servers based on their hotlap speeds. This means you will be racing people of similar skill level most of the time. It makes for good racing and a lot of fun.
Cheers for all the info fellas. Look forward to seeing you on track. Most of this stuff seems pretty obvious to me. I'm not without some experience of other on-line racing games, infact I posted the 16th fastest time in the world round Laguna Seca on F355 Challenge for the DC. I also drive on track in the real world and compete in sprints, so I tend to treat the cyber race no different from the real thing.

I should get pretty fast, pretty quick for these reasons.

Someone mentioned leagues. That sounds totally cool. How do I join one?
#19 - Vain
Look in the league-forums, read a bit, find a league that suits your taste (cars, rules, tracks, racedistance) and ask the administrator of the league when you can join.

Vain
I love racing slow cars. It always seems to make for good close races. Are there any leagues that use the UF1000s only? That would be totally cool!
1. Don't come to me for tips on a fast lap
Quote from Vendetta :Its probably been said before but this is very important:

be VERY careful when exiting the pits mid race, always check your mirrors, your map and stay inbetween the two yellow lines.

Yup i've mentioned this before.
I've had so many close calls when going into pits and some guy joins and just rushes out of pits. luckily no accidents as of this date. but i'm sure they occur.
Practice.
As your username would most likely suggest, be gentle on the throttle, especally on the Rwds, as they tend to oversteer (or so I think) easily.
Please, please, please have a sense of humour.
As per tristancliffe and Bob Smith. Remember it is a game but one the has to be played seriously to get the most fun out of it.
Oo, I think that was profound!

Top Tips for a Newbie?
(57 posts, started )
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