Quote :

myself I would never enter a pro server even on demo just incase I become a spoiler the same applies if racers drop to a server that they are too qualifed to race in.

When the system first went live a lot of people hit the servers, we had so many racers keen to earn licences that for over a month all of the servers where jam packed full 24/7. At the very beginning the middle and low order drivers got no points at all because some of LFS' finest where earning their starting licences too. Everybody started at ground zero. At the end of the first month over 1000 drivers still had not earned their first bar of progress (10%) on their licence.

People coming up through the system now have an easier time because the 'elites' have already moved through.

To complain it's unfair because some of them ocassionally pop back on for a bit of fun with the slower cars doesn't really hold ground because you kids today have it easy *mocking grin*.

Unfortunately the same responsible attitude of not entering a server you are not ready for is not an attitude shared by everybody, and i've had several conversations with people about not being able to race on STCC2, some of those conversations have been colourful, but when you work your way onto the higher servers I believe/hope you will realise why it takes the effort it does to get there, and be thankful for the time it took to prove your salt and be granted access.

With the way the system works you are basically elevated to the server when you are fast enough - rather than by 'grinding' your way to get access. When the system gives out points it tends to give out lots of points. As you gain experience and improve your driving you should find that getting a licence is easy, you'll then find yourself grateful that there are a few servers out there that you know there is a minimum standard - even if that minimum standard is not yet as high as I would personally like it to be.

Quote :

Just because people have a higher license doesn't mean that they are unbeatable

I agree with the quote but from my experience in the last week due to the fact that we have PRO Racers joining the server irrespective of the licence they hold they are turning the server into a pro racing server intentionally or not.

It may be the case and probably is that they have raced on LFS for a no of years and only recently joined the STCC servers in this case they should be allowed once proven to possibly enter at the SILVER level

This will give the Noobs like myself a bit of a level playing field and a chance to pick up points a little quicker.

PS I did search for other posts here and on the Official STCC Forum but could not find anything.

If a driver is very good they can get to silver licence in under a dozen races, so yes the system does cater to this. Some drivers race on the new & bronze servers for no other reason than they enjoy it - and i'm not about to turn that content off for them, STCC is about opening up content to those who've earned the right to access it by proving they are fast and clean, it's not about seperating the community.

I also suspect you'll find that over half the field of any race online have a year or more of experience with LFS. This is because it's a good game and keeps it's player base.

The fact that only half a dozen are lightning fast and beating you, and the rest you hadn't noticed are veterans, is simply because although LFS keeps it's players - some of us just really aren't very fast .

Thanks for the reply Becky From what I have seen in the last week or so i'm very impressed with the whole set up you have created and the racers I have met on the Copper/Bronze Server seem a good set of lads

I'm now resigned to the fact it could take me 4 months or so to get into the bulk of your Community running only 2 cars

Just worried it could get a little tedious at times But don't get me wrong as the racing is very enjoyable and I also like the fact that from 1 hour to the next you hav'nt got a clue whats coming next and as you know us Welsh don't give up that easy so see you all trackside Soon

PS Hope you don't mind my Avatar had to do a slightly different take from your own

I don't think its too hard to get points on the bronze server, just today I managed to get my first win not by being particularly fast but just fairly tidy throughout the course off the race.

Celtic, did you find me a "Pro" driver when I was there with you last night? Did you find that I was "blazingly fast"? If you say yes to both of those questions then your idea of "pro" and "blazingly fast" are way off, LOL.

I do have the experience. Been here for 2 years now. I can guess that I probably have 3-4000 laps in the XFG at Blackwood playing around on the demo servers both before and after aquiring my LFS license (the 24 pound paid for S2 license). It will probably take you quite a long time before you have more total LFS laps than I have at just the AS3/FZR combo. Yet, I am hanging out on the STCC S1 server with just 36% towards my silver license. I'm running around at 3-4 seconds off the world record times for many of these tracks.

Celtic, it I don't think it will be long before you are able to run times that I or the majority that you see are running. Yesterday, you saw Barroso running around with 1:43 lap times while I and others ran around at 1:45-6 and you brought up the field in the back. Folks like Barroso are what I concider part of the "pros" that race during our timezone. It won't take long until you see that those Mercury guys are fast. Fortunately for everyone else, folks like that are quite the minority. But they are also an important part of the puzzle for us as we can study the way they drive and improve ourselves.

Just don't worry about it all. It doesn't take long to improve yourself up to the normal 1:46 when those fast guys are running 1:43's. And you won't see them very often on the new/bronze server as well. What you will see is folks like me battling it out and pretty soon you will be right there with us in the middle of the battle. When you do see those fast guys, don't think of it as "they shouldn't be here", but think of it as "I'm going to study him" and repeat what he is doing. Then you will improve easily.

Have fun, that's what it's all about. The XFG is the car that can have the best racing, IMO. It always ends up with the best and closest door to door racing, except maybe the UF1 (S2 car).

There's another point I just thought of. Moving up in the STCC licensing won't really do you any good anyways as the XF/XRG server is the only S1 server in the STCC. All the others are S2 and you won't be able to join them anyways, at least right now. I imagine if you are worried about all this like you are coming off as, that it won't be long until you are S2 licensed anyways .

Cheers Mate Yeah it was a good night as I said before I'm really enjoying it

Anyways tonight I had a Good night as I had a 2nd out of 12 at SO town reverse ran about 10 races in all jumped from 60 to 132 Points so mabe I can get Bronze in a week or two

All of a sudden that S2 licence does'nt seem too far off

But as I stated before It's going to take time to learn the tracks as I'm still coming across tracks I've never seen Before in fact My 2nd place at SO Town Rev was new to me and the second place came in race No 2

Anyways thanks for the racing lads and I apologise for the odd misdemeanor

Quote from CELTIC100 :

All of a sudden that S2 licence does'nt seem too far off

ehm, you do know that your S2 licence won'T come from you reaching Silver, but from paying an additional 12 pounds, right?

Yes I do know, but if you read all the posts I have a long term plan as I think it pointless to jump straight in and become a spoiler in a car and track combo I don't have experience with.

The peices of the jigsaw seem to be coming together nicely thanks

Quote from CELTIC100 :

Yes I do know, but if you read all the posts I have a long term plan as I think it pointless to jump straight in and become a spoiler in a car and track combo I don't have experience with.

The peices of the jigsaw seem to be coming together nicely thanks

I see, but it is very unusual that someone buys his/her license based on the progress made in the STCC servers if you can resist the temptation to try out the s2 cars, you can still drive in S1 servers with those cars

Interesting =) First I have heard of someone in S1 buying S2 just so they can continue with the STCC licensing =)

S1 Servers ? I'm Only picking up the 1 server on an S1 Licence Which is the 1a New and Bronze Sever :scratch IS THERE MORE SERVERS I SHOULD BE GAINING ACCESS TO ?

No not really, Scawen asked us server hosts to fire up some S1 servers a while ago ahead of the patch V mailshot, but a perception of value amongst the S2 community meant they sat empty and have closed since, where STCC succeeded is because the server was originally S2 and got it's user base, and then when we needed to open a second tier 1 server I consider bandwidth and Scawens request and decided to make it an S1 server.

Infact looking at angry angels server occupation script, it appears to be LFS' 5th busiest server [over time] at the moment, despite being limited to 14 drivers.

It still took a bit for S2 users to realise they where still getting the S2 physics engine and graphics and so on, but the established user base allowed it to grow and eventually succeed, although some subtle renaming was necessary after an initial period of emptiness in that the S1 server became STCC1a (originally STCC1b), and some reassuring forum posts and eventually people started to trickle into the S1 server and now we can look back and call it a success.

It has brought a few old S1 players back into the game, and i'm pleased to say that I know some, probably not many but at least some, are now S2 licenced. Add those to the new people we've brought in from the race broadcasts and I can sit happy knowing i've done something positive for the LFS user base.

Now if that was the limit of my goals with the STCC project i'd be happy ... but it isn't, which is why I can tell you that the next major step in the evolution of the STCC is currently being programmed, it'll be launched along with the new dedicated server hardware sitting my garage at the moment (waiting on an out of stock processor).

What it is? Well i'm not going to tell you everything yet, but here's a hint... It'll be a permanent 24/7 any-time league, I can promise you this much - you wont be suffering from a shortage of racers in your timezone - I personally guarantee it.

That's all for now though...

Quote from Bean0 :

The lower servers are open to anyone with higher licences. I enjoy popping in now and again for some fun in the XFG/XRG, as do a few others that I know of. Points scored are reduced for those with higher licences.

The complaint about them being faster and not giving the others a chance to get points isn't really relevant. What good would it be if people got onto the Silver/Gold server by only racing against what you would call 'slower drivers' ? As soon as they get onto the higher servers they would be in exactly the same situation...can't win, too may fast people.

I agree. People need to just accept the fact that over time and with practice people become faster LFS racers. I've done 30 odd thousand miles and competed in top level leagues and know all the circuits. I have only just started racing in the STCC servers and got to Silver licence in a couple of days. I rarely finish outside the top 4. The reason is I have a lot of LFS experience.

Quote from Gentlefoot :

I agree. People need to just accept the fact that over time and with practice people become faster LFS racers. I've done 30 odd thousand miles and competed in top level leagues and know all the circuits. I have only just started racing in the STCC servers and got to Silver licence in a couple of days. I rarely finish outside the top 4. The reason is I have a lot of LFS experience.

Agree totally =) It takes alot of practice to get any type of good times down. Part of this is that every driver is missing a critical part of feeling for the car, G-forces. Another big reason is that even though everyone tries their hardest, it's virtually impossible to replicate real world physics within a game. While making the feeling close, it's still a long ways off from being perfect confusing the driver of what happens in the game to what really would happen in real life.

Thanks for that Becky

I was wondering about the S1 Licence and the server issue myself as I would have thought that Scawen would be obliged by trading standards to run Official LFS Servers for S1 licencees Specifically as he's selling an S1 licence seperately and does not seem to be supporting this licence at all.

The problem at present is that the 1a server only caters for 2 cars within the S1 Licence part of the game meaning the other cars I can only race in single player mode

A little off subject and not your problem so thanks again for running your server cause without it I would be screwed, I'm sure if you removed your server Scawen would find himself in a piccle as he would then be selling a service that he is not catering for.

Quote from Becky Rose :

then when we needed to open a second tier 1 server I consider bandwidth and Scawens request and decided to make it an S1 server.

the s1 tracks suit the std cars a whole lot better anyways and having a max of 14 connections helps a lot with having less ... unexpierenced drivers on the server ... one of the best decisions youve made so far both for stcc as well as for lfs

Quote from CELTIC100 :

Thanks for that Becky

I was wondering about the S1 Licence and the server issue myself as I would have thought that Scawen would be obliged by trading standards to run Official LFS Servers for S1 licencees Specifically as he's selling an S1 licence seperately and does not seem to be supporting this licence at all.

The problem at present is that the 1a server only caters for 2 cars within the S1 Licence part of the game meaning the other cars I can only race in single player mode

A little off subject and not your problem so thanks again for running your server cause without it I would be screwed, I'm sure if you removed your server Scawen would find himself in a piccle as he would then be selling a service that he is not catering for.

i was under the impression that the only way to obtain a s1 licence was by buying an s2 voucher ? that is not something you know how to do if youre not familiar with lfs and know what youre buying

No From LFS Home Page just purchase S1 Licence by entering usual billing details - Start game enter details and away you go half the game opened up but then to my surprise only 1 server and no official LFS servers to be seen.

I did raise an eyebrow at the time and was not too pleased as you probably have guessed at first I thought that my computer was not connecting properly it was only later in the Forums I found out that Beckys server is the only one running at present.

I have not made any Official Complaint and do not intend to as I'll be upgrading shortly but it does seem to me to be a little naughty of the owners.

It always used to be the case that S1 wasn't officially available for sale anymore and you could only do it by a workaround, but i've noticed a few drivers of late with S1 licences and did wonder if something had changed - I wonder if they realise...

Mind you, I have absolutely no objection to picking up all these new users onto my servers - getting them ingrained into STCC thinking, more puppets for me *evil gril* .

A - Simulation you mean Becky

Hav'nt noticed any wires yet mind - Whats the incubation period

Quote from Bean0 :

Just because people have a higher license doesn't mean that they are unbeatable

LOL

I'm proof of that! I recently got my Silver licence after a long(ish) break from any racing at all (got it with a win as well, which was nice). But I'm still, most of the time, a mid-field to just-outside-of-a-podium driver on the bronze servers, and embarrassingly off the pace on the silver server. So far, in all the races I've had a peek at, even the mid-fielders are about four seconds faster than my PB! I haven't braved it yet... (1.39.XX for an XRT on Fern Bay Gold, isn't that slow is it?? )

I don't race often and I don't practice much offline, so I would always hope there's going to be space on a bronze grid for me to freshen up before going off to be lapped in my XRT.

Quote from Becky Rose :

It always used to be the case that S1 wasn't officially available for sale anymore and you could only do it by a workaround, but i've noticed a few drivers of late with S1 licences and did wonder if something had changed - I wonder if they realise...

turns out something has changed:
https://www.liveforspeed.net/?page=shop
Select your item from the list:
Item Price

If you want to buy LFS for someone else: (1)
Buy S1 voucher £12
Buy S1 -> S2 upgrade voucher £12
Buy S2 voucher £24

Ah what the hell why wait NOW S2

Yay Now you can access lots more STCC servers, and some other stuff I dont care about.

Quote from Becky Rose :

Yay Now you can access lots more STCC servers, and some other stuff I dont care about.

dont talk about the Redline servers like that!