i was banned also...
what a stupid rule ... cant beleave
i was drinking ... turned auto gear on an then ... "CHEAT Enablet" and was kicked for 24 hours OMG ...
if this is a cheat then am a Boeieng 747

you enabled it mid race, which is what people often do after being told they cant join with auto gears (they join with manual and then change to auto-gears mid race)

But yes, you are a 747 :P

Quote from Scorpio :

i was banned also...
what a stupid rule ... cant beleave
i was drinking ... turned auto gear on an then ... "CHEAT Enablet" and was kicked for 24 hours OMG ...
if this is a cheat then am a Boeieng 747

The STCC's rules on driver aids are quite clear, and these days it's VERY difficult to get banned for 24hrs for trying to beat the system.

It seems that the STCC system, and your idea of what competitive and responsible racing is, are clearly totally incompatible.

Also, I suggest for the sake of other drivers around you, don't take a drink while you're driving. Wait til the end of the race. Not just on the STCC, but on any public server.

Quote from SamH :

The STCC's rules on driver aids are quite clear

Um, where can i find these rules (i mean the driver aids)? I checked the rules section on simtouringcarcup.com, licence.ukct.net/default.asp, and on the STCC forums, but i didn't find anything about driver aids. Can you point me in the right direction please?

You're right, it seems. It's not written in the rules. At least, nowhere I can find. So, I owe [Scorpio] an apology. I'm genuinely sorry.

It's definitely in the rules, inasmuch as a warning is coded into the software, as you pass each split, telling you that auto gears are not permitted. So it's not something that many people can claim to be unaware of. If you finish the race, having ignored the warnings, then the software considers that you've determined to break the rules deliberately and will ban you for 24 hours.

What may have happened, in your [Scorpio's] case, is that you turned on auto gears in the very last sector of the race. The software has mistakenly assumed that you've received at least one warning during the race, and chosen to ignore it. I'll highlight the deficiencies in the system, and the absence of the driver aid restriction information, to Becky for her to address.

[edit] It's Scorpio I owe the apology to

There are no deficiencies in the way the system is designed. I'm not saying it hasn't got a bug, although it has worked reliably for some time.

It does not warn you if you cross a split with illegal aids, well it does, but more importantly what it actually does is spectates you.

The only exception is if you turn the aid on between the last split sector and the finish line. Spectating you here, after registering a result, would have no effect on a race where you'd cheated. So it bans you for a day and announces what you did for others to see. This is it's design.

Driving aids are restricted on our servers, this is public knowledge although not specifically mentioned on the web site. There's are dozens of features not mentioned on the web site. This isn't an accident, there's simply too much to document that it would bore people to tears to read it and over complicate the site by fixing regulations on things that dont need regulations. More importantly, it would make change difficult when change (as the recent patch highlights) is a constant part of the STCC.

All of the features are detailed to you when it becomes important to you as a competitor. Take the admin messaging system as an example: You dont get it telling you that there is no message to you from an admin, it just messages you when there is something in your inbox.

i dont wanna brake the rule
i turned on auto gear couse one of my two arms was busy ...
and it doesnt make me faster
it makes me even slower ... so ... its not a cheat ...
let me be slower couse i want so ...
but no ... the system know better and it says that its cheat and it kicked from the server
i was so ANGRY ... for not letting me join again ... HOST REFUSED CONNECTION ... ??? somebody to refuse me ???????????
ARGHHHHHHHHH
where is my bazuka ? ...

i know ... that whatever im gonna say, you system defenders gonna say that auto gear is not allowed! and that it ...
i just wanna say from point of view of a simple user ...
that wasnt a cheat at all ...
better make the system more realistic ... for example 10 minutes ... couse i understant this stupid lesson which i even didnt know ... so im not gonna turn on again the auto gear ...

ps sorry for my english

it seems that wreckers seem to use auto-gears exclusively, and this measure has helped stop them getting in!

The host refused connection is an automated 24 hour ban

Incidents of wrecking went down by 70% overnight when we banned auto gears.

We know, from experience, that wreckers tend to stay wreckers and that on the whole people who dont care dont suddently start caring.

We also know that the vast majority of the 'casual' wreckers havn't bothered to learn how to use a gearbox.

While it is definitely widely known, I do think it should also be written. Auto gears is an important matter, on the STCC.

I've added the following to the Licence page:-
DRIVER AIDS
Important: Automatic Gears ARE NOT PERMITTED anywhere on the STCC system. Throttle Blip on Downshift and Throttle Cut on UpShift are also restricted on certain cars. If you receive a warning, or are prevented from entering a race because of a particular restriction on that car, ignoring the warning or circumventing the system may result in a temporary ban from the STCC system.

Throttle and Braking help are also restricted 'at higher levels'.

Added. The page now says:-
DRIVER AIDS
Important: Automatic Gears ARE NOT PERMITTED anywhere on the STCC system. Throttle Blip on Downshift and Throttle Cut on UpShift are restricted on certain cars, and Throttle and Braking Help are also restricted for higher licences. If you receive a warning, or are prevented from entering a race because of a particular restriction on that car, ignoring the warning or circumventing the system may result in a temporary ban from the STCC system.

Ah, so it warns you when you try to join with an aid not allowed. I thought it would ban you right away or something, so I didn't try to join before figuring this out completely. That's why I asked this, but now I realize I don't need this. Though I need to get a little offline practice with TBO cars anyway, so I can't yet enjoy my silver license.

At what level and on what cars is the throttle blip illegal?

I don't think it's fair to call auto-gears a "cheat" since I can go out and buy a car with an automatic gearbox and take it to the track if I wanted to. Also, the latest performance cars to hit the market with DSG/SMG/F1A style paddle shifters are equipped with automatic throttle blip functions, so I don't see how it's realistic to restrict this game feature. It's not even limited to expensive sports cars anymore, you can get an inexpensive Volkswagen GTi with this style gearbox.

I can shut up and color just like anybody else if this really is a "we run the show, deal with it or go elsewhere" type of decision. You do the work, you call the shots, and that's the bottom line. But please don't try to tell me or anybody else that this is all in the name of realism, because it's not realistic.

Type $aids to find out what driver aids are allowed on which server with which car.

We welcome American racers but you guys do like your automatics! Anyway autogears is banned for a reason and it's nothing to do with realism or European motoring. It's banned because doing it reduced incidents of wrecking by 70% overnight: Most habitual wreckers use automatic gearbox.

As for throttle blipping, we have been using it as a balancing method on STCC2 to slow up the FXO in relation to the slower RB4/XRT's, and we use it in the league because those guys are meant to be the best and should do it themselves.

So are we really as nazi as your post above implies?

No, sounds like good reasons... you'll have to forgive me. Sometimes with so many people speaking on your behalf it's really easy get the wrong impression. I've read other conversations on the subject and it seems as if some people are convinced that there are real world reasons for these decisions, that they're not purely gameplay balance decisions (as they are).

I'm sorry if my post was a bit edgy. I'm at work at the moment so I'm in "matter of fact" mode.

Quote from Becky Rose :

We welcome American racers but you guys do like your automatics!

Wow.

Low blow. Haha.

While this is true of America in general I'd say most of us who are enough of a driving enthusiast to play LFS prefer a manual box. I myself thoroughly enjoy the H-pattern shifter and probably will never buy a car without one. I double-clutch heel-toe my Maxima every day, as ridiculous as it may sound, and as for driving aids in LFS, they're all off (well, except auto-clutch, as I don't have a G25). Bring it on.

Why would one prefer an automatic in LFS anyway? Last time I tried it out it slowed me down considerably, waiting to downshift until I got on the throttle in the middle of a turn, and in the process jerking the car around. And why would the throttle cut on upshift be an aid? Flat-shifting (no-lift shifting) in theory is slightly quicker than lift-shifting, although I prefer the latter... is this somehow balanced in LFS or should I continue to cringe while listening to my engine jump in between shifts?

The way I drive, I can't use auto shifting. I need to hear the engine to know exactly how fast I'm going and when to shift. I rarely look at the gauges, I'm all about the sounds! Without manual shift I am just not as focused on my speed and control on the track. I can't corner properly without manual shifting, probably because I can't use my gears to slow down the car. I also can't exit corners properly or regain control of tyre spin without manual shift. In fact, I would lose control of the car with auto shifting turned on, it is the opposite of helpful to drivers like us.

Quote from SKaREO :

The way I drive, I can't use auto shifting. I need to hear the engine to know exactly how fast I'm going and when to shift. I rarely look at the gauges, I'm all about the sounds! Without manual shift I am just not as focused on my speed and control on the track. I can't corner properly without manual shifting, probably because I can't use my gears to slow down the car. I also can't exit corners properly or regain control of tyre spin without manual shift. In fact, I would lose control of the car with auto shifting turned on, it is the opposite of helpful to drivers like us.

Well, I hope you're at least paying attention to the shift light...

If you wait for the shift light it's already too late. I sometimes run an outguage app that plays an annoying alarm when the shift light comes on to train myself to change up just before it

Quote from Becky Rose :

If you wait for the shift light it's already too late. I sometimes run an outguage app that plays an annoying alarm when the shift light comes on to train myself to change up just before it

Any chance on us having that app? I've been looking for something like that.

Alas no, but not out of mallice, firstly it's built into an unfinished and unpresentable version of LFS Companion, but mostly because the new version of insim due out in patch X - any time now - will break the whole thing and stop it from working.

I'm sure now it's mentioned somebody will do it, failing that if I ever get time to drive this game again I might make an app myself.

Quote from Becky Rose :

Alas no, but not out of mallice, firstly it's built into an unfinished and unpresentable version of LFS Companion, but mostly because the new version of insim due out in patch X - any time now - will break the whole thing and stop it from working.

Becky, i´m fairly new to LFS but when I found LFS Companion and learn how to use it IT IS MY RACE COMPANION with the new patch is going to become unusable ?? could you make a sameasitisnownoenhancements version of LFS for patch X

PD I´m aware of the thread of LFSC but please

I am also using it Would be missed if i can't use it no more. I obviously dont know if it would take a long time to make it compatible.

I've often wondered if the shift light is actually that accurate. Particularly in the FOX. It seems to be a bit better in the TBOs but I still have a feeling of distrust about it and really just use it as a guide. I tend to think that the engine has more torque to offer for the given gear before changing up. I haven't completely made my mind up on this though as I'm sure the programming would ensure it's accuracy. I just find it hard to convince myself though