Shouldnt the STCC system be part of the LFS official game?
I think the STCC is a brilliant system to race and its beautifuly inplemented, to me stands above all the regular championships (and obviously regular servers) for various reasons. I dont race very much now there because I kinda got tired of the "street" cars but the thing is that I would really like this ladder to be directly supported by the LFS team, it really adds a lot to the game the way its done. What do you think?
I dont go on the STCC servers because I hate the UF1, and I just hate the fact I have to work to drive the car I want to. I also hate the fact I cant race against the top drivers because I havnt put hours into one server.
Normal server: Race anything, anytime, reasonably clean race.
STCC server: Work up ranks, anytime, always get c**ts use you as barriers and spin you on purpose JUST to get a place...
Dont get me wrong, its alright to race in when its a clean race, but when their are tossers on, its very frustrating. (mainly because the people taking you out get the points you should of got)
I agree, in many respects, I hate the UF1 and I refuse to drive it.
I did want to get some licenses though, so I joined a XFG server and won a whole load of races. It showed my progression at over 50%, but then suddenly my progression disappeared from the server and I was back at zero. I'd like to progress to silver or whatever, but I can't be bothered, especially as it wiped me without any warning or reason. A nice idea, but it annoyed me too much to continue.
Plus in my view people should be ranked by the amount of incidents they caused per race, amount of contact etc.. but I don't believe this is factored into the equations.
I think the way Scavier are handling this already is best and that is by giving the communities all the tools necessary (i.e. insim, spec slots, physics, etc.) to create varied and interesting championships. In this way it's not fixed and can always develop in an ongoing fashion.
I believe what Scawen and Co are doing is supplying the infrastructure if you like or the environment to hold online race events, it's then up to the community to utilise that structure in a effective manner. Much like real life tracks are managed and hired out to clubs and race serries, the corporate body supplies the infrastructure but it's up to the race organisers to promote, implement and manage their race or event.
Hosts have been given the power to make online career servers, and are doing so. So what's the problem?
You want every server to say, "sorry, but you'll have to drive the UF1 for a few weeks, even though you bought an S2 license".
A career mode for single player would be fun, but this is not a single player game... AI for a starters needs a huge revamp if it were to ever happen.
If someone wants to host a career mode then let them follow STC's lead, but there's no point enforcing every S2 user to earn their cars. It goes against what LFS is about.
Though STCC is well done, it has the nasty side-effect of turning LFS into a credit driven GAME.
If I can race anywhere, I choose STCC servers. They are very well regulated and I almost always find a clean race. I think they should expand the current STCC, but as the community has said, some people just don't want a system that filters out the n00b crashers. People might just want to race any car they feel like without demonstrating that they can, therefore not wanting a licensing system.
To each his own, I think the way it is now, having both options is great, but as I said I would like to see the STCC expand in some areas.
As others have mentioned already, points make people insane, resulting in them losing touch with the true spirit of LFS. Not only that, but it restricts people to a certain class such that they never drive the true race cars, which brings me to another point, the TBO class cars are not "touring cars". To suggest they are is madness. Therefore, I have only one thing to say:
As an aside, this has me concerned. You don't appear in the STCC database at all, which doesn't make sense to me since as far as I know, nobody's ever been removed from the STCC system unless they've personally requested it (1x as far as I know, but it wasn't you) and we've never had to restore the database from a backup. The STCC API doesn't include the function to delete users, which means the only way remove you is manually. Only one person has that ability, it's me, and I ain't done it. Any info you can PM me about when this happened, I would be very grateful for.
[EDIT] MY GOOF! Ignore the above.. I had the admin panel up, and was searching for your username but within a filter that didn't include you (I have various database query filters to help narrow searches). You have plenty of points, your points haven't been wiped.. they're all there.
ON topic, I'm with everyone else.. "no"
I think the STCC is a great system as an independent add-on to LFS, but I don't think I'd like for it to become compulsory.
That said, the OP did set me off thinking...
I would love to see a league management system built into LFSW. It would be great if you could "build" leagues into LFSW, add privateers and/or teams, specify your own admins, define your own points structure, set your racing calendar and take part in an LFSW league.
I think it's the structure that people enjoy. Some people enjoy participating in an environment that has repercussions beyond the end of a race. Why do people take part in leagues? Why do people upload hotlaps and compete in the MHR? Same reasons, I think.
LOL!
Nobody is forced to take part in the STCC. What IS the true spirit of LFS? Define it please. Be as specific as you wish.
Well, yeah, but leagues and hotlaps are a bit better-regulated than public servers. It's been a long time since I joined an STCC server but I think actually the mentality of it bothered me more than the driving. It reminded me of the way people play BF2 on "ranked" servers - all about scoring points.
There were good things about it - the racing was quite aggressive which was sometimes a nice change from normal online races. But I didn't like the prevailing attitude in there, it seemed to bring out the worst in some people.
STCC is great for what it is, an optional server addition that you can choose if you want to participate or not.
Why do I love the STCC system? Because it's not GTR at AS National or FOX at AS Club or Blackwood! That and I like the auto rotating track to always give something different and the auto restart so you don't have 9 racers and 10 hotlappers thus never getting a restart.
Personally I think STCC is a fantastic system. It has certainly got me hooked on this sim. I wonder if I would be as hooked without STCC servers giving me something to aim for?
Even if you are a slow driver, as I certainly am, points can be had for clean racing etc. It seems they must be doing something right as the STCC servers seem to be always busy. I agree though that the STCC license system should not be forced upon us in LFS. (The thought of it, I can see, turns some of you old LFS die hards stomachs)
Honestly, I like STCC, even though it isn't all that fun getting rammed into over and over again I like the challenge of racing cars that are really slow. You have to really drive well and it's not all about the setup when you're dealing with cars that have so little HP. (At least that's my experience)
One of the things that I've noticed though, as SamH disregarded up above, was that my points seem to disappear. I used to have a 1% progression or something like that, but the next time I went back in I had gone back to 0%.. I know this must have been a glitch but it really made me not want to go back and race again if everything that I'd raced for was gone.
Another thing, directed towards SamH, I really think that the Copper license is a little too hard to get. When there are 13 people in the race and I placed 6th or something along the lines of that, I received no points at all. I don't know exactly how the points system works but having the fight for a 6th position is actually quite hard in the UF1. (Yes, laugh if you'd like but I just have a bit of a problem with that car for some reason)
It's probably horses-for-courses, more than anything else. Some people like solo hotlapping, some like public servers, some only drive one car and one combo, some like servers with structure (STCC or Carrib etc), some like leagues (quite a few people I know on the forum only do leagues and no other public racing), some will only race on private servers among people they know.. to each his own. I think the STCC definitely has its place in the LFS community, because it brings something extra to the table.
Winning (and the clean racing involved to get there) should be the goal in and of itself. It doesn't need to be facilitated by artificial points systems. Granted, a race series may use points, but in that case, the points are used to determine overall position and, ultimately, the winner of a season. After that, the points are reset. In the STCC, the points are merely a bragging point. There is no motivation to getting more points than the sake of having more points. Sound like some other type of game that is also immensely popular?
Alright, so at the beginning, the points system is designed to limit you to the slower cars so that you get a sense of accomplishment when you move up to the faster cars. However, this also has the effect of making people try as hard as possible to move up as fast as possible, no matter the cost.
One of the things that I've noticed though, as SamH disregarded up above, was that my points seem to disappear. I used to have a 1% progression or something like that, but the next time I went back in I had gone back to 0%.. I know this must have been a glitch but it really made me not want to go back and race again if everything that I'd raced for was gone.
There's no mechanism for removing points within the STCC servers.. only adding to them (it can't add minus numbers, the API doesn't allow it). I'm not saying you're wrong.. I'll raise the matter with Becky. You're showing 5% progress right now, but you've only raced 20 laps since we started counting laps, a few weeks ago.
Another thing, directed towards SamH, I really think that the Copper license is a little too hard to get. When there are 13 people in the race and I placed 6th or something along the lines of that, I received no points at all. I don't know exactly how the points system works but having the fight for a 6th position is actually quite hard in the UF1. (Yes, laugh if you'd like but I just have a bit of a problem with that car for some reason)
I agree with you about points, frankly. The truth is, actually, that we had noticed some really bad drivers were making their way very easily up to Silver & Gold servers. Becky decided to adjust the points allocation method to counter this problem, and it has worked.. it's a constant discussion, so don't lose hope. The bright side of it, of course, is that if you keep at it and you DO begin to place higher, you'll get bloody good in the process. I'll talk to her about making the progression from Copper to Bronze a separate consideration from the progression from Bronze to Silver
I belive that the STCC system is OK, but i wouldn't like to be restricted (in all servers) to a certain class of categorie because I don't have a "licence" for other cars.
About the question involving "it really adds a lot to the game the way its done" I'm not able to see your point, there is already a ladder system in a server so the only thing that an official ladder could add is a racers ranking, a ranking involving acumulating ponts and everybody knows that oval racers tend to earn lots of "points" if you undestand what I mean, so at the end I adds nothing to the game.
There's no mechanism for removing points within the STCC servers.. only adding to them (it can't add minus numbers, the API doesn't allow it). I'm not saying you're wrong.. I'll raise the matter with Becky. You're showing 5% progress right now, but you've only raced 20 laps since we started counting laps, a few weeks ago.
I agree with you about points, frankly. The truth is, actually, that we had noticed some really bad drivers were making their way very easily up to Silver & Gold servers. Becky decided to adjust the points allocation method to counter this problem, and it has worked.. it's a constant discussion, so don't lose hope. The bright side of it, of course, is that if you keep at it and you DO begin to place higher, you'll get bloody good in the process. I'll talk to her about making the progression from Copper to Bronze a separate consideration from the progression from Bronze to Silver
Winning (and the clean racing involved to get there) should be the goal in and of itself.
You could equally argue that it's not the winning, it's the taking part. Both are perspectives with merit. Is one right and the other wrong? I don't think so.
It doesn't need to be facilitated by artificial points systems.
And yet it seems to go down a treat when it is. Again, I think it's a personal thing. As I said above, whatever cranks your handle. So some people enjoy it simply for earning points.. be happy for them.