Hello,

(I know there is a whole thread about "noob avoidance" - but I wanted to post this simple thread instead of having a 100 post discussion as a plain suggestion)

Feature request: PB (personal best) Limit in Server Settings

Why?
It would be nice to limit the server to a range drivers that hopefully won't take you out at T1 or will block you for no reason when getting lapped.

No Guarantee
I know this won't guarantee incident free races by any means, but it would still be nice to get racing somewhat cleaner this way.

Imphy

Most of my PB-s are many seconds slower than my HL-s. So this method isn't accurate. In race I drive for win, when hotlapping I drive for fastest lap.

I realize that, but the aim was to avoid the real beginners (to have them practice offline or something) - so the limit could be set to 10 or 15 seconds slower than the best times around. But it would obviously be up to the server admin to set whatever time he wishes.

It's not fair to beginners to this particular game but who have the proper attitude and expectations aquired in other sims. I for instance am a veteran of EA's entire F1 series and also played the rFactor MP demo, GPL and NR2003 before getting LFS so I knew the difference between arcade and simulation right from day 1.

There's a difference between being new to a car or sim and being oblivious to one's surroundings or to realistic physics.

The most effective method of 'idiot-proofing' a server that I've seen is NASCAR Racing 2003 Season's L.P.I. indicator (Laps per incident). That game charges an 'incident' to someone who causes a wreck (but unfortunately it also charges someone caught up in another's wreck too...it's an automated system that registers heavy contact with walls or other cars).

In that sim your LPI goes up when you finish races without incident. Your LPI goes down if you are charged with an incident. How many laps you complete before and after the incident becomes a deciding factor in how much your LPI drops. If you get in a first turn wreck and immediately retire, your LPI would drop more than if you get in a wreck halfway through the race but pit, repair the damage and finish. Servers can set a minimum LPI for joining.

That would, IMO, be the best way to 'rate' a server in LFS.

there are too many racers who are fast but not fair, so this doesnt make much sense imo... but heh, if you set the pb limit to... lets say wr-10secs, it might work, even though the pbs say nothing. Some racers only need a few laps to be able to drive fast and fair, others need ages

Quote :

It's not fair to beginners to this particular game but who have the proper attitude and expectations aquired in other sims. I for instance am a veteran of EA's entire F1 series and also played the rFactor MP demo, GPL and NR2003 before getting LFS so I knew the difference between arcade and simulation right from day 1.

Don't say it's not fair. I'm a server admin and I would love to have more control. I'm not the fastest guy out there but when you have guys that can't come within 10 or 15 seconds of the rest of the field it makes for some pretty crappy lapping situations. It wouldn't take long to start your own server do a few laps on the track you want to qualify for and get a reasonable pb.

This would be an "option" not a set rule. If nobody showed up because the expectations were too high then everyone would be racing on servers with lower expectations.

If you run a server you would understand that you want your server, your way, whether it's fair to a beginner or not. I run my own server so that we can race the type of races we like. I regularly get guys coming on complaining about the higher number of laps. If you don't like it go to someone else's server (or get your own set up - it's really easy).

lambchop44
CHOPS HQ Canada
www.chadseipdesign.com/chops

This "incidents per laps" system is nice, maybe it would be even nicer to allow other racers to vote for someone else if he isn't driving clean, but this must be done with a normal vote which requires more votes than just one (same as the restart vote etc.). So if there's a wrecker, you can vote against him, and his "fairness gauge" will decrease. If every crash will affect your rating, you cant do fun and banger races anymore, and of course it'f often the case that it wasnt your fault.
When someone joins a server, it shall display this rating, so you are warned.

Yea, I have a problem with "earning" ratings based on averages. It's too easy for there to be inaccurate results based on bad luck. I almost never collide with other drivers but one race there were a number of "swervers" out there (which usually I have a nack for avoiding) that I think I connected with every time I tried to pass.

As a server admin, I think voting someone off is effective enough (or I can use my server VITO power).

We're each entitled to our own opinions thogh.

Another problem with PB based entrance to servers, is that if it doesn't let you in if you don't have a pb at all, you need to find another server with the same combo that will let you in, so you can drive the necessary online pb (since offline laps aren't registered).

The LPI idea sounds much better.

Like I said.
Just start a multiplayer game from your machine. Register some laps etc.
I would not guess that every server would utilize this function. I would only use it when we're having a good race with our regulars.

Just a further FYI, the LPI system in nr2003 can be turned right off by a server wishing to allow 'full-contact' racing so fun stuff like Banger Racing wouldn't be out of the picture. Results in such a server then wouldn't count towards a driver's LPI rating.

Yes I will agree that this system does unfairly charge a victim with an incident but it is the best system I've seen outside of pure human supervision. It's worth looking into.

A PB-limit will narrow you down to fast drivers but an LPI limit would narrow you down to clean drivers. Fast and clean do not necessarily go hand-in-hand.

This isn't a big deal most of the time, people leaving the pits in front of you but 2 laps down is way more annoying.
Anyway my idea:
Why not just have something that auto-spectates anybody that falls behind far enough to be in the same sector as the leader. I.e: If leader A starts the 5th lap before tail-ender X gets to the second sector (1st split point) of lap 4, then he is auto-spectated.

Fair? Nope, but it would work, if you could live with the complaints and guilty feeling