Overall? Superb fun, with one MAJOR reservation.

Good points: amazing car handling physics and force feedback effects (on G25) / menu system and options are comprehensive and logical (it doesn't try to be flashy which I like a lot) / interesting selection of cars / graphics and sound are good enough, although improvments are always welcome.


Not so good points: TERRIBLE car to car (or car to solid "thing" in environment) physics. Just awful. REALLY spoils the bumper to bumper racing feel when a slight nudge or contact seems to forceably throw my car away from the contact point. This ruins the atmosphere and the flow of racing and I will often be thrown off balance and crash. When the rest of the physics seem so brilliant it's utterly bizarre that this is like this.


I really hope the developers put this to the top of their "To do next" list because at the moment I tend to just use LFS for autocross drifting and GTR2 for racing, simply because the contact physics in GTR2 are much more realistic. Is a fix in the works?

Anyway. Like I said at the beginning, I'm falling in love with this game, it is touched with genius, but I hope the developers can concentrate on the non-handling related physics! Please please please!

Johnny

P.S I'm fully aware that there are probably many threads discussing the physics problems, but I felt I wanted to give my thoughts because I am a new player and experienced "sim gamer", coming to this game afresh, and it stands out like a sore thumb (in case the developers read this).

Welcom to LFS, Johnny Vet Boy B!

You're right, the collision system is not as good as it should be, but it actually shouldn't be as bad as you describe it. Not usually at least. Were you on a laggy server maybe?

Have fun!

Quote from Johnny Vet Boy B :

Anyway. Like I said at the beginning, I'm falling in love with this game, it is touched with genius, but I hope the developers can concentrate on the non-handling related physics! Please please please!

Johnny

Welcome to LFS Johnny. Hope to see you out there sometime.

If you get in a server with very low ping you canhave great bumper to bumper racing without cars flying all over.

It depends on luck really, if you have a good ping, what the other guy is lagging like, etc. Me and niko had plenty of contact yesterday and it all behaved as it should imo. There is a huge problem, but the car - car collision detection is one of the least problematic.

Quote from LFSn00b :

this is usually caused by lag, since in single player the cars doesn't fly million feet away if you tap them.

May i ask what pings you get in the server list?

That's bizarre, as I started playing single player (to get the feel for my new G25 mainly!) and that's when I first noticed the off collision physics (especially as having just been playing GTR2, where cars can gently nudge and lean on each other without problems).

On multiplayer I'm mainly on Swain Drift, usually it has a ping of around 50. But it's very noticable on single player.

My computer is very fast so I don't think it's related to my hardware.

Thank you for the welcome as well. If you see me online and I hit your car accidentally I never intended to!

Seems very odd, I'd still guess either you or the server is causing some lag. The collisions that send cars flying are very rare (I've not seen one for weeks) if you don't go around driving into the autocross objects. In LFS you can get away with car to car collisions like you couldn't in N2003 or rF.

Oh, I just remembered, is there a way to have a favourite list for multiplayer games?

Quote from Johnny Vet Boy B :

That's bizarre, as I started playing single player (to get the feel for my new G25 mainly!) and that's when I first noticed the off collision physics (especially as having just been playing GTR2, where cars can gently nudge and lean on each other without problems).

On multiplayer I'm mainly on Swain Drift, usually it has a ping of around 50. But it's very noticable on single player.

My computer is very fast so I don't think it's related to my hardware.

Thank you for the welcome as well. If you see me online and I hit your car accidentally I never intended to!

Very odd, this is in single player and with two cars touching?

Could you post a replay? Hit "1" to save a replay, and then it will be in LFS/Data/SPR (or MPR for multiplayer replays), then just upload it to the forum.

EDIT - Not directly, but tools like "Browse For Speed" or my favourite "Mates@Track" (although not free) do.

Quote from Johnny Vet Boy B :

Thank you for the welcome as well. If you see me online and I hit your car accidentally I never intended to!

There is an issue with the col detect but it's not as bad as you describe, but it does sound like lag or something more. I've raced bumper to bumper many, many times and never really worried about the col detect problem like that

Single player collision launches are flukes unless you repeat the necessary conditions just right.
The best source of launches by far are the red and white barriers. Offline contact with the AI should yield as little launches as from other physics objects.. like the rare repulsion bugs from sharp curbs.

I have DSL internet from the @#*-end of the world and, more often than not, get no irregular collisions..

What LFS needs is a better netcode or a NEW netcode, that allows more smooth online racing. Look at games like flatout. Even with modem you seems to be driving with AI cars, absolutely no or very very little lag.

Nah, it just needs improved collision detection. The netcode is already amazingly good, allowing people with poor connections (wireless, modem) to race cleanly and happily with people with great connections. I just don't see a problem with the netcode in the slightest.

Quote from tristancliffe :

Nah, it just needs improved collision detection. The netcode is already amazingly good, allowing people with poor connections (wireless, modem) to race cleanly and happily with people with great connections. I just don't see a problem with the netcode in the slightest.

I dunno if I'd go that far anymore, it was good for 20 or so cars but now with more, I've seen way more disconnects.

But I guess it could also be down to peoples connections just not being good enough for so many cars.

The uf 1000 has a strange bumper to bumper reaction , many times the cars will "glue" to each other .Other cars are better but need improvements.

Collision detection is one of the key areas that needs improvement, infact, IMO, it should be top priority, because it can REALLY detract from the fun of racing.
Having started to race RACE in a league, it is REALLY apparent just how poor the collision detection is in LFS.

Collision detection improvements are supposed to be coming in the next incomaptible patch. If true, we can all see what difference they make.

The AI on single player is totally different from online play and a known problem, you may as well bump a brick wall than to bump the AI.

I believe the AI are being worked on at the moment.

Quote from ldriver :

The uf 1000 has a strange bumper to bumper reaction , many times the cars will "glue" to each other .Other cars are better but need improvements.

Very true. I noticed this on the ufy many times. It feels as though the bumpers get caught with each other. I find that much more annoying than the occasional overly harsh reaction to gentle nudges (happens very, very rarely to me).

Quote from Johnny Vet Boy B :

Oh, I just remembered, is there a way to have a favourite list for multiplayer games?

IIRC Browse For Speed has this feature.

http://www.lfsforum.net/showthread.php?t=8505

I've felt the same way in regard to the bumping. It has been especially noticeable in BL and I only have played in single player so far. Going toward turn 1 while jockeying for position I am often sent flying off the course from the AI if I don't get into the lead right from the start, and this is starting in the first position. Has been a bit frustrating at times. Could just be my poor driving but I find it very noticeable in regards to what Johnny is talking about. Still love the game though. Just wish my G25 would get here so I can play again!!!

Quote from Avatar13 :

Going toward turn 1 while jockeying for position I am often sent flying off the course from the AI if I don't get into the lead right from the start, and this is starting in the first position. Has been a bit frustrating at times. Could just be my poor driving but I find it very noticeable in regards to what Johnny is talking about.

Could also just be the poor driving of the AI. They do tend to hit you quite hard sometimes and thus indeed send you flying off the course, which is annoying but not due to the collision system.

Johnny don't listen to them, they just don't admit when things are wrong.
LFS isn't the most realistic game , they leave THAT for GPL.

Watch me get flamed by LFS fanboys... i bought the game didn't i? leave me alone

lol
Playing with fire now hehe..

Yes, a page full of people saying "LFS had major collision detection issues" is us refusing to admit anything is wrong.

GPL is a 7 year old game ffs, most modern sims are more realistic, oh no wait, anything i say is just "flaming by LFS fanboys". So basically unless i agree with you i'm a fanboy?