Welcome to LFS!

This has been suggested before. I would say no for this. Credits, miles or even pb dont say anything about your racing skills. I advice you to tell people on the server that you are new to LFS. That would help a lot, people are helpfull and I think they will understand you crashing around (accidently ofcource). And secondly, puplic servers arent the best place for good racing, races are short and not so clean allways. Best racing is allways in league races or in single events

Most fast drivers are very friendly when you tell them that you are new to the game. As long as you don't crash into other drivers and make space for faster drivers to take you over people will be very happy to race with you.

Often, when I start from the front of the grid and know there are much faster drivers on the track (when learning a new combination for example) I drive to the side of the road after race-start and use the car's indicators to tell the others I'm waiting for them to pass. When the faster guys are gone I accelerate normally and try to get a position that fits my racing skill.

In a nutshell: Different levels of skill on one server is completely okay and sometime even adds to the experience.

Vain

Quote from Vain :

In a nutshell: Different levels of skill on one server is completely okay and sometime even adds to the experience.

Vain

Hell yeah - nothing like being in a huge battle with 2 or three other racers, and coming up behind a slower driver, each one of you thinking how to 'use' that driver to get an advantage.

It helps of course if you trust that slower driver, and he's aware there is a group bearing down on him, but it's still fun! and ifyou are that slower driver, it's also quite exciting, trying to keep on your line and watch people blast pst on either side (ask Zonta I think).

In a way there already is such system. Check people's PBs (press t and type /w pb) or check total laps (/w tl). And the fact that someone is in team usually makes him at least average driver, but not defenately fast. These can give you the impression of how fast certain player is/will be in next race.

This is like the 3rd thread on this topic this week Gotta be a record..

Anyway, welcome to LFS!
There don't seem to be any plans for rankings or server filters like you've mentioned. I think most of us, in our beginner days, have blundered around, crashed a bit and been abused for our trouble a little bit, but we perservered and eventually improved. I think practice, both offline and online, are invaluable. I think once you can beat a full field of AI on the highest difficulty level (if they don't happen to use you as brakes) you should have the skills to hit servers with confidence. The driving tests also help with some basic skills and can help you get used to the different cars too.

Enjoy your stay in LFS land, the (mostly) helpful staff are on hand to answer/dismiss any questions you may have

What about an extra icon in the serverlist?

Have the masterserver do /w pb for all players and show a snapshot of the average times, or maybe based on the last racefinish?
That might be a way to show the skill/speed on a server without forcing it on users (with filtering on training,miles driven,pb,etc etc)


O.T : Now that im on about the serverlist ; it would be ace if we could sort the servers on number of players, as now it only gets sorted by lowest ping

Another hint if you get into trouble: hit SHIFT+S to immediately enter the pits. It's the quickest way to clear the track if you've busted your car. It's invaluable at any of the South City tracks, where there's not much room for error (or passing someone who's made one).

Quote from amalgyte :

Do you think it would be possible to classify users by their experience by using their credits, total mileage and lap times for each course? This would mean that servers can then be pre-selective of what types of drivers they allow.

My best advice would be to join a series on SCORE. As the series move forward, drivers are "ranked" in a pretty unique way, totaly separated from the points table, and it allow each and every driver to track their progress and their average at the same time

Oh and a warm welcome to the wonderful world of LFS

Quote from amalgyte :

Hat's off to the guys who beat me by driving backwards!

You probably raced me then.

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the advice, the most useful is the SHIFT+S, I am sure that saved me some bans

I am taken aback by the friendly nature of most people online. Hey and one guy - sorry forgot name - got me to follow him around the track and taught me a lot about breaking points and best line. Cheers - you know who you are.

Anyways - IMO once the physics mod has been done (I understand that is the next mod to come in). I still think that some kind of ranking and skill matching would be good. There is nothing more frustrating joining a race where everyone laps you more than once in a 5 lap race.

With the vast possibilities of this game/simulation, I am sure the large populous will forever expand and eventually more servers will be required and ranking will therefore be even more pertinent.


Once again - you are great guys, thanks for the welcome - and if you see me online - blow your horn as you see me stuck on some verge somewhere! (ooh errrr missus)

havent really looked at the thread, but as i pointed out in.. like.. all of these threads and do once again, theres no way to rate how someone drives.. on a game or anywhere

Quote from amalgyte :

Anyways - IMO once the physics mod has been done (I understand that is the next mod to come in).

Hmmm, there will not be a "physics mod". The physics of LFS has always been an ongoing and evolving part of the simulator. The next stage of the physics evolution is underway but it won't be a mod, it will mean a real upgrade to the current physics. Whenever physics changes occur in LFS many things are affected and so it is a major update. The word "mod" is perhaps misleading to be used for what is essentially a deliberate evolutionary improvement to the physics of LFS.
The word "mod" is commonly used to describe some kind of add-on (often made by a 3rd party) that somehow adds to, or replaces an existing part of, a game to enhance it in some way that the mod-maker desired. When Scawen evolves the physics of LFS and provides a new patch, your entire LFS is changed for the better. This much more fundamental than a "mod" or "add-on", this is the actual sim itself.