Hi, i'm pretty new to LFS, only had the game maybe a month. I've been playing since i got my xmas present (G25) early this year. As a total nub, having not played a racing sim since 1998 when i got the first MS FFB Wheel, I decided to pick 1 car and 1 track and get used to it. So for the past few days i've been hotlapping the FOX on BL1, and getting faster every day, though still crappy at 1.10 as my PB.

Recently i've been giving online racing a shot, the only problem is, I keep getting nailed and ran off the road. I do my best to avoid myself hitting other people, but usually someone else hits me.

Now to the point of my thread... What is the general rules for avoiding contact in a race? Who has the right of way, i guess is what i'm asking. Who has the obligation to avoid who? I'd just like to clarify things because i'd like to race clean.

Let me give you a situation as an example. I'm on the straight in BL1 and I make the next turn slightly late (i gotta work on my consistancy) and the guy behind me takes advantage and attempts to pass on the inside. Now we are parallel to eachother around the corner, but when I finish my turn and am on the edge of the track, the other player continues his turn right into my side and wipes us both. Now, if he's slightly ahead of me at this point, should I brake and allow him to finish his line? And If i'm slightly ahead of him, is it his obligation to brake and get behind me?

I just want to know, so I'm not the a**hole that ruins peoples races.

Three things:

-Don't jump in online with the single seaters. Learn to race cleanly with the tin-tops first.

-Use your mirrors.

-Drive defensively. Online ain't hotlapping, You can't just carry on your racing line regardless of other racers. If a guy tries to cut in on your line and you can't hold him off without causing a collision, get out of his way. He shouldn't be trying it in the first place, but that's not the point. It's up to you to avoid an accident if he insists on being an idiot.

Quote from c0nv1ct :

Hi, i'm pretty new to LFS, only had the game maybe a month. I've been playing since i got my xmas present (G25) early this year. As a total nub, having not played a racing sim since 1998 when i got the first MS FFB Wheel, I decided to pick 1 car and 1 track and get used to it. So for the past few days i've been hotlapping the FOX on BL1, and getting faster every day, though still crappy at 1.10 as my PB.

Recently i've been giving online racing a shot, the only problem is, I keep getting nailed and ran off the road. I do my best to avoid myself hitting other people, but usually someone else hits me.

Now to the point of my thread... What is the general rules for avoiding contact in a race? Who has the right of way, i guess is what i'm asking. Who has the obligation to avoid who? I'd just like to clarify things because i'd like to race clean.

Let me give you a situation as an example. I'm on the straight in BL1 and I make the next turn slightly late (i gotta work on my consistancy) and the guy behind me takes advantage and attempts to pass on the inside. Now we are parallel to eachother around the corner, but when I finish my turn and am on the edge of the track, the other player continues his turn right into my side and wipes us both. Now, if he's slightly ahead of me at this point, should I brake and allow him to finish his line? And If i'm slightly ahead of him, is it his obligation to brake and get behind me?

I just want to know, so I'm not the a**hole that ruins peoples races.

Man, I wish all newbies were like you...

Anyway, what TiJay said.

So what would you say is a good car and track to start with then? All the servers I seem to find for tintops are drift servers, and drifting doesnt interest me much.

I have no problem trying another car, the FOX seemed pretty easy to handle and I noticed an abundance of servers for it. Eventually, of course, I plan on learning all the cars and tracks, but I'd just like a good car and track to start with to get me used to driving online. Ya know, to lay the foundation, so to speak.

From what TiJay said, I seem to have the right idea when it comes to "right of way." I just wanted to clarify so when I get bitched at I know whether to apologize or defend myself. I understand that me being new, and relatively slow for that matter, I need to drive extra defensively.

Redline Racing usually run AS National with GTRs and it's where I did a lot of my racing. The Sim Touring Car Cup servers also run RB4, FXO, XRT practice.

If you MUST race BF1s, learn them on the Oval Junkies server. (Bear with me). Rather you learn safe single seater racing on an easy track than on a technical one where the chances of causing a pileup are higher.

I think the fox is a good car to start with, because it is not the easiest to handle. Yes, there are worse handling cars, but due to real wheel drive and no TC, it is quite hard to handle for a newbie, so when you get into a tin roof, it will be easier to handle.

Collisions are the whole point of racing, fighting for line, etc. But I tend to back off if someone is pelting up the inside of me, carelessly. Because I know he will make the mistake coming out of the corner and I can reclaim my place, also, I would rather lose one place as apposed to trying to defend and being taken out losing 5-6 or maybe 10 places.

P.S. My soul got stolen by Funnycat, the signs were there not to click it.

The FOX is a very good single seater to start off with. High speed, harder than a tin top but not as difficult as the FO8/BF1.

Quote :

Yes, there are worse handling cars

Thats why i added that

I started off in a FOX and I hated it because as soon as I throttled it out of a bend, I would lose the real end and they are near impossible to catch again in the FOX, now when I drive the TBO classes, the only thing I am not used to is the lack of speed, nimbleness and lack of braking power.

Quote from The General Lee :

I started off in a FOX and I hated it because as soon as I throttled it out of a bend, I would lose the real end and they are near impossible to catch again in the FOX, now when I drive the TBO classes, the only thing I am not used to is the lack of speed, nimbleness and lack of braking power.

LOL! After spending so much time driving the FOX, and knowing what its like losing the rear end like you say, then driving these tintops and losing my rear a bit in almost every corner, I find myself panicing thinking like i'm in the FOX and about to wipe out hardcore, then pulling out of it just fine and holding my speed pretty well. Its a different feel around the corners, but you guys are right, the tintops are easier. Even though right now it does feel like controlled chaos around the corners.

Anyways, I really appreciate the help. I'll work on the TBOs and GTRs for now, and see ya online as soon as i get a setup i'm comfortable and consistant with.

Because I drove the XRT in demo and the FOX in S2, when I did drive the front wheel drive cars, I found my main problem was outing on a little bit of opposite lock...Bad habbit! lol.

But, if you drive one car alot, like me and you do the FOX, changing to a different class let alone a new car will take some getting used to, not months..maybe hours, if that.

So far, i'm liking the AWD and FWD tintops, as those are the setups i'm used to in RL. My first car was a Prelude, and my current vehicle is a Typhoon, i've never had a RWD car. The RWD ones are gonna take some practice, you don't even wanna know how many times i've lost the rear end on my mom's Dakota in the rain.

Quote from TiJay :

Three things:

-Drive defensively. Online ain't hotlapping, You can't just carry on your racing line regardless of other racers. If a guy tries to cut in on your line and you can't hold him off without causing a collision, get out of his way. He shouldn't be trying it in the first place, but that's not the point. It's up to you to avoid an accident if he insists on being an idiot.

FWIW, this is quite false. The whole point in us racing is to have fun side by side action. From how c0nv1ct describes his first post, he did everything exactly as he should. If the other driver dove down into the inside as c0nv1ct was turning in, then he was too late and the line was already taken. But c0nv1ct left him the inside line without pinching him since he saw the overtake attempt. Thus on exit, the other driver failed to leave room at the exit and pushed c0nv1ct off the track. Completely the other guys fault. c0nv1ct, you did nothing wrong here but attempt to have a good close clean race .

you have to sort of build confidance that the person you are racing against is a good driver. yesterday, i got taken out when a guy just plowed into me on turn 1 of lap 1.
it was totally his fault, but i could have moved over to the left or right so he wouldnt have been directly behind me.


you want to position yourself so that you dont get taken out if anything goes wrong and give people lots of space, unless they have shown evidence of skill to you already. try and be kind to people and don't do anything to someone that would piss you off if you were on the recieving end.

People often brake later than they actually should not realizing that having their tires howl in pain through the entire corner isn't the way it should go. The only real thing to prevent getting nailed is to watch your mirrors like a hawk when you have someone close to you and make sure you stay out of their way as they come understeering through. I'm usually one of the fastest people on the track and I regularly almost get hit like this, especially by people that I've just lapped. The real moral of the story is just don't trust anyone on the track, if they're anywhere near you make sure you know what they're doing.

mrodgers: In tin-tops, you're right. But in the BF1 which spins so easily if people are wheel to wheel, they're too close. Look at F1 racing- every time people touch, there's usually an accident that could have been avoided.

Quote from rcpilot :

I'm usually one of the fastest people on the track and I regularly almost get hit like this, especially by people that I've just lapped.

That's pretty bad, but not quite as bad as the people in demo servers who think a blue flag means: try to hit the guy that wants to overtake you next!

I've had people literally slamming into me as soon as I caught them on the straight

You sound like you've got your heart in exactly the right place for online racing Convict my Across Pond cousin. But you have to remember that at the end of the day it's not always going to be your fault. You obviously understand that your not the fastest and that you don't have all the answers, unfortuantly a number of folks out there think they do when really they don't. Thats just racing. Experiance will be able to give you more of an ability to watch for those people and understand (By car placement, agressiveness, general 'feeling'and historical context) who you can race well against and who needs to be watched and possible given a wide berth.

Just keep up the practice, try out some other car\track combo's, learn how to do some basic setup procedures and you'll soon develop some racing savvy.

You will get Tossers wherever you race but if you enjoy LFS for what it can give you then you will always find those golden moments that make the odd Tossership worth it.

Just keep racing and loving. You won't go too wrong.

Quote from Funnybear :

You sound like you've got your heart in exactly the right place for online racing Convict my Across Pond cousin. But you have to remember that at the end of the day it's not always going to be your fault. You obviously understand that your not the fastest and that you don't have all the answers, unfortuantly a number of folks out there think they do when really they don't. Thats just racing. Experiance will be able to give you more of an ability to watch for those people and understand (By car placement, agressiveness, general 'feeling'and historical context) who you can race well against and who needs to be watched and possible given a wide berth.

Just keep up the practice, try out some other car\track combo's, learn how to do some basic setup procedures and you'll soon develop some racing savvy.

You will get Tossers wherever you race but if you enjoy LFS for what it can give you then you will always find those golden moments that make the odd Tossership worth it.

Just keep racing and loving. You won't go too wrong.

An example of racing against good drivers, as opposed to just 'fast' drivers.
Last night I found myself, for whatever reason, in front of SparkyDave (I make no apology for naming names) and knowing he is seriously good I managed to hold him up for 3 or 4 corners(so5). No mean achievement I can tell you! I know for a fact that a lesser guy would have barged me out of the way simply because I'm slower, but keeping to my line, he waited for the right moment before steaming past! It was almost a pleasure to be passed.It's how I imagine all racers ought to act. I wish I'd kept a replay. Remember, the onus is on the car behind to pass safely not for you to move out of the way(unless you're blue flagged of course)
Thankfully there are many, many people like Dave in S2. DHs are in a minority.
/rambling mode=off

Yea, i believe the RWD cars are trickier to drive. But if u dont prefer RWDs, there're not many other cars to drive. (My opinion... may be wrong since i dont own a license ) Like there's the XRT, XRR, RA, FZ50, and others that are RWD, beside the open-wheeled. There's only a handful of AWD and FWD cars. Maybe a WR setup from Team Inferno can relieve you of your RWD blues
Since Im planning to get an S2 license soon, can u guys advice me and others how and where to begin... I was thinking of mastering one car on each and every track, and if i finished I'd juz move on to the next... but this seems way too time-consuming hehe. Any advise?

LFS is time consuming. You might just fancy a quick blast here and there but you will find and you will probable get frustrated with the fact that you will be slow, whatever car you choose.

I'm fairly standard with my approach, I drive the FZR. I've learnt it, I know it's limitations and how it should be driven. With that I have developed a setup that takes into account the handling characturisitcs and my own driving approach. I might dip into something else every once in a while but I always return to the FZR. I can drive the beast.

So, I dunno what you should do. Just pick a car, drive it for a while. Think you like it? Then carry on driving and start getting your laptimes down. Don't like it? then try a different flavour.

Having only skimmed through some of the posts heres a few tips that I've come up with from witnessing people make these mistakes.

1) The first lap heading into T1 be aggressive and hold the inside line. If your about half way down the inside of someone it's always an idea to go deeper into the corner rather than fall back this way that person has no option but to let you through = little to no contact. Obviously if it's very crowded just try hold the inside line and you should be okay. I very rarely would opt for the outside unless there was a big hold up on the inside.

2) If you are unsure heading down into T1 and are going to brake early do it gently and not sharply when braking initially. This way you'll give following drivers enough notice to take some form of action

3) Just keep a good eye of whats going on around you. Any overtaking moves you go to pull off make sure they know you are there thats the best way to avoid them turning in. It's better to go deeper into a corner so that they see you than diddle about on the apex just out of sight.

Don't get worried about anything. As long as you are clean and try your best to have good races you'll not getter bother from 95% of the racers on LFS. A quick "Sorry" will usually satisfy most people if you make a mistake and wipe someone else out

Keiran

Quote :

Redline Racing usually run AS National with GTRs and it's where I did a lot of my racing

Do we??? lol fox is a good start because you have to be extra careful trying not to spin and always concentrating on whats around you is good practice for the other cars

Quote from c0nv1ct :

Let me give you a situation as an example. I'm on the straight in BL1 and I make the next turn slightly late (i gotta work on my consistancy) and the guy behind me takes advantage and attempts to pass on the inside. Now we are parallel to eachother around the corner, but when I finish my turn and am on the edge of the track, the other player continues his turn right into my side and wipes us both. Now, if he's slightly ahead of me at this point, should I brake and allow him to finish his line? And If i'm slightly ahead of him, is it his obligation to brake and get behind me?

I just want to know, so I'm not the a**hole that ruins peoples races.

No, you are not the a-hole at all. If for some reason we are on the same server, and next or near to each other racing, it will be a pleasure to "battle" you.

Quote from Doorman :

I know for a fact that a lesser guy would have barged me out of the way simply because I'm slower, but keeping to my line, he waited for the right moment before steaming past! It was almost a pleasure to be passed.

I know what you mean! I go the [CD] As National server nightly, and while you have a few pushy people, there are some who are just remarkable when they pass you, so much so your jaw drops in awe. Or some who actually take the time to study their opponent, get familiar with their weak spots, and use it to their advantage. Like for me, I am an early braker, and I am also very straight forward with corners, and if I have really fast drivers behind me, instead of charging through, they wait a lap, study me, then execute their strategy. It is, as aforementioned, a pleasure sometimes.

Quote from c0nv1ct :

Now to the point of my thread... What is the general rules for avoiding contact in a race? Who has the right of way, i guess is what i'm asking. Who has the obligation to avoid who? I'd just like to clarify things because i'd like to race clean.

It would be really great if all newcomers had that attitude of yours.

Have a good read, man.

http://en.lfsmanual.net/wiki/Clean_Racers_Club_Rules

@FunnyBear
I think your're right... thanks