The online racing simulator
Is there an acceptable level of contact?
Hi all, just wondering if there's an acceptable level of contact when racing? I was watching LFS and RL racing vids on youtube and that got me wondering.

DK
#2 - Gunn
You might say that an acceptable level of contact is where there are no negative outcomes from the contact or where it is deemed to be no driver's fault that contact occured. Normal racing rules also apply.
i go with the term: Move him, don't wreck him!
Quote from DieKolkrabe :Hi all, just wondering if there's an acceptable level of contact when racing? I was watching LFS and RL racing vids on youtube and that got me wondering.

DK

Contact should be avoided at all times in LFS. However, occasionally some small amount of contact is made but it has to be a very gentle touch not to result in disaster for both drivers.

Blatently turning in on someone who has adequate overlap on your inside is probably the most common contact that occurs.

Also a lot of people simply haven't discovered the look left/right buttons yet lol
It depends a lot on the formula too. The STCC broadcast league uses the premise "This is a partial contact series", a bit of nerfing and rubbing is allowed provided the other driver doesnt have to take avoiding action. However, you couldn't have that kind of racing in a single seater as they'd just go skyward.

So it's all down to the series. In the real world this is true also... Compare the crashfest of the BTCC to F1 for instance...
#6 - Goop
I started off playing LFS on dial-up, all the way through to S2. I learnt pretty quick that even the slightest rub could result in orbit, so I did whatever was necessary to avoid any contact. I still race that way; it's just habit, I s'pose.

I guess some contact doesn't hurt, but beware the catch-cry of the poor racer: "Rubbing is racing"! And this "I bumped him to move him off-line" etc. is garbage I reckon. Outsmart 'em and pressure 'em.

:soapbox:
Well, really, for me, it depends on the standards of each driver. Some can tolerate contact but others have 0% tolerance for it. Personally, I hate any contact at all. I look at it in the way if its possible to go without it, then fine. When I make any slight contact with any driver, I instantly try my best to make it up for them if the circumstances on the track allow it but if they don't, I have to live with the guilt for the rest of the race . "Rubbing is racing" meh, I hate that quote SOO much! :mad:
Our league runs with the rule that any advantageous, at fault contact must be redressed. Small bumps from time to time is just a part of racing really, but small bumps can also end up as big bumps in LFS due to dodgy collisions...
As becky said in single seaters you can't have any contact at all (irl) as the damage is to easy to get and you would be out of the race. In tin top racing contact does seem to be allowed a little. I think the btcc has too much contact though. I look at it as the "rubbing is racing" so rubbing and taps etc is fine full on contact is a no no.

Run by the rule of - If you both continue racing fine the contact was acceptable.
Thanks for all the replies, that's cleared it up. I'm not sure you can have a series with 0% contact though...

DK
As said.. depends on the series. Looking at the 2 extremes.. BTCC and NASCAR.. BTCC has a high level of tolerance towards contact, NASCAR however sparks off 20 laps of full-course yellow (even if someone just farts in the wrong direction ). An intermediate series in this respect I'd say would be the Aussie V8s where there's often some contact but not nearly as much as BTCC.

I think contact is fine (I don't race open-wheelers.. but in those series, it's somewhat of a suicidal move in most cases for obvious reasons) providing it's not deliberately trying to put someone out of the race. In LFS however, this isn't always possible due to the collision detection. For example, I made slight contact with mouni from SCCC the other night in a race as I dived down the inside of the tight left-hander at AS3. I tried as hard as I could to keep well within an inside line but on exit, clipped his door with my nose. My car didn't react at all, not even a body shake.. seemed nothing.. but looking in the mirror, LFS had made enough of a meal of it to push him pretty wide.. which certainly wasn't my intention.. a racing incident IMO but didn't feel "pleased" that that's how I won the corner as I aim to be as clean as possible.

In short, contact is fine in tin-tops, but you have to use common sense to determine the extent of what is acceptable.. IMO anyway.



Regards,

Ian
It is possible to have contact in single seaters and get away with it. Not to the extent of a saloon car though. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc2mzOFR_dg (probably the greatest example). I've also see Formula BMW cars pushing each other before and getting away with it.
They are RL examples but the problem with LFS is (as Ian H. described above) the collision detection. A "rub" can send another person flying. So it's probably wise to abstain from "rubbing"...
Quote from nikimere :A "rub" can send another person flying. So it's probably wise to abstain from "rubbing"...

Obviously no contact is better than any contact but the OP asked about an acceptable level which rubbing is
Niki's right. Try to avoid all contact until the collision physics are improved.
how dare who?
clarkson
Quote from Shotglass :clarkson

oh right sorry, i dont have sound...
didn't know what u were on about
Quote from DieKolkrabe :Hi all, just wondering if there's an acceptable level of contact when racing? I was watching LFS and RL racing vids on youtube and that got me wondering.

DK

Good question. Just don't do what the AIs do and you'll be allright. If you follow their example you'll be banned from most leagues

Cheers!!
I TRY and avoid all contact for the reasons mentioned but mainly because 5 years of GPL has hardwired my brain in this way .

Driving with this mindset is what makes LFS fun for me and is the main reason for me having "just one more race".

A little rub here and there is fine, but tapping other's off track at t1 and moving on up or making a heroic inside move when you 5 car lengths behind at the corner.... not acceptable.
yeah i am the same, i try and avoid all contact. i just proper no-contact racecraft to pass/defend. Forcing other racers off of the track is not clean racing.
Quote from JohnPenn : A little rub here and there is fine, but tapping other's off track at t1 and moving on up or making a heroic inside move when you 5 car lengths behind at the corner.... not acceptable.

Completely agree, John. Perhaps you could have a word with your countryman Mr. Coulthard.
IMO, contact is fine as long as it doesn't do any damage to the other person's wheels and affect their driving.

Even when there is contact it should be accidental and not purposely, think about it, if you had your car on a track, would you want people rubbing against your car?

Quote from JohnPenn :I TRY and avoid all contact for the reasons mentioned but mainly because 5 years of GPL has hardwired my brain in this way .

Driving with this mindset is what makes LFS fun for me and is the main reason for me having "just one more race".

A little rub here and there is fine, but tapping other's off track at t1 and moving on up or making a heroic inside move when you 5 car lengths behind at the corner.... not acceptable.

Agree 100%
The only contact you should be making is that of the accidental nature. Conscientiously making contact with another player is quite barbaric and should not be done.
Quote from BlackSheep720 :The only contact you should be making is that of the accidental nature. Conscientiously making contact with another player is quite barbaric and should not be done.

I guess I'm a bit barbaric then, because if I'm stuck behind lap traffic that wants to fight me off (I'm talkin' for about a lap or so), I tend to give them a very light tap to show them that I'm behind, and to make them want to obey the big blue letters that say "BLUE FLAG" on their screen. Nothing too hard, just barely make my bumper touch theirs. On the other hand, if someone wants to bang doors with me, I can take it for only so long before I bang doors back. I generally like to keep it clean, but if I'm constantly being banged, or squeezed into walls, I'll bang back to basically show that I'm not going to let someone bang me around for the whole race. It's not without warning though, usually after a race of being banged around by a person, I'll warn them before the next race that if they want to continue to bang doors with me, I'll bang back. But as I said before, I like clean racing more so than high contact. I'm glad I've got the STCC servers to race on, as the racing there is relatively clean (apart from the few nutters that come in from time to time).
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