I just raced on CTRA 1a. There seems to be a technical problem. No points were counted, and myself and at least one other racer were kicked during the race for not having a licence to drive the XRG. There also was a PHP/SQL error message, which suggested that the server software couldn't access the database.

For the "test drive" lessons there are no target times. You can only score "OK". (IIRC)

In lessons where you can score "QUICK" or "PRO", you will see a target time on screen before you start.

Quote from NotAnIllusion :

AFAIK, calling someone a ni gg er is not against the law, even if it may be anti-social.

It may be or may not be against the law, depending on where you live. But it can get you a ban:

Quote from LFS End-user license agreement :

1.5 Extreme disruptive or offensive behaviour by a user, towards the developers or members of the community, may result in temporary or permanent suspension of the user's Live for Speed license.

So if this is a case of persistent harassment, you can send a complaint to the devs. But to have a case, you should save a couple of replays that contain the offensive language/behaviour.

(This won't help against misbehaving demo users, though.)

Quote from Shotglass :

those miss a very important point btw which especially needs some application on the new&bronze servers ... you only have the right to the line if you have significant overlap at turn in + (and this is the important bit) slowed down enough to have a remote chance of making the corner without using the other car to slow you down

How very true. I always felt that the overlap rule is unfair to the car in front, because you can get enough overlap by braking insanely late. Especially when it's FWD against RWD, because the FWD car gets out of a skid quicker than an RWD, and is easier to stabilise after a tap.

I think it needs to be stressed that when you take the inside line, it's your responsibility to keep that line through the turn. I've seen too much BTCC-style driving lately on Copper & Bronze.

I voted "don't care". The races are not long enough to make fuel or tire wear important. But pitting strategy can be useful for damage strategy. At least, on the Bronze servers on South City tracks it's almost inevitable to get some hits, and it's nice to have a pit stop for repair and to escape the mayhem.

The new layout is a huge step forward. Especially the new licence display is nice.

Still, some remarks:
- I would like to see how many points I need to the next licence. (I can see the percentage but if I gain, say, 50 points in the next race, is that a big step or a small step?)
- The main page uses too many fonts IMHO. Use less fonts and/or font-weights (bold/italic) and it will look cleaner.
- The 'Top 100' display pulls too much attention. Suggestions: use a smaller font, non-bold; use less visual fireworks to show titanium licences.
- The licence lookup form doesn't say what it is for.
- It's a nice idea to show details on server usage in a tooltip. But you can drop the driver names: a tooltip is far too small to show all names (on Firefox, at least). Instead, I'd rather see the car class or the required licence.

When I grow up I want sideburns all the way down here.

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The doctor hasn't yet figured out exactly what stuff is coming out of my ears in fast corners.

Immature it may be, but...

Quote from Oscar Wilde :

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

The new ejector seats are so powerful that a St. Bernard is delivered as part of the package.

Tyre temperatures have already been discussed in the test patch forum:

Quote from Scawen :

Just in case anyone is concerned about this and which way it will go, I am quite convinced that hotlappers should be able to set the start position and the tyre temperatures. It would stop this messing around doing donuts and whatever before doing the hotlap. This decision is based on the opinions of the actual hotlappers, those guys who really do a lot of this, they want it that way, so it's more convenient to do the hot lap. They want to spend more time lapping and less time warming up the tyres. This is different from reality, that's true, but then LFS differs from reality in many ways, for convenience. For example we just appear on the grid, we don't have to drive to the race track - you know what I mean. If you want reality then just go racing in reality! If you want a sim then you are avoiding many of the problems of reality, and cutting it down to the actual racing. That's the purpose of a racing sim. Get in and RACE. Similarly the purpose of hotlapping is to get in and LAP!

A reset (by pressing SPACE) also resets wear and damage back to zero. It also resets the tyre temperatures, though.

Quote from Niels Heusinkveld :

This lateral movement of the contact patch can easily be a few centimeters and I suppose it would act much like a spring; with more lateral force, the contact patch moves more.

I'd expect it to behave like a spring+damper. The role of the air inside the tire is limited (since it's not compressed much by sideways tire flex), so most of the behaviour comes from the sidewall. Rubber has a significant amount of internal damping. This could make the tire more forgiving, because the response to fast load changes is damped.

OTOH, race tires have stiffer sidewalls than street tires -- possibly because less tire flex makes the car more responsive and gives the driver a better 'feel' of the car. But in simracing you get less feedback than IRL and you get it later, so a more forgiving tire may be helpful to keep the car under control.

Heh, if there is one thing you won't ever get from web designers, it's consensus! Ask 2 designers, get 3 opinions.

IMHO it doesn't really matter in this case if you go for fixed or fluid width. Fluid layout is better for sites where readability matters: sites that people visit often, and that contain a lot of content. UKCTRA is not one of those, I think.

Fixed width can be a good choice if you want to do some fancy graphics, and need everything to be pixel perfect. OTOH, even with web standards and CSS-based layout you can make amazing pages; visit CSS Zen Garden to get a taste.

I'd say you can design for a width of 1024 px. But allow for some whitespace at the sides -- this makes it look cleaner, and it also ensures that the content is still visible at smaller widths (900 px, or if possible 800).

* It looks like you use keyboard or gamepad as controller. In any case, the steering input is "digital". Try driving with the mouse (and buttons for throttle/brake) instead. With analog steering it's much easier to drive a good lap.

* Do not brake after the turn-in point. Braking and steering at the same time often result in locked wheels, and you will go wide and miss the turn. (Later, you can try trail braking, but it's better to avoid it for now.)

* Download hotlap replays from LFS World, and compare the driving with your own. Do not immediately go for the World Record replays, though. Start with someone who is 1 or 2 seconds faster than you.

* Keep practicing. It takes time to become a good racer.

Maybe the tips in this track guide can also help you.

Your car looks nice, but it is not very likely that you can drive it in LFS. The devs have said that LFS will not be open to modding before S3, so you will have to wait a couple of years (at least).

If you want to model your own car and drive it in a sim, then you'd better try rFactor or Racer.

A ride in her father's car (with worn shock absorbers) would prove to be a huge inspiration for J.K. Rowling's later career.

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The Fiat 500 is such a lightweight car that you can actually lift it up by the antenna.

Replay analysers read the data from RAF files.

Quote from LFS Main Site :

LFS Replay Analysers work by reading a RAF file created by Live for Speed and displaying the data in their own way on graphs or map displays. To create a RAF file, record a single player replay and then watch the replay. At any time during the lap BEFORE the lap you wish to analyse, press ESC and click on "Output lap data" and type in a name for the RAF file. Output will start when the car crosses the finish line. The RAF will be stored in the "lfs\data\raf" folder.

If you have a problem because of the LFS version, then first check your current version. If it's not "S2 alpha 0.5W" then simply use the auto-update feature. Start LFS, go to the multiplayer section; LFS will ask you if you want to upgrade; click "Yes" and the patch will be downloaded and installed.

If you do have 0.5W, then the replay was made with one of the newest test patches. Simplest is to wait until next weekend, when patch X is (expected) to be released. Again, auto-update will take care of things. If you don't want to wait that long, go to the "Patch Test" sub-forum here, and get the latest test patch, W21.

Bad race results can lead to a serious depression

+1

LFS now uses 2 colours, light yellow for cars ahead and light purple for cars behind. But the position in the list is also a visual cue, so I think this colouring can be dropped.

Maybe a 3-colour scheme would be even better than the red/green in the OP. For example:
red = car is gaining time (sector time more than 2% faster than you)
green = car is losing time (sector time more than 2% slower than you)
white = car is equally fast (sector time between -2% and +2% compared to yours)

(The 2% is just guesswork. You can take any sensible percentage.)

Quote from nikimere :

Q1. "A Polo" <-- there are 4 holes in that, 1 in the "A", 1 in the "P", 1 in the "o" and 1 in the other "o"

A polo-shirt also has 3 buttonholes. A Volkswagen Polo has lots of holes, especially if it's been used by Bonnie and Clyde.

There are many ways to out-smart someone else.

"Honey, didn't I tell you NOT to put it in reverse gear while I fixed the tyre?"

EDIT: damn, too late!

Very good idea IMHO.

In this way demo users can get a good impression what S2 is like (the cars, the tracks, and the online action). It's a better way to show off S2 than movies, because in a replay you can see all sides of the race. And, unlike other "improvements for demo", it does not tempt them to stay on demo forever.

I wish I had it when I was still on demo.

Quote from keiran :

Been suggested before and ruled out due to the security issues. As far as I can remember LFS would have to unlock S2 content to make this work.

Theoretically it would not make any difference. The content is already present in the demo, and AFAIK it's not encrypted. But i can imagine that this would require a rewrite of the unlock-checking code in LFS, which would mean a lot of work plus a risk of new cracks.

Last edited by wsinda, Thu, 10 May 2007 22:05.

Class '07 of the Car Bombing Academy is about to graduate.

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Unfortunately, the marshall at the dirt-track race had contamination phobia.

I don't think "real" weather will be very popular. Some admins will want the weather to be constant, others will prefer a randomised rotation of weather types (blizzard on FE, anyone? ). If you tie the weather to the actual conditions, there will be too much variation for the former group, and too little for the latter. And besides, no one wants his race postponed or cancelled because of the weather.

Quote from Hankstar :

I'm waiting for the first Kazakh LFS player...

Can't.

Playing online game is untrue to great National Spirit of Kazakh people, and capital offense. The accused is being left in field, at the mercy of herd of testosterone-crazed stallions. Also great spectacle, many people like.

Quote from ATC Quicksilver :

The adverts DO NOT WORK, there has been endless studies and they proved that people take notice for a few hours, maybe a day, then slip back into their bad habits.

But what about the long-term effect? Is it really zero??

Humans suck at estimating long-term risks. We can judge immediate, visible risks fairly well, but when it comes to longer term we're usually far too optimistic. It is hard to kick habits that are harmful in the long run (smoking, fast food) because the consequences, however gruesome, are so far away.

It's the same with bad driving habits, I guess. Perhaps the main reason that older drivers take less risks is that they have seen more "close calls". For example, they forget to look left and right before a road crossing. Or they let their eyelids sag when driving on the motorway at night. It's only afterwards that they become aware of the risk, and start to think. Many of these moments make you a better driver (if you're not too dim). But young drivers simply lack the mileage.

So, I wonder if it will work if they make a shocking movie every 3 months or so. The effects may only become visible after a couple of years of continued publicity.

PS: Funny statistic: 3 out of 4 drivers think they are an above-average driver.