Yes it does, not many know this but internet is a finite resource and does not replenish itself in a reasonable time period, much like oil. I think it's sad that people don't pay attention on how much internet-age their server uses. One day we will run out of internet and that day will be a sad day indeed.
A Stunts like editor with a bit more depth would be something that would surely keep people playing the game indefinitely, I know I would. With ready pieces of road and other objects, the terrain data (piece type and perhaps some details like humps in the surface, for example road age etc.) could be shared when joining a server and would not result in addon hell. Wouldn't mind paying for such an editor.
Care to elaborate? I think it's only good that the children and child minded people who are unable to race properly populate cruising and kiddydramadrifting servers.
Dear Tomba, your logic is impenetrable. If things were as they were back in 0.04 (drifting wasn't popular and there was no cruising) there would only be less players in lfs. Your boxed way of thinking is why you won't be able to understand that catering to the needs of many will bring a bigger plasma tv into your living room and another sports car to your garage. Before you or someone else takes out the 'these slow the important developments' -card out of the sleeve, I'd like to point out that if lfs userbase remained as small as it was in 0.04 or 0.1 developers would probably need a second job to keep their families eating more than just pasta and canned tuna.
Also, at 03:45 utc out of 258 public servers only 28 were drift servers and 41 cruise servers. 103 private servers.
That's all it is and will ever be, a game with limited bogus physics and will never be able to simulate drifting properly.
As much as you'd like to believe that, it really is. LFS simulates almost real physics and tire wear. Even suspension damage is thrown there for a twist. Though tire physics are only based on oxygen instead of nitrogen, which reacts less on temperature changes. As far as I understand it, nitrogen is used commonly in motorsports because it does not react as violently to temperature changes as oxygen(*).
Ridiculous requests like 90 degrees lock are obviously ridiculous. I've gotten the image that this simulation game is about realism and that realism should be conveyed to every aspect of the game(*), drifting and racing.
Nearly proper physics simulation will bring more and more people in who like drifting, there is no way to ignore that userbase. There's already a filter for cruising servers, which I understand the dev team did not intend to happen. I think the userbase is already in three pieces, cruising, drifting and racing. These three should get their filters in server list to make it easier for people to join a game they want to.
AI is pretty close to an average player online, both are nearly blind. Only difference is that the average player online will insult you and vote to ban.
Oh no, the attachment must've been divided by zero.
To answer op's question, sometimes I like not to compete and just have fun with friends. In LFS it can help in learning car behaviour, assuming you are playing with something more than a 270 degree arcade wheel.
Here's what I use. To get used to them, at first try to steer as little as you can and control the car with pedals, once you get the feel for how it needs to be driven start applying handbrake to lenghten your entries and widening the countersteer to the point where you can hold it but not lose it.