UKGPL Season 24 (2013) Professionals Trophy (65) - Montjuich Park - Jan 22

[EvilClive]

Had just been relegated back to 4th when I suddenly got disco'd. Guessing it's down to Virgin's far from great service around Bristol as Clive was warping a bit and disco'd 10 minutes before I did  

Shame, I was really starting to get to grips with the 1512 again and enjoy myself.

Well done to who-ever won!

Grats to the podium guys.

Yes Tim, I got disco'd in qually and again a few laps into a race that felt very comfortable in 4th spot. I was hassling FG and waiting for a chance to pounce, confident that I could go faster if I got past, so all looked good.............................but 

 Both my disco's were the same and not your normal dip out of the server. The disco crashed GPL AND GEM back to desktop and left the sound running in a staccato loop which I could not stop!! Whatever was happening did not allow me to shut down the PC and the noise just continued rattling on. I had to disconnect from the mains supply and restart to clear it. The same thing happened during the race.

This does not seem to relate to ISP issues but rather to something on my PC?? I had disabled AV before the race and had done a practice race on UKGPL3 the night before without any issues, so I was expecting a trouble free, fun filled night around a track that I like.

To be honest I felt like giving up gpl for a while, as I am becoming increasingly frustrated with all these technical problems.This morning I feel a little less despondent but still hacked off that I cannot seem to solve the problems.

[BadBlood]

It does go like that sometimes Clive. Might be worth turning down your graphics - maybe your GPL 'pipe' is a bit congested. I have disconnected like that before and it is a real pain.

Still, at least you got on... I set a lap and I don't even get in the race results...

[Hristo Itchov]

Sounds like issues with your operating system, Evil, or perhaps a hardware issue. It's impossible to tell unless you do extensive tests and cleanups. Run some anti-spyware and registry cleaners, some hard disk and memory check ups, some video card tests, etc. Go over your Bios settings as well, just in case. Install latest drivers. Check your core.ini D3D settings. Those kind of stuff. I know it's not a real advice, but there's always a reason and it's somewhere within those things lol.

[BadBlood]

Might be worth re-installing GEM and letting it re-generate the mods. That has helped me in the past.

[maddog]

I just saw a suggestion, for a new member to turn up his number of sounds to maximum.  i always use 3 online.

[NHance]

My first pro race - off the pace or what!. That qually equalled my pb. I was supprised at the mayhem on lap 1 (IN PROS!!! ) but happy to accept the 7th place at the end of it which I promptly lost with first of many mistakes at turn 1  on lap 2. Bit of a nudge with Ronnie P as he swept past & I was back at the back so to speak. The one thing I dreaded was ruining someone's race so with that in mind:-
 
Getting lapped - All I can say is what took you so long .  Parked nicely at T1 to let the first 3 through but when D Logan caught up to lap me I was on the S/F straight so deliberately slowed near the jump. This must have confused him & there was a collision but fortunately we both continued. I appologised on chat afterwards but he didn't respond so again - Sorry.
Good news was - I finished -  last of the runners, but still that's something, & I didn't use shiftR. Anyway I was the only one to choose Honda which makes me wonder if you lot all know something I don't . The other one didn't start so that's my excuse .
Wish I could say I really enjoyed it but I can't because the track was too much for my ability.Try again in a couple of weeks.
Norm H   

[Ronniepeterson]

sorry Ron for our touch at hairpin - I haven't seen replay yet but I was trying to leave you room.

No problem Al, My tyres were a little hot under the collar and my driving a bit erratic to say the least at the time.

Bit of a nudge with Ronnie P as he swept past 

Close racing is what I call it Norm  Welcome to the Pros; lesson number 1, they don't take any prisoners here, good luck.

Apologies to Raoni for the contact at the first corner when I came down the inside plus being the means by which you ended up trapped the other side of the barrier at the next corner.

Grats again to the podium of Hristo, Florian and Axel.

Just to add to what has been said above. I too had a screen freeze during qualifying when Gpl and GEM seized up. No issues during the race though. Also while I benefited from being able to do a reset/S&G at this race on lap 1, I also would like to see us running under Pro settings and the return of the intermediates if possible so everyone gets to race where they wish..

See you all at the next round.

[FullMetalGasket]

I was the only one to choose Honda which makes me wonder if you lot all know something I don't

Nothing wrong with the 65 waza mobile, it can be very competitive!
It's only weak points are that it likes to melt it rear tires somewhat more than the rest of the field pretty much regardless of setup, and that the top speed isn't quite what the power output might lead you to expect (Fez and BRM would destroy it on hi-speed circuits if not for drafting).
I was half tempted to run it myself this season but decided to try again in the ferrari as I was just starting to get a handle on it last year when my internet dried up.
I'll be missing 2 weeks to a months worth of racing soon as I'm moving house on Friday and it has no internet connection at all at the mo, so I didn't mind driving something that I'm less competitive than I could be in.

[AnGex]

Another great race here for me!
Had a big battle with Dean in another Lotus. Very fair driver.
Grats to the podium of Hristo, Florian and Axel. Well done on a hard track.

[DLogan]

12th to 4th on such a demanding track (though due somewhat to other's misfortunes), I have to be happy, but a few thoughts...

First off, great racing with Andreas. 21 laps of waiting for the smallest error, and was able to take advantage when he left me an opening (and I didn't muff it up all up immediately thereafter, as I am prone to  ).

Next, NHance: you caught me kind of off-guard slowing down there (I was expecting you to let me past, but didn't know where). In my experience, it's safer and you lose less time by pulling over on a straight stretch. Glad we both got away with that one.

Finally, pro damage. Nuh uh, no way (if the carnage from the start through exit of second hairpin is a taste of what goes on here). We all know just how unpredictable the GPL collision detection can be. Having a good race ruined completely (even worse, ruining someone else's) through the slightest error (or even lag, which hits us all sometimes) would not add to to the fun for me.

How could pro damage even be considered when we're not using full field visible bandwidth settings? Heading up to T1, cars suddenly appearing/disappearing, and some of them SIDEWAYS? Tiniest clip and your day is done? The fastest guys might appreciate having less backmarkers left to deal with, but I'd rather have people still there to race with.

Why aren't we using full bandwidth anyways (e.g. 3/84 3/384)? Is anyone here still on a 33.6 modem (which is what GPL default bandwidth was designed for)?

[Hristo Itchov]

Pro damage prevents people being too aggressive and penalizes mistakes. Knowing you can get away with an accident would most certainly make you more aggressive, whether consciously or not. As for bandwidth, I don't know, I thought we were running on high settings?

[Clutch4]

I'm with the 'no shift R in Pro' camp i'm afraid.

There are Pro's and Con's, but Pro = Pro Rules for me, though those against make valid points.

As for the race, bit of a non event for me really, but Ok for the first day back at school, whilst it lasted. 

[Al Heller]

Probably worth mentioning that from a historical point of view, the top UKGPL division of 65's has always used PRO settings. In fact this is the first race since season 16 where resets have even been allowed & as such, it would appear that several regular runners were not even aware that the format had been changed. As Cookie pointed out, it was a last-minute decision to help accommodate the Intermediate runners, but it is a rather divisive issue & one that has previously led to heated debate.

For me, nothing beats sim racing with no safety net. Sure the agony of knocking off a wheel, blowing an engine or running out of fuel on the last lap is intense, but also there's something innately rewarding about racing wheel to wheel, lap after lap, knowing that you get no second chances if you screw up.         

[DLogan]

...As for bandwidth, I don't know, I thought we were running on high settings?

I believe UKGPL uses what VROC calls "fast" (3/84 3/132), which gives 8 cars visible (6 ahead/2 behind).

AFAIK, a GPL server only sends 16 bits of information per car with each packet, so with 3/84 3/132 timing, the client is sending 84 bits of info every 3 * (1/36 second per tick, 1/60 for 60fps) = 12 times per second, and the server is sending 132 bits at the same rate. This was pushing the limits of what 28.8K modems were capable of, but even a decent 56K modem can handle full (ie. 3/84 3/384) timings. So unless there's someone here still on a 33.6 or worse, there's no real need for that restriction.

Going to even faster timings (e.g. 2/84 2/384 or even 1/84 1/384) would lower latency from what it is now, and I believe warrants investigation (and thorough testing, of course).

Have you guys tested the 60fps mods? IMO they're much more pro-damage friendly, due to collisions being detected faster (and thus when they're smaller) so they tend to be much less violent affairs than in 36fps. I've even managed to bump-draft with the closed wheel cars @ Monza without launching anyone into the stratosphere.

[Hristo Itchov]

Well I would be supportive of trying out those higher bandwidth settings if we can get a near-full grid so we can see how it goes. As for 60 fps, it's great, but not everyone has the PC to handle it (with bigger grids and heavy addon tracks), so it's impractical at the moment.