UKGTL Season 17 GT40 Classic - Le Mans - Nov 13

[fpolicardi]

Nice race last night with Matt in view for all the race. I wasn't fast but I managed to not bin it with a cut or a big error, only a couple of scratchs at Porsches when I fall asleep and forgot to shift down  and a wide braking at the end of the straight.
Clive, I don't hide that I had a laugh when you passed me and then went in the kitty litter soon after at Indy  , but I was sorry when I saw you discoed 
I have Win10 too and I disable Windows Update and Background Download services when I race. You can run services.msc and disable and stop both services.
Next one

[Wiltshire Tony]

Highly enjoyable outing at a circuit that we have not visited in a while. Thought the dusk to night worked ok too. Was having good racing with Kurt and Bob until an excursion at Tertre Rouge caught me out and killed my lamps. Decided to quit out to save my eye sight. So watched Berger and Erling battle it out, nice one Gent's.

[Geoffers]

Quite an enjoyable but intense race on a version of Le Mans that I quite like, except for the bit from Mulsanne corner to Indianapolis which not right. Too straight!

Very pleased with my qually time until Reinhard went 1.5s faster  .

Start was bad as I nearly lost it changing from 1st to 2nd, somehow kept 2nd place into the Dunlop chicane. Reinhard was a bit slow initially, getting used to his dodgy steering & the nightime setting & I was able to get past on the run to the first Mulsanne chicane. Was able to ease away from Erling & Reinhard over the first few laps, but when Reinhard got into 2nd place the gap started to come down.

I then made one of my increasingly common mistakes when instead of looking where I was going, I was studying XD. Before I knew it the car was going sideways, managed to catch it but overcorrected & shot across the road into the barriers before Tertre Rouge. Reinhard & Erling went past before I could resume & I knew that without a major mistake from them I had to settle for 3rd. Actually that is probably where I would have finished. As it got darker I found it more & more difficult to pick out some of my braking markers & I was getting slower & slower each lap whereas Reinhard & Erling were getting faster, so they would have caught & passed me anyway.

Congrats to Reinhard & Erling on 1st & 2nd in both the race & championship.  

Think I am going to turn XD off in future races, I seem to spend too much time looking at it & not where I am going.  

[SpecialKS]

Results



Totally frustrated in free practice as I was unable to brake with these beasts. Then I found an online setup (for the Nordschleife!)
which made the car much more driveable   and I stayed with it.
Nice race with some offs towards the end - had to finish the last two laps without headlights - and a funny beginning   including a new pb.
Lonely one during most parts of the race though.

CU next week.

[Wiltshire Tony]

Thanks for the results Kurt 

[Erling G-P]

Great race for me yesterday. Love Le Mans and love the GT40. To me, it's one of the hardest cars to drive fast (relatively!) in GTL, but like the challenge, and with Duc Freak's sound mod added, it becomes one of the best sounding cars in the game    Nice touch btw. Tony, making it an evening race - very fitting for Le Mans! 

Puzzled when Reinhard posted his 4:40 laptime here. At the time, 4:40 was what I had done on race fuel, with a best of 4:39.0 on less fuel, and a promise of a 4:38, when I stuffed it at the Ford Chicane.  Had a Cosmic miracle taken place ?  Was I suddenly on par with - or even faster than an über alien ?   Nope, discovered online that universal laws like gravity, and 'aliens are always faster' were all sound and still in place.. 

Not sure where my 4:36 lap came from during qual; never been near that time before.  Still behind the aliens though - whatever you do and whatever you achieve, they're always at least one up on you - wonder if that's a Cosmic law too ?

Start went well, when I retained my 3rd place.  Got a tow from Geoffers on the first leg of Mulsanne, slipping in front of Reinhard.  Geoffers edged away up front, while behind me, Reinhard gained momentum, as he adapted to his adverse conditions.  After a few laps, he slipped past.  Chasing pack was a fair bit back, so no other immediate threats. Hoped Reinhard would catch Geoff, and that the two gents would slow each other enough for me to keep up.

Didn't play out quite that way.  As I flashed Bill a thank you for letting me past at Tertre Rouge, I caught a brief glimpse of something looking like Geoffers' car, stationary at angle at the track side.  Could it be...?  Yes, pit board next lap confirmed I was now in 2nd, Reinhard 5 secs ahead, Geoffers 10 secs behind and 4 laps to go.  2nd place seemed a possibility, if I could maintain my pace and avoid mistakes.   Couple laps later, I came upon a dust cloud and a rejoining Reinhard at Indianapolis.  He got going again before I could get past, but it had shown a chink in his armour. Dared I dream of more than 2nd...?   Reality check soon set in however, when he didn't repeat the mistake, and instead stretched the gap to 5 secs again before the finish.  Very chuffed with 2nd though, in this company

Grats to Reinhard for the title and bagging a win, despite limp steering wheel and unexpected night conditions - that was impressive !! 
Grats to Geoffers on 3rd overall.

Commiserations to Clive for his disco    At least it seems reassuring if it's a Win10 problem that can be dealt with, and not a hardware issue with your new rig.  Surprised you didn't have the upper hand here, which you so clearly had at Silverstone.  Did your setup from that race not work here ?   I tried everything to make it possible flooring the throttle out of corners, to no avail - had to restrain my right foot instead, so had expected to be at a disadvantage again here.  Hope you get the graphics issue sorted too - did you ever get rid of the shimmer ?  I have tried making a couple of screenshots illustrating the before/after of my changes. Not as good as watching it 'live', but still shows a marked difference.  Best viewed full size, so won't post them here, but can mail them if so desired.

[EvilClive]

I did find time to briefly dabble with the graphics settings on my new rig, but the few adjustments that I made did not seem to make much difference 
I will have to revisit this when I have more time, because with an 8Gb Nvidia 1080 video card I think I should expect near perfect graphics

Last night I had reverted to Nvidia default, just to be safe, and the shimmer was still there. When I used the headlights I had horizontal tearing, so I opted to drive in the dark for a more stable picture and only use the lights in a couple of places where I needed to see the apex.

FWIW I also found that mashing the gas out of corners did not work here like it did at Silvy. I was a couple of seconds a lap quicker when I introduced the power smoothly, and when I got the braking right there was even more time to be saved. The problem was getting everything right at every corner, which is the same on all tracks.
Initially I treated both of the Mulsanne chicanes in the same manner dropping to 2nd gear and squeezing on the power at the exit. But I discovered that 3rd gear worked better at the second chicane. My big Achilles heel was the entry to the Porsche curves where I just could not get my braking/line/turn in/speed correct and I suspect that was where the aliens were gaining 3-4 seconds on my best efforts. 

[Erling G-P]

I did find time to briefly dabble with the graphics settings on my new rig, but the few adjustments that I made did not seem to make much difference 
I will have to revisit this when I have more time, because with an 8Gb Nvidia 1080 video card I think I should expect near perfect graphics

I should certainly think so too.   Back when GTL was brand new, there were some discussions and comparisons of image quality on Nvidia vs Ati (now AMD), and this particular game definitely looked better on Ati.  However, it's so many years, and so many graphics chips generations ago, that I can't believe it's an issue anymore.  Must be a question of finding the right settings.  Will be happy to help if I can.

FWIW I also found that mashing the gas out of corners did not work here like it did at Silvy. I was a couple of seconds a lap quicker when I introduced the power smoothly, and when I got the braking right there was even more time to be saved. The problem was getting everything right at every corner, which is the same on all tracks.
Initially I treated both of the Mulsanne chicanes in the same manner dropping to 2nd gear and squeezing on the power at the exit. But I discovered that 3rd gear worked better at the second chicane. My big Achilles heel was the entry to the Porsche curves where I just could not get my braking/line/turn in/speed correct and I suspect that was where the aliens were gaining 3-4 seconds on my best efforts. 

Used 2nd myself in both Mulsanne chicanes - terrified of running wide in the 2nd one, as even the slightest excursion on to the reddish track edge on the left of the exit, would call down the wrath of the cut track nazis, so had to keep speed down.   Porsche curves very tricky for sure. Biggest problem for me was having enough restraint, to not run wide; had to go quite slow on the entry and midways.

[Erling G-P]

Clive, did some more digging and found this:

So basically to make a long story short, if you're looking for AMD's full-on supersampling image quality then do not use NVidia's supersampling AA type, use their regular Multisampling in combination with Sparse Grid Supersampling, and make sure they are both set at the same sample amounts. Like with AMD's supersampling, 4x is pretty close to 8x but with much less FPS hit.

Taken from this thread (mentioning shimmer problems): https://forum.studio-397.com/index.php?threads/is-nvidia-image-quality-a-joke-or-is-it-just-me.42621/

You may need to do this: Download Nvidia Inspector for full control of the graphics settings.

[EvilClive]

Many thanks for the advice and the links Erling.

I spent about an hour this afternoon reading the posts about Nvidia graphics settings and modifying the parameters on my new rig. I used the Alt/Tab switch in and out of GTL to tweak things with the Nvidia Inspector patch and then dived back in to see what improvements had materialised.

But TBH I saw very little improvement ( if any?) and I still have jagged white lines and moving patterns on the Armco and the grass.

I religiously made sure that I "applied" all the changes, but I have my doubts about what is happening. I even discovered that the 1080 card has a GT Legends setting, so I tried that too.

Before I had to quit for domestic reasons, I had decided to test whether any adjustments were actually being implemented. I am going to deliberately try and make things worse to see if the display changes.

Is there a setting within GTL ( possibly the GTL.ini ??) that would stop the Nvidia software applying changes??

[Bob M.]

This race was a screw up for me right from the start and didn't get any better as the laps went by.  At the start I forgot to put the car in gear, so sat there racing the motor with nothing happening.  Sorry to the guy behind me that I held up.  Then I was off in last place and seeing Red and missed my braking point on the last right hander that puts you on the roadway and went into the sand and tire barrier.  Pranged the alighnment and the car pulled right for the whole race and also if I braked hard it would jerk left or right at random.  Finally caught up to Tony who was having the same kind of race as I was.  We played leap frog for many laps the lead car would go off and then get passed and then the same would happen again over and over again untill he had a off and lost his lights and retired.  After that I just motored on until the finish and gave a huge SIGH that it was over.  Thanks to Tony for the series, not often we get to race the GT40.  Grats to the race podium and bigger grats to the series podium!!!  Well done to all...

Bob M.

[Erling G-P]

Many thanks for the advice and the links Erling.

I spent about an hour this afternoon reading the posts about Nvidia graphics settings and modifying the parameters on my new rig. I used the Alt/Tab switch in and out of GTL to tweak things with the Nvidia Inspector patch and then dived back in to see what improvements had materialised.

But TBH I saw very little improvement ( if any?) and I still have jagged white lines and moving patterns on the Armco and the grass.

I religiously made sure that I "applied" all the changes, but I have my doubts about what is happening. I even discovered that the 1080 card has a GT Legends setting, so I tried that too.

Before I had to quit for domestic reasons, I had decided to test whether any adjustments were actually being implemented. I am going to deliberately try and make things worse to see if the display changes.

Is there a setting within GTL ( possibly the GTL.ini ??) that would stop the Nvidia software applying changes??

You're welcome; just sorry to hear that you're not seeing an improvement  

Did you download the Nvidia Inspector program ?  If I understand the info in the thread correctly, it's needed to set some of the changes (unless Nvidia has made them available in their interface - the info is a few years old after all)
- Sorry; didn't read your reply carefully enough.. 

I have no knowledge about anything that could stop the settings from taking effect.  Do you have to specify that the driver settings must overrule the in-game settings ? (I do)  Or could there be an 'Apply' button of sorts to activate after making the changes ?

Making things worse deliberatedly sounds like a good plan.  If you still don't see an effect, then maybe try exiting and restarting GTL, instead of the Alt-Tab, just to check if the latter for some reason doesn't work with Nvidia.

Really hope you can get it working.  Fortunately most tracks aren't as bad as this; I lived resonably happy with my former settings, although I got a little shimmer on most tracks.  New settings looks much better though, so looking forward to trying them on upcoming tracks.

Discussions like this can be a can of worms, as each company has such rabid fanboys that sifting the rubbish from the truthful info can be really difficult. Seems to be some useful info in the thread, despite its less than fortunate title, so hope you ultimately can put it to good use.

[Jeep]

Didn't get much chance of any practice for this one at all, I don't think I had even completed a clean lap before race night.

Didn't set a qualifying time at all because of joining late and then crashing on my outlap which bent the steering.

So started at the back with Eifelblitz.

Flag dropped and I thought I got a great start then Bill stopped (To avoid Bob) and I ran into the back of him and was 1 headlamp down before I even started the race proper.

Settled into the race and due to others misfortunes found myself up into 7th by the end of lap 1. The lack of illumination didn't seem to cause too many issues other than the entry into the Ford Chicanes, I simply never found my braking point unless I was following another car.

Slowly made ground on Roguk and then messed up the entry into Dunlop Curve putting me abut 12 seconds adrift. A recovering Clive made short work of me also and disappeared off into the distance leaving me a very lonely 8th by the end of lap 4. I guess Roguk had some issue as suddenly I was making ground on him at the rate of several seconds a lap and by the end of lap 8 I was right with him. Made my move into Tertre Rouge and what I thought was going to be a masterly overtaking move resulted in me completely missing my braking point and saying hello to the barrier. I'm sure I heard Roguk chuckle to himself as he motored off into the distance. Was back with him by lap 11 and this time it was he who messed up the same turn running wide at the same turn on Lap 12 and I was through with enough of a cushion to hold onto 6th for the flag.

I really like these but do find them very difficult to handle. I found a reasonable set up near the beginning of the series and other than gearing and fuel was frightened to touch it for the remainder of the series.

It's interesting listening to Clive and Erling discussing graphics issues. I find this track horrible graphics wise. It simply looks awful on my system I have an I7 @ 4ghz, 8gb Ram and a GTX760 so I'm not short on power. Other tracks and cars look great but this particular track gives me tears, shimmering and textures which simply look "harsh" and hurt my eyes over race distance. I've not messed with graphics settings as all other tracks look great. The replay on the other hand shows none of these issues and looks great other than a lot of shimmering from headlamps.

Might be worth Clive tring a different track as his visual benchmark?

Thanks for the race guys, Congrats to the podium.

TTFN
John.

[EvilClive]

Thanks for the heads up about Le Mans John, maybe I am flogging a dead horse in trying to get a "perfect" visual experience at this track???

@ Erling....

I did download the Nvidia Inspector and it offered me a much more comprehensive list of parameters to play with ( totally screw ).

I did read through the posts and replies that you linked to and thought that I understood the issues before I started "adjusting".

There is an APPLY button on the Inspector which is supposed to implement the changes and there is a parameter about "overruling game settings" which I tried ON and OFF.

If I can find the time later today ( retirement is not the quiet life that you might think it is!! How on earth did I find time to go to work??!!!) I will give this graphics gremlin another treatment on a different track and report back on what happens.

Thanks for all the advice guys .

[Erling G-P]

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It's interesting listening to Clive and Erling discussing graphics issues. I find this track horrible graphics wise. It simply looks awful on my system I have an I7 @ 4ghz, 8gb Ram and a GTX760 so I'm not short on power. Other tracks and cars look great but this particular track gives me tears, shimmering and textures which simply look "harsh" and hurt my eyes over race distance. I've not messed with graphics settings as all other tracks look great. The replay on the other hand shows none of these issues and looks great other than a lot of shimmering from headlamps.

Might be worth Clive tring a different track as his visual benchmark?
TTFN
John.

It really seems a worst case, this track. On the other hand; if you can make this look good, all else should do so too.  With the changes I made, I did get completely rid of all shimmer, albeit with a massive hit to the framerate, but if it's high enough to begin with, it doesn't matter.  Very puzzled that you don't have the issues in your replay - mine looks exactly like the in-game graphics, with regards to the problems.

Note to Clive - just saw your reply as I was about to post - Apologies regarding Nvidia Inspector.  Am at a loss to explain why your changes doesn't seem to take effect - definitely sounds like you've done all the right things.  Hope further experimentation will shed some light on the mystery.