2015 RoLFS: Aston 24H: RACE RESULTS UP

[Shadaza]

Alright, so here's what I suggest now: engine upgrades to be ditched completely

[The Lukas]

Ural Racing Line-up to 2015 season
#9:Alexandra Kustova(RUS)
#10:Viktor Pasitchnjuk(UKR)
Testdrivers(if it can be more than one):Ivan Lanin(RUS)(Male),Yuki Matsudate(JPN) (Female).

[FMecha]

Sponsorship update for TRE: NTT out, Autobacs in.

[tommykl]

I would be delighted to continue for a second season in the RoLFS with Hydook. This last season was not particularly good, but I'm confident Anton and I will be able to take the team to new heights. Our main goal is now to score regularly on pace.

[AndreaModa]

Jones Racing, despite having the most upgraded chassis on the grid, supports the change to fixed engine performance, reset chassis development and reset credit levels.

I'd also like to suggest a change to the system of awarding credits at the end of each season, whereby each team is rewarded rather than just the championship winners. Currently I have two ideas:

Firstly to adopt a similar system to the F1RWRS, for example the system could be as follows 20-15-12-10-8-6 for the top six teams and drivers in each championship, with all other entrants receiving 5 credits.

Secondly, split the credits between teams and drivers. So using the system above, drivers awarded credits at the end of the year take these credits to whichever team hires them for the following year. Obviously if they move to the F1, F2, or F3RWRS this can't really work, but in theory is taken into account anyway as a better performing driver will have a more favourable performance file in GP4. This could also encourage drivers switching teams between seasons, and a more active driver market in general. The credits awarded to teams themselves would remain with them as they do now.

What do you think of that Nuppiz?

[Stramala]

Secondly, split the credits between teams and drivers. So using the system above, drivers awarded credits at the end of the year take these credits to whichever team hires them for the following year. Obviously if they move to the F1, F2, or F3RWRS this can't really work, but in theory is taken into account anyway as a better performing driver will have a more favourable performance file in GP4.

What about drivers doing the opposite? I have Marco Bizzarri moving here from F2RWRS, will the fact he has that (second from) top-level experience be taken into account here?

[AndreaModa]

Secondly, split the credits between teams and drivers. So using the system above, drivers awarded credits at the end of the year take these credits to whichever team hires them for the following year. Obviously if they move to the F1, F2, or F3RWRS this can't really work, but in theory is taken into account anyway as a better performing driver will have a more favourable performance file in GP4.

What about drivers doing the opposite? I have Marco Bizzarri moving here from F2RWRS, will the fact he has that (second from) top-level experience be taken into account here?

That's true, I didn't consider that. In which case you could either not bother with that system at all, or alternatively set 'bands' for drivers entering the series depending on their experience (eg. 5 credits for a driver from F3, 7 credits from F2 and 10 credits from F1RWRS?). So in your case Bizzarri would contribute an additional 7 credits to your team's budget for 2015 were this system in place.

It sounds a little complex at first, because explaining it in a forum setting like this is never easy (look how complex F1RWRS got before it was all laid out in the wiki!) but I think it could work, albeit with a little tweaking. Ultimately though it's up to Nuppiz whether he wants this level of complexity in his series or not.

[Nuppiz]

Very good ideas there, AndreaModa. I support the idea of giving credits to all the teams and drivers, not just the champions, and the credits given based on championship standings following the drivers to whatever team they join next season. The experience credits system is also a good idea, as it encourages people to keep their drivers active instead of dumping them if they fall short of a drive in the bigger series. And I don't think it's too complex, as most of the changes would only affect the start and finish of the season, with the mid-season staying quite the same as before. If the amounts of credits given are adjusted well, I think it could make the series much more interesting.

I've also thought of alternative ways to give the teams more control over their cars. One thing that I'm currently testing is to have to engines with different "specs". The A-spec engine is lighter, but also slightly less powerful (without causing gear change problems), while the B-spec engine has more power, but is also heavier (by adding more mass into the car). Potentially this would mean that the cars running a lighter engine would have a slight edge on the more technical sections (having better cornering), while the more powerful engine would perform better on straights and high-speed sections (having a higher top speed).

I'm also thinking that the different tyre manufacturers found in the game (Cromo, Torro/Pirelli, Michelin, Evostar, Bridgestone, Avon and "blank") could be used as a way of changing performance as well. By default the tyres perform exactly the same with the changes being purely cosmetical, but perhaps with certain settings like tyre pressure and compound I could make the different tyres to behave differently.

[AndreaModa]

That sounds good, so teams would select which engine they wanted at the start of the season, along with their tyre supplier? I like the sound of that. You could have the two engines as different manufacturers as well as the different tyre makes to bring in some real-world competitive nature to it all.

And no, for god sake don't use bloody Lancia as one of the manufacturers!

I'd suggest more neutral suppliers eg. Ford, Renault, Peugeot, VW, Toyota, etc.

EDIT: or even better, keep Judd and add in another privateer like Hart or Cosworth

[Stramala]

That sounds good, so teams would select which engine they wanted at the start of the season, along with their tyre supplier? I like the sound of that. You could have the two engines as different manufacturers as well as the different tyre makes to bring in some real-world competitive nature to it all.

And no, for god sake don't use bloody Lancia as one of the manufacturers!

I'd suggest more neutral suppliers eg. Ford, Renault, Peugeot, VW, Toyota, etc.

EDIT: or even better, keep Judd and add in another privateer like Hart or Cosworth

Shut up dude. We're having a Fiat group engine, even if it means running a Chrysler or Dodge powerplant.
Or, failing that, Motori Moderni units.

Also, why no love for Pirelli as a tyre manufacturer? They supply F1, GP2 and GP3!

[Shadaza]

Different engines and tires? I approve.

Ultimate Mercedes has a nice ring to it =]

[Nuppiz]

Shut up dude. We're having a Fiat group engine, even if it means running a Chrysler or Dodge powerplant.
Or, failing that, Motori Moderni units.

Also, why no love for Pirelli as a tyre manufacturer? They supply F1, GP2 and GP3!

I will give the teams the possibility to rebadge the engines to their liking if they don't like the default names I've given (Judd and Zytek), don't worry. Pirelli wasn't included in LFS originally, however after a short search I found a mod that changes the "Torro" tyres to be Pirelli. So here's my suggestion for Red Bull World Race Team's 2015 livery sporting some nice P Zeroes:


And while we're at it, here's Takagi's updated livery:

[AndreaModa]

EDIT - removed post as Nuppiz beat me to it with a far better solution!

[Shadaza]

Looks like we lost our Red Bull sponsorship. So for 2015 Team Ultimate would like to have a West Inspired livery. With the number 1 and 2 proudly displayed on the car.

[Nuppiz]

On the sponsorship front: Cillit Bang! returns with a... eh... bang! (you know how that car needs to look, i suppose)

Something like this? (Reckitt-Benckiser is the company behind Cillit Bang, if you were wondering)

Looks like we lost our Red Bull sponsorship. So for 2015 Team Ultimate would like to have a West Inspired livery. With the number 1 and 2 proudly displayed on the car.

Zakspeed West livery, McLaren West livery, or perhaps this?

[Shadaza]

Looks like we lost our Red Bull sponsorship. So for 2015 Team Ultimate would like to have a West Inspired livery. With the number 1 and 2 proudly displayed on the car.

Zakspeed West livery, McLaren West livery, or perhaps this?

THat looks great, thanks.

[Stramala]

BTW, what car numbers will Parma Corse have this season?

[Nuppiz]

BTW, what car numbers will Parma Corse have this season?

13 and 14, you can look for all of them in the entry list.

[This]

On the sponsorship front: Cillit Bang! returns with a... eh... bang! (you know how that car needs to look, i suppose)

Something like this? (Reckitt-Benckiser is the company behind Cillit Bang, if you were wondering)

Perhaps purple on the other car, where the blue is on this one. For the rest, keep it this way, this is good.

[Nuppiz]

On the sponsorship front: Cillit Bang! returns with a... eh... bang! (you know how that car needs to look, i suppose)

Something like this? (Reckitt-Benckiser is the company behind Cillit Bang, if you were wondering)

Perhaps purple on the other car, where the blue is on this one. For the rest, keep it this way, this is good.

As you wish:

[Phoenix]

I want to confirm Aeroracing Engineering's entry, with both Kibbutz and Yamamura driving. Same livery as last year.

And if engine development proves troublesome, I think chassis development should be kept, and new teams could be given some credits to spend in either DNQ bailouts, sabotaging or chassis upgrades.

[Nuppiz]

I'm currently testing if the idea of different tyre manufacturers work, and if it does, what are the actual effects. It seems that the idea of two different engine configurations has the most support, so that is likely the way to go. It also has the potential to create much more interesting races due to the lot faster cars, by increasing the amount and severity of spins and crashes. In fact, in the test race that I'm currently running to test different tyres, there's already been a couple of great collisions (from a spectator's point of view), one of them involving who else but Simon Garfünkel...

A few teams haven't yet confirmed some of their drivers, and they have been marked as TBC on the entry list. Also, ZimSport, Ural Racing, Hydook Racing, and Jones Racing haven't yet told me if they wan't to change their current liveries (or draw new ones themselves), while MRT is still without a livery at all. Red Bull World Racing Team and Takagi Racing Enterprises haven't yet told me if they're happy with their new liveries.

With regards to the teams' money, I've been thinking to reset all credits to 100, but then give prize money depending on last year's championship standings to the established teams, alog with a slight bonus to MRT to make them equal with the other teams. I'll also increase the price of chassis upgrades drastically, as they will be reset as well. And because it''s now the only way to upgrade cars, I don't want to make it too easy.

[eurobrun]

Red Bull are happy with their livery

[Wizzie]

With regards to the teams' money, I've been thinking to reset all credits to 100, but then give prize money depending on last year's championship standings to the established teams, alog with a slight bonus to MRT to make them equal with the other teams. I'll also increase the price of chassis upgrades drastically, as they will be reset as well. And because it''s now the only way to upgrade cars, I don't want to make it too easy.

I still think my proposed solution was far, far simpler than entirely reworking the entire credits system.

Oh and MRT will run a similar livery to the 2015 F2RWRS cars

[Nuppiz]

I still think my proposed solution was far, far simpler than entirely reworking the entire credits system.

Oh and MRT will run a similar livery to the 2015 F2RWRS cars

The problem wasn't just in the engine power for different teams, but also in the huge gear change problems caused by the new engine specs. Which in fact made the cars slower than last season... so it was more sensible to rework the whole upgrade and credit system.

[AndreaModa]

I'll do a completely new livery for Jones Racing within the next week or so Nuppiz.

[Nuppiz]

Okay, I learned myself how to edit the tyre logos myself, and replaced a few more manufacturers. At the moment the tyres in the game are: Avon, Bridgestone, Dunlop, Goodyear, Michelin and Pirelli. I've also finalized another draft of the rules here: viewtopic.php?p=147103#p147103

The entry list has also been updated with new credits and other data, but I recommend that none of you start purchasing upgrades yet, because the situation may still change.

Also, I've updated the series main page and current season on the wiki.

I'll do a couple of more tests, and then decide what differences each tyre manufacturer has.

[FMecha]

I'm happy with the livery.

I'm going with Judd and Bridgestone. (Reliabillity wise, which is better: Judd or Zytek? )

[Nuppiz]

I'm happy with the livery.

I'm going with Judd and Bridgestone. (Reliabillity wise, which is better: Judd or Zytek? )

There's no such thing as mechanical reliability in LFS - any retirements or problems are caused by driver errors. So both engines are just as reliable. Remember that if you want to rebadge the engine, you can do that as well!

[Shadaza]

Is there going to be any information given about the engines and tires or will we need to blind guess?

[Nuppiz]

Is there going to be any information given about the engines and tires or will we need to blind guess?

Judd is heavier, but more powerful, while Zytek is vice versa. Their power-to-weight ratio is exactly the same.

I'll announce the different tyre types by the end of today (i.e. in a couple of hours).

[Stramala]

Parma Corse will run rebranded Judd engines as Lancia, and use Pirelli tyres.

[Nuppiz]

Well then, I guess I've decided the different tyre statistics now. I chose the easy method, and gave each manufacturer a slightly different tyre pressure. A lower tyre pressure gives better initial grip and the tyres heat up more quickly (which especially helps in qualifying and in the first few laps of the race), but the extra grip will eventually detoriate. Meanwhile, the harder tyres don't heat up so quickly but are more durable, and the grip they give stays stable far longer than on the softer ones. I chose the differences in tyre pressures in such way that no tyre shouldn't give too much of an advantage nor be a burden to any team, so you shouldn't lose at all if you decide your tyres purely by the brand.

Anyway, here is the preliminary tyre order, from softest to hardest: Pirelli (remember 1989-91?), Goodyear, Bridgestone, Avon, Michelin, Dunlop. Also, here's another twist: no tyre supplier may supply more than three teams!

[The Lukas]

Ural Racing update livery
Colors:Red,Blue,White,Yellow
Sponsorship:Lukoil,Lada,RusHydro,Toei Company

[Shadaza]

Team Ultimate will run with the Judd engine and the Michelin tires. Good stuff.

[Nuppiz]

MRT:

[AndreaModa]

Jones Racing will run Bridgestone tyres and Judd engines.

[Nuppiz]

Ural Racing:


Also, because everyone so far has chosen Judd engines, I've decided to limit the amount of teams that can use the same configuration; the maximum is now six, so roughly half of the teams will use Judd (rebadgeable), and another half Zytek (rebadgeable). With four Judd slots already taken, you should hurry if you want them in your car! Bear in mind that when I tested both engine configurations on all of the tracks in the series, both engines won 6 rounds, with one of them being a tie (as I used free practice instead of a proper race, so the "winner" was always the one posting the fastest lap, and on one track both posted exactly the same time).

[This]

GTI will take Zytek engines and Avon tyres (hell, when nobody wants your engine our tires, there's always GTI to show why )

GTI would - though - liked their engines re-branded as Trabant

[eurobrun]

Red Bull will use Judd engines