RaceWars 39, Sunday 31st January @7.30PM GMT

WTF!!!!

I haven't done this in a while, so thought I'd get some more reviews done from tonight's offerings but first I wanted to address some concerns about the event and lay out the plans for next season onward.

I know there were a few grumblings of discontent about the 'ELIMINATION ROUND' playlist of this event and to be fair, I think it's a gimmick that has run it's course. While it is funny for a time, it's also equally irritating as many elements can completely screw you up and leave you eliminated through no fault of your own. I added this element to try to broaden the appeal of the event to our crew BUT it seems the majority of our regulars like to race properly so from next season ELIMINATION ROUND is defunct!

Next season I will split the RaceWars events into 2 distinct categories, with a separate championship leaderboard and set of requirements for each. PL1 + PL2 will consist of a mixture of newly created jobs and old favourites from past events with points awarded in the usual fashion. ALL these races will be run in non-contact. I won't be accepting anymore submissions of races that are designed for chaos or elimination purposes, if you want to showcase those jobs in GCCC events then I'd recommend submitting them to either cypher2k11 for Weekly Showcase or docmedpot for either First Person Friday 420 or the alternating 'The Purge'. From now on RaceWars is about racing the traditional way (or as traditional as limitations allow!). This portion of the event will be open to EVERYONE. I will also be bringing the time of the event slightly forward, with a crew pre-lobby open from 7PM and the first PL launched around 7.30PM GMT. This is to allow the additional time required for the second portion of the event afterwards. 

The second portion of the event will be a SIGN-UP only Contact championship, complete with a set of much more stringent guidelines and a much more selective participation process. Myself and several other members of the crew are currently going through a process to determine which GCCC-created tracks are most suitable for contact racing and the aim is to create a roster of 15-20 that will be used for the entirety of the race season. All of these tracks will be selected and made available to all participants before the new season event begins and it is one of the expectations that, as a participant in the championship you take the time to at least familiarize yourself with the tracks to be used, including any slower sections that may require more care and attention to be observed. For each track it will be stated the maximum speed class to be used and it is likely that throughout the course of the season each track will feature 2 or 3 times, with a different class chosen for each occasion to keep things interesting and varied.

I will also be compiling a list of TIERS for the car classes, splitting each class into TIER 1 and TIER 2 (again, this will always be visible on the event information thread I will create pre-season). Each week I will be stating both which CLASS and which TIER will be used for each race of the event. The expectation is that you will ONLY choose a suitable car to use for each race. IF you use a car that is not allowed and finish the race itself you will be disqualified from the next 3 events of the season. Repeat offenders will be permanently banned.

In order to sign-up to the event you MUST reply to the original post as well as 'liking' the original post' to show that you have read, understood and accept the rules and guidelines as stated. I reserve the right to refuse entry to anyone who is deemed to be either a dirty racer (racing etiquette will be a big part of this event that will be discussed at a future date) or whose connection lag is so extreme that it negatively impacts other racers gameplay experience. I'll be creating a separate 'blacklist' topic so that we can discuss anyone that may fall under this category. While this may be unfair to those of you with less-than stellar connections, I feel it is absolutely essential to ensure the fairest and most enjoyable experience for our race participants. 

More information on this new development in the event will be forthcoming in the next couple of weeks, but for now I just want you guys to know I've been listening to your feedback and hope I can use this to create a GCCC contact-racing event that we can be proud of! 

Reviews

PS4 Criss Cross Carnage by austindecker

Fairly effective demo-derby style race at the airport, not sure why Super is default but worked out nicely in the more traditional Muscle class. I think you could do with using a template in order to be able to lower ALL of the barges used as walls a lot lower, feels very claustrophobic while racing but also creates issues with invisible hit detection of the prop itself which you tried to rectify on some of the corners with additional propping (that doesn't really work too well). You've also left the entire first section hairpin completely prop-free (no doubt as you ran out of budget), which contributed in no small way to the incredible collision between rodo77 , jimbob9699 and myself that can be witnessed above! 

SLAM THAT VAN DERBY!!! by Matt_Ska_98

The absolute unsuitability of the chosen vehicle for the bumpy, dirty roads of the Redwoods Lights Track is perversely what makes this race so much fun, the ridiculous ease at which the truck can end up on two wheels is a source of both amusement and frustration in equal measure and the scattered checkpoint placement makes this something of an easter egg hunt in parts with trucks converging from all angles! Think this could be interesting with an option to open it up to ALL muscle cars (or at least a carefully chosen selection of less powerful/dominant stock options) and maybe options for other classes too?

3 fat ladies by gary87

Having played this one many times in the company of GTAV PS4 Fans crew I felt it was time to include it here for your consideration.  It's absolute chaos due to the total cluster of rockets in every orifice and some of the respawn points just leave you fuming as you die AGAIN but I still find this one good fun due to it's criss-crossing, jump heavy layout and OTT rocket placement.

Pick Your Path to Victory by jamiejohnward

I love the concept here although it would appear that some of the ramps are angled too much for smooth traversal and very often you are launched in a really quite uncontrollable flip that makes racing this with flow a challenge. Definitely caused a few rage quits from disgruntled attendees!

[PS4] TheRacingLine-Pony by some12hate

A fine example of how the racing line series could be molded to even the most unexpected of vehicles, this race is perfectly plotted around a small section near and through the bus station and is a perfect example of how to create a marriage between a stock vehicle and the track, with a particularly satisfying cut under the underpass leading to the narrow market alleyway the standout section on the circuit. Still one of the finest TRL creations IMHO. 

Signified Street Drifting by Zorvaine

Enjoyably tricky street racing track that evokes fond memories of Need For Speed and Midnight Club titles of days gone by, this race doesn't shy away from taking you through areas less-travelled as you cut a path through alleyways, car parks and even at one point a construction site. What lets this down in my opinion is some of the propping that can be particularly unsuited for the night-time setting, in particular the long, low shuttering that is used cruelly right at the end of the race that is completely un-sighted as you race through a cluttered alleyway with the finish line CP tantalizingly just ahead. In other places you've used grey concrete barriers and again, these blend with the pavement rendering them almost entirely invisible when travelling at speed. I would recommend that, due to the night-time default you use the lit airport signs in place of some of those barriers as they are far more visible especially from distance. 

A2 Zancudo Eight by deejayb1874

Wonderful circuit with a smooth-as-silk bridge section and some beautiful propping that makes tremendous use of the red and white chequered airport cabins. Night-time is a glorious site as it is propped appropriately and can even work for contact racing with smaller lobbies. Masterpiece. 

Slow Show by agrajag

Terrific route for Compacts that takes a surprising but brilliantly conceived detour through the police precinct (or is that a shopping mall, eh Zorvaine ?) with a few choice corners at either end. Some of the propping could be improved (I believe it's already been re-published) including the amazingly placed yellow tyre wall on one hairpin (deejayb1874 - "LEGENDARY PROPPING!") but by and large this is a great little race with an original element (who knew you could drive through that arch so easily?) 

[1/2] Muddy Trails by rodo77

Brilliant race for the Brawler (other off-road vehicles are available, but nothing does it better IMO) that is a tremendous challenge in the rain! Had so much fun power-sliding into those turns and was in a great position until my car suddenly flipped over as I ascended the hill by THAT bush (you know what I'm talking about!) and I ended up clipping the OTHER bush to the side of it! Still, surprisingly fast-paced racing, my only complaint is the pit-lane corner is rather unforgiving, I ran a little wide on one lap and the edge of that brown fence you have used on the corner exit stopped me dead.  Not entirely sure a pit-lane is necessary or perhaps you could redesign this corner as well? I like the aesthetics of the piles of hay and they are super smooth even if you rub against them so perhaps you can replicate that here as well? Alternatively, use the wall side of the fruit stand to create a smooth corner edge all the way around? One final thing, both this version and '[2/2] Dusty Trails' are the same aside from the default weather conditions, so maybe better to just have one, definitive version (this one) with the option for wimps to turn the rain off themselves?  

Great Chaparral Trial by Y2J_2264

Firstly, apologies to y2jayjay0853, I was a little harsh on the mic last night as the misleading checkpoint down the hill on lap 1 caused me to fall from 1st to 20th position as I ended up tumbling all the way to the bottom with the checkpoint midway up the hillside, so with no way to get back aside of a respawn my race was doomed from then on.  Still, that checkpoint was so oddly placed, I thought it was just bad CP placement so I continued on to the dirt path ahead and proceeded down, then realised the checkpoint was in what appeared to be no man's land so launched off the cliff, hit my head about 50 million times and emerged at the very bottom, while I could see a stream of cars descending the hill above me!  Intuitive propwork is key to abstract race routes like this one, something ahead that made it clear that I ought to turn left exactly by the checkpoint is essential as on lap 2 I could see it was actually very clear ONCE I'D TURNED DOWN THE HILL! So yeah, my rage-o-meter filled up to about 111% during that section and then I gave up completely when my car got completely wedged on those stupid ( placed) tyres embedded into the ground near the hairpin section early on, would highly recommend you placed some barriers over those things! All in all the race route is actually quite good but needs to be much more intuitive, you obviously have plenty of props to use so I'd recommended using them to improve the overall accessibility of this race from lap 1. 

Angel City Raceway by atheistsw

My race. I've spent a lot of time on this one to try to ensure it's perfectly suited for contact racing and, for the most part, I think it succeeds. However, I agree there is an issue with the start, particularly as the pit-lane I've tried to incorporate into the grid area can be intrusive to those actually racing! I think I'm going to move the start/finish line back a bit, on the other highway that you transfer to the final straight section from, I think I'll be able to make a much more intuitive (and less encroaching) pit-lane here as well. 

Rockford Sprint by lancerevowrc

I absolutely LOVE the flow of this track so couldn't quite understand the issues some were experiencing. However, on closer inspection, I can identify some potential issues. Firstly, the hairpin with the rumble strips on the inside and the angled barges on the outside can be absolutely catastrophic for anyone unlucky enough to get slammed into and they will go sailing over the ramp-like design, taking an age to get back within the race boundaries. I'd highly recommend angling these barges so they are no longer angled but instead perfectly straight to avoid this issue. There's also a strange blue barrier that can act as a ramp on one of the early chicanes that I cannot really see a purpose for. All that aside, these were other people's issues, I had NO problem whatsoever and though this was an A+ example of a contact race, but perhaps you could take a look at those two issues I mentioned to ensure absolute perfection? 

Abigail's Auto Town by jimbob9699

Superb in Supers although again, others disagreed. There are a few sections where propping creates artificially narrow sections and I feel, in fairness, this is a track where you'd want to be absolutely trusting of those around you to be confident of racing in the fastest classes, as there are a myriad of places where collisions and incidents are guaranteed to occur. Still, the route is solid and the propping excellent throughout, but perhaps may be optimally suited to Sedan's or Coupe's for less experienced contact racers?

Beverley Hills Autodrome by most-C-wanted

A very nice circuit layout around roads we know by now like the back of our hands! I particularly liked the downhill chicane section using the red and white chequered airport cabins although unfortunately I feel you've overused these props on the remainder of the race. You've used them to create odd apexes for many of the corners but their shape and size actually makes many of the corners a lot more dangerous than they ought to be, particularly within a contact racing environment. It gets to the point where you are scared to drive too close to those apexes for fear that they will wipe you (and anyone close to you) out completely! I'd recommend you replace the majority of those props with something a little friendlier that does a better job of marking the apex point of the turn.

Little Seoul Speedway 2.0 by kidovey

Lovely little track to finish the evening that was raced in Muscle cars as recommended by the author. Probably a bit too difficult for the faster classes but in Muscle's it worked a treat although I did wipe out on one of the laps on the underpass section, but that's more down to my own driving failure than anything else! Contact racing worked well here, although there are some narrower sections that caused a few issues and I saw a couple of big collisions around the section just after the underpass. As a side note, having played this prior to the event, it looks beautiful at night as well! 

While, I don't get many complaints of lag in contact, MattSka claims to have connection issues with me, that being said, we're on the other side of the planet, so connection issues are inevitable. I don't think I cause many incidents, anyway. And when I do (accidentally, of course) I always give the position back. Will this rule be enforced in the RW contact Playlist next season?

How inclusive will the class tiers be? Not everyone will be willing to pass too much GTA$, for 1 10 minute race per week.


Here's a very useful spreadsheet by Broughy1322: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nQND3ikiLzS3Ij9kuV-rVkRtoYetb79c52JWyafb4m4/edit#gid=999161401

It has a lot of information on it. Such as lap times around a track, Cost to get race ready. This is the bare minimum: Cost of car, EMS, Transmission, Brakes, Turbo and the cheapest available spoiler option. This does not include Armour, tyres, insurance of stolen vehicles, or any other modifications. I don't think it would hurt to occasionally, restrict the top vehicles. However, Some of the top cars that get labelled as "OP" have just as much place in racing, as other cars.

Now, contradicting the inclusiveness point. Would it be worth making a minimum amount of points in Racewars, a requirement before contact PL eligibility. (I feel harsh saying this) The point of this, is to keep lapped cars to a minimum. This would act a bit like, how in F1, drivers must within so many seconds of the best qualifying lap, to race.