I'm in two minds over this now. I have hardly had any time to practice - a couple of 20 minute sessions, and I think I only completed a warm-up lap in each session, most laps ending in the barrier with a gravel-covered car.

I will turn up, but might leave if things go pear-shaped from the off. Don't want to get in people's way too much.

In the meantime, I'll try and get more laps in (but the Six Nations Rugby champs starts this weekend, too )

JD

edit: d'oh! I keep thinking the race is this weekend! It's my age.... again!

Okay, since above post I have managed to get a full race event in on the server. Things are looking better, but not brilliant.

I am having great fun, though!

This sim is the most fun I've had round a virtual track since GRID was released. It's just totally wild!

I have found that my perception and performance were hugely increased by changing my vertical FOV to 50%. It now seems much more natural (wider front end of the car) and with my seat all the way back (which only just gets the mirrors in view) I just seem to judge the edges of the track so much better, as well as handling spins and nasty bumps better, too.

I tried to take some screenies, but just get nothing and a black screen in paint shop. Have to use FRAPS I guess. Once the rev counter and tyre info in the LCD are sorted, I expect to improve some more.

Race is this coming Sunday, 12 February!

11 AM - 1:30 PM eastern time

rFactor 2 Event Format

11 AM to 11:15 AM - practice
11:15 AM to 11:45 AM - 5-lap races
11:45 AM to 12:45 PM - 10-lap races
12:45 AM to 1:30 PM - qualifying and 30-minute race


Note: There will be a half-hour break before the
SimHQ Classics 1985 F1 Italian Grand Prix (it starts at 2 PM)

Just had a little test run, my first rF2 run in over 2 weeks as I concentrated my efforts on already scheduled rF1 races...

Man I don't like the smaller cars... Without that extra power from the F1s I just can't control a slide... Especially through the tightening sweeper at Mills... Should be fun racing though...

I haven't put a lot of laps into the F3's since making the setups, but I can tell there's more that can be done to them, setup wise.

Now, after extensive FFB tweaking, I can feel things through my G27 that I never even knew existed with that old MOMO. I'm going to look at rF2's files to see if it's got some of the same settings as rF1 does in case we do something similar down the road.

Currently, the setups aren't too bad, they are stable...there's a distinct difference in them, hopefully to accomidate different driving styles, and once the track gets rubbered in...they can be a lot of fun. They handle different on a clean track versus one with some build-up on it, for sure.

Just bought rFactor 2 last night. Hopefully I'll have everything configured so I can join you guys this weekend!

I haven't driven rF2 since Jan27, so this is a good time for me to try something new with it. So far only the EVE F3 car, but it handles about like I would expect it to.

Mills outer B is a challenge with it, but also a good intro I suspect to the smaller cars--no where near as bumpy as is "old Spa" in a 68-F1 car, and with the fixed setup the EVE, at least is reasonably easy to come to grips with.

2:01.456 so far after half a dozen timed laps. The tires aren't warming up very much and there are no skid sounds*, but it should be safe enough to drive for online racing. It does slide around quite nicely too, which is certainly something of a throwback to GPL.

[* there's a F2/F3 skid sound add on which should be helpful, I know]

Trying to get my old GPL teammate onboard for Sunday, provided his new PC gets here in time. I think he'd find them pretty nice too, given that he used to race SRF's in his real-life.

Further updates/laptimes as events warrant....


CS

Best of 1:57.660 in the EVE F3. Nice setup for me, with just a couple or three controller settings tweaks (done within the setup itself--you must still redo them, too, with every session reset or change).

For me, those are: Steering lock to 27 degrees (up from 17); brake pressure to 100% (I use a hydraulic/pressure-cell type brake pedal); and brake bias up to 58.5 (forward). Steve must be a real gambler, as I'm usually a guy who sets it backward from what's given out with most default or fixed setups.

Takes a lap or two to get it warmed up, but then the back end comes around nicely, and generally without being too "snappish," at least so far.

Do take care to come off the throttle smoothly if you are slowing down around a corner, or "TTO*" will show up to bite you in the a**.

[*Trailing Throttle Oversteer]

** <=== guess


CS

Damn Chris... I'm no where near that... My best is a 2:01 with the Spark, with the Eve my best is a 2:02...

I tried your modification, which were a little further than what I had done, but were in the same direction, and they didn't help me much, just made the fronts lock more lol...

The only reasons to move the brake bias forward would be if the rears are locking up during downshifts...or perhaps when braking around a corner (like that long, decreasing radius left-hander on the backside of the circuit). A combination of the wrong downshift timing (too early) or throttle blips that aren't large enough can also cause the rear end to lock up too much. If you err the other way...shift down too late, or blip the throttle too much, that can usually be offset by brakes that are biased a bit too much rearward. It's even possible that this is Steven's own tendency, which is why he can run more rearward bias than I might be able to get away with.

Pumbaa: I run the 100% brake pressure partly because I use a pressure-sensitive type brake pedal--a close commercial analog to mine might be the Fanatec "clubsports" which use a load-cell brake.

If you run a more conventional brake pedal, like those included with G25s or G27s you may prefer instead to REDUCE the brake pedal pressure to help prevent locking the brakes. I've heard a lot of Logitech people tell me they run at 85% if the mod allows it, in fact, so perhaps try that and then adjust the brake bias to suit your own limits once you can generally keep them from locking up.

About that left-hander: Any time you are turning the car and braking at the same time you cannot get the same stopping power out of the tires that you can when braking in a straight line (see Mark Donohues "Tire Friction Circle" for more info on why). So the speed around that long turn must be reduced more carefully...and slowly.

I'm finding that dropping through the gears with a large pause or two between each downshift is at least part of the ticket, coupled with a more casual braking effort (nowhere near threshold braking levels). I also stay as far out on the right edge as I can while dropping speed through G4, G3 and G2 (all three gears). Ideally, you'll stay out to the right all the way up near the end of that green/white alligator strip, in fact, and only near the very end do you come away back toward the left apex and drop down into first gear--the corner is fastest if you can take a very late apex. Turn in too soon and you will still have to scrub speed off to avoid running too quickly back out to the right again as you come back out of it.

It's a very difficult corner, IMO. ;D


CS