Player rankings and licensing - what would you like, what does S3 have planned?

I wonder if something similar could be done but based on quali times. Or maybe that would be dangerous actually. Some tracks I'm able to stick in a pretty good lap, on an empty track, and yet as soon as other cars are added, it's skids everywhere, and I'm not just talking about on the track! But I think knowing you were quick enough in quali on a particular track to mix it with the big boys, would be a pretty good incentive... but pretty dangerous too for those big boys, so on that basis I'll shut up now

 

Here's the thing, though -- done right, could you even tell the difference? A lot of folks on iRacing are at times even WORSE than racing against even bad AI, so if the "padding" AI cars appear with fake names and no way to be SURE that you're racing against AI, would you REALLY know when you WERE racing alongside AI drivers versus real human drivers?

Hear, hear -- but don't leave us folks on the "other" side of the pond out!

 

A Euro-iRacing needs FIA WEC. No pressure Seriously though, maybe ratings could play into unlocking race series'. Or you could have upgrades for cars, but you only gain access by improving your rating or something. Just thoughts

 

They would have to re-code the AI to swear, blame others, reverse onto the track without troubling about other racers screaming towards them, never lift off for yellow flags, and drive the wrong way up the track.

Fake names? as opposed to Mr_Mints_Taboo?

And, no, I doubt I would know the difference.

 

Isn't part of the enjoyment knowing that you have a beaten a real person? Yes there are some really bad players out there but I'd much rather race against them in a online race than AI. Good test of reaction times

The AI is pretty good in RaceRoom and most of the time I properly couldn't tell the difference but to me I get a lot of enjoyment out of knowing that I have beaten a real guy that is better than me! AI is taking that away.

The more American's ,or any other nation, that play the better!

 

Valid point here. While it some cases it helps to allow AI to be added, I think it can definitely water down the experience as a whole.

 

Totally.
But given a choice, I wouldn't race against less than 10 other cars. That also waters the experience down for me.

But nothing beats crushing the dreams and racing aspirations of a real person

 

I had three online races last night where I was racing against only one other player. (Around 7pm GMT) One of the races was pretty fun and a close battle between me, in Z4 GT3, and the other guy in the Alpina B6 Gt3.

Maybe another way to encourage better driving is to have a penalty system. Lets say it gives 7 races of driving like a crazed mad man and after the 7th race it gives you a 1 race or day ban, the more you drive like an idiot the more bans you receive. This could work, however it may discourage players.

 

I already have a 1 day race ban on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays.....

But today is THURSDAY!
Roll on 5:30pm.

 

In situations like this, I think it would be great to see some developer introduce an "optional AI" possibility -- imagine having the ability for all drivers registered to VOTE on whether they would like to have the field "padded" with AI, or if they would prefer a small grid with all-human participants, with the majority vote deciding for all. Servers with even numbers of registered users could become "gridlocked" in the event of a tie vote, but the developer could decide what to do in those cases (tie goes to the humans, tie goes with the AI choice, or tie is determined by random draw at that point).

I think something like this would add a new dimension to competition -- I know there are a lot of "less popular" series in iRacing where optional AI and more "official" races would probably make things more fun for everyone.

Just my $0.02.

 

Red stuff copied from my post in other thread:

I gave up my R3E cherry last night, and entered a couple of online races. Pretty much watched them from the back, (as expected) except the AI (Almost Intelligent) kept crashing and ending up behind me, then racing a little bit too aggressively to try and catch up with those drivers who managed to avoid spinning. Needless to say, my rear and side panels took a ding or two.

For the amount of time there were cars in my vicinity versus the number of hits my car took, I have to say that the offline AI are far less aggressive. Admittedly, the 'better' drivers online will try to avoid unnecessary contact, but the AI do a good job of mimicking the rank and file drivers out there.

One driver in particular caused trouble, for me and others in the race. When the standard "sorry" came up on screen from him, and I drove past a car languishing off the track, I was not surprised. It was an 'accident' I had been waiting for from the moment he caught up to the car in front.
I hope that whatever system Sector 3 put in place for online racing, it will help calm some people down. And keep them on the track until the end - both races I was in had an attrition rate of >50%, gifting me with two top 5 finishes! Yay!

The other issue I had with the online experience, was the sheer number of locked and/or mostly un-occupied servers (2 or 3 drivers). It was not very encouraging. Maybe official servers with official record keeping will help the situation.
I was a little disappointed at the end of the evening that i had "nothing to show for it".
My RSI (Respective Skill Index) and SORANHOP (Staying on road and not hitting other people) Rating remained unchanged.

For the moment, offline races against the AI is more fun for me.
But I remain excited for the future.
R3E is my favourite racing game, and when Sector 3 launch the 'new, improved' online system, it will just get better.*

*This is based on my opinion that the system doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be OK.

EDIT: I hope there is no numeric penalty for going off track - racers should push the limits. Time penalties/ slow down periods are fine, but nothing that says 'this guy is a liability'. That really winds me up, and reduces my enjoyment of a certain other game using that system....

 

... is this little license plate "Pro" an indication of the new license system in R3E???



source: http://www.racedepartment.com/attachments/raceroom-racing-experience-eau-rouge-jpg.173733/

 

That's used to indicate a PRO Driver Team (All drivers are professionals) in the Blancpain GT Series.

 

Still interesting -- it sets a precedent that S3 might follow to indicate license levels (assuming they're using a similar licensing structure as what iRacing has implemented with their service).

 

Hmmmmm.

 

It's just a part of the livery.
It's been there since day one, and has nothing to do with whatever MP system is in the works.

 

Never ignore the warning signs on license plate :


When all the cars on Banoi were issued this plate, somebody should have noticed....
Maybe if it had been reported on FOX, the President might have taken action to at least evacuate US citizens.....