Leaderboards..

Discussion in 'Off Topic' started by Timmy L, Mar 30, 2017.

  1. Timmy L

    Timmy L Well-Known Member

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    RaceRoom has a great system of online 'Leaderboards'.
    Great.
    So why are most of them empty?
    Any ideas?
    I personally like doing them; it helps you get better.
    It helps you learn about the track.
    It helps you learn about the car.
    Is it because people are scared, or may be embarrassed?
    Just a thought.
    I really hope that is not the case, simply because we all have to start somewhere.
    Please people, boys and girls, have a go.
    It really teaches you a lot.
    Learn a good 'racing line' from a top players 'ghost' car, and off you go.
    May be someone here should organize a 'forum leaderboard challenge', on a 'easy' track, so we can encourage some of the more 'shy' people.
    What do you think?
     
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  2. ChatCureuil

    ChatCureuil Well-Known Member

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    Hey,
    I like to play leaderboard too, I didn't play it so much since I got my wheel (cause I found more ways to have fun ^^) but I'd like to see some small leaderboard competitions on the forum, so if you want to start by choosing a car/track combo, I will participate. :)
     
  3. CheerfullyInsane

    CheerfullyInsane Well-Known Member

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    Can't tell you why other people don't do them, but I don't do them very often simply because I find hot-lapping insanely dull.
    Given the fact that we have very good AI, why would I do laps on my own?
    Yes, they can make you faster and practice will obviously make you faster still.
    Here's the thing though; I don't really care if I'm fast or not. I usually run MP with the same group of people, and I'm there just as much for the banter as for the racing, And in SP, the AI is unlikely to mock be for being slow..
    Short version is that I'm just about as non-competitive as they come. I do sim-racing because I happen to think it's fun.
    And doing six hours of hot-laps to improve by 0.5 seconds kinda sucks the fun-factor out of the equation.
     
  4. n01sname

    n01sname Well-Known Member

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    Tend to agree, thus I like to improve my performance. I just use the LB's in conjunction with my latest League Races* to get a basic idea of how to setup my car, what times are possible, finding best raceline under consistent (ideal) conditions a.s.o.
    Very rarely I feel teased to just hotlapping around (or join those official hotlap competitions), mostly when checking out a new car or track or both :) )....
    I also find that the best way to compete & to prove your skills is under the pressure of the actual race and all intrusions that may come with it.


    *The best way to become a fast, clean and fair simracer (within your personal limits)
     
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  5. Timmy L

    Timmy L Well-Known Member

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    Thank you chaps, for your points of view.
    Both valued and noted.
    However Mr Fairman, if you use a ghost car you are racing against someone, with pressure.
    And the sense of achievement is great, if you can beat the ghost car.
    Also, hotlapping (that word sort of sounds rude..) can improve your qualifying times.
    Which will aid you, when you come to do your racing.

    That is what I was getting at; some people seem to think that it is ok to mock others, for being 0.001 slower..
    They may be 0.001 slower, yet they are safer, know the track, and are ready to pass the people who try that bit too hard...
    I am not trying to pull you guys to bits, I agree with both your points of view.
    Understand you finding hotlapping dull, and understand wishing to learn in a race environment too.

    Let's see if a few more people are interested.
    Or it could just be you and I...

    Well done old boy.
    I understand you!
    I posted here, because this was the safe bet.
     
  6. Don Rudi

    Don Rudi Well-Known Member

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    I do Leaderboard Challenge only to learn an unfamiliar track. However it is not encouraging if it was a track where there had been some offical challenge and I end up in Division 2 or in one instance even Division 3.
    if I wanted to know where I stand, I usually do qualifyings at 120% instead. Like this I have opponents, have fun, and spare the embarrassment of showing the world how slow I am.

    I'd rather see fastest laps of players going into the leaderboard automatically. I raced several guys who were considerably faster in a race than their respective leaderboard times.
     
  7. CheerfullyInsane

    CheerfullyInsane Well-Known Member

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    Actually, I'm usually faster in a race than on the leaderboard as well, and I'm by no means an alien.
    Part of it is that the LB times are set with half a tank of fuel (IIRC) which adds weight.
    The second, and to me more important part, is that I can't get into it when doing laps on my own.
    Give me someone to chase however..... :D

    Count me in for the time being.
    Not sure how long I'll keep doing it, but I'm always in favor of anything that builds community. :)
     
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  8. ChatCureuil

    ChatCureuil Well-Known Member

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    Don't be embarrassed, it needs time to achieve a good hot lap, and on a challenged leaderboard there are great drivers with best setups who trained for several hours.
    Your position in the leaderboard shows you how fast you are (with your setup), and the better times show you how you can improve. And there's always drivers slower than you! :D

    I like leaderboards and competitions too, but I was doing the same before to play online. In every racing game I played I did my own competitions against myself, I enjoy trying to be faster every lap, driving alone on a track is also peaceful. :)
    When I discovered online competitions, I also discovered how much I could improve... :D
     
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  9. Sean Kenney

    Sean Kenney Well-Known Member

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    A lot of the boards have been cleared after a major physics change.
     
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  10. Tuborg

    Tuborg Well-Known Member

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    After updates that could affect the time such as new physics the leaderboards have been reset. Therefore, it looks like it does. Over time, many people have done the Leaderboards.
     
  11. Clapper

    Clapper Well-Known Member

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    New track, perfect time for GT3's on the leaderboard (Mantorp)
     
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  12. Don Rudi

    Don Rudi Well-Known Member

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    I tend to differ on this one. A hotlap is just that - one single perfect lap. It says nothing about consistency, but more about exploiting track limits imo.
    If I just looked at my Leaderboard positions I would never participate in an online race, as a rank 120th doesn't really qualify me for it.
    That's why I rather challenge 120% AI in a race. Here it is about consistency AND speed. That's what makes a racing sim and not just driving hours and hours just to put down one lucky fast lap for the records.
     
  13. Patrick.B

    Patrick.B Well-Known Member

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    i prefer online Races ... much better than the Boards ;)
     
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  14. Don Rudi

    Don Rudi Well-Known Member

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    What sense does the first lap make?!
    If I had a wish, it would be instead of the leaderboards the same detail statistics that are for every user in one large database. That would show the real times people are capable of driving.
     
  15. n01sname

    n01sname Well-Known Member

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    Well, yeah, true, but after all nothing compared to actual Multiplayer Racing with a Grid of fast, experienced drivers.
    I've met a lot of good hotlappers with very good LB times - but many of them sucked when competing in a tough MP Session over a certain length/within a certain timeframe...being fast for 10 Mins is one thing, being fast and steady over 45-90 mins is a complete different story... ;)
    At least for me Leaderboard Hotlapping never was somehing to invest more time and energy than what's absolutely neccessary to prepare myself for races - it also has no reference to real motorsports - Racing is about the so-called X-factor, about what you can't control but master the best way you're able to - if real drivers would have the opportunity to do unlimited hotlaps prior to race the whole thing would become watered and somehow ridiculous (robotic) to me...
     
  16. ChatCureuil

    ChatCureuil Well-Known Member

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    You need consistency to do a hot lap, you can't just drive and wait to have luck, generally your hot lap will improve when you can be fast and consistent. ;)
    I tend to agree about track limits, but that's normal to play with the limits when you need to be fast.

    But I don't want to oppose races to leaderboard, personnaly I like all: leaderboards, competitions, online races, cool driving with people on Nordschleife, drift... :) I just can't add "AI races" cause my few recent AI experiences was unpleasant.

    But on a race, you can gain speed following closely someone else so you can do better time than in leaderboard (with less fuel too). I would like to be able to record a leaderboard from any offline or online race/qualif/training but I don't think that's possible for this kind of reason.
     
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    Last edited: Mar 31, 2017
  17. Andi Goodwin

    Andi Goodwin Moderator Beta tester

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    i use the leader boards but only while waiting ..;
    I go to Mp ,i see a server that reboots in 5 -10 minutes , head to Sp , and load the same car track combo that im about to enter,
    And rag the shit out of it for 3-4 laps ,
    jump and hit quit , head to MP and practice , quali race ..... repeat...
    bliss

    Andi
     
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  18. Timmy L

    Timmy L Well-Known Member

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    You seem to be confusing the concept of 'racing' with 'race-craft', with respect.
    You will find that many people who compete for top lap times, will spend a lot longer than '45-90 mins'. They are racing flat-out, to try and beat a time. And spend an hour or two, racing at a very high level. That is as much racing, as you racing for 45 mins. Both are racing, just different ways of doing it.
    He/she is racing the track, racing himself, and racing the ghost car.
    For a lot longer than '45-90 mins'.
    Who you are describing is 'race-craft'.
    Which is a skill that people will only ever learn racing with other 'real' people. Spend an hour or two on iracing, and you will find that some people never learn..
    Racing with a full grid of people is great, fun, and exciting.
    And will teach you a lot, if you wish to learn.
    Racing against times is also great, fun, and exciting.
    And will teach you a lot, if you wish to learn.
    Think of racing against times, as the part of the learning curve, before you race others.
    Learn the track, learn about the car.
    It is practice with pressure.
    It can only help you finish better.
    Really?
    Practicing, and going as fast as you can, safely, consistently...
    Racing the track...
    'Robotic'=Muscle memory.
    That is exactly what real racing drivers do; and are aiming for. They practice for hours on end, training their minds and bodies to do near enough the same time for a lap, over and over again.
    That is how you win races.
    You and I call it hotlapping, they call it practice, and learning to go fast.

    Thanks Johnny, I know.
    However, many people do not.

    Thanks Sean, I know.
    I have been playing this game for years.
    I was really asking about now.

    From the few honest and constructive comments seen here, it is rather sad and a bit distressing to read that some people feel that they will be 'mocked', 'embarrassed' by taking part in a video game.
    There is nothing to be 'embarrassed' about; people will always be faster than you, and there will always be people a lot slower than you.
    Other people 'mocking you'?
    Ignore them. You are the one practicing, they will be the types that Mr Fairman described; good for a few mins, yet rubbish over a full race. Mocking you basically to try and put you off. Practice and beat them. They will mock no more..
    If you want to get better, you have to practice.
    Huge multiplayer changes could be coming to this game soon.
    So, practice could be the key to advancing in the game.
    Or, ignore all of the above, and just enjoy the game how you want to play it.
    Nothing wrong with that.
    Just remember, it is a game.
    However, what ever the game is, if you want to get better at it, you have to practice.
     
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  19. Alx^

    Alx^ Member

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    I'd be up for leaderboard stuff, and usually enter the competition boards too so if anyone else particularly enjoys either, feel free to add me as a contact. Be good to have a few extra dots on the comp boards to challenge :) I like comps coz I'm rubbish at racing still, so like competing for time in safety while trying to learn tracks.
     
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