An idea for the penality system

Merry Christmas to you Peter. I have to say I do not seem to worry about the penalty system when on an open server. I use open servers as an accident avoidance game, watching for the non brakers, the knitting/crochet drivers, push the Gadalf the grey drivers until they fall off track and have to 'Let you past'. Do not take open servers seriously at all, use them as a good way to learn how to avoid the usual nonsense. If these type of T1/1st lap accidents are occurring on a league server and causing the majority to suffer penalties, then I might pipe up and ask it to be removed. Then again most league servers do not use the penalty system (it really is only to stop cutting and bad driving) as the people taking part are known throughout the community and would get a ribbing for using disingenuous means to gain places.

It's not the penalty system at fault, it is the silly people that don't keep it on the black stuff, those that think winning by any means is acceptable or those that deem it wise to buy a racing game and jump into the fastest car available and go onto an open server and cause chaos. Then because they see their a55es turn on everyone that can control the car, to some measure, and completely wreck a good nights entertainment.


P.S. I should mention I seriously dislike any type of AI steward system, so they are not my cup pint mug of tea. I was one of the first to complain about it and I will be the first to cheer when a better system is invented. MinoRating is doing well, but even that has major failings in my eyes. Still MR is far better at removing those less than able from a competitive field, leaving the rest to have professional accidents.

 

There's no regulatory body that is obligated to let anyone race who pays $60. (and that includes unlimited new cars when you wreck the old one) You can't run realistic penalties with unrealistic drivers - the type of incidents that occur are simply not comparable. You need a version of realism that works for everybody who buys the game - not just the minority who'd be able to test into a racing license if they had the real-world interest. There's a principle in training dogs - immediate feedback. If a driver does something wrong, you can't ever let them get away with it. I'd rather err on the restrictive side than let someone think AC's just another arcade game where you can cut corners to win.

 

I love AC but the penalty system is just 'killing' it for me.
I'm finding myself running it less and less, except for hot-lapping.
I just started in what was supposed to be a great race....twenty four guys at Spain running the L125.
I got in late and did not have a chance to qualify, so I started twenty-third, got a great start to tenth but had to pull over to the left and slow for the usual first corner pile-up... got 'clobbered' from behind despite pulling all the way over to avoid that scenario.... pushed off track.
Bam! penalty.
I must now slow to almost a stop... for ten seconds before the lap is over.
I watch as cars 'fly' by and disappear.
After what seems like an eternity, I can again race.
It's futile.
I pull over...hit escape and exit the game because I know based on the time I sat almost stationary, there is absolutely no way to catch up.
Sometimes you have to look at the objective.

 

So it happened like this? (except that you were pushed off track, I had to do it myself to test your situation)



I went beyond and tested more track cutting places. There are zones, for this track (Barcelona GP) where you receive 10sec slow down (edit. somehow I didn't see that I could slow down to 35 on the first cut, but I just waited 10sec) and other zones where 10sec or reduce speed to 35kmh. Then further in the video the slow down time can increase if you cut various zones in a row. In the last penalty the timer reset, that was because I accidentally pushed the throttle. But is either that or the game removes the throttle during penalty, but that was a thing in the previous penalty system, with forced 5sec wait time for cutting.

Disclaimer: tested this with gamepad, so excuse my driving, 10 AI opponents at 100% difficulty. No audio on video, no worries; I forgot to change my sound settings before recording.

 

That's exactly how and where it happened, the only exception (as you've mentioned)...me being 'punted' off the track.
It's a real online race killer.
I know that given the time it takes to come to a stop from the initial punt plus the extra ten seconds, I'll never be able to catch even the last car.
What would be the point of continuing.
It's just better to hit escape and wait for the next race.

 

I think you'd still be able to recover. Try it out against the AI. Against human opponents possibly you'll catch them faster since in the first two laps they are still together, which slows them down, opposite if you'd have only one opponent ahead.
But if you go off track in that run-off area at Barcelona, no matter if punted off or as evasive manner, the slow down penalty isn't all bad, because it would be the same thing as no penalty. I'll explain: imagine no penalty is given for going off track in that area, but there are plenty of cars together in those slower corners on the right; you can't join the track right away, you have to wait for clear passage as to not ruin anyone's lap by joining dangerously. So, be it in game or in real life, you'd lose maybe about the same time in the same situation, no matter the reason your car left the track.

 

Maybe against human opponents you'd catch up.... but never against the AI.
It's just too much time waiting around to clear the penalty...one you didn't generate through bad driving.

 

Not just that. There are situations where you wouldn't evencmake time and you still get the penalty. You loose control of the car and go out of track should not be met with penalty as long as you go back in same position. Maybe that would be a simpler and better system. Force you to return to your position or do a pit drive through if you cut q chicane or something.

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