How to get new members

[Jonas Lex]

thx Sean
by the way if someone plans to do some promotion with presentation videos or something, I reserved the name youtube.com/prestogp some time ago to make sure its not taken should we need it, Nico has control over that channel now

 

[Reik Major]

Great!!!

 

[Nicolai Nicholson]

Good luck with exams Jonas

If you wonder what is taking so long with the server... well, the server is not smooth working to say it carefully. I have tried open the server since yesterday but it fails every time. To make it work again I must close all dedicated servers and restart steam and then open them all again, and that takes a long time (it takes between 1 min and 10 min for dedicated to open itself).

Anyhoo, I've had enough, so now I am going to reinstall steam on the server (have not done so since the start in beginning of 2008). For this reason the servers are down for a couple of hours.

 

[Nicolai Nicholson]

I have now reinstalled steam and the dedicated server program. I downloaded the Monaco-track and the MMG-mod using the url's from our Information sticky thread (to make sure the information there is correct). Besides that it is a clean installation, and I only installed race07, not the expansions.

As for our bait-server(s), I agree with what is said prior to this post; it would be good if the server name could inform the drivers about the mod and web-sites. Unfortunatley the server name is limited to 24 characters (and the server name is the only way of communication). Any suggestions to what the server(s) should be named?

As for server content, I personally would:
-have force cockpit view turned on (I like to keep things clean, all the p.b. times at prestogp.com are done with cockpit view).
-only include the ingame tracks that we use at PrestoGP (Istanbul, Monza and Imola)

EDIT: I have just opened a server called PrestoGP.com MAK-Corp F1 (24 characters, count yourself ) with my above mentioned spesifications. Now I will try to mend the link from PrestoGP.com to our league forum. Wish me luck

 

[Sean Greenlaw]

Good luck Nico i wasnt sure if we could fit all that info into the name, maybe just the PrestoGP.com atleast in the name is enough so people will know theres a site if the check that out, then theres more info on the about saving laptimes and then linked to race department

 

[Nicolai Nicholson]

It seems I was able to make some minor changes/updates to the web site as well. Aren't I clever
-added two buttons; setup and F1-mod. The setup button does not point anywhere yet while the F1-Mod points to the download for it.
-changed the writing under the RD-logo and changed the url so it points to our forum
-adjusted the area where one can click the buttons to better fit the actual buttons and RD-logo

 

[Reik Major]

Great changes mate! I'm in a hurry with the setup thread

I agree with the parameters of the "recruiting server"

 

[Reik Major]

I'm ready with the setup thread and hope that Nico can make it sticky.

I like to have the attachments this way so from the views counter of each file we can see if others got some interest, too.

 

[Kennett Ylitalo]

I'm ready with the setup thread and hope that Nico can make it sticky.

I like to have the attachments this way so from the views counter of each file we can see if others got some interest, too.

Amazing, didn't even know that attachments could work that way.

 

[Jonas Lex]

Thank you Nico, the exam was going okay, now comes the waiting game for 2 weeks until I find out the result

Great job with the server and the site, seems to be a lot of work, I really like that league forum logo on the page
I'd like to do some constructive criticism about the server, or just tell my point of view.
What I think the purpose of this server should be, is, to allow drivers of every level to get to know the mod and also the league, thats why I think it should have all the views, advanced drivers can still drive in cockpit view if they want to.
As said before I think the main goal with this server should be to do "advertising" for the mod and the league to get both more known in the community and I think the best way to do that is to reach as many people as possible of all different skill levels.
Because even if most who drive on this server dont become league drivers they may become supporters or followers of the league which is important as well.

Of course I see what you mean that the timing tables on the site should be all in cockpit view, that makes sense.
Is it possible then to use the custom tracks which are not listed on the website (Macau 07, Curitiba 07, Magny Cours 07, Brands Hatch 07, Brno 07, Valencia 07 << not the street circuit) and simply have the website not record lap times of these tracks?
What do you think about that?
Because I just drove Macau and Valencia and they were a lot of fun with F1 cars
By the way, its not a big thing but I think it would also make sense to make the Q session shorter (20 mins or something) and the race longer.
And dont get me wrong, I really appreciate your work Nico!

I will also see if I have some time later this day to write the introduction thread and link Reiks great setup thread

 

[Jim Hawley]

All good lads

One thing I did notice though, with the forum link pointing straight here to the Euro series it does rather bypass the Pacific league, would there be any way of adding another button to link to their forum?

Jim

 

[Reik Major]

Is it possible then to use the custom tracks which are not listed on the website (Macau 07, Curitiba 07, Magny Cours 07, Brands Hatch 07, Brno 07, Valencia 07 << not the street circuit) and simply have the website not record lap times of these tracks?
What do you think about that?
Because I just drove Macau and Valencia and they were a lot of fun with F1 cars
By the way, its not a big thing but I think it would also make sense to make the Q session shorter (20 mins or something) and the race longer.
And dont get me wrong, I really appreciate your work Nico!

I somehow thought the same about track choice and session formats. I like the idea of having standard tracks on this server we don't use in the league atm. Jonas' choice sounds good to me. This has different reason:

- personally I'm thursty for some variation in the summer break
- we wouldn't be soooo alien like in comparison to new drivers
- I could fill up the setup thread and each member could point new drivers there (-> drivers who "just" look for the setup would automatically get in touch with our league forum)

Well, about forced cockpit view I'm more on Nicos side. I understand your arguments Jonas but we had that debate in the younger past and the outcome was that we agreed to have this rule as a fundamental thing which is as it is. We agreed to live with the mentioned disadvantages.
I know that it could hinder some guys to do any lap on the server but I think it's more important that those drivers who like to join us after testing don't get a problem because of having to change the view then. I think it's acceptable that this little hurdle must be taken by everyone who likes to race on PrestoGP servers...

 

[Nicolai Nicholson]

I have no problem hosting more tracks. My thinking was that there is little point in having too many tracks in rotation and if I was to boil it down to 2-3 tracks I would chose the most relevant tracks. But I can open another server with other ingame tracks, no problems.I agree with Reik on cockpit view, it makes it a bit easier to make that point clear from the start.

 

[Jonas Lex]

Too much tracks is never bad so that it doesnt get boring over time
The thought that Im having with the cockpit view is that the server wont get visited much because of it (at least thats my experience with public servers) but we'll see maybe Im wrong and if its a fundamental rule then it also makes sense to have it there as well.
By the way I would have the race be at least 10 laps long because most ingame tracks are a lot shorter than the tracks we use.
About the Pacific League, both leagues are part of Presto GP so the "league forum" button should probably more point to that link
http://www.racedepartment.com/forum/forums/prestogp.46/

 

[Reik Major]

Guys, the "setup-button" on the PrestoGP site works now! So all we need to say to drivers who like to get a setup is: "click on Setup at our site www.prestogp.com"

Thanks very much Nico! Would you also like to make the setup archive sticky?

 

[Alberto Casado]

If you care for the opinions of an outsider (although not completely, I've been eyeing this competition for some months, and practiced at Barcelona an Monaco).

- Cockpit view: Enforce it. It is an open wheeler, much easier to judge position than a tin top. And with the seat to its rearest-highest setting it is pretty close to a T-cam. If a newcomer cannot handle that then surely he will never join the league anyway.

- Number of tracks: Using only the in-games prevents nasty kicks from the server if you don't have one (and allows absolutely everybody to join anytime). To get familiar with the car and have fun those should be enough. If three are considered really too few you can include some in-games even if they are not used in the league. Magny-Cours and Zandvoort were once F1 venues and should be perfectly fine.

- Number of laps: Beware the public server status. Six or eight laps may seem too few, but the average player is nowhere near as cautious/expert than what this league is used to. In a race with, say, 8 people, with open wheelers and after just the first lap you will have almost guaranteed two DNF. If the next race takes forever to happen they will just leave. Either keep the lap number low or reduce damage.

- Setups: all things discussed are nice. Unfortunately I did not experience myself the magical 2 second drop in my times (either I don't know how to squeeze it or my half-assed setups were not as bad as others).

- Cars: current mod is fine. With an exception, the lack of engine start is incredibly irritating (sometimes I forget to clutch when I spin, I could use autoclutch but it messes with engine braking on 2nd-1st). I also like the F3000, which I think was previously used here (I love the formula ford too, but I guess that is a galaxy too far from aero-enhanced driving style and too limited in tyre choice, etc). Other sims could be an option (RF2 with the latest formula cars), but race07 is incredibly cheap, quite good sim and still looks decent without needing a new PC. Hard to beat.

 

[Nicolai Nicholson]

Alberto, inisghts from an "outsider" is both welcome and valuable

You seem to think very much the same way as me, I agree with all you say down to the smallest details

I will comment on a couple of things:

Setups:
My personal belief is that setup's are overrated. (Not to say that Kennett is mistaken, having a well balanced setup that feels comfortable is very important). The more one practice the better the laptime gets, and when one are at the same time playing around with the setup it is easy to think that it is the setup that causes the improvement. I am not saying setup's are insignificant, only that they are overrated and that practice is underrated

Cars:
I never say it out loud because so many seem to get horny on the thought of rf2, but I am always happy when I see that the rf2 release is postponed. I think the current platform is satisfactory and if we crack the recruiting challenge we could potentially have a very well working division based league, possibly among the best in the world. During 9 seasons we have continually tweaked and improved the concept to provide high quality league racing where admin work almost do not excist, thus allowing us to multiply without a great increase in work load. We could easily host 100 league members in 4 divisions as long as all members have the same responsibillity, commitment, decency, maturity and integrity level as our excisting members. In that case I think we would be the best sim league in the world, because the more we are, the tighter the times will be, thus having more traffic and close racing. (If the slowest driver in the league is 5 sec slower than the fastest one, it would mean on average 1,25 sec between 1st and 25th in each division -> super high quality racing for all).

I am rambling on here and getting slightly off topic... so what will it take to give us the pleasure of seeing you in our league Alberto?

EDIT: Alberto, you should register at PrestoGp.com, that way your pb done on our server will be displayed and we all can follow your progress (and you can watch as you climb the list when you improve your pb)

EDIT 2:
I see you have registred, but your name does not match the one you use when racing... I will edit it for you (I change your username to Alberto Casado)

 

[Kennett Ylitalo]

Yup, setups aren't as magical as i may have praised them, they help some, like me who's setup was way off to begin with to get the best time. For those who have it better, those "secret" settings don't affect that much. With the setup i got 2 secs off and with practice i dropped another two. For now, i think with default setup (with gearing/DF adjusted of course..) it's now 3 secs better than what it was before joining.. 75% practice, 25% setup.

 

[Alberto Casado]

My personal belief is that setup's are overrated. (Not to say that Kennett is mistaken, having a well balanced setup that feels comfortable is very important). The more one practice the better the laptime gets, and when one are at the same time playing around with the setup it is easy to think that it is the setup that causes the improvement. I am not saying setup's are insignificant, only that they are overrated and that practice is underrated

In general in race07 I've seen that wildly different setups end up with very similar laptimes (maybe not for every car, but for many). So for setting a fast lap I agree with you, setup is not critical. Now, for making 20 almost-fast laps in a row without visiting the grass, a good (maybe I should write "forgiving") setup is critical.

Cars:
I never say it out loud because so many seem to get horny on the thought of rf2, but I am always happy when I see that the rf2 release is postponed.

LOL. You had so much happiness for years and years (and I would bet you still can enjoy quite some more).

I am rambling on here and getting slightly off topic... so what will it take to give us the pleasure of seeing you in our league Alberto?

I need to polish my driving skills to shed some seconds (right now I am at high 1.18 in Monaco, but it really is not the best place to get driving confidence). Or, some more new people arrive so I am not the only lawn-mover. Other than that, and assuming the timetable is compatible with me (current one is), open wheels are my favorite cars, I'm in.

EDIT: Alberto, you should register at PrestoGp.com, that way your pb done on our server will be displayed and we all can follow your progress (and you can watch as you climb the list when you improve your pb)

I just did. Although I made a mistake (registered as ACasado), but now I can login with the full name. I guess somebody fixed it on the fly?

 

[Kennett Ylitalo]

PrestoGP IRC channel webpage (bookmark for easy access): http://webchat.quakenet.org/?channels=PrestoGP&uio=d4

For IRC Clients: se.quakenet.org #PrestoGP

HTML code:

<iframe src="http://webchat.quakenet.org/?channels=PrestoGP&uio=d4" width="647" height="400"></iframe>

The first link can be added to the Information thread, the channel is authed and should be available 24/7 from now on. For instant messaging, you can join the channel if you like to inform others that you're practicing.. I have my client with alert script running so just say my name anywhere in a sentence and i'll get a popup