New Flag Rules Preview For RaceRoom Racing Experience

[Paul Jeffrey]

Sector3 Studios have confirmed flag rules will be added to RaceRoom Racing Experience as early as next week, bringing to the sim a feature regularly requested by sim fans.

For the initial launch as part of the upcoming patch, RaceRoom will receive seven different flag types that can be displayed to players whilst driving out on track. Players will have the following indicators shown during an appropriate on track situation:

Green Flag
Indicates the start of a session and safe racing conditions.

Yellow Flag
Is shown to the drivers to warn them about incidents ahead. You should reduce your speed and refrain from overtaking unless stated otherwise. If you illegally passed cars under yellow you will be asked to give those positions back. Failing to do so within 15 seconds will result in a penalty.

Blue Flag
Indicates a faster car approaching from behind, and is typically shown on your out lap or when being lapped. Let the driver pass safely to avoid a penalty.
You have 10 sec to do so, before receiving a first warning, and another 10 sec before receiving a Drive Through Penalty.

White/Black Flag
This flag is a warning handed to the driver for going off track / driving the wrong way / etc.

White Flag
The white flag warns you about a slow car on track. This could be a damaged car trying to make its way back into the pits, a driver rejoining the track after losing control, or a car from a slower class.

Black Flag
The one flag no driver wants to see. If you are receiving a black flag you have been disqualified.

Chequered Flag
The chequered flag is being shown when the winner crossed the finish line and the race is ending

The implementation of visible flags and flag rules is a major step forward for the game, which despite offering a wide and varied selection of cars, tracks and rulesets has so far been unable to properly simulate flag decisions within the software. Due to the simulation having undergone considerable transformation in the past couple of years, and with a stronger focus on simulation racing either against the AI or in multiplayer situations, Sector3 have been hard at work building on the core base of the game to incorporate a number of feature and content enhancements over recent months. The new inclusion of flags in proof of this continual work, and will soon be joined by adjustable type pressures, another often requested feature currently missing from the title.

In respect of the single player portion of the title, Sector3 Studios @Georg Ortner confirmed that blue flags will apply to AI cars in a lapping situation, with the faster machine will be waved through to take the place of the lapped competitor. Ortner went on to say:

"AI will yield when they get a blue flag for example. And they will get the same penalty for overtaking under yellow as the player does."
​

It is interesting to note that the AI player will also be subject to the same penalty rules with regards to overtaking under yellow flag situations as a real world driver would be, which is a pleasing nod to authenticity from the developers.

Explaining in more detail about how the blue flag rules will work in game, and how Sector3 have coded this functionality @J-F Chardon explains:

"Blue flag shows if you have a car of a faster class in your back.
Also shows if you have a guy lapping you.

It triggers based on distance / time delta. And if the car behind gets beyond that limit, the timer resets."
​

It is expected that RaceRoom Racing Experience will receive an update, to include the new flag rules, some time during the coming week. Stay tuned for more details when they become available!


RaceRoom Racing Experience is a PC exclusive racing simulation with several pieces of content available to play at no cost. Additional content can be purchased from the RaceRoom Store.

The RaceRoom Racing Experience sub forum is the best place to enjoy the simulation online. We have an awesome club racing scene, open to all skills and experiences. Check out the club today, and swing by our sub forum here at RaceDepartment to discuss the game with you fellow fans and catch all the latest news.

Looking forward to seeing flag rules in RaceRoom? Let us know in the comments section below!

 

[tlsmikey]

Why poor VR implementation? Can you explain more please.
I've personally found it to be very good especially considering it's only in it's second release of use, performance is very good and the Menus work just fine.

There's some sort of issue with the pascal cards 1060,1070,1080 where users can't use more than 60% of the GPU power at the moment. Not sure if its a DX9 issue or what. 45FPS with AWS locked and some pretty dismal settings is all you can really hope for.

In addition, light shafts randomly blinds you in the eye on some tracks. Bloom is exhibiting odd behavior and the overall image quality isn't great. Compared with AC and iRacing where i'm running 90FPS with almost everything maxed out, this is pretty dissappointing. I really, really want to play this game more but they need to fix some of the core issues before moving on to new swedish tracks and cars and flags.

The fact that I want more from a game that charges me in some ridiculous currency, charges me extra for skins and is closed for third party apps should say something.

 

[William Wester]

Now if only they could implement Triple Screen support. This is the single reason why I never play Raceroom Race Experience even though I own it. Is this even a priority for them ?

I understand you have your own opinion and requirements but I used triples for a year before switching to a single ultra-wide. I'm not saying it wouldn't be nice to have the adjustments but I fully enjoyed R3E with triple screens - still had the peripheral vision 5860x1080 added to the experience, some streching didn't really bother me. I think you are really passing up a great racing sim, Sector3 is making great progress. My $.02...

 

[leseb64]

Online racing without this flag? Phh...

no need, is desert online

 

[William Wester]

There's some sort of issue with the pascal cards 1060,1070,1080 where users can't use more than 60% of the GPU power at the moment. Not sure if its a DX9 issue or what. 45FPS with AWS locked and some pretty dismal settings is all you can really hope for.

In addition, light shafts randomly blinds you in the eye on some tracks. Bloom is exhibiting odd behavior and the overall image quality isn't great. Compared with AC and iRacing where i'm running 90FPS with almost everything maxed out, this is pretty dissappointing. I really, really want to play this game more but they need to fix some of the core issues before moving on to new swedish tracks and cars and flags.

The fact that I want more from a game that charges me in some ridiculous currency, charges me extra for skins and is closed for third party apps should say something.

Hmm, I'll have to check my GPU while running R3E but I know I get way over 45FPS (GTX 1070) - runs perfectly for me.

 

[Allan Adams]

Hmm, I'll have to check my GPU while running R3E but I know I get way over 45FPS (GTX 1070) - runs perfectly for me.

I running a single 43 inch 4K monitor, with a GTX1080 and I'm getting 140 frames, around 80-90 playing online.

 

[tlsmikey]

I running a single 43 inch 4K monitor, with a GTX1080 and I'm getting 140 frames, around 80-90 playing online.

Talking VR here. Triples and single work fine with pascal cars. The VR is messed up somehow. There are a few folks in the forums that also have the issue.

Those with VR:
-Run Oculus Dev Tool to measure FPS and headroom
-Run 2.0 supersampling and minimal graphics settings

I'll bet you are locked at 45FPS with AWS humming along, killing clarity and around -20% headroom. Your GPU/CPU won't get above 60%.

 

[PaulH]

Been waiting for these for a lonnngggg time. Great to seem them finally implemented

 

[Tony]

I understand you have your own opinion and requirements but I used triples for a year before switching to a single ultra-wide. I'm not saying it wouldn't be nice to have the adjustments but I fully enjoyed R3E with triple screens - still had the peripheral vision 5860x1080 added to the experience, some streching didn't really bother me. I think you are really passing up a great racing sim, Sector3 is making great progress. My $.02...

I still race it with triples but incredibly disappointed as i believe triple screen support should be one of the first things to be supported in a racing sim not one of the last, if at all.

 

[William Wester]

I still race it with triples but incredibly disappointed as i believe triple screen support should be one of the first things to be supported in a racing sim not one of the last, if at all.

That's good to hear, it's too good even as-is to pass up

 

[Alex Townsend]

well, then help me out, what has gokart to do with the raceroom-ai representing professional (DTM) drivers?

gokart was the example of their behaviour (and of his gokart-experience lol)

This is out of context. I was replying on your apparent lack of knowledge for grassroots motorsports, (as it appeared you were belittling karting as a proper racing discipline).

What you said about professional DTM drivers with AI like go-karts doesn't really make any sense as karts are inanimate objects. Are you referring to the drivers?
AI for race craft is what you're looking for in a race sim and I don't think it matters which discipline you happen to be discussing.
Racecraft is the same regardless hence the AI should be based as much as possible on human beings trying to race each other in whatever vehicles they have. Some will have better skill than others, some will give in to the red mist and make mistakes or take other drivers out.
I've seen this in both amateur and professional racing so AI imitating what real drivers do whilst racing should be what studios are trying to base their AI routines on imo.

 

[Greg Latty]

Funny how "everybody" was whinging about R3E not having flags. They add flags, and "everybody" whinges about triple-screen and VR. Once they "fix" those, people will just whinge about something else. It's also funny how people say they should stop wasting their time on "pointless" things and concentrate on whatever they personally have a problem with in the sim.

Here's to the people like myself that are actually happy about getting new content and features, and are willing to let the developers get on with developing their game the way they want, instead of demanding that they instantly shift focus to resolving personal gripes.

couldnt agree more my man...

 

[InsaneOzzie]

OMG.........FINALLY!!!

Awesome job Raceroom, although flags should of been there from the beginning of course, but glad to see them implemented, only taken 3yrs. I might even give it run, seeing as I haven't fired it up for like 6mths due to the lack of feature releases over content back then.

 

[Metalogic]

Fantastic news!

 

[Andy Kettler]

There's some sort of issue with the pascal cards 1060,1070,1080 where users can't use more than 60% of the GPU power at the moment.

If your CPU is too lame thats what you get

 

[Andrew Harper]

Why poor VR implementation? Can you explain more please.
I've personally found it to be very good especially considering it's only in it's second release of use, performance is very good and the Menus work just fine.

Yeah I'm surprised about that comment as well. I don't own a VR set myself but for an early build I've heard pretty positive things about it. Those that have used it in the club races said it worked really well

 

[JayJayRaceinho]

This is out of context. I was replying on your apparent lack of knowledge for grassroots motorsports, (as it appeared you were belittling karting as a proper racing discipline).

What you said about professional DTM drivers with AI like go-karts doesn't really make any sense as karts are inanimate objects. Are you referring to the drivers?
AI for race craft is what you're looking for in a race sim and I don't think it matters which discipline you happen to be discussing.
Racecraft is the same regardless hence the AI should be based as much as possible on human beings trying to race each other in whatever vehicles they have. Some will have better skill than others, some will give in to the red mist and make mistakes or take other drivers out.
I've seen this in both amateur and professional racing so AI imitating what real drivers do whilst racing should be what studios are trying to base their AI routines on imo.

But GoKart-AI is what you get in R3E. But that's not the inital point. It was a) a joke about this adams guy, though he thought he can compare himself with schumacher, senna just because they all started with karts. Karts driving is nothing without any further experience in real racing. Every Driver starts with some kind of 'vehicle' ....... and b) skill-based AI is not implemented afaik and if it would be, you couldn't even figure out who really has skills, who not, since they are all relative useless ai-driver names with no personallity where you start your race and allready know who the 'Schumacher' is and who the 'Maldonado' is.

 

[JayJayRaceinho]

If your CPU is too lame thats what you get

well, if r3e only uses 1 core and 1 thread with its DirectX9 architecture .... ofcourse

 

[Alex Townsend]

But GoKart-AI is what you get in R3E. But that's not the inital point. It was a) a joke about this adams guy, though he thought he can compare himself with schumacher, senna just because they all started with karts. Karts driving is nothing without any further experience in real racing. Every Driver starts with some kind of 'vehicle' ....... and b) skill-based AI is not implemented afaik and if it would be, you couldn't even figure out who really has skills, who not, since they are all relative useless ai-driver names with no personallity where you start your race and allready know who the 'Schumacher' is and who the 'Maldonado' is.

Again. This quote about getting Gokart AI in a sim title doesn't mean anything. Gokarts themselves don't have intelligence to artificially recreate as they are inanimate objects. The people who drive them are the Intelligence.
So it wouldn't matter if you designed the AI off a famous racing driver or a guy that had just started out in your book? You'd get the AI from the machine?
Bit confused...

 

[JayJayRaceinho]

Again. This quote about getting Gokart AI in a sim title doesn't mean anything. Gokarts themselves don't have intelligence to artificially recreate as they are inanimate objects. The people who drive them are the Intelligence.
So it wouldn't matter if you designed the AI off a famous racing driver or a guy that had just started out in your book? You'd get the AI from the machine?
Bit confused...

Gokart in its 'usual form'

f.e. in a f1 game i would look at the grid who is beside me, in front of me, behind me, simply because i know those drivers/names and can associate something to them. In any current sim, i never do that and don't even care since they are lacking identity.... nothing i can associate to anyone. Is he an aggressive driver, a bum, a champ, bad qualifier but good race-driver etc.

So if in r3e a driver called 'Maldonado' would drive besides me and he crashes into me, i would say, okay, that was him, should have stay away from him. if i chase a hamilton, i know he doesn't make any mistakes, you can chase him 50 laps and he doesn't do a mistake.

Besides GoKart-AI, there is a lack of immersion while racing vs. AI. that's what makes f.e. a f1 game interesting, driving against known drivers. But if you don't have any known drivers in your sim, you should atleast give them a personality where you have a large group of drivers which try to avoid ramming you, even if they are faster...they simply wait for the right corner or straight to overtake you.

 

[bluey]

This is out of context. I was replying on your apparent lack of knowledge for grassroots motorsports, (as it appeared you were belittling karting as a proper racing discipline).

What you said about professional DTM drivers with AI like go-karts doesn't really make any sense as karts are inanimate objects. Are you referring to the drivers?
AI for race craft is what you're looking for in a race sim and I don't think it matters which discipline you happen to be discussing.
Racecraft is the same regardless hence the AI should be based as much as possible on human beings trying to race each other in whatever vehicles they have. Some will have better skill than others, some will give in to the red mist and make mistakes or take other drivers out.
I've seen this in both amateur and professional racing so AI imitating what real drivers do whilst racing should be what studios are trying to base their AI routines on imo.

And to quote SENNA when asked who is the best driver HE HAS EVER SEEN he answered TERRY FULLERTON ...but i guess not many people know him ..world champion kart driver