RD Formula Manager - Season 7

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Omer Said

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RaceDepartment Formula Manager is a forum game in which you own a F1 team and manage it in seasons consisting of practice, qualifying and race sessions. In order to play the game, a daily 5-10 minutes is enough to commit. The game uses a complicated set of formulae made with MS Excel 2007. You give your orders, and I update the races 2 laps per day.

How game progresses:
-When you start your team, you make your purchases/testings with your budget.
-Race Weekend begins.
-You give me practice and qualifying session orders.
-Practice and Qualifying are simulated, I post the results.
-Race begins.
-You give me orders for the first two laps.
-At the end of each day, I simulate two laps and then you give me the order of the next two laps.

PLEASE DO NOT BE INTIMIDATED BY THE HUGE WALL OF TEXT IN THIS POST. JUST START A TEAM BY SIMPLY FILLING THE TEMPLATE BELOW. AND DONT HESITATE TO ASK QUESTIONS. THIS GAME is GRADUALLY LEARNED AS YOU PLAY. YOU CAN ALWAYS QUIT IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT.

Sign Up Template:
(You start the game with 2500 credits)
Manager Name:
Team Name:
Team Colors: (One primary, one secondary)
Tyre supplier: See the supplier lists below
Engine Contract: See the supplier lists below
Favorite Track: The first track of the calendar can't be picked
Sponsors: Check the sponsors list below. Two sponsors are picked and they can be changed between the races.
Driver 1: Check out the driver list table below
Driver 2: Check out the driver list table below

YOU CAN JOIN ANYTIME. YOU DON'T NEED TO WAIT FOR THE NEXT SEASON IF THE CURRENT SEASON IS UNDERWAY.

GETTING STARTED

If you are a newcomer, you start with 2500 credits. Name your team, (Don't use engine names in your team name) pick two colors, sign an engine contract, a tyre contract, pick two types of sponsors, pick a favorite track and hire at least 1 driver. (Careful that drivers are not free, check out the Drivers List) (You can name your drivers unless you buy a specific driver from the drivers list. BUT you have to use realistic names, please dont make names like "speed devil" or "boogey man" etc...) You should also send me your car setups via PM. (Details on car setups below)

You can't sign an engine contract extending the season calendar's length. For example, if there are 4 races to go, you can't sign a 5 races contract.

THEN HOW TO RACE?
When your team is ready, wait for the marketplace period's end. It usually lasts for 3 days. Race weekends start with practice/qualifying sessions.

FREE PRACTICE (You can send practice/qualifying orders via PM to hide them from other managers)
There are a number of options you can pick for the practice sessions. You should pick one (you can pick different options for each of your cars) of the options below: (Effects of practice session options last until the end of that grand prix !minus the random research option!)
-Tune your car for the track. (gives a small speed boost for the race)
-Try a new fuel mode. (gives plenty of speed, but increases fuel consumption)
-Use an aggressive suspension setup. (more tyre wear, but also more speed)
-Use a safer car setup. (less tyre wear, and decrease in speed)
-Make an extreme wet setup. (car performs worse on track with wetness below 50, and performs much better when above 50)
-Adjust brake bias for overtaking. (makes your cars overtake and defend easier)
-Learn the exact tyre wear values of a pace-rev combination of your choice. (I give you this info instantly so that you can adjust your qually strategy accordingly.)
-Spend the day with general testing. (You randomly get one of these: chassis upgrade, durability upgrade, qualifying upgrade, 2x driver skill, an engine upgrade, a tyre upgrade)
-Let a rich person drive your car and gain 800 credits added to your post-race earnings.

QUALIFYING (You can send practice/qualifying orders via PM to hide them from other managers)
Drivers set a single lap time to determine the grid position. Your tyre compound/wear, fuel load and car hp carry over to the race. Tyre heat and engine temperature do not carry over to the race. You need to pick a tyre compound, decide fuel load, pick pace/rev for the qualifying lap. And that is all you need to do for the qualifying session.

RACE (Race orders should be posted in the thread, PMing is not allowed)
You give orders for 2 laps for each day. Possible orders are:
-Pace choice
-Rev choice
-Driver ability usage
-ERS on/off
-Order a driver to stop fighting for track position against their team-mate
-Call to pits. When pitting you should specify: fuel load, tyre compound, a normal pitstop or a complete repair pitstop. (complete repair pitstop makes car HP %100, but lasts longer while a normal pitstop increases only a fixed amount of car HP)
Here is a good template to use when you give your race orders: (makes it easier for me to distinguish your orders, I would appreciate if you could use this)
1st Lap
Schumacher easy/medium use driver ability "save fuel"
Barrichello steady/low dont fight your team-mate
2nd Lap
Schumacher steady/high use ERS
Barrichello safe/low pit for hard tyres and refuel to 120 lt, regular pitstop

LIST OF PACES
(From Safe to Give all, the speed increases, wear increases, mistake chances increase.)
Give all
Push
Aggressive
Steady
Easy
Safe (Driver refrains from fighting for position on track)
Focus (Not available by default, the driver should have focus training, limited usage)

LIST OF REVS
High - Faster, but heats up the engine
Medium - Normal, heats up the engine, but not as much as high
Low - Cools down the engine, but slower compared to higher ones

LIST OF DRIVER ABILITIES (Driver abilities can be used only for ONCE in each race. They affect only a single lap. They can't be used in Qualifying laps.)

Play Safe - Driver drives more carefully in that lap.
Pace Up - Driver gets faster in that lap.
Hunt Them - Driver becomes better in overtaking/defending in that lap.
Care Tyres - Driver wears their tyres less in that lap.
Cool Down - Driver's engine is cooled a bit in that lap.
Intimidate - Driver in front of the driver gets a bit nervous in that lap. (You have to be at least 0.25 close to the car in front to be able to use it.)
Save Fuel - Sort of an emergency move that limits the fuel usage in that lap to avoid running out of fuel. In order words, your fuel can't drop below 1 in that lap. Useful when you have to pit and you don't have enough fuel left for that lap.

HOW TO DEVELOP YOUR TEAM?

After a race ends, you will get prize money from your finishing position and sponsors. With this money, you can buy items from the marketplace and this way develop your team. Marketplace and Supplier lists below give details on what things you can buy.

Manufacturer engines which surpassed certain performance levels have a chance of increased failure at testings to balance their power. The fail rate is shown in the engines list. Manufacturer upgrades are more effective when bought directly by the manufacturer. Partner engines give 3 free upgrades after each race.

SETUP SYSTEM
Please look at the calendar list in the end of this post and notice the five parameters: Downforce, Top Speed, Braking, Cornering, Shifting. The numbers below those parameters signify how effective those setups are for the track they are shown. At the beginning of the season, you make your setup for both of your drivers. They can be different from each other. You have 100 points and you distribute them between Downforce, Top Speed, Braking, Cornering, Shifting and Wet Track. Wet Track setting is not related to track characteristics, but gets effective the more wet a track gets. Each setting becomes effective as much as the track parameters' number. High number means that setting effects the speed more than other parameters for that track.

You can adjust each of your cars' setups by 10 at the mid-season testings (not all seasons have mid-season testings). You can also adjust your setup by 10 if you make the setup testing during the marketplace period.

If your test driver replaces one of your racing drivers, they get the setup of the replaced driver.

SEASON-START DRIVER BIDDING SYSTEM
At the beginning of each season, teams have no drivers. For this reason, managers would want to get the best skilled drivers on the drivers list. A bidding war takes place before the managers buy anything or sign supplier contracts. Each manager will send me (VIA PM, not public) five bids for five drivers like this:
1- Alonso - 3000
2- Schumacher - 2300
3 - Fisichella - 2000
4 - John - 600
5 - Micheal - 600
(Minimum bid is 600 credits, there is no maximum limit)
After I get all the bids from the managers, I will compare the 1st bids. The highest ones get the drivers. Then the 2nd bids, then the 3rds and so forth... If the driver was yours in the previous season, your bid gets a (500+Relationship Points) credits bonus. (For example, if you bid 1000 credits for your previous driver, and another manager bids him 1400, you still get him for 1000 as you have that 500 bonus.) In case of a draw at biddings, the driver prefers his previous team. If the bidders are not previous teams, he picks the more succesful one in the previous season. If they are both new teams, then he picks his team randomly.

For Season 8, the relationship points will be halved by 2 before the bidding wars.

PAY DRIVERS
These drivers are free and their driver skills are unimprovable. They give extra 600 credits after each race.

HOW TO INCREASE RELATIONSHIP WITH A DRIVER
There are special marketplace items for that. Also finishing on podium and scoring points give certain points:
Podium: 50 points
Points Finish: 10 points
Each Driver Skill Purchase: 50 points

SAFETY CAR
When 3 or more cars retire in a single lap (for whatever reasons), the SC comes out. It does not affect the lap it begins immediately. The next two laps are affected. After two laps, it gets green again. You can pit in the SC period. But careful that convoy is formed in the 2nd lap of SC, not in the first one. So it is better to pit in the first lap quickly before the convoy is formed. Every driver switches to SAFE/LOW automatically in the SC period. They can't use other paces or revs in those two laps. ERS is disabled.

RED FLAG
If 8 or more cars retire in a single lap (for whatever reasons), the race gets stopped. If the %75 amount of the race is not completed, a restart takes place before which managers can fit new tyres, fix the cars fully and adjust the fuel loads freely. If the %75 is completed, the race ends and drivers are awarded full points.

FAVORITE TRACK
Each team picks a favorite track from the calendar. Australia can't be picked as it is the first race. The favorite track brings speed boost in the qualifying and race.

MID SEASON TESTINGS (Not available in Season 7)
There is a mid-season testings on the calendar, each supplier gets a new random upgrade at that testings. You can also adjust your car setups by 10 points after those tests.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO ALL ENGINE MANUFACTURERS and CUSTOMERS
- You can supply other managers if you manufacture an engine.
- Default deal is that all customer teams will pay 100 (50 per car) credits to the manufacturer team.
- As a manufacturer, you can supply maximum 4 teams (including your own team).

SISTER TEAMS
You can found a sister team with 3500 credits. You can have maximum 1 sister team. Running them is completely same as your main team. But they have a limitation: They can only use Cosworth/Renault/Ferrari/Mercedes engines. Sister teams can't manufacture their own engines.

END OF SEASON
At the end of the season, tyre upgrades will be reverted back and their stats will be changed randomly. Your drivers will leave the team. Engine upgrades will remain. Chassis, qualifying, and durability upgrades will be reverted back too. That is to provide a more equal ground in the next seasons. Drivers will lose %20 of their skills randomly. (They will lose half of their skills specifically for the Season 8) If they have less than 5 skills, they won't lose any. There will be prize credits given according to your finishing positions in constructors and drivers championships. All drivers will be free after the season. You can carry over maximum 5000 credits to the next season. Remember to spend any extra credits you have before the final race as there is no marketplace period after the 10th race of the season.

Specific Rules Regarding SEASON 8
Season 8 will change the engine specifications completely. Engine reliabilities and fuel tanks will be the same at the beginning. Durabilities will remain as they are. Speeds will be decreased. But the current fastest will remain as the fastest, with a very very smaller gap to the slowest engine right now.

Season 8 will see drivers losing half of their driver skills at the beginning of the season. (Instead of 5/1 as we normally)

IMPORTANT RULES and INFORMATION (Updated with questions from the managers)
  • Maximum Drivers you can have: 3 (3rd driver becomes the Test Driver.)
  • Weather forecast is not %100 reliable. Just like real-life.
  • There is a luck factor, please don't flame me if you get unlucky at some occasions.
  • Updates will usually be around 18:00, 19:00, 20:00, 21:00, 22:00 GMT.
  • New tyre and engine supplier brands might appear in the further seasons. Some new rules, regulations and tools might be introduced as well. In some seasons, refuelling might get banned, or even new systems like DRS might be introduced etc.. The game is not in it's final form.
  • Team orders are allowed. But you can't give orders regarding other teams. You can't give orders between the drivers of your sister teams.
  • You can change sponsors between the Grand Prix weekends, but not in the process of a Grand Prix weekend.
  • More rules and information will be added with the questions of the managers.
  • In qualifying, engine failure is disabled. But your drivers can make mistakes.
  • Sponsorship prizes are calculated to each of your drivers seperately.
  • Maximum grid size is 40 cars. If we get more than 40 drivers, sister teams will have a pre-qualifying session in which managers can pick any tyre compound, pace, rev and fuel load to determine the result. If there are more than 40 cars excluding the sister teams, then WOAW! Seriously though, the game will be updated to accommadate more than 40 cars if the interest reaches those levels.

F.A.Q
-About driver abilities: Can we use each ability once in the race, or we select one only?

You select only one. You can't use all of them.
-Another question regarding driver abilities, do we have to decide for one per driver each season, or can we change the one we use from race to race?
You can choose any one of them each race. You don't have to decide which one you will use before the race.
-Question about supplying engines to other teams: In case of an upgrade to the engine, do I get to race it first for one race before supplying others or will each team get the upgrades at the same time?
They get the same upgrades
-Can i sell my drivers?
You can if another manager is willing to buy them. Otherwise, you have to release them. If you sell your driver to another manager, you will get the half-price as credits. You can do this between sister teams, but the selling team does not get any money. The buyer has to pay at least 600 credits.
-What if i fail to give my orders for the qualifying or in the race?
Your drivers go on default levels. Default pace is steady, rev is low. The default tyre is hard compound. Car is %100 fueled.
-Do i have to give orders each turn?
Your pace and rev choices are carried over from the turn before. Others are not. So it is up to you.
-Can i use ERS in qualifying?
ERS is not available in the qualifying.
-Can my drivers pit in the same lap?
Drivers can pit at the same lap. But if there is not an enough gap between them (around 5.00), the latter one has to wait and loses plenty of time.
-Can we take fuel out of the car in pitstops. Let's say can we decrease a 30 lt fueled car to 10 with a pitstop?
No, it is not possible. If you tell me to refuel to an amount lower than the current fuel, it is an invalid command and your fuel level will remain the same.
-Can i found more than one sister team?
No.
-What if I go AWOL a bit?
In the course of a race, going awol has no penalties other than the fact that your cars will retire with either fuel or chassis problems. If you do not get engines or tyres by missing marketplace periods, Pirelli and Cosworth will be given to you.
-Can I pull my drivers out of a race?
You can't. They have to retire naturally. Only if the managers wants to quit the game for good, their drivers can be pulled out mid-race.
-Can I give the ownership of my own-manufactured engine to another player?
If a manager wishes to take-over a player-manufactured engine, they have to win a bidding war against the other interested parties. Winner becomes the new owner of the engine. The old owner gets the half-price as credits. If a manufactured engine's player goes AWOL, a bidding war takes place to pick a new owner. (1000 cr is the minimum price)
-Can I edit my marketplace purchases?
As long as there is not a technical mistake, you can't refund/remove purchases after you make your post. But if you have money left, you can buy more things before the marketplace gets closed.
-Can my budget go negative?
You can't. If you make some purchases, and do not have any money left for engine/tyre contracts, you will be given free Cosworth engines and Pirelli tyres.
-Driver Testing skills give bonus at which tests?
Only in tyre/engine supplier tests conducted by the team itself, not by sponsors or partnership. It does not affect risky tests either.
-What happens to the relationship points after a driver is hired?
They are removed and the relationship should be rebuild from 500 points again.
-Can I swap the positions of my drivers behind the safety car?
You can't.

CALENDAR
upload_2017-8-15_23-43-21.png


MARKETPLACE ITEMS
upload_2017-8-15_23-49-29.png


SPONSORS
upload_2017-8-15_23-54-57.png


POINTS and PRIZE ALLOCATION/SPECIAL REWARDS
upload_2017-8-16_0-12-47.png
 
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Welcome back to all returning managers and A HUGE WELCOME to anyone who wishes to join to the game. The 7th season is underway! Let's get things quick and start the first race as soon as possible.

What's New in this season?
- Free Practice Session is added. Look for details in the first post.
- Carry-over money and engine stats are changed for the Season 8.
- Complete repair pitstops are a bit shorter now.
- "Car Wear" is changed to "Car HP". "Tyre Wear" is changed to "Tyre HP" at the race standings table to make them more clear.
- You can no longer go negative. When you have no money left, you will get free Cosworth engines and Pirelli tyres.
- Sponsors and Special Objective Rewards are significantly changed.
- AWOLing managers will not be kicked out of the game unless they state their desire to quit.
- We have 7 races for this season. And no mid-season testings.
- Testing driver skill is nerfed and will be less effective.
- Low revs will cool down the engines more.

All managers, please send me your 5 driver bids. Remember the 500 relationship bonus with the previous teams. Check out the drivers list google-doc for details. (In the 2nd post of the thread)

Good luck! May we have a nice, clean, exciting, friendly and competitive season together. :thumbsup:
 
BRT and Silver Soul back in, same colours.

Questions/Remarks:
  • BRT should have 10000cr (3750 pre R10, 800 P3, 800 P4, 1600 sponsor, 300 Pole, 1000 HUL P1, 800 RIC P4, 550 JMF P13, 1000 BRT P1, summa 10600)
  • Are unexpected issues still a thing?
  • Any other options than regular stop and full repair, as mentioned last season?
  • Why is Keranen Motorsport allowed Renault engines? When I asked you last season you said the offer doesn't apply for sister teams. 3 free engine upgrades each round for them is a severe blow...
 
BRT and Silver Soul back in, same colours.

Questions/Remarks:
  • BRT should have 10000cr (3750 pre R10, 800 P3, 800 P4, 1600 sponsor, 300 Pole, 1000 HUL P1, 800 RIC P4, 550 JMF P13, 1000 BRT P1, summa 10600)
  • Are unexpected issues still a thing?
  • Any other options than regular stop and full repair, as mentioned last season?
  • Why is Keranen Motorsport allowed Renault engines? When I asked you last season you said the offer doesn't apply for sister teams. 3 free engine upgrades each round for them is a severe blow...

  • Yes, you have 10k. You got 1400 sponsor money for some reason. :sleep:
  • Yes, the unexpected issues will continue haunting drivers.:devilish:
  • It is the same. But the complete repair stops will be shorter now.
  • Way to go forgetting the rules myself. Should have also warned Aidan. You are right. KM will not have Renault partnership. But they will be given half the money they spent testing Renault engines last season now to compensate my failure in warning them and clearly specifying rules. It also means Renault will not be available to anyone in this season. Sorry @Aidan Keranen :thumbsdown:
 
  • Way to go forgetting the rules myself. Should have also warned Aidan. You are right. KM will not have Renault partnership. But they will be given half the money they spent testing Renault engines last season now to compensate my failure in warning them and clearly specifying rules. It also means Renault will not be available to anyone in this season. Sorry @Aidan Keranen :thumbsdown:
Quite disappointed by this, there was absolutely no mention to me at any stage. I disagree with the compensation, my counter for that is one of two options:
a) That I get the Renault engines as said previously, however I am willing to accept it without the partnership tag on the side, seeing as that is what Tobi is protesting against, not necessarily the actual performance of the engine as it is currently. I paid for the tests, the engine is now at that level for that reason, why shouldn't I still get the engines?
or
b) I get a full refund of the tests, I wouldn't have gone for any of the tests otherwise, they would have been chassis upgrades for this season, Cosworth engine upgrades (because I would be using these again this season otherwise) or driver upgrades. Half refund doesn't bring back those 4 marketplaces for me to use again,

Those are my counter offers, because I am not too thrilled by being cut off from the engine completely and then also not really being reimbursed for it :(
 
b) I get a full refund of the tests, I wouldn't have gone for any of the tests otherwise, they would have been chassis upgrades for this season, Cosworth engine upgrades (because I would be using these again this season otherwise) or driver upgrades. Half refund doesn't bring back those 4 marketplaces for me to use again,

2500 credits are fully refunded and also 2 chassis upgrades are given to compensate the possibility that you could not do next year chassis purchases for those tests. Does not fix the situation wholly, but nothing much to do. :thumbsdown:
 
Quite disappointed by this, there was absolutely no mention to me at any stage. I disagree with the compensation, my counter for that is one of two options:
a) That I get the Renault engines as said previously, however I am willing to accept it without the partnership tag on the side, seeing as that is what Tobi is protesting against, not necessarily the actual performance of the engine as it is currently. I paid for the tests, the engine is now at that level for that reason, why shouldn't I still get the engines?
or
b) I get a full refund of the tests, I wouldn't have gone for any of the tests otherwise, they would have been chassis upgrades for this season, Cosworth engine upgrades (because I would be using these again this season otherwise) or driver upgrades. Half refund doesn't bring back those 4 marketplaces for me to use again,

Those are my counter offers, because I am not too thrilled by being cut off from the engine completely and then also not really being reimbursed for it :(
Engine still was a bit off it's current level if you check the S6 thread, but I get your point.
 
2500 credits are fully refunded and also 2 chassis upgrades are given to compensate the possibility that you could not do next year chassis purchases for those tests. Does not fix the situation wholly, but nothing much to do. :thumbsdown:
Ah well, can't be too disappointed, I offered my side and that seems like it's been accepted, so it'll all be fine.
 
@Omer Said
do we still have to renew engine/tyre suppliers after 5 races, or has that changed with the shorter calendar?

Also is there a deadline yet for driver bid submission?
 
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@Omer Said
do we still have to renew engine/tyre suppliers after 5 races, or has that changed with the shorter calendar?

Also is there a deadline yet for driver bid submission?

Yes, should have mentioned it earlier. Tyre contracts are now for the whole season. Engines are race-by-race as happened in the last season.

I will start tagging and disturbing people in 4-5 days. Then 2-3 days will be allowed unless someone can't be online for some reason.
 
I for one would like a slightly longer off-season. I'll post any infos on Monday or Tuesday since I have quite a busy weekend ahead of me and I want to read all the regs thoroighly.
 
Like mentioned in the previous thread I'll try my very best to stay as active over here this season as I can. Means you can count me in for this one. :thumbsup:
 
The reset will occur in the next season. But it is a good idea to participate in this season to start the next one with 5000 credits instead of 2500. :thumbsup:
Not really, there's no point joining a series when half the teams already have Chassis stats of 10. This is why I left, once you're behind there's no chance of coming back. Unless you randomise the chassis starting level of new teams as a number between 2 below the current top and lowest levels, there's no chance of people joining.
That would mean this team could start with a chassis level between 3 and 8. At least there is an incentive for people to join, rather than a year at the back for a potential bonus $2500

Still, lets try something different

Équipe Delacroix II

Sponsors D and F
Riferra Engines (can I become the new owner?)
Pirelli tyres
Drivers and Buys TBD
 
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