16-01-2014, 09:08 PM
rFactor’s Blind Spots
rFactor has got very large blind spots. Often, nearby cars are simply not visible to you. The extent of the blind spots vary per car. For the F3 they are as follows (default field-of-view): You can see down a narrow field of view extending out directly behind you via your mirrors. Forward of this mirror area your blind spots begin - the shadowed area in the illustration. Your forward vision isn't 180 degrees as you might imagine but is also restricted to an angled area that extends out in front of the car.Perhaps one of the most significant things of which to be aware, is that your blind spots extend out in front of your own car.
I've seen several exchanges where one guy says something like, "what were you doing? I was in front of you! The corner was mine!" etc. Obviously unaware that you can be in front but still be unseen.The answer to the problem of driving very close to other cars you can't actually see is to drive with a lot of caution, care, and respect for your fellow drivers. You have to use your wits and anticipation. Most importantly, you must leave room for other cars whenever you have reason to believe they might be beside you. You can't wait to be sure they're beside you.
By the time you're sure, i.e. you can see them, it’s too late. You need to leave room simply if you have reason to believe someone might be beside you.Leaving room for another car means you'll not be driving the ideal racing line. It also means you'll be driving a line you haven't practiced and which is unfamiliar to you. All this means you'll be slower through the given section than usual. This also means that not only will the action of leaving room provide the opportunity for an opponent to pass you, but it also enhances the likelihood of their success - while you're in a slower-than-usual mode of driving.
But that's tough. It’s just the way it is, and frankly it’s not that much a departure from real life racing in some of these respects. All things considered, you will still experience the best of sim racing enjoyment by always leaving room for your opponents wherever appropriate.
Overcoming The Blind Spots: The Look-Around Views rFactor has a built in look-around facility that can be assigned to operate from the buttons on your steering wheel. When activated, the forward view slides around to the desired direction to give you a view out the side of the car. These views are a useful idea. No doubt they're included due to a perceived need for some kind of enhancement to the visual range.A problem with the look-around views are that they turn the forward view so much that you can no longer see forward at all when they're selected. As you might imagine, it’s rather difficult to drive a car at the bitter limit while seeing nothing but a side view line of sight.
Corner Rights
If you watch the odd few rFactor drivers in action you might think the rule for corner rights goes something like, "Whatever piece of ground I can barge my way into I have the right to". Well... not so. There is actually an etiquette for corner rights. It’s not just for rFactor or racing sims, but is basically the same for every level of real-world motor racing - from Formula Ford to Formula 1 and everything in between. "What !", you say, "You mean I don't have the right to throw my car into any gap I see?".
Actually no, you don't - and if you raced in any real-world competition the way you may race in rFactor, instead of being hailed as a motor racing genius you may find yourself banned from even the lowest levels of the sport. Some of the everyday things you see in rFactor simply aren't tolerated where real cars are damaged, real money is the cost of repair, and real lives are at risk. In brief, the concept is, you must establish substantial overlap with the car ahead before a corner's turn-in point to have the right for room to be left for you by the ahead driver. Substantial overlap means at least that the front of your car is up to say the driver's position in the ahead car - and that's at the very least. You probably should have more in many circumstances.
The ahead driver has every right to be fully committed to the racing line of his choice without any interference if there was no overlap before he turned in. If sufficient overlap is established before the turn-in point, then the behind driver has the right to room. The ahead driver can still battle for the place of course but must do so from a wider-out position, leaving room for the behind driver. You may wonder how this reconciles with the above regarding leaving room for cars that disappear up your inside from your mirrors.
Well ... If a behind car doesn't have overlap before the turn-in point then they shouldn't disappear up your inside line but stay tucked in behind you. If they want to disappear up your inside line then they should do so before you reach the turn-in point. If they disappear up your inside line after the turn-in point, then it’s really up to you how you play it.
You may decide to enforce your rights and risk a contact, or your may be willing (reluctantly) to leave room because you don't want to crash.An exception to this is where an ahead driver has clearly made a sufficient error to warrant a passing move. E.g. - they brake too late and wash out wide of the apex and have to reduce speed etc.
This would be a valid passing opportunity regardless of whether there was pre-existing overlap. However, there is still substantial reasonability on the overtaking driver to take all necessary care.Small errors by the ahead driver may not be sufficient to allow a safe passing move however. Just because the ahead driver gets a bit out of shape at times it doesn't give you an automatic right to room.
You still have to judge if their error provides sufficient opportunity for a safe pass to take place. As long as there is genuine overlap, in general, while going through a corner beside another car...The car on the outside has the right to the outer half of the track all the way around - right up to the exit point. They should not be squeezed against the outside towards the exit point.The car on the inside has the right to the inside half of the track all the way around - right up to the exit point.
They should not be squeezed against the inside towards the apex area.Having said all this, one would have to add that corner rights is not an exact science. There are some variables. Presented here is just the basic concept of the accepted etiquette. Even in real life, with full vision, full sensory feedback, infinite fps and resolution, its not uncommon for real drivers to come to grief with this - usually saying it was the other guy's fault.
With rFactor’s huge blind spots it’s even more hit and miss, often literally - you can however simulate real life to the letter by saying it was the other guy's fault.
Tips.
Nothing much. Just a couple of points. If in doubt, lift. If in a loss of control situation or a near loss of control one, lift your foot off the accelerator, usually with gentle haste. In nine out of ten situations this is the right thing to do anyway. The odd situation where you'd keep your foot planted requires such a fine skilled touch you probably wouldn't be successful at it anyway.
Lifting to get out of trouble is very often a safe bet. You'll be surprised at how many 'certain crash' situations you can actually drive away from if you would only lift your foot off the accelerator. Some people are very reluctant to lift their foot off for any reason. They're the ones up-side-down in the sand all too often. Drive, then Race.
Pm me if you have questions /remarks.
[SIZE=9px](Copyright Phillip McNelley, edited by rfactor.org crew)
« Edit: April 19, 2010, 11:42:02 AM by ~IsR~SkidSolo »
« Edit: January 16, 2014 by Marcel Wiegers »[/SIZE]
rFactor has got very large blind spots. Often, nearby cars are simply not visible to you. The extent of the blind spots vary per car. For the F3 they are as follows (default field-of-view): You can see down a narrow field of view extending out directly behind you via your mirrors. Forward of this mirror area your blind spots begin - the shadowed area in the illustration. Your forward vision isn't 180 degrees as you might imagine but is also restricted to an angled area that extends out in front of the car.Perhaps one of the most significant things of which to be aware, is that your blind spots extend out in front of your own car.
I've seen several exchanges where one guy says something like, "what were you doing? I was in front of you! The corner was mine!" etc. Obviously unaware that you can be in front but still be unseen.The answer to the problem of driving very close to other cars you can't actually see is to drive with a lot of caution, care, and respect for your fellow drivers. You have to use your wits and anticipation. Most importantly, you must leave room for other cars whenever you have reason to believe they might be beside you. You can't wait to be sure they're beside you.
By the time you're sure, i.e. you can see them, it’s too late. You need to leave room simply if you have reason to believe someone might be beside you.Leaving room for another car means you'll not be driving the ideal racing line. It also means you'll be driving a line you haven't practiced and which is unfamiliar to you. All this means you'll be slower through the given section than usual. This also means that not only will the action of leaving room provide the opportunity for an opponent to pass you, but it also enhances the likelihood of their success - while you're in a slower-than-usual mode of driving.
But that's tough. It’s just the way it is, and frankly it’s not that much a departure from real life racing in some of these respects. All things considered, you will still experience the best of sim racing enjoyment by always leaving room for your opponents wherever appropriate.
Overcoming The Blind Spots: The Look-Around Views rFactor has a built in look-around facility that can be assigned to operate from the buttons on your steering wheel. When activated, the forward view slides around to the desired direction to give you a view out the side of the car. These views are a useful idea. No doubt they're included due to a perceived need for some kind of enhancement to the visual range.A problem with the look-around views are that they turn the forward view so much that you can no longer see forward at all when they're selected. As you might imagine, it’s rather difficult to drive a car at the bitter limit while seeing nothing but a side view line of sight.
Corner Rights
If you watch the odd few rFactor drivers in action you might think the rule for corner rights goes something like, "Whatever piece of ground I can barge my way into I have the right to". Well... not so. There is actually an etiquette for corner rights. It’s not just for rFactor or racing sims, but is basically the same for every level of real-world motor racing - from Formula Ford to Formula 1 and everything in between. "What !", you say, "You mean I don't have the right to throw my car into any gap I see?".
Actually no, you don't - and if you raced in any real-world competition the way you may race in rFactor, instead of being hailed as a motor racing genius you may find yourself banned from even the lowest levels of the sport. Some of the everyday things you see in rFactor simply aren't tolerated where real cars are damaged, real money is the cost of repair, and real lives are at risk. In brief, the concept is, you must establish substantial overlap with the car ahead before a corner's turn-in point to have the right for room to be left for you by the ahead driver. Substantial overlap means at least that the front of your car is up to say the driver's position in the ahead car - and that's at the very least. You probably should have more in many circumstances.
The ahead driver has every right to be fully committed to the racing line of his choice without any interference if there was no overlap before he turned in. If sufficient overlap is established before the turn-in point, then the behind driver has the right to room. The ahead driver can still battle for the place of course but must do so from a wider-out position, leaving room for the behind driver. You may wonder how this reconciles with the above regarding leaving room for cars that disappear up your inside from your mirrors.
Well ... If a behind car doesn't have overlap before the turn-in point then they shouldn't disappear up your inside line but stay tucked in behind you. If they want to disappear up your inside line then they should do so before you reach the turn-in point. If they disappear up your inside line after the turn-in point, then it’s really up to you how you play it.
You may decide to enforce your rights and risk a contact, or your may be willing (reluctantly) to leave room because you don't want to crash.An exception to this is where an ahead driver has clearly made a sufficient error to warrant a passing move. E.g. - they brake too late and wash out wide of the apex and have to reduce speed etc.
This would be a valid passing opportunity regardless of whether there was pre-existing overlap. However, there is still substantial reasonability on the overtaking driver to take all necessary care.Small errors by the ahead driver may not be sufficient to allow a safe passing move however. Just because the ahead driver gets a bit out of shape at times it doesn't give you an automatic right to room.
You still have to judge if their error provides sufficient opportunity for a safe pass to take place. As long as there is genuine overlap, in general, while going through a corner beside another car...The car on the outside has the right to the outer half of the track all the way around - right up to the exit point. They should not be squeezed against the outside towards the exit point.The car on the inside has the right to the inside half of the track all the way around - right up to the exit point.
They should not be squeezed against the inside towards the apex area.Having said all this, one would have to add that corner rights is not an exact science. There are some variables. Presented here is just the basic concept of the accepted etiquette. Even in real life, with full vision, full sensory feedback, infinite fps and resolution, its not uncommon for real drivers to come to grief with this - usually saying it was the other guy's fault.
With rFactor’s huge blind spots it’s even more hit and miss, often literally - you can however simulate real life to the letter by saying it was the other guy's fault.
Tips.
Nothing much. Just a couple of points. If in doubt, lift. If in a loss of control situation or a near loss of control one, lift your foot off the accelerator, usually with gentle haste. In nine out of ten situations this is the right thing to do anyway. The odd situation where you'd keep your foot planted requires such a fine skilled touch you probably wouldn't be successful at it anyway.
Lifting to get out of trouble is very often a safe bet. You'll be surprised at how many 'certain crash' situations you can actually drive away from if you would only lift your foot off the accelerator. Some people are very reluctant to lift their foot off for any reason. They're the ones up-side-down in the sand all too often. Drive, then Race.
Pm me if you have questions /remarks.
[SIZE=9px](Copyright Phillip McNelley, edited by rfactor.org crew)
« Edit: April 19, 2010, 11:42:02 AM by ~IsR~SkidSolo »
« Edit: January 16, 2014 by Marcel Wiegers »[/SIZE]
![[Image: Blackstar-1.gif]](http://wiege.home.xs4all.nl/blackstar/Blackstar-1.gif)