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@KyLiE tried my Camaro line with the Mercedes but concluded it wouldn't be worth it which supports your analysis. I also felt that the Mercedes was a little bit ahead of the Camaro on this track. However, I thought that I would lose about a second compared to the other top drivers given we spend the same amount of effort. The car feels too much like an IMSA car for my liking though the originals are worse. In their case I would have written 3-4 seconds instead. Hence, I thought my best bet would be to use the Camaro which suits me much better in comparison.

Thanks @Duplode and @KyLiE! This achievement means a lot more to me than an eventual second Zakstunts championship title. Actually, obtaining the latter wasn't my goal when I entered this season.

I guess I will distribute some of my hard-earned points to other pipsqueaks sooner or later. (where is the laughing emoticon when you need it)

Dark Horse: Dreadnaut. Is good with power-gear cars and I can see him on place 6-7 if he bothers. But when was the last time he did?

Ouch, I take light offence at the language   [...] For the record, the last time I "bothered" was ZCT277

I hope it's clear that I never intended to offend. My point was simply that, given your power-gear skills, you could achieve a strong result with the GTO if you put in the effort. I'm surprised that my wording came across as offensive.

I would have appreciated the benefit of the doubt—when I wrote 'if he bothers,' I simply meant 'if he chooses to put in the effort.' Perhaps the word 'bother' carried an unintended implication of inconvenience, but that wasn't my intention. As you know, not everyone here is a native speaker, and sometimes phrasing can come across differently than intended.

Well done! Thanks for the updates. 

Here is my top 10 prediction:

1. MiDiaN: MidiaN's determination + Alanrotoi's experience = victory.
2. Argammon: Submits a good lap but without any stunts magic. Ca. 0.5 - 1 seconds behind MiDiaN.
3. Duplode: Conserved some energy by not fighting for the leading time. Comes close to the top two.
4. KyliE: Got Argammon's final lap over 10 days before the deadline. Has the skills to "copy" the replay.
5. Alanrotoi: Focuses on giving his pupil advice. Frequently lost against his pupils before (Ayrton, Gutix).
6. Frieshansen: Manages a GTO power-gear lap but takes an easier path than MiDiAN.
7+. Overdrijf: Has the power-gear skills to copy Duplode's lap assuming he cares. Ends outside the top 10 if he doesn't.
7-9 Spoonboy: Very uncertain here. Beats Herr Nove if and only if he manages to do a power-gear lap. (50/50)
7-9 Herr Nove: Underestimates the number of opponents being able to do a power-gear lap.
10. Zapper: Does not even try a power-gear lap but submits a decent replay as usual.


Dark Horse: Dreadnaut. Is good with power-gear cars and I can see him on place 6-7 if he bothers. But when was the last time he did?

Here is mine:

1) Argammon: Alanrotoi won my track, so I have to win his. 
2) Duplode: Seems motivated this month, and a motivated Duplode is hard to beat.
3) Alan Rotoi: Beats MiDiaN by 0.05 seconds again.
4) MiDiaN: Just behind Alan Rotoi
5) KyLiE: Is in an eternal battle with Frieshansen.
6) Frieshansen: Is in an eternal battle with KyLie
7) Spoonboy: Could score even better if he wasn't racing on a phone.
8.) Herr Nove: Fastest Mercedes lap.
9) Mark Nailwood: Fastest automatic-transmission lap.
10) Zapper: Because he was 10th last month and I can't make my mind up who else it should be. 

I don't have much to add but that this is an excellent mod @HerrNove!

One thing I am wondering about is if there is a way to make the game render illusion elements earlier. If so, that would greatly increase the track-building possibilities without the (for some pipsqueaks) annoying side effect. Perhaps your next project? 

As mentioned in the shoutbox I am really happy about this active start to the season with 22 pipsqueaks and about (?) 169 replays. Brilliant work pipsqueaks! 

Some trivia observations:

1) Twenty years ago in 2005, Alanrotoi also won the first race of the season with a power-gear car in front of Argammon.
2) By placing second in the current race, I still did not win any of my own Zakstunts tracks. So that streak continues.   

Duplode's post makes me wonder if he just found a super useful shortcut. I guess I should have another look at the map! 

Considering that,

1. Duplode
2. Alanrotoi
3. Argammon (I've never won my own Zaktunts track)
4. Frieshansen
5. KyLiE
6. Spoonboy
7. Chulk
8. Usrin
9. Mortimer McMire
10. Zapper
11. Dreadnaut
12. Overdrijf
...

Thanks.

92% and summa cum laude.

Great Job! Congrats Dr. Poo! 

I think the value for the Oxia is too high. Yes, it has a little less grip than the Mercedes but has faster acceleration and a higher top speed. I wouldn't be surprised if the Oxia beats the Mercedes on most tracks if they have equal bonuses. Given the other numbers, I would suggest +2 as a starting bonus for the Oxia. 

The grip advantage of the Mercedes is very significant. I have done the "standard" test on Default with both cars, and the Oxia is slightly slower, with the difference in the order of one second. That being so, a difference of 1-2% in favour of the Oxia is reasonable as a starting value.

I see your point, but I am not sure on two issues. First, how representative is "default" for a Zakstunts track? Second, could it be that low grip cars benefit more from replay handling than high grip cars?

In any case, if I am allowed to apply custom bonuses for my track, please give the Indy -8 and -2 to the Oxia, essentially bringing it down to the bonus of the Mercedes.  In other words, I take the challenge!


Edit: What is the exact grip value of the Oxia? Does it have much worse brakes? If so, that factor should also be taken into account.

These are the coefficients I'd suggest for my second list:



The approach was the same from last year: start from the bonuses after ZCT281, guess neutral to slightly favourable bonuses for the new and returning cars, then tweak the values to keep the total sum at 176. The spreadsheet is attached for trying it with different cars or adjustments.

I wouldn't mind leaving the rules as they are with respect to the cars. Were we to follow your proposal, I would suggest giving the 11% penalty to cars that won 2 or more races in the previous season. This would hit the Jaguar and the Indy in the current situation.

I don't mind sticking with 11 + 5 for 2025 either; that was mostly brainstorming about things we might do in a future season. Targeting cars that win multiple races could lead to a vicious circle, in which split podiums and surprise wins bounce away the same car repeatedly. A rigid cycle seems less risky in this aspect, and the results shouldn't be too different, at least for the first several seasons, if cars with weak bonuses are the first to be targeted. (For instance, going by my criteria Indy and Jaguar would be the current picks as well.)

I think the value for the Oxia is too high. Yes, it has a little less grip than the Mercedes but has faster acceleration and a higher top speed. I wouldn't be surprised if the Oxia beats the Mercedes on most tracks if they have equal bonuses. Given the other numbers, I would suggest +2 as a starting bonus for the Oxia. 

Ok, I will send it to you and Duplode.

Edit: Sent!

As I told @Duplode my track is already ready, and I can offer it as an "emergency" solution. Otherwise, you may want to start the year with a retro track. 

Interesting proposal. Leaving original cars out was not something I was going to suggest, but I'm also not against it. It could lead to a more balanced field of cars. And this distinction between PG cars and others does make sense.

An alternative to outright leaving out a pair of original cars each season would be giving them a -11% penalty, effectively pushing them back one year in the rotation. That way, while they would most likely be uncompetitive for the season, people would still be able to race them for fun and have it show on the scoreboard. The 22 subtracted points could be redistributed by adding +1% to the other sixteen cars (assuming two additional custom cars would be included) and spreading the remaining six points across newly introduced or reintroduced custom cars (whose initial percentages have a fudge factor anyway). The selection of the cars to be penalised could be done as in my earlier suggestion (one PG and one non-PG, going through all original cars on a strict rotation with periods of four years and seven years respectively, prioritising cars with weak bonuses whenever feasible).

I wouldn't mind leaving the rules as they are with respect to the cars. Were we to follow your proposal, I would suggest giving the 11% penalty to cars that won 2 or more races in the previous season. This would hit the Jaguar and the Indy in the current situation.