Le Stunts endurance racing

[Duplode]

A thread for setting up Le Stunts endurance events, propagating the buzz from the old Le Stunts thread. A brief overview for the uninitiated:

So what is this about?
Sweat and adrenaline - exhilarating live races in a challenging endurance format.

Who can take part?
Anyone! Simply join the discussion as we arrange the date and time for the next event, either in the Fixtures thread or in the thread for the next race (which you can create if it doesn't exist  ).

How does it work?
Here is what happened in the 2013-01-13 race. None of these "rules" are set in stone, anything can be adjusted if we feel like it.

The essentials

• The race is held on a track in which the finish line is on a pit lane, separate from the "main" track, thus allowing pipsqueaks to complete however many laps they need to.
• Räcers have 12 minutes to completing as many laps as they can within 8 minutes of in-game time.
• Shortcuts are allowed; saving partial replays and using RH are legal too - as for the latter, however, twelve minutes will be hardly enough for avoiding crashes and such disasters, so the action is more like NoRH.
• The final result will be based on (1) number of laps completed within 8 minutes, and (2) distance covered in the last incomplete lap (for pipsqueaks with the same number of laps).

The fine print (race stewarding)

• The track designer posts the track ~24h before the start time of the race, so that pipsqueaks have the opportunity to learn it.
• Some time before the start, we meet at the forum chat. Eventually, someone other than the track designer posts a slightly modified version of the track (to prevent cheating with older replays), starts a 3-minute countdown so that people can download the track and, after that, shoots the metaphorical starting gun at the chat.
• After the starting shot, pipsqueaks have twelve minutes to post the replay of their race to the forum. The deadline is checked by comparing the timestamp of the post with the replay with the one in the chat message announcing the start of the race. (Tip: to avoid delays when posting the replay, it is a good idea to turn on the "Don't warn on new replies made while posting" checkbox in your forum profile settings - Profile >> Modify Profile >> Look and Layout.)

One extra thing we want to do at some point is team racing (pairs, or maybe trios) as in the original Le Stunts. Each pipsqueak in a team would drive a set number of laps and then post/send the partial replay to a team mate, and so on until the eight minutes are completed. With teams we would have the races a bit longer (15min) so that the driver changes become feasible.

Are there archives from past races?
Check the race threads in this subforum. For the very first race, check this post in the old Le Stunts thread for the track and, further down the thread, replays, results and analysis.

[Duplode]

Zak: can you make this topic a sticky? Thanks in advance!

[Komeuppance]

I'm gonna have to sober up (a lot) to fully comprehend these rules.

-Robert

[zaqrack]

Zak: can you make this topic a sticky? Thanks in advance!

done.

[Duplode]

Zak: can you make this topic a sticky? Thanks in advance!

done.

Thanks 

[Akoss Poo a.k.a. Zorromeister]

Eventually, someone other than the track designer posts a slightly modified version of the track (to prevent cheating with older replays), starts a 3-minute countdown so that people can download the track and, after that, shoots the metaphorical starting gun at the chat.

Well, it's the very first time I'm reading this topic because I am about to join a live race.

I'm here now to minimize the chance of cheating. What about posting SIX slightly modified version of the tracks right after everybody joining the chat? After everybody have downloaded it, someone rolls a dice on the chat, the result will give the number of slightly modified version to be used.

And then starts the 12 minutes racing time (which can't be 15 for anybody, using this method).

[CTG]

Eventually, someone other than the track designer posts a slightly modified version of the track (to prevent cheating with older replays), starts a 3-minute countdown so that people can download the track and, after that, shoots the metaphorical starting gun at the chat.

Well, it's the very first time I'm reading this topic because I am about to join a live race.

I'm here now to minimize the chance of cheating. What about posting SIX slightly modified version of the tracks right after everybody joining the chat? After everybody have downloaded it, someone rolls a dice on the chat, the result will give the number of slightly modified version to be used.

And then starts the 12 minutes racing time (which can't be 15 for anybody, using this method).

Too much effort for a fun race, but I'm okay with that.

[Akoss Poo a.k.a. Zorromeister]

Five more slight modification, five more download clicks... maybe three more minutes...

[CTG]

Five more slight modification, five more download clicks... maybe three more minutes...

And who would make the 6 versions? Because he can drive a 8 minutes long replay for all of them before the race.

[Akoss Poo a.k.a. Zorromeister]

Well, good question. But that's also a problem with the original version. Should we forget the 24 hours of learning time?

[dreadnaut]

Maybe we could use something that given a number makes a pseudo-random change to the track ( maybe just the scenery ). We roll the die in the chat, everyone sees the result and can go to enter the number and download the modified track.

Just an idea, haven't thought much about it so it might have some obvious defect.

[Akoss Poo a.k.a. Zorromeister]

Maybe we could use something that given a number makes a pseudo-random change to the track ( maybe just the scenery ). We roll the die in the chat, everyone sees the result and can go to enter the number and download the modified track.

Just an idea, haven't thought much about it so it might have some obvious defect.

That's a useful idea! I like it.

[CTG]

Maybe we could use something that given a number makes a pseudo-random change to the track ( maybe just the scenery ).

It's about 10 seconds to change the scenery in hexeditor...

[Akoss Poo a.k.a. Zorromeister]

Maybe we could use something that given a number makes a pseudo-random change to the track ( maybe just the scenery ).

It's about 10 seconds to change the scenery in hexeditor...

Well, then not the scenery, rather a tiny change on the track which won't become annoying.

[CTG]

Maybe we could use something that given a number makes a pseudo-random change to the track ( maybe just the scenery ).

It's about 10 seconds to change the scenery in hexeditor...

Well, then not the scenery, rather a tiny change on the track which won't become annoying.

That's what we did before (one version, made by another driver right before the start). And that's why I never made the final little change of the track, to avoid the well-known and expected CTG cheat.

About the 12+x minutes thing: it's quite difficult to avoid that kind of cheat. Downloading, starting DOSBox, selecting car, confirming that you are ready to race... it needs about 2 minutes. Your idea sounds fine, but there will be always one or two pipsqueaks having a short technical obstacle, while others can start their laps before confirming the start. To avoid that, we should increase the racing time by one minute, but counted FROM THE PUBLICATION of the track (maybe a coded subsite at ZakStunts with triggered track publication?). Another (irrealistic) possibility is video capturing in DOSBox, as it can confirm the real time you spent on racing. But it's too much effort.