Random Grip Range

[tmc]

Hi Everybody,

can anyone tell me, what the "random grip range" on GPEdit means? Is it the factor, that the CC would do some mistakes during the race? E.G. if setting high, it will drive like Andrea De Cesaris in his best years?

And in the window "global car settings" is also a "grip factor". Is this the general grip of the player's car?

[Klon]

Hi Everybody,

can anyone tell me, what the "random grip range" on GPEdit means? Is it the factor, that the CC would do some mistakes during the race? E.G. if setting high, it will drive like Andrea De Cesaris in his best years?

And in the window "global car settings" is also a "grip factor". Is this the general grip of the player's car?

TdK has posted a very impressive text about the random grip range. I hope, he won't mind if I show it here too...

Normally a driver has a grip for race/practice and qualifying. For an example we will take M. Schumacher from the original 1994 Microprose carset.

When you import the (performance) data from an unpatched gp2.exe the values of Schumacher will be as following:
Grip race/practice: 16384
Grip qualification: 16384
Random grip range: 938
(This is when the Carset Editor settings range are set from 0 - 17016, they can also be set 15751-32767 in the program settings menu. This does not effect the grip in any way! it's only how it's displayed in the carset editor... )

First off all: 16384 is not the maximum grip for a driver. Is can be set to a max. off 17016. But with the important notice that when you increase the value to 17016 you won't be able to reach Schumacher's his speed. The maximum grip a player can reach is about 16100. (This is without changes on the original settings from Microprose). The engine power off the game is originaly set to 790hp in qualification and 780hp in the race, no matter which car you're driving. So a Pacific is as good to drive as a Ferrari or even a Williams, it doesn't matter
This is because that you will have an extra power advantage against Schumacher in his silly V8 benetton Ford (Only 750 hp), that's why you are able to beat him.

Example: If you set M. Schumacher's grip at 17016 (the maximum) you need to adjust the grip factor in the car settings menu. Note: 198 is the original value, 0 gives very high grip! On the other hand 1000 (the max.) will let you go straight on, on the first corner you meet on a track... So, don't even bother to find out which grip value you need, give the fastest driver in your carset (the one with 0.00% on the carset calculator screens...) a grip value of 16384 in qualification and race. It's the best, and most off all, the easiest way. Keep the grip factor at or around 198 (In the NL² carset it's set at 192, to give a very small advantage on some faster cars in the corners like the BMW's. Don't worry, it will only give you an advantage of about 1 or 1,5 tenth's on a lap around a track like Hungaroring... )

OK, back to where we were:
M. SCHUMACHER
Grip race/practice: 16384
Grip qualification: 16384
Random grip range: 938

The race and quali grip are set at the same value because you "only" have one random grip range. In Gp3 there are 2 random grip ranges, but they work in a different way than in Gp2. So let's concentrate only on Gp2. The "random grip range" value is a value which will be taken off the driver grip. SO: 16384 - 938 = 15446. 15446 will be Schumacher's worst grip. This means he will be as fast around corners like Martin Brundle (which has a grip of 15442) without any (random) grip taken from Brundle's race/practice/qualification grip... A bit hard to understand maybe, but figure it out when all drivers/teams have the same engine power, so that only the grip effects the drivers! than you will see that when you give Schumacher his worst grip (15446) he will be as fast as Brundle!!!

OK, now the final part:
You asked why the drivers will be fast as hell around corners when the "random grip" is set at it's maximum off 32767. Well that's kind of simple: The max value for "random grip" is again 16384. Values over that will be added to the driver grip in some way. Don't ask me why, but sometimes it does. So it can happen that the driver will be slow like a turtle when the value is just under his race/practice/quali grip. Like schumacher: if he has a random grip off 16380 in a race, his race grip will be: 4... So, very very very very slow.... :-" But; On the other hand, if it's higher than his race grip, example 26624, his race grip will be: 26624. This is because: 16384 (his grip) - the random grip 26624 = 10240. 10240 + his normal grip 16384 = 26624. So, that's why he will be fast as hell around corners... Strange but true!

The random grip value used for an session, no matter race, quali, practice or what else, is altered by Gp2. You don't have any influence on it. You can only "tell" Gp2, what will be the maximum value for a driver. (what a strange thing is to, that how more a driver is back on the grid, the higher his "random grip range" is. I don't know why Geoff Crammond did this, and how it works, but probably there is a reason for it. For any of you asking how do i calculate my random grip settings....: I'm not going to tell you! that's top secret, but count on me it's right as it can be!! :-"

That was it so far. Again a long story. I hope it's a bit more clear now. Performance settings are difficult, but in some way easy and logic... If you want any more information about performance please ask!

[tmc]

Thanks, I think i understood.

But where is the sense in changing Schumachers Grip Factor with 16384 - 938 to 15446 when i can set it directly in the Race-Grip to 15446?

That makes no sense to me.

Or is the Gap for Schumachers performance during a race oscillating between 15446 and 16384 depending on his tyre consumation?

[TdK]

But where is the sense in changing Schumacher’s Grip Factor with 16384 - 938 to 15446 when I can set it directly in the Race-Grip to 15446?

The sense in this, is that Schumacher's grip is somewhere between 16384 and 15446. This means that 16384 is his normal performance during the a race or session, and 15446 "can be" his worst. So by the random grip range, the game can make a variable on how a driver performs....

Example: Set the random grip range of every driver !except! Schumacher on 0. Then you will see that Schumacher won't be 1st (or the fastest) all the time! This is what the random grip does, making drivers perform more realistic in a way by giving them a value that makes their "worst as possible" performance...

Or is the Gap for Schumachers performance during a race oscillating between 15446 and 16384 depending on his tyre consumation?

Kind off, only you need to delete the tyre consumation part, that has nothing to do with it.

Hope this helps... [-o<

[tmc]

Mille Grazie!

Now i understood and it sounds totally logic! Thanks! =D>

[TdK]

Your welcome!