Post by Alex8008 on Jan 17, 2016 14:24:41 GMT -5
So, fellow Bullshifters, many of us not only enjoy the meets and cruises, but also delve into some racing. Since PC is our main platform, I decided to give a brief overview of technical details that can affect the outcome of your efforts.
1. Framerate (FPS) vs car dynamics.
Having a laptop which runs GTAO @ 30 fps and racing quite a fair bit on it I noticed that on same cars with same full tuning or stock vs stock my car was way slower when maxed out than some of the competition. A lot of competition, by the way. Later, after assembling a desktop which runs the game at 60 fps, I found that the difference between 30 and 60 fps was stable. Lately there's been an article on one of russian GTA-related sites with proof and some further insights into the problem. So, there are several issues:
1) The lower the framerate, the lower the top speed. For example, on a fully tuned Cheetah top speed at 30 fps is 193,9 kph, 60 fps = 195,5 kph, 130 fps = 200,7 kph (data courtesy of gta.riotpixels.com).
2) Acceleration and its overall smoothness depend on framerate as well. If you get a framerate dip, for example, you will be behind a competitor whose framerate was stable all the while.
3) Responsiveness on higher framerates makes it easier to counter the oversteer (and understeer) before it spins you out or before you just lose speed out of a corner, especially on the likes of muscle cars or, say, Schafter V12.
2. Connection issues. Bandwidth and racing.
The more players there are the faster should the connection be to appropriately deal with the racing, especially with the start. For example, basic 3 Mbps (got such at work) allows to race against 3 to 4 players and be able to do the turbostart and race successfully. 6 players and up cause problems not only with start, but with overall lags as well with such connection.
3. Keyboard controls and smooth driving.
Most of you have already learned how to follow the racing lines more or less and got the idea of outside line in - inside line out. With many cars, say, muscle cars, especially those without a spoiler, you need a tap-tapping technique to go through the corners smoothly without swiping the tail. This can adhere to both throttle and steering. Try practicing this technique on a Dominator without a spoiler on Brands-Snatch, or Crossing Ways, or any technical track with lots of corners.
4. Right car for a right job.
Consider your strengths and weaknesses (and tracks you race on) and choose your racing vehicles accordingly. For example, getting a Schafter V12 for a tech track, even a fast one, isn't such a good idea - it may be slower than even a Massacro by, say, 1,5 seconds per lap - tested on Brands-Snatch. And both will be trumped by Elegy RH-8 when it comes to tech tracks.
Moreover, controls on keyboard can make it difficult to race certain cars. Especially at 30 fps. Good examples are Dominator (without a spoiler, and fully tuned even with it) Blackfin and T20. So it would be much easier to race, say, a Blade in muscle class or Osiris in supercars - these are way smoother.
As far as I see it, these are all the issues with racing in GTAO on PC. And, of course, feel free to add and discuss this stuff! You're welcome
1. Framerate (FPS) vs car dynamics.
Having a laptop which runs GTAO @ 30 fps and racing quite a fair bit on it I noticed that on same cars with same full tuning or stock vs stock my car was way slower when maxed out than some of the competition. A lot of competition, by the way. Later, after assembling a desktop which runs the game at 60 fps, I found that the difference between 30 and 60 fps was stable. Lately there's been an article on one of russian GTA-related sites with proof and some further insights into the problem. So, there are several issues:
1) The lower the framerate, the lower the top speed. For example, on a fully tuned Cheetah top speed at 30 fps is 193,9 kph, 60 fps = 195,5 kph, 130 fps = 200,7 kph (data courtesy of gta.riotpixels.com).
2) Acceleration and its overall smoothness depend on framerate as well. If you get a framerate dip, for example, you will be behind a competitor whose framerate was stable all the while.
3) Responsiveness on higher framerates makes it easier to counter the oversteer (and understeer) before it spins you out or before you just lose speed out of a corner, especially on the likes of muscle cars or, say, Schafter V12.
2. Connection issues. Bandwidth and racing.
The more players there are the faster should the connection be to appropriately deal with the racing, especially with the start. For example, basic 3 Mbps (got such at work) allows to race against 3 to 4 players and be able to do the turbostart and race successfully. 6 players and up cause problems not only with start, but with overall lags as well with such connection.
3. Keyboard controls and smooth driving.
Most of you have already learned how to follow the racing lines more or less and got the idea of outside line in - inside line out. With many cars, say, muscle cars, especially those without a spoiler, you need a tap-tapping technique to go through the corners smoothly without swiping the tail. This can adhere to both throttle and steering. Try practicing this technique on a Dominator without a spoiler on Brands-Snatch, or Crossing Ways, or any technical track with lots of corners.
4. Right car for a right job.
Consider your strengths and weaknesses (and tracks you race on) and choose your racing vehicles accordingly. For example, getting a Schafter V12 for a tech track, even a fast one, isn't such a good idea - it may be slower than even a Massacro by, say, 1,5 seconds per lap - tested on Brands-Snatch. And both will be trumped by Elegy RH-8 when it comes to tech tracks.
Moreover, controls on keyboard can make it difficult to race certain cars. Especially at 30 fps. Good examples are Dominator (without a spoiler, and fully tuned even with it) Blackfin and T20. So it would be much easier to race, say, a Blade in muscle class or Osiris in supercars - these are way smoother.
As far as I see it, these are all the issues with racing in GTAO on PC. And, of course, feel free to add and discuss this stuff! You're welcome
