Racing the Trainers
It's easy to set
up GPL so you can race the Trainers with the AI offline or
online with other players
- What are these "F2 Only" and
"F3 Only" races?
- The Trainers in GPL 1.1, VROC 2, and WinVROC
- Where do I get setups for the Trainers?
- What's the VROC Formula 2 Club?
What are these "F2 Only"
and "F3 Only" races?
Often you'll see races that say "F2 Only" or "F3
Only" in the Comment on VROC. These races are for the Advanced
Trainer (aka "F2") or Basic Trainer ("F3").
These offer not only excellent opportunities for learning, but
some of the best racing on the Internet as well.
Racing GPL's Trainers is a superb way to hone both your car
control skills and your tactical skills. The Trainers are great
for learning because the cars are more controllable, and everything
happens a little more slowly. Rather than using everything you've
got just to stay on the track, you have more time to think about
subtleties of line, braking points, and so forth, and also time
to think about about racing tactics. They are tremendous fun,
too.
Alison says. "In the last few days, I've run about 45
laps at Monaco in the Basic Trainer and then hosted a bunch of
F2 races (for the Advanced Trainer) on VROC. I learned a great
deal about the circuit in the Basic Trainer because I had more
time to sense the little camber changes, see the braking points,
find out just where the right line was, etc. Stuff I never had
time to do in the GP car.
"Racing in the Advanced Trainer gave me the chance to
apply what I'd learned to a faster car, and build on it. I really
burned the line into my brain. In the last couple of races, I
was actually taking the chicane flat out!
"Then I went into the GP car, and in three laps I knocked
about 2 seconds off my previous best, getting into the 1:29's
for the first time. It felt fantastic! Now I can run fairly consistently
in the 29's, and ripped off a 1:28.7 just this morning.
"I am having a great time in the F2 races. The racing
is closer, accidents are fewer, and the speed differential between
the fastest and the slowest drivers is much less than in the
GP cars.
"Dave Kaemmer told me months ago that he thought the
Advanced Trainers were the most fun cars in GPL and I think he's
right. I wish I'd gotten the hint sooner!"
There are tips on how you can race
the Trainers with the AI offline in Eagle Woman's GPL
FAQ. See paragraph
5.3 of the Driving
section for instructions on how to create F2 and F3 drivers,
which makes this easy. These instructions are equally applicable
for racing online.
Note that having a separate driver for each class also allows
GPL to keep lap records for you for each class.
Be sure you also read the VROC Driving
Tips page for some excellent advice on race tactics. These
tips are especially useful when racing online.
The Trainers in GPL 1.1, VROC 2, and
WinVROC
With GPL 1.1, JavaVROC 2 and WinVROC, you have another alternative
for racing the Trainers online. It's no longer necessary to set
up a seperate driver.
When you host a race on WinVROC or JavaVROC 2, you can choose
the class of car you wish to race, and you can also limit your
clients to any of the class(es) you choose. If your clients join
through JavaVROC 2 or WinVROC, they may specify the class they
wish to race, but GPL will only allow them to join if they choose
from among the class(es) you specify.
When you join a race on WinVROC or VROC 2, make sure you choose
one of the class(es) allowed by the host.
Where do I get setups for the Trainers?
See Steve Smith's F2 Superguide. He has a large
collection with some excellent setups. There are also some F2
setups in Alison's setup collections at her Eagle Woman's Grand Prix Legends site. Also
check the Links page on the VROC
Formula 2 Club eGroup. |