NR2003 Newbie Guide from Openspeedway.net

This is a guide of things which have helped me immensely in getting fairly quick and consistent at Openspeedway and hopefully others will find it helpful as well.

I want to start this post off by saying I am no expert but consider myself at a point now where I can hang w/ the lead pack most of the time win a few Poles on Qualifying and even win races sometimes. I also understand that some of the information I will be sharing has come from other threads and more than anything I'm trying to consolidate it into 1 easier to read post for them. If an administrator on here finds this post to merit enough usefulness maybe they will sticky it for easy access for newer people on Openspeedway.

Section 1: Getting Started and in game setup
The first thing you will need is a wheel (you can get a decent one starting at $99.00 ask and many can help if you need it with selecting one. You will also need a good stable internet connection to race online (dial-up or poor quality connections just wont work here....you will warp and wreck others and ultimately be asked to leave till it is resolved).



Please also note this is intended for a wheel of some type....if you are running a keyboard or other controller you will find it VERY difficult to race here competitively with other racer and not wreck others. Some have done it but I have never so I have no advice on keyboards or other controllers sorry.


Section 2: Running quick and consistent.

To be quick on a super speedway it is paramount that you are smooth and consistent above all.
There are varied opinions on what technique works best but in the end practice done "right" is what I would find the most valuable. Keep in mind you can practice till your blue in the face but if your doing it wrong it wont be of much benefit to you as a driver. What I will attempt to do in this section is layout some of the practices used by faster drivers.

TIP 1: Save replays of races (especially ones where you are involved in a wreck to learn what you could have done differently) and review them daily for the first few months. When I first started racing online I was a wrecker (still am sometimes Wink but I try not 2 be.) I was getting people yelling at me and it upset me so I disconnected and figured out that I needed to "learn" what it would take to be competitive with myself without wrecking others. I reconnected and asked for help....this was key....you have to ask for help if you need it and most will be willing to offer advise. 1 of the best pieces I received was to sit out and simply spec fast drivers from cockpit view or what ever other view you prefer to drive in.

Sounds simple right? Well it is and it served me very well. I watched and watched for a few weeks and leaned the "lines" the fast drivers took and the commonalities they had....being that they were smooth, patient, and consistent. I saved the replays for future reference and disconnected. I then in single player mode practiced running the same lines but found it very very challenging because the wheel seemed to jerky and twitchy. I needed more help. I re-connected and asked how the others configured there controllers for a base and went from there. Once I did that I found the car much more controllable and tweaked my settings for my own personal driving style till I got it dialed in.

Within a few weeks I got up the confidence to dive in and I did. This was only the foundation of learning that I needed to do. I tried qualifying and found I was significantly slower than others. I couldn't figure out how they were all so much faster than me. Finally I asked a few of the fastest drivers and they would give vague answers which helped a little but not really what I was looking for so I went back to practicing.

Well I got a little quicker but not near what I needed to be as I always strive for excellence in anything I do. I started searching and searching and learned that the way to do it was to run a high line for the out lap and the first lap then build up speed for the final lap.

Our good friend Howlinwolf was kind enough to share a qualy video which will work as a great resource for any learning. Click here to download it.

Other quotes from people on Open regarding "Q"

Spifr wrote:
Two things I've learned since my last post on this thread.

Qualifying: Yeah I watched the vids posted by the others but still couldnt find a lower time. So I went back and watched again, a few times. SMOOTH seems to be the key. 1st 2 laps high 3rd lap low and be as silky smooth as you can. Now I have seen a more than a few top 10 quals and couple top 5s. Will I ever see a pole, dunno if I can be THAT smooth.

If that works out for you then you'll have to get used to a whole new race. Your likely to mess up a few pits looking for your pit stall in back cuz your used to being back there. Also Ive had to say sory and park a few times Simply because I wasnt used to running with the leaders that early. The one time I qualied 3rd I didnt even start the race cuz I was real tired and didnt think could hold it together running up front the whole race.

Making that great pit stop: This IMO is much more important than the Q. A great pit stop will put you in position to win. It does get frustraiting when time and time again you pit in with the leaders but pit out all by your lonesome. So after taking a good look at the people I race with. I determined that Producer makes the most money in the Pits. So I saved a few replays and studied what he does. Now when I dont screw up I leave with the leaders. I freaked the other night, I was last in and 1st out, wasnt quite sure what to do.

I got this to say to you guys running up front. "Im not going anyplace and I just plan on getting better, so get used to seeing me up there with ya".

Oh yeah, and thanks to you guys for the help with qualifiying and pitting tips.


MTB 3 wrote:
I don't race much in the open SS servers anymore, but Spifr emulates just about everything I've learned in the two years I've had this game.

I agree that pit stops are about the most important part of the race. Once you master pit stops, you'll have a chance to win in almost every race. You have to turn off anti-lock brakes and automatic shifting. If you're not already doing it, you should practice offline until you're comfortable.

Not trying to boast, but I consider myself one of the best pitters at OS. I can pit on any lap (I prefer to stay out later, as well) and come out in the lead pack every time, and I've been known to stay out and run a full lap by myself, yet still come out as the leader. My pit entry can be broken up into 3 parts...

1. Once you're off of turn 4, roll out of the throttle and move below the yellow line before you start braking. This is probably the trickiest part, if you start turning and then jump off the throttle, or you start braking before the wheel is straight, you'll be face-to-face with the cars behind you. Get the wheel straight and gently ease into the brake, not too hard, halfway is fine.

2. As the tach falls below 5000, you should downshift to 3rd. Be sure to keep the wheel straight whenever you're downshifting. Now you can brake a little harder, never past 3/4, though... you don't want to lock them up. Do any extra maneuvering now. (dodging cars, aligning your car with pit road, etc).

3. Here comes the other tricky part. As the tach falls below 5000 again, it's time to downshift to 2nd; but you'll need to do it before you have to make that last little turn towards pit road. Burp the brake as you downshift, and you should be just below 80mph. Now get back on the brakes and get down to 55mph. If they start to lock, you'll just have to tapdance on the brake.

That's my technique. I've perfected it to the point that I can hit 55mph within 10 feet of the line when I'm on my game.


The quotes were taken from this thread which is also worth a read.

Dev Clough of Nasa wrote:
Learning the Line

By Dev Clough

The line is the path around the track, that when driven at the limit, will yield the fastest lap time.

The line through any particular corner is accomplished using a “connect the dots” approach. There is a specific “turn in”, or “corner entry” point, which is the point where you begin turning the wheel. At the approximate middle of the corner is the “apex” which is the point in the turn where the inside wheels are closest to the inside edge of the pavement. At the end of the turn is the “corner exit”, which is the point where the car is no longer turning, and the wheel is straight.

Going quickly requires that you learn the line and drive it consistently and precisely. One of the biggest stumbling blocks to learning the line is overdriving the car while trying to learn the line. (Particularly at corner entry).

If you are going slower than the traction limits will allow, you can place the car exactly where you want to. If you are going too fast, the car will be controlling you, and you will be forced to follow the line established by the speed of the car.

Racing drivers are all aware of the adage “In slow, out fast”. The most important goal of most corners is to carry as much speed as possible onto the straight following the corner. It has been said that the race winner is not the guy who goes fastest around the corners, but the guy who gets between the corners fastest.

The proper line can often be felt. Some things to look for:

At the “turn in” point, the car should be as close to the outside edge of the track as possible, this will allow the car to travel the arc of the greatest radius through the corner. At the “apex”, the car should be as close as possible to the inside edge of the track, and at “corner exit” the car should be all of the way to the outside edge of the track again. Many turns have “berms” (Usually a concrete curbing) at the apex and corner exit. Racing drivers commonly drive on the berms to increase the radius of the turn by another few inches. I don’t advocate that in a street car, but I ask my students to try to just “feel” the edge of the berm, to know they have used the whole width of the track. Note: It can be helpful in learning the line to look at where the rubber has been left on the berm by the race cars.

Hot tip: You will know when you are on the correct line when you turn in at corner entry and do not have to change the wheel position again until you begin to “unwind” (straighten) the wheel about 50-75% of the way through the corner. You must hit your apex, and wind up at the outside edge of the track for this to be meaningful.

This is what you will want to feel: At corner entry the car should turn in easily. The car will lean on its suspension, and “take a set”, when it does you should gently begin to apply a small amount of throttle (the car is more stable under throttle than if just rolling free). Gently increase the throttle, feeling how much the car can take, if the car begins to go wide (remember, you must hit your apex!) either stop increasing throttle application, or lift very gently. Lifting quickly will probably spin the car if you are anywhere near the limit, but lifting gently will just point the car in to the apex. As you pass your apex point you should be able to gradually apply more throttle, as you do you will feel the car tell you it wants to go straighter (because you are going faster) and you will have to unwind the wheel. This unwinding should carry you all of the way out against the edge of the track at your corner exit point. If the entire corner felt smooth, and felt like the car was developing a consistent “G” force from the beginning to the end of the corner, you probably nailed it. Remember, none of this means anything if you do not “connect the dots”!

Most drivers use visual reference points to establish where they apply their brakes, the turn in point, the apex and corner exit points. It is the easiest way to be consistent, particularly when learning a new track. Look for objects that will always be there, and that won’t move. Cones are a bad idea, a missing chunk of pavement is a good idea. When establishing a braking point, be conservative. First, because of “slow in, fast out” and secondly because as the day progresses you will probably be exiting the previous corner faster, and therefore carrying more speed into the braking zone.

Hot tip: While learning the line, if you find yourself running out of pavement at corner exit, move your turn in point closer to the turn. If you have pavement left over at corner exit, move it back. You must hit your apex for this to work!


Section 3: Racing etiquette

In racing you will never win many races or last if you do not abide by common etiquette and be a gentlemen. None of us can do anything on our own and if you do not gain the respect of your fellow racers you will find yourself getting hung out to dry regularly.

In this section rather than typing everything myself I'm gonna quote some previous posts by some of the best racers on Openspeedway which have been posted previously....they are good reading and will serve all well.

The first images are not from openspeedway but rather another league but have some good messages which I felt were also worth a look.

Spifr wrote:
Much like Prodigy, I dont say much. I wrote this to amuse myself and was never going post it. Prodigy is right though and has inspired me to go ahead and post here. Not only about helping Noobs like myself, but also a 15-20 car lead pack. After all, we came here to race! No way I would consider myself a vet here. but I Learned a few things I could share. It also looks like its been awile since anyone posted on this thread. C'mon guys give up them tips for us noobs.

First the disclaimer. These remarks were not approved by anyone involved with running Open Speedway. This is an essay of my own Observations and Personal Standards. My sole intention is to share my observations and just maybe help another noob like myself.

1. 1st and foremost. The Golden Rule. Regarding wrecks, and all Judgments. The Boss makes the call. Don't expect the boss to be perfect, there not. You might get Black Flagged by the game and the Boss for the same infraction. They have allot to do with watching the line, cheeking replays, I'm sure the Boss' list has things I never even thought about. The Boss deals with the stress of keeping our race clean. Bottom line, The Boss Makes The Call. You can piss and moan but its only going change your screen from the race to the lobby. If you get kicked to the lobby for something. OS doesn't hold a grudge for a common offense. Just come back next race and behave.

2. Sandbaging the high line behind you so you can get the bottom line on the first lap. This is NOT an OS rule. It happens allot. Only result I ever see is, it slows both lines down could cause racers to check up and there's no real payoff. Taking big risks, and forcing other cars around the track rarely pays off.

3. if you feel the need to say "Sorry" you should also consider parking. Doesn't apply to every situation but most of the time its reasonable. If you know you pulled a bonehead move and caused and incident or a racing deal, Step Up. Safely park, retire your car and say your sorry. If you cause a few wrecks in a row. take a break, a long beak, consider it a off day, go do something else and try again later.

4. Live, Breath and BE the no flaming rule. Feel the need to start flaming? Either suck it up or again check out and take a break. OK so you weren't the bonehead head This Time. 2 laps to go and a ditz lapper takes out the lead pack. Or your the lapper, your car is scraping the wall, you've told the leaders to pass low, they wreck and blame you. Let the Boss do his job. and do your best to suck it up. Personally I don't want anyone saying to them selves " there is Spifr he's a hothead and a flamer that cant control himself". Especially when he's 2 inches off my bumper. There's no way around it, you need friends on a Super Speedway. I know I'm going to push the guy that was cool to me the last time I screwed up and ended his race. Same goes for the guys that wreck me but have no problem owning it and saying their sorry. Gota figure the other racers that don't flame feel the same way.

5. No Burnouts on the start. Not only is it an OS rule, it mucks my windows, plus we cant see through the smoke and it staggers/sandbags the line behind you. The the racers in the rear have to hustle and catch up for the start. Someone checks up. Can get messy.

6. If you cant handle pitting with the leaders pit after them. It took me months to keep up with these guys. I still blow it. Your going to have to keep up with the leaders when pitting or you will never be working up front. Practice off line, read the tips in the forum regarding pitting, aids and qualifying. I used aids before OS and after reading the tips on the forums. I went from running full aids and 80 steering assist to no aids and 15 steering assist. I had to do it gradually, It takes a little getting used to but well worth the effort to go faster. Thanks to the vets at OS I don't need training wheels anymore.

7. All that matters at the start is getting to the pit cycle with the leaders and in one piece. The race starts after the pits. Give room and, try not to loose the lead pack. If you find yourself in the lead pack after the pits PAY ATTENTION. Ive been running with the leaders more recently. Running with the leaders is fun but its not free. You gota earn it in the lead pack. its fast, and can get very tight up front. Try not to panic because someones rubbing your rear bumper. Sometimes they get too close and you'll get spun, Blind faith applies here. You have to trust the guy behind you, you need him to go faster and odds are his race will get ruined or he will get asked to park if he spins or wrecks you. Allot of wrecks at open Speedway and the big one is always just around the next turn. Of all the wrecks I've been in, only 1 was intentional and obvious. OS had a racer was running amuk wrecking everybody. I'm sure the Boss made it so we'll never see that guy again.

8. Qualifying. Here's the kick in the throat. Unless your a natural or just got the touch, you wont be qualifying with the leaders right away. Again read the tips in the forum regarding aids and qualifying. I first started qualifying at OS a good 4 tenths back. Reading the forums and practicing got me down to 1.5. That time (1.5 tenths) is driving me crazy, but its there, somewhere, and someday I'm gona find it.

9. Blocking and The last lap. If your doing well with a few laps to go be careful not to get too excited and forget the no blocking until last lap rule. Personally I try not to block at all, I'd rather make it a race and challenge a driver to beat me to the line. Doesn't happen offen but if I'm in the top 5 with 1 lap to go I may decide your going to have to get around my block and take it from me. If your not leading your pack and you don't feel like the racers behind you are going to help if you make a move. You gota stay with the racer your following. Most of the time though "the race for the line is on, I may low line the last lap I may not but my first choice is no block".

10. Cool School says "The High Line Rules". I find it much more satisfying to overtake and or beat another racer from the High Line. The high line needs more help though so if I'm behind I always try to push the high line at the finish and hope it comes back to me when I'm up high going for it.

Last comment is regarding hacks. This comment was not previously written like the others. After debaiting with myself if I should Include this I decided I would.
If you think you can get away with it, think again. OS runs fixed set ups and the Boss knows when a car isn't behaving like it should. Also you may hear racers joking about hacks. These hack jokes are one of the first things I noticed at OS. This may get you wondering if these racers are actually hacking. I've been involved in running a game server for about five years and our admins and regulars make the same kinda hack jokes. Every now and then some one thinks were serious. When you've been chasing and banning the pethetics that hack for years and years it does become a joke. This banter tells me this is a monitored server and the people in charge have been chasing hackers as long as anyone. It also suggest that the OS staff polices itself and a hack offense by a OS staff member would never be tolerated. So keep a thick skin when you hear them joking and race your race knowing that OS is doing everything they can to keep the server cheat free. With limited free time for on line gaming Open Speedway is the only server I race on becasue of their commitment to provide a clean, $free, and monitered server.

So if your a noob and read this, I hope theres something here you can take with you to the track.

this is not a post from me, its from another site.