I went down to Papyrus
yesterday and participated in a big race (13 drivers!) at Monaco. They are
doing an internal series, taking the tracks in 1967 season order, and I've
been invited to continue participating.I went down to Papyrus
yesterday and participated in a big race (13 drivers!) at Monaco. They are
doing an internal series, taking the tracks in 1967 season order, and I've
been invited to continue participating.
It was an absolute blast! The reality of the experience (aside from a lot more crashing than in real life) was unbelievable.
We ran an Int Long race, which is 30 laps. Matt won; Rich Yasi was a fairly close second after a tight battle that lasted much of the race. Tony Johns was the last car on the same lap, and I was fourth in a Brabham (the first non-Lotus), one lap down. Randy Cassidy was two laps down in a Ferrari, and everyone else was further back. I think only five cars were classified.
Monaco is a hell of a place to hold a motor race, expecially when the field is filled out with NASCAR drivers in Formula 1 cars!
Fastest Lap: T. Johns 1:29.37
One of the things that really struck me is that the beta team is much better positioned to evaluate the various cars' performance relative to each other than Papyrus is. Judging from the race results, there are only perhaps three people at Papyrus who are capable of driving the GPL cars consistently near their limits, and all of them drive the Lotus almost exclusively. There may be a couple of other drivers who are quick as well, but they dropped out for various reasons. Almost everyone else drove the Ferrari, apparently largely for emotional reasons. Those two chassis seem to be the only ones that get much of a workout at Papyrus.
In the later races, it became clear that there are four drivers at Papyrus that are capable of winning any of these races, and several more that are very good but not quite as quick as the fast four. Several drivers in this second tier are driving the Eagle in the series, and others are driving the Ferrari.
We are locked in to the chassis we chose at the beginning of the series (except me, who wasn't aware of this rule when I chose the Brabham for Monaco), so no one is running the Brabham in the Papy Cup. Were we to start over again today, I think several people might choose it. A few people have run the Cooper, and one brave soul tried the BRM, which handles great but is down on power. I've also spotted a Murasama or two on occasion.
One of my early concerns was that the grids of multiplayer races would be a sea of green, as everyone would choose the all-conquering Lotus 49. However, much to my delight, the designers and engineers at Papyrus have worked hard to ensure that this does not happen.
The Lotus is indeed quick; it's nimble, powerful, and has excellent grip. However, as in real life, the peaky torque curve of the Ford-Cosworth engine makes it a challenge to drive. It's also more fragile than the other cars; it's easier to break the suspension by pounding the curbs or nicking a wall, and the Cosworth - unlike the more robust Ferrari V-12, for example - will not tolerate running for long at redline. Just like the real thing!
The Brabham has gotten quicker as a result of some tweaks to its engine by Dave Kaemmer, and it may now be the easiest to drive of the "fast four". It has a very broad torque band, and is very robust, able to take much more punishment than the Lotus. I believe it will be a formidable competitor on the twisty circuits.
The Ferrari has also gotten a little massaging, and is quite competitive with the Lotus at handling circuits like Mexico and Monaco. It has superb brakes, and its short wheelbase and low polar moment plus a "user-friendly" power curve make it nimble and predictable, an absolute joy to drive.
As we have evolved more effective setups for the Eagle we have shown it to be fully the equal of the Lotus at fast circuits like Monza, Spa and Silverstone. Its high polar moment and long wheelbase make it very forgiving in the long fast sweeps of Spa and Monza, though these same characteristics make it a bit clumsy at the twistier places. It has the cleanest aerodynamics and the highest top speed of any of the cars.
The BRM and Cooper are handicapped by their lack of power and excess weight, and the Murasama, while powerful, is too heavy to be totally competitive with the fast four. All of these cars handle very well, though, and the Murasama is perhaps the best of all for trail braking. I believe these cars will prove useful for handicapping faster drivers in multiplayer races; a really fast driver might choose to drive the Cooper, for example, to make a race with a less experienced driver more interesting for both.
Multiplayer races in the full version are going to be fascinating, with a variety of chassis as people pick the chassis to suit their style and the type of circuit.