Alternative software available for PC unit.

QUOTE (indianfire @ 20 Feb 2009, 03:50) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>hi bruce,

one more two questions:

1) what makes the difference in the settings "number of ghost car running" , when in take 1 gost or 5.- what means this to the race? whats the difference?

2) when i have a timed race, for example 5 minutes, the result shows 19 laps in 5:21 minutes...? where comes the 21 secondes? the race ended by exact 5 minutes.

greetings

klaus

1) If you have more than one ghost car running, laps get counted every time the ghost crosses. So the 'ghost driver' can finish very quickly if he's running 3 or 4 cars. If you tell the software you're running 3 ghosts, it won't count a lap for the ghost until 3 cars have crossed. You can attempt to address this issue using the minimum lap time, but I like this solution better.

I got the idea from brumbaer- he uses it in his Mac software. And we all need to thank him for making the protocol available, or I wouldn't have been able to write the software.

2) The results can differ, but I'm not sure how they could read more than the length of the race? The time reported at the end of a heat is the time that has passed when the car last completed a lap. That will often be less than the total length of the heat. For timed races, the session totals will display a time exactly equal to the length of the race(s), but the heat times can differ.

Carrera's digital solution doesn't really lend itself well to timed races, because the track power control is completely decoupled from the timing hardware. That is, the lap counter can't tell the Black Box when a 5 minute race is over, and the Black Box can't tell the lap counter that the power has been cut (track calls).

My next major release is going to partially address this issue- at least for me. I have a relay board hanging off the parallel port of my race track computer, and the power to the rails runs through the relay board. It will be used to cut track power. At the end of a race, and using track calls during a race (the timer will stop during the track call).

I had some time this afternoon, so after a couple hours of testing, version 0.7.3.3 is up here.

As described earlier, this gives you the option of displaying racers in running order or ID order on the race screen. I can see good arguments for both, so it's your option. I've also included the controller ID after the drivers name, so if you do choose running order, you can still tell which driver is assigned to which ID. It can come in handy if you need to adjust lap counts.

There have also been some improvements to the announcement of the next race. If the driver has a sound file attached, you're also told what controller she's using. If there is no sound file attached to the drivers name, then the controller ID is omitted, since it is the same as the driver number.

The results display is a little cleaner- if you keep more than one session in a single result file, there's now a seperator between them. I've made some slight changes in the display of the in race information designed to ensure that it remains legible on lots of different screen resolution and font pitch combinations.

With this out of the way, I should be able to test the Win98 possibilities this weekend....

Happy racing!!!

QUOTE (indianfire @ 21 Feb 2009, 19:45) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>hello bruce,
please tell me about the sense of the ID on the race screen? for what is this information good? can i choose not to show this ID ?

It's there so you can tell what controller ID a driver is using. When you choose to display the results in running order, you can't tell what controller number someone has. That knowledge is useful if you need to add or subtract a lap from someone. Did you know you can add a lap by pressing the number key of the controller ID- or subtract a lap by pressing shift and the number? Not needed in digital so much as in analog- there aren't really any 'riders' in digital- but it can be useful. Say you wanted to impose a penalty for a lane change crash- easily done. Anyway, at present you can't turn that ID info off, but I'll put the option in next weeks release.

You seem to be one of only two people other than me using the software. So most of your suggestions and requests are being honored.

Also in next weeks release- right now when you exit a timed practice session, an error message displays, and if sounds are on you're told that the race is over. That's fixed in next weeks release. I also saw where someone complained to you on freeslotter that he couldn't change the background colors on the race screen. That also will be in next weeks release.

One more thing which I haven't added but plan to before next weekend: the ability to end a race early without canceling. In other words, if a driver drops out, you can end the race but still count the results. Right now the only way to end a race early is the escape key, and that cancels the heat. I'd like to be able to end the race early but not have to run the heat over.

hi bruce,
i really wonder, that there are not more slotters, that youse your software
it works perfect and is 200% better than x-lap!
perhaps you have to open a new thread on "freeslotter.de" to describe your programm and have a lin to it,- i think only some few freeslotter are here in this english forum.
but its nice for me to speak with you and giving my personal desires to your programm - that would not possible by 1000 persons of freeslotters....

i have postet and shortly described your programm on freeslotter in an old thread, so i think this wouldnt have read and checke many persons.
i think your programm is perfect for everyone, how play with x-lap.- those, hew use for example cockpit, these would be not interested...

but if you wish to have 1000 user, you have open a new thread in freeslotter under "measurement"

by the way, you gave the option to offer new wishes....: i would like to have an option to end a tracked race by finishing the first driver reaching the tracks.- but i know, you dont like this option.- but for example, when you have only 2 drivers, than its boring for the second drivers an finish the tracks, by knowing, the winner has finished an must wait till he drives his rounds to the end.

many greetings from germany

klaus

QUOTE (indianfire @ 22 Feb 2009, 06:05) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>by the way, you gave the option to offer new wishes....: i would like to have an option to end a tracked race by finishing the first driver reaching the tracks.- but i know, you dont like this option.- but for example, when you have only 2 drivers, than its boring for the second drivers an finish the tracks, by knowing, the winner has finished an must wait till he drives his rounds to the end.

many greetings from germany

klaus

I've been thinking about this, and I've come up with a solution that is pretty much the same as a real world lap-counted race.

It doesn't end when the winner crosses the finish line- but once the checkered flag is out, drivers only get to finish their current lap.

That will be an option in next weeks release. It's already coded, but I have to test it.

If you like the present method (the same as Carrera's), you can use it. But I think most people will choose to end the race this way. It is rather dull if someone happens to be two or three laps down when the winner crosses the finish line...

As to opening a thread on Freeslotter- I don't speak German. I read FreeSlotter through a Babelfish translation. It's very entertaining, since German and English don't machine-translate all that well.

to me often the translate machine helps not realy,- only one or two words, that i have forgotten,- but to translate complete senteces its not really good

your offer to finish the lap after checkered flag is perfect!-so all my dreams will come true

one thing to the race screen: i think, that the first screen from the version before was a little bit better to see during the race,- it was clearer to look for a short second,- now
there ist the ID, and too there is at each name the (number).- for my understanding now thr informormation is too much. - but please, this is only my personal view, no critics to your hard work!

@:
so i will not use x-lap any more,- can i complete deinstall it, or needs D132 RMS some installed files from x-lap?
-the ony thing x-lap is good or better in comparison with D132RMS are the opportunities for analysm and the creation from clearly tables after one long race evening...

greetings

QUOTE (indianfire @ 22 Feb 2009, 11:49) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>to me often the translate machine helps not realy,- only one or two words, that i have forgotten,- but to translate complete senteces its not really good

your offer to finish the lap after checkered flag is perfect!-so all my dreams will come true

one thing to the race screen: i think, that the first screen from the version before was a little bit better to see during the race,- it was clearer to look for a short second,- now
there ist the ID, and too there is at each name the (number).- for my understanding now thr informormation is too much. - but please, this is only my personal view, no critics to your hard work!

@:
so i will not use x-lap any more,- can i complete deinstall it, or needs D132 RMS some installed files from x-lap?
-the ony thing x-lap is good or better in comparison with D132RMS are the opportunities for analysm and the creation from clearly tables after one long race evening...

greetings

I believe you can uninstall x-lap. The only thing my software uses from x-lap (unless you are using the car images included with x-lap), are the hardware driver files for the PC unit. I don't think they will be removed if you remove x-lap. I'll have to try it later on my test machine and let you know.