Scalex crossovers on straight sections
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QUOTE (Screwneck @ 25 Nov 2004, 09:51)Anybody out there who wishes that Scalex had made the crossover sections on straight sections, rather than on curves?
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...definitive yes!!! It's just a little boring that they only offer 1 radius with the lane change as this limits your track designs! But actually none of the competitors offers the "perfect" solution! The long straight of Carrera works well, but is should have the SCX-design with the possibility to change from either lane, Scalextric is nice - but not flexible enough with only one radius - and SCX is to short for cars without mag!!!!
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...definitive yes!!! It's just a little boring that they only offer 1 radius with the lane change as this limits your track designs! But actually none of the competitors offers the "perfect" solution! The long straight of Carrera works well, but is should have the SCX-design with the possibility to change from either lane, Scalextric is nice - but not flexible enough with only one radius - and SCX is to short for cars without mag!!!!
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I haven't been lucky enough to have a go on Scalextric digital YET. To me crossovers on the corners seems like a more realistic solution. People who are complaining about cornering and changing lanes at the same time I am sure will get used to it with practice.
I think straight crossovers allowing the racers to change lane in BOTH directions would be a great extra feature when ADDED to the existing curved changeovers.
I would like to hear some comments from people who have used digital as to how easy it is to actually perform an overtake. In my mind I can't help to think that you might want to decide what lane you want to be in BEFORE the corner as actually passing in the curve looks quite difficult.
JS
I think straight crossovers allowing the racers to change lane in BOTH directions would be a great extra feature when ADDED to the existing curved changeovers.
I would like to hear some comments from people who have used digital as to how easy it is to actually perform an overtake. In my mind I can't help to think that you might want to decide what lane you want to be in BEFORE the corner as actually passing in the curve looks quite difficult.
JS
Having had my Scalextric set for a few days now I can confirm that overtaking is something you will get used to over time, you need to adjust your speed accordingly for overtaking, I had dynamic braking setup (release trigger - slow down) and this definitely makes things easier.
There will be plenty of times when you deslot as when you over/under take the curve suddenly sharpens and if you haven't shaved off enough speed you will slide or roll off the track. It's also easy to forget you have the ability to change lanes and I found myself doing 30/50 laps before switching lanes. In my opinion the best thing about digital is the ability to race on the same slot, this really shows you strengths/weaknesses against your opponent.
There will be plenty of times when you deslot as when you over/under take the curve suddenly sharpens and if you haven't shaved off enough speed you will slide or roll off the track. It's also easy to forget you have the ability to change lanes and I found myself doing 30/50 laps before switching lanes. In my opinion the best thing about digital is the ability to race on the same slot, this really shows you strengths/weaknesses against your opponent.
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QUOTE (thomas @ 25 Nov 2004, 11:07)QUOTE (Screwneck @ 25 Nov 2004, 09:51)Anybody out there who wishes that Scalex had made the crossover sections on straight sections, rather than on curves?
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...definitive yes!!! It's just a little boring that they only offer 1 radius with the lane change as this limits your track designs! But actually none of the competitors offers the "perfect" solution! The long straight of Carrera works well, but is should have the SCX-design with the possibility to change from either lane, Scalextric is nice - but not flexible enough with only one radius - and SCX is to short for cars without mag!!!!
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Even more limiting when you consider that you have to have a half straight before that 90 degree R2 as well. And that each LC piece only works one way and in one orientation (hence the 4 different pieces offered).
What this means is, that in the SSD layout with 2 out to in LC pieces, for any given lane there is only ONE place to change lane per lap. With a straight LC piece on the other hand you can change either way.
This gets even more annoying when you realise that you can drive your car in either direction BUT the LC's only work in one.
All in all, the straight LC system seems way more flexible.
All of which makes me very unhappy that the SCX system locks you into their cars. Not that I don't like their cars, I am a rally fan after all, but I LOVE my Scalextric minis.
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...definitive yes!!! It's just a little boring that they only offer 1 radius with the lane change as this limits your track designs! But actually none of the competitors offers the "perfect" solution! The long straight of Carrera works well, but is should have the SCX-design with the possibility to change from either lane, Scalextric is nice - but not flexible enough with only one radius - and SCX is to short for cars without mag!!!!
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Even more limiting when you consider that you have to have a half straight before that 90 degree R2 as well. And that each LC piece only works one way and in one orientation (hence the 4 different pieces offered).
What this means is, that in the SSD layout with 2 out to in LC pieces, for any given lane there is only ONE place to change lane per lap. With a straight LC piece on the other hand you can change either way.
This gets even more annoying when you realise that you can drive your car in either direction BUT the LC's only work in one.
All in all, the straight LC system seems way more flexible.
All of which makes me very unhappy that the SCX system locks you into their cars. Not that I don't like their cars, I am a rally fan after all, but I LOVE my Scalextric minis.
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I think you'll find that its a rookie thing to put straight crossovers in a layout... and its probably a good thing to learn why no one uses them. I cant remember the last time I saw an established layout that had any crossovers. If you find old large collections of old track, the crossovers can almost always be found still in the box having been tested and then put back after most of the cars lost some bodywork.
Cars exiting corners all have a relatively equal amount of track grip and the chances of someone accelerating out of a corner and possibly overtaking their opponent by the time the entry point of the chicane is reached ( which is sometimes only 2 or 3 long straights way) its almost impossible. My point is you usually have to follow someone along until they make a mistake. Its safer than trying to cut them off, usually meaning you'll get clouted or worse in the case of a Formula 1 race, lose your front wings.
The digital thing will be interesting, certainly different, makes you wonder what they'll think of next.
Cars exiting corners all have a relatively equal amount of track grip and the chances of someone accelerating out of a corner and possibly overtaking their opponent by the time the entry point of the chicane is reached ( which is sometimes only 2 or 3 long straights way) its almost impossible. My point is you usually have to follow someone along until they make a mistake. Its safer than trying to cut them off, usually meaning you'll get clouted or worse in the case of a Formula 1 race, lose your front wings.
The digital thing will be interesting, certainly different, makes you wonder what they'll think of next.
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QUOTE (uksqueezea @ 28 Nov 2004, 06:18)I think you'll find that its a rookie thing to put straight crossovers in a layout... and its probably a good thing to learn why no one uses them. I cant remember the last time I saw an established layout that had any crossovers. If you find old large collections of old track, the crossovers can almost always be found still in the box having been tested and then put back after most of the cars lost some bodywork.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>
fight. fight.
fight. fight.
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No really, let them do it, it cant hurt.
Its not like Nailing Guns and Apprentice Carpenters. Its only AFTER they shoot themselves they realize what you mean't when you kep't repeating, "Be careful, be careful!"
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Its not like Nailing Guns and Apprentice Carpenters. Its only AFTER they shoot themselves they realize what you mean't when you kep't repeating, "Be careful, be careful!"
If we consider the real thing, the best way to corner is from the outside, cut into the corner and leave on the outside. So Scalextric have the most realistic lane changing. If you put an out to in and then follow with an in to out, this would be ideal. An additional out to in straight would be good for a lane swap passing burst then an in to out just before the corner (expensive but this out rock!).
Ideally we want to copy a real race right? I think the digital rocks and most real tracks are on only approx 3 cars wide and most of the time the cars are in single profile. A four lane track just does fit any "real race" situation.
Ideally we want to copy a real race right? I think the digital rocks and most real tracks are on only approx 3 cars wide and most of the time the cars are in single profile. A four lane track just does fit any "real race" situation.
QUOTE Ideally we want to copy a real race right?
Well . . . maybe . . .
But to do that, we would need cars limited to half current speeds or less, plus circuits at least 4 times longer and preferably ten times longer than most of us normally have. This speed/space equation creates a 'time to handle it all' problem and the classic cure is more lanes - which we do often have!
Although we often say it is, I'm not at all sure that 'realism' is really the essence of what makes slot RACING the simple fun it represents for most people.
The 'look' of the cars, yes, but the rest, well . . . maybe . . .
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Welcome to SF, by the way and you will see that we are ALLOWED to disagree!
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Well . . . maybe . . .
But to do that, we would need cars limited to half current speeds or less, plus circuits at least 4 times longer and preferably ten times longer than most of us normally have. This speed/space equation creates a 'time to handle it all' problem and the classic cure is more lanes - which we do often have!
Although we often say it is, I'm not at all sure that 'realism' is really the essence of what makes slot RACING the simple fun it represents for most people.
The 'look' of the cars, yes, but the rest, well . . . maybe . . .
Welcome to SF, by the way and you will see that we are ALLOWED to disagree!
QUOTE (Squishy @ 28 Nov 2004, 13:54)If we consider the real thing, the best way to corner is from the outside, cut into the corner and leave on the outside. So Scalextric have the most realistic lane changing. If you put an out to in and then follow with an in to out, this would be ideal.
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You cannot do this with the existing scalextric system, because a half straight sensor is needed before each LC, so the second LC of the curve requires a short piec of straight, which means you end up with 2 bends instead of 1 long bend.
The second sensor may be unreliable too - since it depends on the car's LED being above the track sensor. If the car has slid out after the previous bend, it might not line up, and the change will be missed.
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>
You cannot do this with the existing scalextric system, because a half straight sensor is needed before each LC, so the second LC of the curve requires a short piec of straight, which means you end up with 2 bends instead of 1 long bend.
The second sensor may be unreliable too - since it depends on the car's LED being above the track sensor. If the car has slid out after the previous bend, it might not line up, and the change will be missed.
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QUOTE (astro @ 29 Nov 2004, 00:43)QUOTE (Squishy @ 28 Nov 2004, 13:54)If we consider the real thing, the best way to corner is from the outside, cut into the corner and leave on the outside. So Scalextric have the most realistic lane changing. If you put an out to in and then follow with an in to out, this would be ideal.
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>
You cannot do this with the existing scalextric system, because a half straight sensor is needed before each LC, so the second LC of the curve requires a short piec of straight, which means you end up with 2 bends instead of 1 long bend.
I was quite taken by Squishy's idea. It would create a very 'REAL' overtaking situation. How about a standard racing curve crossover after the first 'out to in' lane change. Then this would simulate the real racing line of the overtaking car cutting inside and then running wide on the exit. Admittedly you can only currently do this with a 180 degree corner.
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Getting back onto topic I think a variety of lane changeovers are required to suit different peoples requirements. Being able to change lane once a lap may not seem like much, but for home racers with shorter circuits that might mean every 4-5 seconds?
JS
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You cannot do this with the existing scalextric system, because a half straight sensor is needed before each LC, so the second LC of the curve requires a short piec of straight, which means you end up with 2 bends instead of 1 long bend.
I was quite taken by Squishy's idea. It would create a very 'REAL' overtaking situation. How about a standard racing curve crossover after the first 'out to in' lane change. Then this would simulate the real racing line of the overtaking car cutting inside and then running wide on the exit. Admittedly you can only currently do this with a 180 degree corner.
Getting back onto topic I think a variety of lane changeovers are required to suit different peoples requirements. Being able to change lane once a lap may not seem like much, but for home racers with shorter circuits that might mean every 4-5 seconds?
JS
Tropi
Your comments were good, however just a little more realistic would be nice.
Most races, large or small, typically have competitors trying to pass each other and the other getting in the way (exceptions rally etc).
This lane swapping ability + six cars + longer track (all planned if Scalextric in Australia gave me the chance to buy the parts!) should make for some fun! My bro went Scaley analogue as he is after the traditional racing.
It is good to get feedback from my first post. Thanks for your comments boys.
ISHY
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Your comments were good, however just a little more realistic would be nice.
Most races, large or small, typically have competitors trying to pass each other and the other getting in the way (exceptions rally etc).
This lane swapping ability + six cars + longer track (all planned if Scalextric in Australia gave me the chance to buy the parts!) should make for some fun! My bro went Scaley analogue as he is after the traditional racing.
It is good to get feedback from my first post. Thanks for your comments boys.
ISHY
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