Alright Boyz, here we go!! Motorsport Manager

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Capital

What penalty is there for stacking both cars at PIT? I had to do that for fuel purposes and one of my drivers was not happy about it.

No penalty, but one of the cars has to wait until the other one clears the pits. So they get grumpy because they're just sitting their waiting and wasting time.

[Capital]

Ok, that makes sense since it is the same pit crew.

[bhlloy]

There is a rule change that can get voted on however, that allows both of your cars to pit at the same time

[SirBlurton]

Originally Posted by nilodor

I think it's worth making the ERS APS jump right away because those teams aren't that far ahead. But the APS - WRS jump is huge. You need to be at facility level 3 and have most, if not all of the buildings at least at level 1 to have a chance to be competitive.

I think the prize purses alone make jumping to APS a good idea. I saw a youtuber get 29 million for a second place finish and I saw the distribution of prize money in an FAQ, so you're definitely going to be much further ahead financially finishing last in APS vs 1st in ERS.

I chose to stay in ERS and then mishaps cost me the next season, so I would definitely agree with your recommendation taking promotion at that level.

[Brian Swartz]

Originally Posted by nilodor

APS - WRS jump is huge. You need to be at facility level 3 and have most, if not all of the buildings at least at level 1 to have a chance to be competitive.

Oh ... my. I figured it would be big but that sounds very scary.

Last race pre-patch was my most disappointing in a long time. Second race at Milan where I'd finished 2nd and 3rd last two years, only two podium finishes ever, and then 3rd again for the first race there this season. By far our best track. So it's raining, and I see from the forecast everyone's going to need wets a few laps in. I'll start with them while everyone else is on inters and save myself a stop, right? Err ... no. Lost a ton more ground than I gained and spend the whole race making up only a small part of it.

So then the first race with the patch is Black Sea ... where we always suck. Big improvement in blue flag behavior was obvious. One driver can't stop destroying her tires on the corners, but the other leads by almost 50 seconds for a while and holds off the others at the end to get our first win, ending 2019.

Most unpredictable. And now I have something weird; going into 2020, actual expectations for the first time. Can't just say 'yep, we'll be last again'. So there's pressure to actually not suck. We'll see how that goes.
*

[PilotMan]

When it comes to wet tracks or any race where the weather is going to be rapidly changing, go light and go all out.

Everyone is going to be making pit stops so you might as well run as light of a fuel load as you think you can manage. The tires aren't going to last. Especially if your driver loves to lock them up.

Don't be afraid of pit stops. What I've found in this last season starting from the back of the pack is that it's better to run very light at the start of the race, pit early, then try and run as many laps on open track, then be stuck in traffic the whole race. All that time makes a difference when the stops start to even out.

Many times it's the guys that ran light and took more stops that break away because they weren't on the same stop strategy and had lots of open track to run on. The lighter you can keep the car, (especially in the wet) while going fast, the better off you're generally going to be.

[Balldog]

Hmm...since the patch we have finished 2/3, 2/3, and 1/2. Previously our best finish was 10/12. Almost seems it's gotten easier since the patch. Hard to tell though as we have gotten reliability up to 100 across the board and maxed our performance of parts.

We were really struggling but now with 3 races to go we are in contention to win APS in our first year!


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[kingfc22]

Interesting. I too won my first two races post-patch and got 3rd on this last one. It's also week 8 now, so my equipment is also pretty upgraded from where we were early on.

[Brian Swartz]

I've been all over the place. I think the blue flag stuff has made it easier as that was a real obstacle in many situations. After winning the first race post-patch to end 2019, through four 2020 races I haven't made the Top 5 but have been in the Top 10 every time. Other car ... well, we crashed early in the first race and otherwhise it's been hit-and-miss.

I have noticed that the other teams are possibly being more conservative with tires they pick, so maybe they are being more conservative in general.

[SirFozzie]

I think the AI still needs a little tweaking in risk/reward with tires and fuel, in late race stages, especially where they have a large enough lead over the next person that they can come in an throw on 4 tires, maybe a gallon of fuel and get back out in 5 seconds rather then risk losing 10 seconds a sector when your tires go bald, or your car runs out of fuel.

[kingfc22]

Anybody else have an issue with the 2nd race in Tondale (Portugal) with the race running through the cones? It didn't effect the game, other than it looking funny. Never noticed this in previous versions prior to the latest patch.

[Balldog]

Our success quickly faded! Final race of the season we finished 19/20...
Still finished 3rd and pulled in $27.5M in prize money that surely made life a bit easier.

Heading into our second APS season with some dreadful drivers but showing we are +$1m in profit on race day. Hope to load up on some cash and upgrade the HQ


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[Flasch186]

Originally Posted by kingfc22

Anybody else have an issue with the 2nd race in Tondale (Portugal) with the race running through the cones? It didn't effect the game, other than it looking funny. Never noticed this in previous versions prior to the latest patch.

yes

[Balldog]

FYI Beta patch is out and addresses that issue

===

We’ve managed to squeeze one last patch in before Christmas! We know you’ll be wanting to tweak your tyre strategy in between your fifth and sixth mince pie of the day, so consider this one last filler for your stocking.

As per Patch 1.1, we’ve put it into the beta branch for you to try out before we make it live for everyone. Please add any feedback as replies to this post, just in case you pick up on anything we’ve missed in our own testing process.

You’ll be pleased to hear that we’ve adjusted the AI for a few bits and pieces, most notably on the refuelling. Full patch notes are below. Bear in mind that you’ll see race AI changes at the next race if you currently have a race in progress.

· Fix to barriers being visible on some Tondela track layouts.
· Practice & Qualifying: AI cars now leave the garage in a less uniform manner and this leaves space on the track for players to slot their cars in to for the ultimate timed lap.
· Safety Car: AI cars now make better strategy calls on when to pit under the safety car.
· Refuelling: AI cars now make better judgement calls on how much fuel to use to get to their target lap count.
· Refuelling: AI cars no longer fill up their entire tank when refuelling during a race, they’ll now attempt to optimise their fuel usage based on how aggressive the team’s strategy is.
· Driving Style: AI drivers will no longer push too hard if it’ll impact their race pit strategy.
· Driving Style: AI drivers will now push more if they know they’ll need to stop for more fuel before they’ll need to change for new tyres.
· Engine Failures: AI cars will turn the engine down if they are experiencing an issue with it.
· Tyre Lock Ups: Reduced tyre wear when a driver locks up under braking.

To access the beta branch:
· Right-click game in library
· Choose properties
· Go to betas tab
· Enter password “MotorsportManager” in the text box
· Choose beta option from drop down menu above the text box
· Starting the game will install the beta

(Thanks to Gerhard Burglar who added instructions to our last post! We’ve reproduced them here. We hope Santa brings you lots of presents.)

It’s live right now on the beta branch and we’re planning to put it live to everyone in the next few days.

Happy Christmas everyone!


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[Balldog]

I was really hoping to build Predator to the top but I had a series of bad finishes in year to of APS and got fired.

I've taken over at BOA in the APS and quite frankly it's a huge upgrade in every possible way.


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[kingfc22]

Just finished season 5 where we finally dominated the ERS and will be getting promoted. Curious to see if Predator can survive the APS.

[kingfc22]

Definitely loving the APS so far. A lot more strategy involved with qualifying, tire and trim usage during practice, longer races, only 6 spots scoring points, etc. I think we are about the 4th to 6th best team and once we get our car to a point where reliability isn't an issue, we will be able to focus on improvement and the plan is to steal points late in the year.

[EagleFan]

I love the evolution of the game. Am still in the bottom tier league but at this point we now have:

1 more race in our season than when I started.

Prize pool now pays heavily towards position.

Only the top 6 drivers get points.

Both wings are now standard parts.

Starting next season we will have qualifying.


I love how alive that makes your league feel.


Unfortunately I just had my worst race in a long time. Early in the race my top driver gets clipped and has to pit to fix his wing. Midway through the next run for him it starts to pour and I have to pit him to change tires. After that my other driver gets clipped and must pit. Midway through that drivers next run the track dries and he has to pit to change tires. Then both drivers have engine trouble and have to pit to get that fixed. What really sucks is that we had the best practice round before that race (1st and 3rd and had setups of 95 and 97). So much hope for that one down the drain.

[Brian Swartz]

Agree 100% with EagleFan. I also think this last patch has really made the AI drivers a lot tougher to beat. In my most recent season I had a driver clearly in 2nd(behind a guy who should be racing a tier higher). Last few races we've not done nearly as well, largely due to the other teams being more intelligent. I mean, I'm actually going to have earn positions a lot more now.

[EagleFan]

Just had an accident by my top driver (who I nailed with a 99 setup) probably cost my second driver a great finish. My second driver was leading the race by a lot but the yellow flag bunched everyone back up and a bad restart dropped him back a few places (with one being a driver who clearly does not belong in this division; he has won almost every race and has pretty much wrapped up the championship with 4 races left). He ended up holding on to take 6th as he had mechanical trouble on the last couple laps so he limped across the line (dropping from 3rd).

[CrescentMoonie]

Finally gave in and bought this yesterday. Played 14 straight hours today. It's FM/Civ all over again. So much depth and I suck right now even though I watch F1 and Indycar religiously.

[MizzouRah]

25% off sale.. purchased

[cubboyroy1826]

Quick question for those who own Motorsport Manager already. My laptop graphics fall short of the minimum required. So I am wondering if it is worth my time to give the game a try?

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by cubboyroy1826

Quick question for those who own Motorsport Manager already. My laptop graphics fall short of the minimum required. So I am wondering if it is worth my time to give the game a try?

They patched in a 2D graphics option last patch, so if you don't mind that, you should be okay.

[CrescentMoonie]

Originally Posted by cubboyroy1826

Quick question for those who own Motorsport Manager already. My laptop graphics fall short of the minimum required. So I am wondering if it is worth my time to give the game a try?

I'm doing the 2D since my laptop is also not up to par, and it's like FM for me. Engrossing enough that I don't care that I'm not looking at the actual cars.

[Capital]

This really is a good game. If anyone is looking for a game on the steam sale, I would consider getting it. It's about all I'm playing these days. About to start season 4 - finally think I can make some good progress.

[Capital]

Anyone know why your cars do not start with a full tank of gas for the race unless you go an add fuel. That seems like a no brainer...

[hollmt]

Originally Posted by Capital

Anyone know why your cars do not start with a full tank of gas for the race unless you go an add fuel. That seems like a no brainer...

Actually, you dont want your cars starting off w/ a full tank of gas to start the race as it adds weight.

Most races you will start off fast and probably burn through your tires anyway, so you should only have enough fuel to cover what you think you will get on your tires to start. So for example, if I start on SS and they normally get me 11-13, I will assume I am going to burn through them quicker to start and maybe only get 8 laps out of them therefore only put in maybe 9 or 10 gallons of fuel.

Bottom line, only put in enough gas to what your strategy on tires will be and that might not always be a full tank of gas.

[PilotMan]

Yep, ideally you'll time your gas tank to run out at the exact same time your tires do. If I start from the back I generally run fast and light and tear the crap out of the first set of tires, try to pit early, then run better, longer on the open portions of the track for the race where our split times will be better. Then as the race winds down we tighten up because we're ahead on the pit stops and have enough to finish while everyone makes their last pit.

Starting from the front I generally go mid strategy and try and jump out and stay there, while holding off on that pit until later.

[MrBug708]

I finished 9th in my first year and thought I had a good handle on things. Year two comes around and I was completely humbled in my first race. Any advice? I hate the rain btw

[Ajaxab]

For those of you thinking of taking advantage of a promotion opportunity, knowing the rules of the next series could be important. I won the Asian Championship and jumped to the World Championship. Fortunately, the WMC only awarded points to the top 5 finishers in a race. That meant that by the end of the season, 4 teams didn't earn a point the whole year. My Octane team was one of them, but we weren't relegated. With a different set of points rules, I'm not sure we would have made it.

The most interesting part of my move to the WMC is that fuel change strategy is out the window. Everyone is starting with a full tank and that's all you get so you have to regulate when to push and when to go conservative. I don't know if it's always that way or changed over the course of my game, but it takes one strategic variable out of the equation. Not sure I like it...

Scuderia Rossini are also very difficult to beat. It's an event if they don't go 1-2 in a race. It might be awhile before I can compete with them, if ever...

[Dutch]

Had a fun race today. Had my drivers around 10th position. On about the 5th lap my better driver (the girl) takes a chunk out of an opposition driver which removes her own front wing and gets a drive through penalty. She stops (in lieu of taking the penalty first) but I forget to change the super soft tires! I get her back on the track and my veteran driver (the guy) throws himself off the track in a one car crash....I get her to repit under yellow to get those new tires on. She catches up to the back of the field and upon green dives into the pits to do the drive through penalty...she then is fortunate that the mass traffic keeps things slow so she catches up! Overtakes a few backmarkers and then swoops outside of traffic in a corkscrew to pick up like 5 spots and then two cars in front collide and she spots them! Within a lap or two of thinking the whole race was destroyed she was suddenly in 5th! Finished the race in 9th...just meeting the sponsor requirements.

[weegeebored]

Originally Posted by Balldog

Is there a way to have the names of people randomized? I feel like starting over we would have an advantage of previous save scouting.

I haven't tried this yet. Drivers Randomizer

[Brian Swartz]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

Year two comes around and I was completely humbled in my first race. Any advice? I hate the rain btw

More information needed basically. What was the problem in this race? How does your car/HQ rank compared to the others? Etc. My problem was not doing enough part development in the first couple of years but I don't know what you've been doing, so ...

I restarted with the 'Christmas' patch due to a lot of the loopholes being closed.

Originally Posted by Ajax

I don't know if it's always that way or changed over the course of my game,

That's the default rule for the WMC. The Top 5 thing is a change though that they must have voted in, since it's usually Top 10 in the points there. Interestingly, Steinmann is actually the top team when the game starts, but it can vary over time depending on what happened. I think before I restarted they won the WMC the first 6-7 years; Scuderia was only close enough to be a threat once.

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

Yep, ideally you'll time your gas tank to run out at the exact same time your tires do. If I start from the back I generally run fast and light and tear the crap out of the first set of tires, try to pit early, then run better, longer on the open portions of the track for the race where our split times will be better. Then as the race winds down we tighten up because we're ahead on the pit stops and have enough to finish while everyone makes their last pit.

Starting from the front I generally go mid strategy and try and jump out and stay there, while holding off on that pit until later.

Also, during the race you can hover over the top of the drivers list and see how they are burning fuel. At the start everybody is in overtake so that's a hint that the AI is also running lighter fuel loads in order to gain the position battle until things spread out...then they probably add more fuel than normal to make up the difference in later pit stops.

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

More information needed basically. What was the problem in this race? How does your car/HQ rank compared to the others? Etc. My problem was not doing enough part development in the first couple of years but I don't know what you've been doing, so ...

I restarted with the 'Christmas' patch due to a lot of the loopholes being closed.

I bought post Christmas. My car setup basically started over and I think my starting point this season is worst than last season. I had multiple failures of parts and finished 19th and 20th. I've updated both scouting and staff lounge. No idea on the car, but I'd imagine pretty terrible. I dont have any new parts this season, all of my progress was essentially erased and I feel like Im starting from scratch.

[EagleFan]

This season is really going to be a struggle. Overspent and got in the negative in the off season; had one of my main drivers and my reserve driver fail to resign (at least it wasn't my top driver) so I signed one main driver and staying with a bottom of the barrel assigned replacement for my reserve to save money. Also had a mechanic leave and had to replace him.

Can only improve my current parts; can't make new parts until I get back the money we are in debt. I did have a decent finish in race two (after race one saw both drivers have engine trouble that led to near bottom results.

On the bright side, my second driver who didn't resign with me is in the same series as he signed with a different team. He has been last and second from last in the two races so far. That brings a smile to my face.

I think it may be near impossible to get out of this division. Since the point system changed to top 6 only we had a runaway last season and this season has seen the same team take 1st and 2nd both races and is way in front already after just two races. These teams weren't in our division the previous season so I am assuming they were relegated from the higher division.

[tarcone]

Reading these posts, I am slightly worried that it is more complex then I want.

On a rating scale of 1-10, with 10 being really difficult. what do you rate this game?

[MrBug708]

It's not hard to grasp the concept at all. The walk thru is pretty helpful. I'd say a 3 to play it with understanding though you can't just come in and dominate on a lower level

[Brian Swartz]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

I dont have any new parts this season, all of my progress was essentially erased and I feel like Im starting from scratch.

FYI this isn't the case, though I understand why it would seem that way. Your parts at the start of each year are as good performance-wise as the ones you ended the previous season with. You do have to build up reliability though, but your progress in part development is not erased. Everybody has problems with needing to repair parts mid-race for the first event or two(depending some on race length). Generally you'll be working on reliability early in the season, performance later on.

Originally Posted by tarcone

On a rating scale of 1-10, with 10 being really difficult. what do you rate this game?

I don't know if that's something I can answer; everybody's got a different scale there. Best comparison I can make is that it's the XCOM of racing manager games; there's some depth in each part of the game but just enough, and blending it all together is the hard part. I have played simpler games, and more complex ones.

[Dutch]

The better your driver and mechanics the smarter you will feel.

[EagleFan]

To illustrate how one sided 3rd division is now (with the point changed to top 6 only); after three races the leading team has 50 points, second place team has 12, I am 4th with 6.

[PilotMan]

That unbalanced point award kills.

[MrBug708]

I've totally pissed off Valdez. He just needs to quit at this point.

[MrBug708]

I crashed in pit lane...

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

I crashed in pit lane...

[PilotMan]

Just had a situation where Daine, my #2, gets out in front, on a soaked track, is running 8 sec in the lead and crashes. Grr.

Then I try and bring Valdes in to pit and he skips past, runs out of fuel, then for sure, he's going to pit, but it forces him to bypass, while he's out of fuel, and then he crashed.

That's the first time I've seen that happen.

[Flasch186]

Somehow my Designer got ahold of the plans for an engine of a WMC team. We're killing it now.

[Brian Swartz]

Cheater!! I mean, great job! I had one offer at one point for one of the better teams in my own tier ... but that's nuts.

[PilotMan]

Finally scored my first 100% set up. Regularly hitting 98-99% for each race now.