GTP Settings DB: would you use it?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jordan
  • 50 comments
  • 2,896 views

Would you use the GTP Settings DB?

  • Yes, I would use and contribute settings.

    Votes: 57 76.0%

  • I may use it occasionally, but it really doesn't interest me and I would not contribute.

    Votes: 12 16.0%

  • No, I would not use it or contribute any settings.

    Votes: 6 8.0%
  • Total voters
    75
Jordan

Jordan

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While the GTP Times DB is in development, I'm considering a Settings DB to go along with it. Basically, it would be an organized, purpose-built section of the site where users can submit their favorite settings for each car, for each game. Of course it would be nice to have, but how many of you would actually use it and contribute settings? I know the Times DB will be popular, but I want to guage interest for the Settings DB before I take it to the next step. These two new features are being professionally developed, and programmers are not cheap...

Keep in mind that the GTP Times DB is in development as we speak. Each time submitted will be required to include the name of the car and ALL of the settings used to achieve the lap time. This is in effort to cut down on fraudulent times. For you, would this do a better job of serving as the "Settings DB"? Or do you think it's a bad idea completely, and may even prevent people from posting their top times in fear of others using their settings?


Please give your honest opinions in the poll. Thanks for voting!
 
I would definatley use it 👍 and it will be a big help for me in the WRS.
 
Yes, I would use it. As Dquan said, t will be big help for weekly series races or just for the games ;)
 
Having an Xport I'd definately use it, uploading setups and downloading some too.

I have a feeling this would be popular with the drifters and WRS guys.
 
I would use it occasionally, but can't say that it would be a regular part of my time on GTP.
 
👍👍 Yes I would contribute to the Database!!! The setting DB would be a little easier considering the times database will be updated every second with someone a previous record every minute with us U.S. & "PALS" players getting GT4.
 
Settings seem to be to be a personal thing. Only very occasionally have I extracted settings for a particular car and found them to be useful. My personal settings databases currently tend to be on paper. (I search a computer log for a race using the car, and can then find the paper results record on the back of which I now tend to write the settings).

I have thought about creating some sort of machine-readable form (for my PDA), but so far not done so.

For an online data base, it seems it might be important to be able to filter/select based on contributor. That way people can easily see whether someone whose driving and tuning style they are, um, "in tune" with has contributed the settings they want. That would only really apply, of course, if the data base could handle very large numbers of settings and it was very easy for all contributors to contribute large numbers of settings. (Some sort of text mass-upload?)

Honestly, I don't consider myself a great tuner (nor a tuner with great taste . . . ) so I would be unlikely to contribute much. And I frequently find settings suggested by others very difficult-to-drive with my style and ability, so I'd probably contribute very little, and extract only occasionally.

Unless someone arm-twisted me into contributing all my settings for all the tuned GT1 used cars, or something. (With the proviso that I am a very conservative tuner). And that could be a several week project (and error-prone at that; the papers likely contain errors, and then I'd likely add transcription errors).

Another thought. In written tuning records, I often use a set of "base settings" with indications of modifications for particular tracks. E.g. FD 3.6 (4.0 ARii) meaning "Final Drive 3.6, but 4.0 at Autumn Ring ii". I'm not sure how you envision handling the car/track combination. Would track be actually one of the fields? Would it be easy to make a set of settings span all applicable tracks? A particular set of tracks? Would it from a set of settings individualized per track be easy to get an extraction which indicated that all settings were similar except for a few differences? Achieving that last one wouldn't likely be worth it. Unless the approach is taken that the settings are general, plus exceptions.

Well, that's probably too much for now. :D
 
I'll definitely use it once in a while, but not with any regularity… time isn't quite on my side for that kind of stuff anymore.
 
I would for sure use and contribute to it! :D Go for it Jordan it sounds like a GREAT idea IMO!
I voted -
Yes, I would use and contribute settings.
 
Yeah same here. I might as well do something with these settings, that way i have a back up instead of crying over all my settings. Well thats just a 👍 for me :D
 
I'd definately use it if I were stuck on a race/championship once GT4 comes out here in the states. Finding time to play is difficult though right now due to school.
 
To be honest,i wouldn't use this.I never cared much about setups and i doubt i'll start now.So that a no.
 
I'd use and contribute to it, but it wouldn't be something I'd do every day, only occasionally.

Blake
 
As about all I seem to do whenever I visit the GTP forums is answer questions or give suggestions on settings and set-ups, then I would find a centralised database that people could look through for something that suited them a godsend.

GTVault, of course, does exist but it lacks proper filtering of set-ups (there is a lot of garbage on there I'm sad to say). Having categories for set-up purposes would be a good idea e.g. Full Tuned Hot Lap, Race Tuned, Endurance, Rally, Drift (:spits: LOL!) et al.
 
Thanks for your comments and votes, everyone: keep 'em coming! But now, let me add this info:

The GTP Times DB is in development as we speak. Each time submitted will be required to include the name of the car and ALL of the settings used to achieve the lap time. This is in effort to cut down on fraudulent times. For you, would this do a better job of serving as the "Settings DB"? Or do you think it's a bad idea completely, and may even prevent people from posting their top times in fear of others using their settings?
 
Well .. With the Times DB requiring all of the settings that the car used to get that lap time, it seems to me that it would be pretty much the same thing as the Settings DB just with maybe two extra columns (track and time). So I would recommend just using the Time DB as it seems a more cost effective method for you. There isn't very much sense in paying twice for basically the same thing.
 
VTGT07
Well .. With the Times DB requiring all of the settings that the car used to get that lap time, it seems to me that it would be pretty much the same thing as the Settings DB just with maybe two extra columns (track and time). So I would recommend just using the Time DB as it seems a more cost effective method for you. There isn't very much sense in paying twice for basically the same thing.
Click to expand...
Right, the main difference is that you couldn't sort the settings by type of car - it would be strictly organized by track.
 
Would it be possible for you to have them "reskin" the database's interface? As in using the same database for both the Settings and Times, and just use one interface for Settings (sortable by type of car) and another for the Times? Seems that shouldn't be too hard being a quasi-programmer myself and would be the more economical choice.

But yes, being able to sort (maybe even filter) by car is a must for the Settings DB.
 
Jordan
Thanks for your comments and votes, everyone: keep 'em coming! But now, let me add this info:

The GTP Times DB is in development as we speak. Each time submitted will be required to include the name of the car and ALL of the settings used to achieve the lap time. This is in effort to cut down on fraudulent times. For you, would this do a better job of serving as the "Settings DB"? Or do you think it's a bad idea completely, and may even prevent people from posting their top times in fear of others using their settings?
Click to expand...
I think it sounds like an excellent idea. If people want to be secretive, could settings be marked "private" (though presumably admins could see them anyway?).

How about you first determine how many people, if any, really would want to keep their setting private like that.

But, on the other hand, would this require someone to set a best or good time in order to submit settings at all? Could you have "no time" category for people who just think their settings are useful in some way, even if they can't set records with them? Maybe that's too weird . . .

Is there going be a semi-arbitrary "comment field" in the entries? E.g. perhaps someone might have reason to submit "Good stable settings for beginners, but won't set records". Or will "records" be per-person? You can see that other people might possibly be interested in my settings which allow me to set my PB, even if it doesn't set new overall records. Whenever I give people settings I tend to add a bit of a "rationale". That might be something else the comment field could be used for.

That way you would merge the time and settings data base into one. That might provide interesting flexibility.
 
Jordan
VTGT07
Well .. With the Times DB requiring all of the settings that the car used to get that lap time, it seems to me that it would be pretty much the same thing as the Settings DB just with maybe two extra columns (track and time). So I would recommend just using the Time DB as it seems a more cost effective method for you. There isn't very much sense in paying twice for basically the same thing.
Click to expand...
Right, the main difference is that you couldn't sort the settings by type of car - it would be strictly organized by track.
Click to expand...
I don't understand why you couldn't (design the system to) extract and/or sort by type of car.

Settings are meaningless unless you know the type of car. I think I'm misunderstanding what you're saying. How many records do we anticipate getting?
 
SportWagon
I don't understand why you couldn't (design the system to) extract and/or sort by type of car.

Settings are meaningless unless you know the type of car. I think I'm misunderstanding what you're saying.
Click to expand...
You can see the type of car, you just won't be able to sort for that particular car if I understand correctly.
 
VTGT07
You can see the type of car, you just won't be able to sort for that particular car if I understand correctly.
Click to expand...
But both you and I think it should be possible to modify the data base and/or its interface to allow that. AFAICT.
 
SportWagon
But both you and I think it should be possible to modify the data base and/or its interface to allow that. AFAICT.
Click to expand...
Correct. Whether by designing a new interface or adding functionality to the current one in development.
 
I would definitely use a settings database, especially with the great amount of cars in GT4. I think a nice addition would be a rating system, so that you could rate a setup after you try for future knowledge 👍.
 

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