race timer

[nige]

Could somebody please explain why when you start a race with a rolling start the clock begins when the first car crosses the line even though you may be in a different position , for me, usually sixth! I hope this isn't a stupid question but there must be an explanation. Cheers.
nige

 

[Sti04]

Could somebody please explain why when you start a race with a rolling start the clock begins when the first car crosses the line even though you may be in a different position , for me, usually sixth! I hope this isn't a stupid question but there must be an explanation. Cheers.
nige

I think for every race in Real Life is like that. Just to give advantage to the car that qualified in first pole position. My guess.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

It's only four seconds. Shouldn't be too difficult to make up. Unless you try something like the Cizeta on Autumn Ring Reverse, it always spins off coming out of the hairpin.

Sometimes it's less than 4 seconds as well. I lost one round of the RX-8 championship, but won overall so I took the RX-8 race car back to the round lost and passed two guys before the Line. Anyone else seen this?

 

[ferrari_chris]

Because that's when the race starts. The race begins when the first car crosses the start line (in a rolling start anyway). For a standing start it's similar. The timer starts when the light goes green (figuratively speaking. It doesn't start when you roll over the line.

Think about the other racers. The entire race/world doesn't revolve around you my friend. If they waited for you to cross the line before starting the timer, then your competitors would be getting a head start, being over the start line at the official start time.

Same as how the race doesn't finish until the last person crosses the line.

Does this help?

 

[nige]

Does this happen in F1? Surely lap times, including yours, are timed when YOU cross the line, and that includes the first lap. The lap time should show YOUR lap and not necessarily when the Al racers start. Just a thought! BTW thanx for all your helpful comments.
nige

 

[Speedbird223]

Sometimes it's less than 4 seconds as well. I lost one round of the RX-8 championship, but won overall so I took the RX-8 race car back to the round lost and passed two guys before the Line. Anyone else seen this?

If you really outclass the field you often end up in 3rd or 4th before you even get going

 

[Speedbird223]

Does this happen in F1? Surely lap times, including yours, are timed when YOU cross the line, and that includes the first lap. The first lap time should show YOUR lap and not necessarily the time of your competitors. Just a thought! BTW thanx for all your helpful comments.
nige

Nope, so in your situation if you are in 16th and pass the start line 16seconds after the first car, then finish the race 12 seconds behind the car in first place you have won the race.

 

[sumbodycool]

Quote:Nope, so in your situation if you are in 16th and pass the start line 16seconds after the first car, then finish the race 12 seconds behind the car in first place you have won the race.

Yeah, that's pretty much the reason up there. It's for statistics, so you know how far you are behind first place. When you start the race, according to the stats, you are 4seconds away from first, and this gives you a sense of how far away you are. As speedbird said, it wouldn't make sense if you did a lap 3 seconds faster than first place, and you're still 1 second behind first place. Get it?

 

[nige]

My point is, your only interested in your lap times per se. Driving skill will determine whether you win or not. Fastest laps for example are measured from start line ( when the clock resets) to finish line ( when the timer stops ). If you did a two lap race and the fastest lap happened to be the first lap would that be measured from start line to finish line? It's getting too late- can't cope!!
nige

 

[sumbodycool]

Yeah, unfortunately, it doesn't exactly measure an accurate lap time for your first lap. That does suck, but usually my best lap times come in later laps. The first lap is usually the lap I get used to the track anyway.

 

[nige]

sumbodycool. Thanx for that. I agree with you totally. It was something that had been bugging me for ages. BTW did it happen in GT3, for example, when you qualified in any position other than first? Such a long time ago can't remember!
nige.

 

[ferrari_chris]

The first lap begins for all cars when the lead car crosses the start line. It's the same for all, and that's just the way it is. Starting in pole position does bring many benefits, unfortunatley they've removed qualifying from many of the races in GT4.

It was the same in GT3. This the standard for motor-racing, so it would make sense that it would happen in all racing games.

If you want to get in quicker but losing times, then go to the strip. There the timer doesn't start until you cross the line, but it's still a race to the finish, so you can run a 9 second 1/4 mile, the guy next to you runs a 10 second 1/4 mile, but if you started a second after him then he'd win, even though you had a quicker time... confused yet?

 

[woodyagw]

What really annoys me is the time it takes before your car starts accelerating (if you're in sixth)
in real life all the cars accelerate once the lead car passes the line and I don't think anyone can pass until they pass the line....

 

[ferrari_chris]

What really annoys me is the time it takes before your car starts accelerating (if you're in sixth)
in real life all the cars accelerate once the lead car passes the line and I don't think anyone can pass until they pass the line....

That's true, they should all accelerate together.

As for passing before the line, they obviously didn't write that into GT4 - I was in a much faster car than the one in front, and I think he made an error in the corner before the straight, anyway to cut a long story short, I started the race in 5th place 'cos my car overtook the one in front before the line. I wasn't complaining, I was too busy laughing...