Thank you to every one participating in the race this year. Thank you to Lutz and simrace.tv. Thank you to the volunteer judges at the judges table. Thank you to the modders for tracks and cars. Thank you to the testers for testing cars and reporting results. Thank you to Simutils for all the software development. And thank you to Casper Hedegaard for arranging this. And finally thank you to the 10.800 viewers, 800 Facebook fans and the German 24 hour party for following the race.
64bit 4gb patch
If you run a 64 bit Windows version, any 32 bit application will be limited to 2gb memory. This effectively means GTR2 is limited to somewhere near 1.700mb of memory. Crossing this limit will cause the sim to crash.
The 4gb patch has been included af an exe file with the Package Downloader and will be located in your GTR2 folder. Run the program and point it at you gtr2.exe file. This will not cause mismatches or any other problems. But it does allow GTR2 to now use 4gb’s of memory and removes the risc of GTR2 crashing because of memory usage.
Windowed mode
GTR2 will not tolerate being mimimized or other programs taking focus, when the game runs in full screen. How ever in windowed mode, you can run other programs, read mail, surf the web, use MoTeC analyser and ALT+Tab all you could ever want. Yet another crash risc removed.
Remove “Pit-Lane control system” and “auto select tires”
The first takes ai controll of the car when crossing the pit lane speed limit line. This can cause the car to miss the pit box or collide with other cars when pitting-in or out. The later will force ai tire selection. This can cause wet tires to be selected when the track is neither wet or cold enough to run such tires.
Disable Windows update and system time updates
Windows update will either show annoying popups (crashing the game if you run full-screen) or automatically restart your computer.
Saturday night the Central European Time-zone will change to winter time. This again will cause popups or other disturbances.
Disable anti-virus
Again a source of unwanted popups, that can possibly crash the sim.
Allways use network cables with working clip
This is very important. Faulty network cable locking clips are a servere danger to loosing server connection.
Disable replays and set the replay length to minimal
Using memory on storing replays and MoTec data is just another risc of having the game crash. If you forget to apply the 4gb patch, your game will eventually crash. If you want the race replays, they are stored in a better quality with less latency by the server anyway.
Clean your computer of dust, clean cooling fans, disable any overclocking and cool’n'quite options, set fans at max. rpm.
Overheating is allways an issue when you move your computer to a hotter environment. We cannot guarantee at what temprature the racing room will be kept.
If possible make a clean Windows and GTR2 install
You want to be 100% ready, this is the not really required, but better safe then sorry precaution. Fresh, fully updated with all newest drivers, Windows install with only the programs you absolutely need. Test the install throughly by practicing online.
Like real racing teams prepare their cars months in advance, and try to polish event inch spink and span, you now should have an absolutely perfect racing platform.
We want to try out the starting and restarting of the race during the next few days’ training sessions, to give all drivers a chance of experiencing it firsthand, so you are familiar with how it works. Therefore, below are the procedures regarding the safetycar explained:
The start in the game is actually “standing”, but you are NOT to pull away when the light turns green! Instead, every single car is to remain stationary until the safetycar has passed everybody on the sideline of the track.
When the safetycar is past everybody the field will begin to roll slowly forward, arranging itself behind the safetycar, according to the order in which they are qualified
When the field is arranged in a single line, in the correct order behind the safetycar, the pace will pick up and the field will drive around the track at around 120 km/h. Please keep a good distance to the car infront of you and do NOT swirwe to warm up your tires. Warming of brakes is acceptable in a straight line, but then it is crucial that you keep your distance to the car infront of you!
When the field reaches the Ford Chikanes, the time for warming up your brakes is over, and the field can pack up a little. The safetycar will stay on the track until after the last righthand turn of the Ford Chikanes, then exit the track via the extra small pit entry road. The moment the safetycar exits the track, the (virtual) green flag drops and you are free to accelerate away, on your way to victory!
If anybody experiences a technical problem and their PC crashes, the race will be restarted. In this event, the safetycar will go back onto the track and intecept the leading car, then the rest of the cars will be put in line behind the safetycar, as they reach it (ei. in no particular order). In the event that the safetycar at first “picks up” the wrong car, they will be “waved” by, by permission of the judges’ table. Bear in mind though, as a note in general: nobody passes the safetycar without being spefically told so by the race management! When everybody is lined up behind the safetycar, and the race management has had a change to save the standings, the server will be shut down. Then it will be started back up and the teams, including the team(s) that had technical problems, will be given a fitting amount of minutes to rejoin the server at get ready for the restart of the race.
When the race is being restarted the procedure is almost the same as the initial start of the race, the only difference being that the safetycar will pull off the track just after the corner that leads onto the straight, called “Tetre Rouge”. The safetycar will pull off to the right, leaving the racing-line open. The race is now restarted and you are free to pass the safetycar.
It’s really not as complicated as it might sound, but we are still running a test a few evenings, to give you a chance to try it out. That way we hope to see a minimal amount of difficulties during the event.
With 9 days until the event, we are getting seriously close to this years running of the race! We now give you a deadline for a couple of tasks.
Get Painting!
This next deadline is:
Tuesday the 25th of October!
On or before this date your team must have accomplished the following things:
Firstly – if you intend to run in a custom paintjob / skin, we need to have your teams’ skin(s) available to us no later than this date. To submit your skin, we prefer you compress / “zip” your .psd files and then send them to the email skins.gtr24h@gmail.com . Alternately you can contact me (LasseJO) on the forums, and send me a link of your uploaded files, if they are too big. (gmail accepts attachments of up to 25MB) We will then process and pack the skin and it will be uploaded to the Package Downloader ASAP.
&nbps;
Secondly – this date is your last chance to decide or change which car you plan to race in. After this date it is not possible for you to enter a different car, than the one we have registered in the “Sign up your team!” thread, in the forums! Therefore – if the car on the list in the forum page is not the one you intend to race, give us a shout!
&nbps;
Lastly – this date is also your last chance to qualify your teams’ drivers for an LMP car. All the drivers of an LMP car, need to be qualified on this date, for the car entry to be qualified to enter the race! If all your drivers aren’t qualified you have a couple of options:
1: Remove the unqualifed driver from the driver lineup
2: Change the teams entry to a GT1 car, where no qualifacation is required.
All in all – we are looking a lot forward to this years’ event! We haven’t seen quite as many entries as we’d hoped, but it is none the less still the biggest and most international field in the events’ history!
Several sound updates, and an update for LMP Intermediate tires has been rolled out.
From now, the server will no longer allow mismatches. If you have run the Package Downloader, but still experience the “Booted for possible cheating” message. Try running Package Downloader again, but with the “Force download” option on.
We stop allowing mismatches, to ensure that everyone has the right files for the event.
First of all you need a team. 3-4 drivers is perhaps the best. You will also be better of with a cheif engineer, to watch the telemetry and warn your drivers of fuel levels, tire wear and trouble on the circuit.
When you have your team. You need to start you practice.
Make a clean GTR2 install. To get the absolute best result, make a new Windows installation, install all updated drivers and Windows updates and install TeamSpeak. Then disable windows update, disable any anti-virus software. (Do not use this install for any further internet access/browsing)
Install the Simutils Data Logger, downloadable from here. This program logs and sends telemetry data from you GTR2 race car.
Race Manager Telemetry Program
On the same PC, or on a PC that you wish to use for telemetry in the pits (Laptop with extra screen is optimal), you can download the Race Manager software, also available here.
This Race Manager connects to the Data Logger on the port number of your choice. Just provide the IP adress for the computer running the Data Logger.
Now you need to get the cars and files for the Race. To do this you need to download the Package Downloader. After install, you run this and select the GTR2 install on your computer. Now it will download the complete package. You can set up the package downloader to start GTR2 after the downloading is finished. That way you are sure to have the latest files every time you want to start practicing.
Race Manager Live Track Map
Now you can find the DGTL.dk GTR24h.dk server in the GTR2 (simulation) Lobby. This is the same server that will be used at the event. This means, that is you can join practicing sessions with no problems. Chances are good, that you can also race at the event with no technical issues.
Now you can sign up you team in the forums here, and find information on the payment of the participation fee of 17.46 €. You do this here: http://www.gtr24h.dk/forum/index.php?tid=74
Now you can start to practice and develop your sertup. Find a controller setup, that you can all agree on. So all on the team, will know where the pit-request, ignition, starter, damage status, headlights etc. are located.
If your team wants to drive an LMP car, all you drivers need to qualify for LMP. This is done by joining the server in the GTR2 Simulation Lobby, and then driving 8 concecutive laps with a laptime below 3:38. You need to qualify in the same LMP car model, that you want to drive in the race.
If you want to make a skin for your car, you can send the skin to Lasse Ougaard. He will checck validity of the files, and it will then be included in the Package downloader.
Now it is the 28th of October 2011 and it is time for you to get the event.
Team Paddock
Pack up your raceframe of choice and the computer you chose for the race. And perhaps bring a backup PC for the racing computer in case of problems. Bring money, an air madress, sleeping bag, blankets and any equipment you want to use in your pit/paddock area.
Friday evening and night is practice time. Teams arrive, and set up their gear and start practicing. The GTR24h hands out a 3X3 meter pavilion tent for each team, to use as Pit/Paddock area. People talk and mingle. You meet old and new friends
Come saturday morning, and you can have a nice breakfast, and then event management has a short briefing and team presentation.
Then follows the qualifying. This is mixed class and you need to work with your pit crew, to get the fastest driver on track at the right time and get in a good clean lap. Just like in the real Le Mans.
Short break, brief your team and deside on your tactics and race strategy. Get a little to eat, drink and prepare…
Now in GTR2 disable all replay. If you are running a 64 bit system, replay recording will cause your machine to crash, when GTR2 gets to 1.7GB of ram usage.
Race session starts, all starting drivers are in their race frames. Formation lap start behind the safty car. This is a single file formation lap, and the pace car will try to match the pace, so that the field crosses the start/finish line at 14:00 sharp.
GREEN FLAG, GO GO GO!
Some cars crash and burn up their engines.
Now later in the race, you have a disconnection (bad network cabeling, heat issue, strange GTR2 error). FEAR NOT! Safty car! (Your team can cause this kind of not self-inflicted restart two times).
The server is restarted and now everyone, including teams that left because of damage can join the server again. The race starts with a single file, behind the safety car formation start. The safty car lets the field go at the Terte Rouge corner. GREEN FLAG, GO GO GO.
Race ends at after 24 hours at 13:00 CET. Yes. Danish winter time change is this weekend. So 14:00 becomes 13:00.
"GTR2 is a sports car racing simulator developed under license by Blimey for SimBin for the x86 PC and is a sequel to GTR. Since its release in September 2006, it has received widespread acclaim. The game simulates the 2003 and 2004 FIA GT Championship racing series.
GTR2 offers many different game modes - Championships, Single Races, Practice, 24hr Races, Time Trials and the Driving School. The Official Championships consist of the 2003 and 2004 FIA GT Championship series. However, unlike its predecessor, GTR2 offers smaller unlockable championships as well as the ability to create custom championships."
Sim (simulated) Racing is the collective term for computer software (i.e. a vehicle simulation game) that attempts to simulate accurately auto racing (a racing game), complete with real-world variables such as fuel usage, damage, tire wear and grip, and suspension settings. To be competitive in sim racing, a driver must understand all aspects of car handling that make real-world racing so difficult, such as threshold braking, how to maintain control of a car as the tires lose traction, and how properly to enter and exit a turn without sacrificing speed. It is this level of difficulty that distinguishes sim racing from "arcade" driving games where real-world variables are taken out of the equation and the principle objective is to create a sense of speed as opposed to a sense of realism.
