Wally I tried to setup the practice server with the 30 grid Zandvoort circuit, for some reason this version isn't showing up in the acServerManager. I remember we came across some issues running this variant on the nite, I thought I had the fixed one installed on my system but this doesn't show and I re downloaded the one linked in the first post and it still doesn't show.

We did have a problem where one of the kn5 files had an extra "b" at the end of the file name, but the modder has fixed that in version 1.1 of the download. I think it never showed in the acServerManager - does it work if you just manually put this in the server cfg?

TRACK=ks_zandvoort[/color]CONFIG_TRACK=ks_zandvoort_osrw[/size]

 The ballast is largely successful - the racing was closer, and there were lots of tight battles, with different people in the mix. Take out a few anomalies (damaged cars or pedals, new joiners), and lap times were very, very close across a big, diverse field.

But reading everyone's comments, here are the problems I see with the ballast system, and what can be done about it:

1. New season starters are too light, and too fast
This can be fixed by giving people some average ballast amount as a starting point, as suggested. Everyone’s already in the game, so it’s no longer an issue, but if and when someone else joins, I can do this.

2. Ballast can swing too high and too low
Ballast can sometimes go too high, slowing someone too much, so next race, it goes too low, and they’re then too fast, and their ballast starts oscillating up and down. Most people just slowly trend to an equilibrium, especially if they’re very consistent. The fix for this is like any spring – add damping. I’ll start only changing ballast by 70% of the calculated amount. That will stop too large a change and reduce the likelihood of ballast “overshooting” the correct mark and starting to oscillate.

3. If someone’s damaged and slow, ballast is distorted
If someone’s too slow, slower than normal because of damage perhaps, they will drop too much ballast. The fix for that is, as suggested, to take the fastest of qualifying laps as well as race laps as your benchmark. That way, if someone is slow in a race because of damage, or doesn’t get enough laps in, we have their qualifying laps to go by as well as their race laps


Now, a ballast FAQ.
Fast guys have no chance of winning
Not true. The ballast system doesn’t push fast guys to the back of the pack – it pushes everyone towards the middle. It aims to make everyone’s lap time the same, so everyone has a chance of winning. It comes down to racecraft and adaptability.

People can game the system
Every system of rules can be gamed. For example:
“Top 10 reversed”
 - People will try to come 10^th so they start the next race on pole.
“World Rally Championship: the leader goes out first on day 2, and has to sweep the road clean for everyone else”
 - Leaders deliberately drop time so that they don’t lead at the end of day 1.
“V8 Supercars: You get 3 cuts before a penalty”
 - Save the cuts for the end of the race and then use them up to gain time.
In our system, that’s why you get points for carrying ballast. It’s an incentive to go as fast as you can and get the appropriate ballast, to be rewarded in the season standings. How you play the game is all part of the fun. Are you going to slow down to avoid more ballast, but take the risk of the guy behind catching you?

I have to adjust my car setup as my ballast changes
Yes, you do. The “Car Engineer” app is your friend (you have to have dev apps enabled in assetto_corsa.ini). It shows spring frequencies and damper rates. Take note of settings that work for you, and then set your car up to match those frequencies and rates, and you will maintain your car balance. Check your gear ratios.

The system shouldn't need manual intervention
You'll always need some kind of human checks and balances. Guybrush's really slow lap times due to damage causing him to drop ballast are a case in point. But using qual and race laps to get your fastest time, as well as the "damping", will help a lot towards needing to do this.


Some specific answers:

* Ballast is based on quickest lap over 4 sessions - so one whole round.

The ballast works better the more times you adjust it, as it has more "data" to work on. If you only do it once a round, that's only 6 or 7 opportunities to adjust it up or down, instead of 12 or 14, so I don't think that change is necessary.

Edit - I really need to know how Freezer can get 88KG Ballast after winning R1 and StanDaam and I are ~100KG's?
Also christopheraser is quick, quals quick and then gets nothing in R2?

As I said elsewhere, ballast is not based on your finish position, but your lap times. Even though Freezer won the race, his best lap time was 0.3 secs slower than yours, so he gets less ballast.
christopheraser only did 2 race laps, so got no change in ballast, but looking at qual laps as well will stop this.

Ballast comes off too. You go up and down. Plenty of people lost ballast.

It's not result based, but speed  based. So even if you set a really good time, but still come last for reasons like spins or whatever, you will still get more ballast. Next race, with a fresh qually, you'll be right in the thick of things again.

An exciting night's racing, with me being the hunter in race 2, chasing Freezer mostly. I came damn close to hitting him a few times... good braking practice. I was pretty pleased with my races, having some good battles with Freezer and Jeremy, and Bafs in race 1, and avoiding any crashes.

Race 2 was fun, starting from dead last into turn 1 to finish 7th.

In both races, the smallest oversteers and wobbles cost me some spots, with my opponents ready to capitalise on any mistakes. Nice pass at the death, Simone, and likewise Marty, both getting me with the tow at the end of Hanger Straight. I tried the criss-cross at Stowe, but it didn't work on either occasion.

Race 2... my wife said that because she is booked in to have our 3rd baby tomorrow morning, that putting music on her iPhone was more important than my 'game'... pffff... she could be right...

If you want to induce labour, let her race these cars! Congratulations.

Results in the first post...

It's looking a lot like I'm not going  to get to race tonight . Internet's been out for over 2 hours and doesn't look like it's going to come back any time soon.

Bad luck, mate. Don't you just hate that.... I had one week where my internet went out at the start of the race night, and came back at the end. Perfectly bad timing. Still... that's better than bombing out half way through a race.