Car Setup options (vanilla GP4 and mods)

Setting up car options for qualifying/race is more complicated in GP4 than in the previous series IMO, even if more features are there.
So, I find it impossible to just reload the default car setup for a track once I have modified manually a car setup. There is a "Copy With Other Track" (or similar name, I don't exactly remember), but I really don't understand the reason for this option, how could the setting for Imola be useful for Melbourne for example ?! That doesn't make any sense for me.
Is there an easy method to just re-copy the default track settings for a car setup? If I really want it, I must quit the season session, then delete my car setup, in this case I will start with the default setup again, but doing that every time if I change my mind for the setup is boring and complicated, besides GP4 will often crash.
I often make adjustments to the Gear Setup which, you will agree, is the most important. So in most mods I don't like a 7-gear setup and change it to 6-gear to make less errors during a race. But at some point during my adjustments I want to revert to the DEFAULT values and I don't find any option in the menu for doing that, though I'm sure this option exists. so thanks very much to point me how to do that

Greets,
XenonS



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 10/04/2016 04:35PM by XenonS.

It seems that the default car setups are the same for any track (I guess but don't know). If this is true I should simply save a XenonS_derault.csi car setup to reload every time. But are they the same for any track?

XenonS



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/04/2016 05:43PM by XenonS.

I think the "copy" option just means you don't have to start from scratch for a new track, if this track is similar to a another track where you've already made a perfect setup... I've done this many times. For example you can copy Monaco.csg and then tweak it for Singapore.csk, etc., etc.,


are the default car setups exactly the same for every track? great question - I always wondered about this too, & I'm still unsure of the answer, after many years!

The safest & simplest option, I think, or what I often try to do, & would recommend: Each time you go to a new track and want to mess with the setups, always, *ALWAYS*, save the default car setup for that particular track before you even touch anything on the setup screen. So that way, if you really screw up with experimentation, you at least have a clean default setup you can reload and start afresh, without having to completely re-install the game.


In fact I would actually recommend, immediately right after you install the game, just go into every track and save the default car setup before you even start driving anywhere at all. (I actually used to do this!) This will save you so much headache down the line when you start doing multiple experiments with car setups and they turn out to be crap.

It's kinda similar idea to what I do with wad files...immediately after a new GP4 installation I always make a back up of the GP4.exe and all the *.wad files before I even think about touching anything.

But Please do let us know if you discover the answer to your great question

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"You will never find time for anything. If you want time you must make it." ~ Charles Buxton





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/05/2016 04:38PM by vicnsi.

Hello vicnsi,
It's great that you found the time to answer here, thank you for your tips
Fortunately I have made a backup of the whole GP4 folder (just for safetey because I play different mods) so I will be able to re-copy the game files if I mess-up the car setups.
I will take the time to go through all default setups of the tracks to see if they are the same. For that I will have to browse the 6 'branches' which are wing balance, gear setup, break balance etc. to see if they are the same, that should not be too difficult.
I will then report here. But your advice to just save any default track setup prior of modifying is the best IMO.

Thanks and Greetings,
XenonS

Thanks

XenonS Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
...
> I will take the time to go through all default
> setups of the tracks to see if they are the same.
> For that I will have to browse the 6 'branches'
> which are wing balance, gear setup, break balance
> etc. to see if they are the same,

Yes. I did once set out to do this very task (to "browse the 6 'branches'" of all the 17 car setups and do some comparisons) in the past, but I guess my patience ran out, ...or I got distracted by other stuff, I don't really remember, and so I never really got to complete this particular project. So I am definitely curious to find out if you discover that the default setups indeed are all the same (or, maybe not the same) for all 17 tracks.

And if not, then what are the differences, and why are they different, etc... This will be very useful knowledge.

Happy Hunting!

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"You will never find time for anything. If you want time you must make it." ~ Charles Buxton

Ok, I have verified and all default car setups are the SAME. I have verified 4 very different tracks to see that and then I stopped, I will reasonably guess that all tracks are the same. The values are listed at the end.

All car setup being the same this has very important consequence:
1) Save a backup of the default setup by ticking the 'User setup', go in "Edit User Setup", do not edit anything and save the default setup as (for example) default_all_tracks.csm. You can then reload easily if you need.
2) You MUST adjust car setup for any track simply because the same setup cannot be right everywhere for every different track, or you will have bad qualifying and racing results.

For example, the Bahrain or the Hockenheim track will need less front wings for high speed in a lot of straights whereas the Monaco circuit will need small gear relations and a lot of down-wing (= larger front and back wing value) to glue the car to the course and avoid spinning.
However, these are only the basics...And of course you will have to set a totally different setup for wet conditions, generally adding a lot of wing value and setting the gear ratios generally higher to avoid brusk accelerations. If you have played GP4 for longer time then you already know that AI cars have a HUGE advantage in wet conditions that maybe you want to compensate by editing 2 values in the Magic Data, 1 value in the Damage.ini of CSM or alternatively 1 value in the GP4Tweaker:

Using IMagic or TSM to edit the Magic Data for any track, set these values:

AI Errors = 95
Spin Recovery Range = 16

In the Damage.ini file (only if you play with CSM) you also want to set

DamageCarsBounce =95

If you don't use CSM, change the MD values and use GP4Tweaker to set the Damage Coefficient as high as 220-250 (But this will also affect your car, so be careful for any collision!)

All this will cause more accidents and errors from the AI to compensate their 'perfect' car handling in wet conditions. If you don't like Mister Perfect then use my Xenon Revenge


Here the reference numbers for the default car setup:

------------------------------------------------
***>>DEFAULT CAR SETUP<<***

Gear Settings
Gear1 / Gear2/... / Gear6
25 / 32 / 39 / 45 / 51 / 56

Next values are all Front / Rear:

Brake Balance
42500 / 57500

Anti-Roll
3000 / 300

Springs
1400 / 1000

Ride high
38 / 58

Dampers
21 / 10
------------------------------------------------

XenonS



Edited 14 time(s). Last edit at 10/05/2016 06:48PM by XenonS.

Very important information! Thank you much for your efforts

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"You will never find time for anything. If you want time you must make it." ~ Charles Buxton

The deafult setups are indeed the same, but don't forget that some things ARE different, at least if you use the 'track dependent' car setup setting - which loads track-specific wing levels, brake bias and gear ratios from the magic data. (I don't know if it modifies the default values under the Advanced tab.) You can't edit these-in-game, of course.

My 'best practice' is to look at the magic data of the track (it should provide a decent 'track dependent' option if the track is physically well-developed - mines are), set these values into the default setup (which you can edit), save and go from there with that one during practice or whatever.

EDIT: In other words, if you don't know what you're doing in terms of setting up a car, use the 'track dependent' option (if it's an original track or a custom track with proper setup in its magic data), because it should still provide you with decent pace, or learn how to set a car up properly and create a custom setup yourself. (Either from scratch or using the above method.) But don't you ever use the untouched default values posted above as they are basically a compromise for all the original tracks mashed together. (And, by the way, it understeers as hell!)

---

My workthread - [www.grandprixgames.org]
Full of classic F1/non-F1 track layouts

My blog about F1 performance analysis - [thef1formbook.wordpress.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/05/2016 07:21PM by Atticus..

Hi Atticus,
yes this is important indeed, the Magic Data contains a lot of values that influences car behavior and performance, especially the Track Grip, the tyre behaviors and the ratio of team performances at different difficulty levels (Rookie, Amateur...). Mod creators generally adapt these numbers so the default ones that I show above may just be non-valid for reference. But because car setup has a lot to do with your driving style, it's a good idea to always try to adjust the numbers to see if you can improve your lap records, also trying the setups with different fuel loads (car weight). Most car setups will require you to drive differently if your tanks are half ful instead of only full for 10 laps or so.

Greets,
XenonS