Two beta races are on the books but they were not without problems. The races served their purpose and highlighted areas where the game needs a little more, a little less, plus a long list of general bugs to fix. The next race on 3/20 will be a reset of sorts, featuring several new features. All the details are after the jump so you don’t get caught off guard.
What will be changing
Here’s what you should expect for the next races starting 3/20:
- Player scores will be reset to zero. This so it’s easier to see if bonus scores are being calculated.
- The new Elo Rating System for cars will be in place. Every car will get a random rating between 1100 and 1300. As posted earlier, this new rating system will allow for better car match-ups and more statistical rankings, rather than it all being entirely random.
- You’ll have a “Test Track” by which you can scout your car’s winning odds. Thanks for the new rating system, you can get a reasonable look at how your cars will perform against the rest of the field. This should help guide you in picking cars for each race. The Test Track will be accessible from your dashboard.
- You’ll get bonus points with each win. Along with a car’s rating going up with a win (and down with a loss), each win will earn you bonus points. The amount of points is equal to the amount your car went up in rating multiplied by 10. So if the car’s rating goes up 6 points, you get 60 bonus points.
- You’ll still earn a fixed amount of points for a win, usually 500 points.
- Cars will be ranked by their rating, not their win/loss record.
- Only one owner per car. This change was added prior to the 3/16 and will be in effect permanently. If you want a certain, you have to get in and grab it early.
New ratings will change the game
The new rating system is a BIG change to the game. Here’s how the new rating system works within the game:
- All new/unraced cars start with a rating of 1200, which is considered average. The higher rating, the better the car.
- Race opponents are chosen based on ratings. Cars of similar ratings will be racing each other.
- Winning cars will see their rating go up. Losing cars will see their rating go down.
- How much the rating goes up/down depends on the rating of the other car. If a high rated car beats a high rated car, the increase is good. If a low rated car beats a high rated car, the increase is huge. If if a high rated car beats a low rated car, the increase is little.
A few examples
Example 1
- Player A races Player B, both players’ cars have a 1200 rating. Neither car has trade-in value. It is the first race ever for both cars.
- Player A wins.
- Player A gets 500 points for winning.
- Car A’s rating goes up to 1216. Car B’s rating does down to 1184.
- Since Car A’s rating went up 16 points, Player A earns 160 bonus points (16 x 10)
- Car A’s trade-in value goes up to 100 for winning.
- Player A has gained 660 points for winning the race, or 760 points if he trades in the winning car.
Example 2
- Player A races Player B. Car A has a rating of 1275, Car B has a rating of 1104. This is the fifth race for each car. Car B already has a current trade-in value of 200.
- Player B wins.
- Player B gets 500 points for winning.
- Car B’s rating goes up to 1127. Car A’s rating does down to 1251.
- Since Car B’s rating went up 23 points, Player B earns 230 bonus points (23 x 10)
- Car B’s trade-in value goes up to 400 for winning its third straight race.
- Player B has gained 720 points for winning the race, or 1120 points if he trades in the winning car.
Example 3
- Player A races Player B. Car A has a rating of 1300, Car B has a rating of 1121. This is the fifth race for each car. Neither car has trade-in value.
- Player A wins.
- Player A gets 500 points for winning.
- Car A’s rating goes up to 1308. Car A’s rating does down to 1112.
- Since Car A’s rating went up 8 points, Player A earns 80 bonus points (8 x 10)
- Car A’s trade-in value goes up to 100 for winning.
- Player A has gained 580 points for winning the race, or 680 points if he trades in the winning car.
These scenarios show that close races yield more bonus points that blow-out races. And basically, the more surprise there is in the result, the more points you’ll get. Some of it may sound complicated – lord knows it took me a while before I understood why all the math was happening – but it should make for a much better racing experience that makes it fun for hardcore and casual racers alike. If you’re interested, you can read more about why I chose to use this new rating system.
Updates to the game will be made Wednesday night (3/17) so some sections may go offline while they are being made. You’ll be able to see all the new features Thursday. First race using the changes is Saturday.
