Jack Basford medal 5549 CEO & CTO 6 years 61 days ago (edited 6 years 61 days ago)
On auto-kers, we have changed the implementation in a way that I think will make everyone happy:
https://igpmanager.com/forum-thread/17329
As for the original suggestion or limiting % per lap, I'm not a fan of this because it limits strategies. As Gert has said our goal is not to replicate F1 or any other series directly, but to create the most interesting gameplay possible. This is why we still have refueling, for example.
When we first implemented Boost / KERS, we implemented it exactly as it was in reality at the time, with it recharging every lap from braking energy. This resulted in the most boring, routine races possible. Everyone pressed the button on the same straight, at the same time (like an F1 driver would) for "optimal" lap times, and it was a chore, with zero strategy. We're talking years and years ago, before many of you were here so you haven't seen how boring it was, it felt like being chained to your PC to press the button on a routine. It was seeing how poor this was that we opted to allow total flexibility and strategy.
Lastly, on the claim that it's unrealistic for a car to go 8s faster in one lap... actually it's pretty realistic. The quantity we allow is "not like F1" but that isn't the same as not being realistic. To illustrate this, I tried to find information on F1's KERS, and came across a
quote on Quora:
80bhp is available for anything up to 6.67s per lap, which can be released either all in one go, or at different points around the circuit. Lap time benefits range from approximately 0.1 to 0.4s.
In 2014, F1 also doubled the power output to 160BHP. So let's for the sake of simplicity assume that would double the lap time gain to up to 0.8s, with just 6.67s of boost. The KERS in iGP is available for an entire lap without breaks. In the end, it's easy to see how this would convert to 8 seconds of lap time gain. It's not like F1, but it is realistic.