Suggested

The one true DRS solution

Controversial title aside this is a pretty simple suggestion.

My suggestion is to add a coefficient (we'll call it 'P') to the DRS formula.  This coefficient will be controlled by the push level of the driver while DRS is active.

This would cause mangers to plan for another factor in tire temp management, slightly buffing Hard tires in the process.

Numbers for P I think would work are:
1- P=80%(0.8)
2- P=90%(0.9)
3 (Neutral)- P=100%(1)
4- P=105%(1.05)
5- P=110%(1.1)

Justification for the feature and numbers:

-The implementation would change almost nothing with 2 car DRS trains as 1 car won't have DRS with the exception of lapped cars and therefore is subject to being passed regardless. I think this is a good thing.
-The dynamics of 3+ car trains would be greatly changed as the speed difference from lowest push to highest is 30%. This would make managers consider if it is worth it to maintain track position at the cost of tire wear or go slow and look to use the better tires to perform an overcut.
-This also has the potential to create bigger DRS trains because if the managers in the lead train decide to use lower push levels while the managers in the midfield train use a higher push the midfielders could (over the course of multiple laps) catch up to the lead train. I think this is good because it brings more people into the fight but can be prevented by the leaders by observing and reacting to what the midfielders are doing while creating a game of chicken with the other leaders on whether or not to increase their tire wear and potentially cost them the win if the other leaders don't decide to work with them to pull away from the midfield train.

-While I'm unaware of exactly how the DRS boost is currently calculated, my suggestion would just require the current formula to be put into parentheses and the coefficient added outside it. Making this change easy to implement (from a programming POV).
-The numbers could be off and would need to be tested obviously BUT the intention behind them is to give diminishing returns for increasing push. This is because it would be less obvious what the right thing to do is if you can save tires for a big drop is DRS power or wear tires potentially a lot for a modest boost on just one part of the track.

Not as passionate about this feature as the title suggests. That's mostly just satire about the big debate every DRS suggestion brings. After reading way too much into all of those threads I feel this solution not only appeases the people who are unhappy with DRS but it also prevents a lot of the issues their suggestions would bring. All while emphasizing the "MANAGER" part of iGP Manager.

Please critique this idea and add to it as I'm sure I've overlooked effects this change would have and like I said, I don't have a dog in this fight as I'm fine with DRS as it is but I couldn't help but share this idea as a compromise between the DRS purists and DRS reformers.

It’s an interesting concept. I don’t have much problem on the theory, you’ve put some thought into it and combined it with game mechanics. Although I’d be more concerned with my tyre temperature than my tyre wear when choosing a push level form a DRS straight.

However, let’s throw some challenges at you.

#1 realism: DRS is an aerodynamic device, the input it provides is fixed, and in a true situation wouldn’t be affected by how hard a driver is pushing the car. Corner exit speed and choice of braking point yes, but your VMax would be the same.


#2 I’m not sure a midfield separated DRS train would be able to close up. the first thing you have to do is pass the lead car, then get around another lap. Even with a 1.1 increase to speed down the straight, the gains you will make on a drs train further up the track would probably be minimal.

#3 following on from that, I’m not sure the differences in speed would be enough to split a large train, but larger differences wouldn’t be such a nice solution.

#4 maybe an overlooked element. What would happen in d you changed your push level after drs was active. Would you be able to seesaw your pace up and down by changing push level. Or would you be fixed to whatever speed was set by your push at DRS activation.

Both have problems. One would be quite a strange effect on a straight (changing push level has impact)

On the other, it would complete negate the idea as you could just drop your push level as soon as drs activated.


That’s all from me. ? As I said I like the base concept just not sure if it’s going in the right direction.

Few things I think you are misunderstanding.


-Tire temps are optimal at the top of the acceptable temp gauge. So to use push on a straight would easily push your temps into overheating, therefore, increasing tire wear.

-Realism doesn't really count here in my opinion as tires should heat in corners and cool in straights but it's the opposite in this game as well as the cars phasing through each other. I don't find realism to be a valid criticism.

-The tactic of altering your push after DRS opens can be negated by soft locking push as long as Drs is open. Allowing managers to still change push level for the upcoming section but as far as the code is concerned the push level as long as Drs is open would be whatever it was when it opened

-When it comes to the midfield catching up. The midfield in a competitive league is never a lap down. So you wouldn't have to pass the lead and then do another lap. And this is not meant to be easy but 30% extra speed on a straight can make a big difference in time over the course of a few laps.

-And finally the ability to fall out out of DRS.  For people with the exact same car you're correct. It wouldn't change much. But if you're over fueled or just have a slow car on that track, even being just 10% slower to the car in front of you could easily send you out of the 1 second range by the start of the next lap. 

Overall I think the tactic of switching push modes after opening DRS could necessitate a complicated solution and might make this suggestion ultimately useless since the short development time was this ideas biggest strength in my opinion. Mostly depends on how difficult it would be to soft lock the push level or how reliable it would be to live update the speed boost from Drs when push level is changed

-Yeah latency is something I've seen affect my race so people who don't know about it would definitely complain.


-And that is the the point of the push level system. While using the high push level may gain you a position in the train under this system, if the person in front of you had DRS and better tires you might drop out of DRS by the next time around. Therefore not eliminating DRS trains but making them something harder to stay in without proper planning but not really hurting the experience with proper planning; making races more interesting in general. Or at least requiring more "on-the-go" decision making.

I should add that this suggestion comes from my experience in a 2 car league where you can always link your driver's up to create a DRS train so it's a fun idea for me but in 1 car leagues I can see how this could be undesirable.

There's only one problem I see that will completely neutralise this idea. Most DRS zones are on the straights and everybody will be low push. I still think increasing lead car bonus, and/or increase dirty air and increases tyre wear being in it, this way you can hang back for the car ahead to pit then hammer time it, or nail your boost and try to get in front. This leaves many strategic options. Save boost? Go for track position,? Hang back? Undercut, overcut Etc. This would open up a whole new dynamic of the game 

That's exactly the point though. I don't see it as a problem at all. It only expands a managers ability to manage a race by giving them more opportunities to gain/lose time. I feel that is the best kind of feature to add in regard to any aspect of the game