I am about to do my 11th race over at VLMS-ERL and my team (4 drivers last season but down to 3 drivers this season) has only had one driver swap problem so far. Everyone says no plugs but I have had no problem with RealFeel and the DAQ (Although not logging) installed. I think most of the problems are really just random or just intermittent internet connection problems. There are ton of steps I see people list and some of them I have even forgoten to perform and still didn't have a problem. I will go over the steps my team does and how we prepare.
First we use Box.net to share our setups and keep notes on which setup is for what. Once we are all done and have finalized a setup we post it with a very simeple filename like S4R3_race.svm. Everyone copies the final setup to the correct directory and then opens it up in rF, changes the brake presure and steering lock to match their driving rig and then saves it and then
assigns it as their default setup. This part is important. Then here are the steps we go though when swapping. I will assume there are only 2 drivers and driver 1 is currently on track.
1 - Driver 2 joins the server as a spectator
2 - Now Driver 2 will look for his car in the monitor and then click on it. Be VERY sure you clicked on the correct car.
3 - Driver 2 contacts Driver 1 over the radio to inform him that he is about to enter the car as a spectator.
4 - Driver 1 then watches the chat box to be sure that it says "Noel Hibbard" (or what ever Driver 2's name is) joined as passenger and not some other yahoo.
5 - Driver 2 then clicks the passenger select hotkey (this is assigned in the controller menu).
6 - Driver 1 reports back that the correct name popped up. Sometimes Driver 2 will enter the car and Driver 1 will see the wrong name. If so, communicate this over the radio. Just keep hitting passenger select to go in and out of the car until Driver 1 responds over the radio saying it has the correct name. Normally it works the first time. But I have had to go in and out 5 or 6 times before it shows my name correctly.
7 - Driver 2 now hits the Race button at the bottom right of the screen. You will now be in the cockpit and watching Driver 1 drive.
8 - Driver 1 then opens the pit menu and scrolls down to the driver name and hits left or right to select Driver 2's name. If you didn't communicate while entering the car to be sure the correct name showed up in the chat box you will be in for a surprise when you go into the pit menu at the last second and notice someone else other then your team mate is in the car.
8 - Driver 1 now enters the pits and stops in his box. STAY IN THE CAR. DO NOT HIT ESCAPE YET.
9 - Driver 2 will see the pit timer and a count down showing when he will gain control of the car. Keep an eye on the gear selection. I can never remember if it starts in N or 1. But if you have a gates shifter I would put it in 1 and always have the clutch in so you don't stall when it takes over.
10 - Driver 1 WAITS UNTIL HE SEES HIS TEAM MATE DRIVE OUT OF THE PIT BOX. I normally stick around as a passenger and watch them drive a few laps.
11 - Driver 1 now hits escape which goes back to the monitor.
12 - Driver 1 now hits passenger select to exit the car. I have forgotten this step more times then I can count without problems but I try to do it anyways.
13 - Driver 1 now exits the server.
I know this sounds like a ton of steps but it really isn't that bad. I suggest reading the steps a few times and then practice this a bunch of times. You really only have to do it a few times to get the hang of it. The most important thing is getting the teams setup assigned as the default and then making sure that when you enter the car as a passenger that the current driver acknowledges that it said the correct name. You could also have the current driver confirm that the next driver is in the list. Just make sure you don't wait until the last minute to do this. And be sure to communicate over the radio if it isn't right. You don't have to restart rF or rejoin the server. You simply have to keep hitting passenger select until the correct name comes up.
And just a little plug for our team.
Our Facebook page is:
https://www.facebook.com/LostWrenchRacing
We race this Saturday. 6 hours at Silverstone. The race starts at 11AM (EST). We have a live video stream with really good commentary. Even driver interviews after they come off their stints. I will post links to the timing and video feed on our FB page.
