In addition to the traditional car-class-based lobbies, there would be “ranked match” lobbies based on lap times in specific cars. Before using a car in one of these lobbies, players would have to set a benchmark time with it. Since the game already observes how you drive, this wouldn’t necessarily require a special qualifying lap or anything, the data’s already there for the most part.
This would result in much more competitive racing, I reckon: if you’re a master driver who, in your trick D-Class '65 Mini can do a lap of Laguna Seca in 1:40 flat (and some actually can), you’ll find yourself racing against vehicles whose drivers can also do it that quick: reasonably good drivers in low-to-midrange c-class cars and other super-Minis with hotshot pilots.
The reverse would also happen: if you’re hopeless, and a lap of Seca takes you 2:15 in your A class Ferarri F12, you’d race other poor drivers and the odd good driver who’s in a slower car. Kind of like a golf handicap.
The goal here is to avoid superheroes in LB cars dominating race after race. The way it works now, 1st place has no one to race with on his/her level, and no-one else has a snowball’s chance at a win. Average drivers enter a lobby, praying there’s no superheroes there; superheroes become wandering “ronin”, searching for opponents who can actually put up a fight. It doesn’t have to be like that, does it??
I vote no, because if this happened, we wouldn’t be able to have the usual LB car discussions.
More seriously though, although I think it is a good idea, you’d end up with many a quiet lobby.
You also would restrict people’s chances of meeting new players. Of the people I race with, yes, many of us are well matched for pace, but there are some much much faster, and some much slower. We’d have never met under a system like this.
I would however love to see a matchmaking system based on cleanliness. I have played a game before (Dirt possibly?) that gives a traffic light system based on cleanliness. You could simply group all greens, ambers, and reds into their own lobbies. That would be heaven, and would get me back into the hoppers.
Thanks for the feedback, and your critiques are quite valid, Claret.
My “ranked match” system wouldn’t replace the traditional lobbies, but would run alongside. The ranked lobbies would just be there for folks who are looking for the closest, most competitive racing possible.
I love meeting folks too, 90% of my friends list is people I met playing FM4, FM5 and FH2 in random lobbies. That being said, I have WAY more fun racing people of equal skill, running fender-to-fender and battling for every apex. I figure my concept would make this type of racing easier to find.
P.S. The cleanliness-based lobby is a wonderful idea. Clean driving would be an excellent criteria for the ranked-match system, in addition to the lap times.
This is a good idea and has been put forth here on the forums in the past. The problem that arises with such a system however, is how would the game determine who is the “crasher” and who is the “crashee”? Take it one step further; how would the game be able to interpret unintentional contact such as missing my braking point vs intentionally pushing someone off a corner? I know iracing has a safety rating system, but it may be too complex to be implemented on a console.