Preparations are beginning for a second running of the International Super Formula Championship.
OOC Discussion
RP/Results
Scorinator
To scorinate this series, I will be using a custom-built Excel-based scorinator, the GTScorinator Formula/SC Fork I used for my domestic Formula Hodori championship.
The GTScorinator utilises a stat and skill point rating system inspired by the WGPC and early NSSCRA scorinators, and supports a maximum of 48 drivers and variable weather. The scorinator allows for and displays two mandatory stops at roughly one third and two thirds race distance, but pit entry laps and best position achieved during race timing will not be displayed.
Series Calendar and Events
The series calendar will be ideally eight rounds in length, but will otherwise be between six and ten rounds, with each race being held to the end of the first lap over 249.8km.
Players may submit up to two circuits for consideration, but only one will be selected. Circuits submitted for consideration must include lap length in kilometres, a map, number of corners, lap time, and rain chance. Circuits lacking any of the required information, circuits shorter than 3 kilometres or longer than 6.5 km, circuit maps judged to be of poor quality, or circuits using a map of a real-world facility or from a video game will, with few exceptions, be rejected.
The required information may be included in either the image or in the submission form, but must be present if the circuit has not hosted a round before.
Circuits used in the previous season may be resubmitted using only the circuit name, precipitation chance, and a link to the track map.
Breaking from typical open wheel events, NSFC races will start with a GT-style staggered double-file rolling start.
Cars
ICly, all cars will use a common spec-chassis with multiple engine and tyre suppliers permitted. Engines are to be 3.4-litre normally-aspirated V8 engines generating 500BHP.
Engines and Tyres each have two categories for stat rating points; one determining lap time and the other influencing reliability. The categories affecting a driver's lap times are Engine Power and Tyre Grip. The second category is Engine Reliability and Tyre Longevity. All ratings are to be on a scale of 0.0 to 10.0, with '0.0' being the worst possible rating and '10.0' the best possible rating.
'Engine Power' is, as its name indicates, an overall assessment of how much power the engine produces and along with a driver's 'Speed' skill influences one of two modifiers determining a base lap time. Its inverse, 'Engine Reliability,' is an overall assessment of the engine's ability to withstand the stresses of racing and its fuel efficiency. For example, an engine with 10.0-0.0 will produce some of the fastest lap times, but will be prone to failure, while a 0.0-10.0 powerplant will be the slowest in the field, but generally will not break.
'Tyre Grip' is an indication of how soft a tyre is, and thus how strongly it affects a car's cornering modifier, along with the driver's 'Technical' skill. 'Tyre Longevity' is inversely an indication of how hard the tyre is, and is used along with Engine Reliability and the Driver's Aggression rating and Endurance skill to determine the car's overall reliability.
Each player may submit one engine and one tyre. Submitted engines and tyres must both have 10 rating points distributed. Decimals to one-tenth are permitted for engine and tyre rating points.
The maximum entry list size is 28 entries.
Teams, Drivers and Skills
Each driver will have a number of rating points to distribute into four skill categories, plus an additional rating modifier which does not count towards total rating points. All categories are on a scale of 1 to 10, with '1' being the worst possible rating and '10' the best possible rating.
The four categories are 'Speed' and 'Technical', which directly affect a driver's base time, 'Endurance', which affects the chances of DNF or NC, and 'Wet', which affects a driver's times and endurance in wet conditions. 'Aggression' affects the range of lap times and impacts a driver's Endurance, but is not counted in skill rating.
The range of lap times as determined by Aggression will be 100% plus or minus one tenth of Aggression for qualifying scorination, and between 100% minus one tenth of Aggression and 100% plus Aggression for race scorination. Although a high aggression carries the potential for faster times, there is also an increased risk for slower times or DNFs due to driver error or parts failure.
All drivers submitted by new players are restricted to a maximum average of 25 rating points for all of a nation's drivers and total rating values for individual drivers between 23 and 30. Returning drivers are permitted one extra rating point, and the driver's champion is permitted a second bonus point.
Returning players are permitted a maximum average of 26 skill rating points, excluding champion bonus points, if submitting one or more new driver.
Unless having driven in the previous season, free agent drivers are restricted to 25 skill rating points and will not count towards the submitting player's driver skill rating average. Returning drivers submitted as free agents will be permitted an extra skill rating point. Players may submit a maximum of two free agent drivers.
Excluding free agent drivers and before factoring in bonus skill rating points, the difference in skill ratings for a team's two drivers should be within a maximum of 5 rating points.
Each car may only have one driver per round, with teams consisting of up to two cars, and thus drivers, per round. Players may submit a total maximum of two cars, which may be in the form of a single team or two single-car teams. Nations intending to use a puppet to submit one or both drivers must first register drivers with the appropriate nation and declare puppets.
If necessary to make space for returning drivers, either the more skilled or second driver of new teams that have not declared interest will be removed from the entry list.
Numbers
Any positive integers from the range of 5 to 999 inclusive may be selected by teams. Alphanumeric combinations, non-integers, and negative numbers are not valid numbers. Nations returning from the previous season will have priority in number choice, followed by nations expressing interest in the interest/OOC discussion thread prior to this post, after which selection is first-come-first-serve for valid entries. No two cars may use the same number.
Numbers with preceding zeroes will be reported on the entry list and in session results with leading zeroes stripped. I.e., a car with number '09' will be reported with the number '9'.
Numbers 1 and 2 are reserved for the defending driver's champion and teammate. Numbers 3 and 4 are reserved for the defending team champion, as it is different from the team of the drivers champion. Numbers vacated by teams using numbers 1 through 4 are reserved for those teams and cannot be used by any other team unless released.
Qualifying
NSFC qualifying events are will consist of two sessions; a Q1 session with the full grid, and a Q2 session with a smaller field to determine the starting grid. The number of drivers attempting Q2 will also be the minimum grid size, and will be defined as one half the total entry list size rounded up, to a minimum of 10 and maximum of 14. If fewer than 19 entries register, there will not be a Q2 session for qualifying.
Times in Q1 outside of 107% of the Q1 pole will be disallowed and reported on qualify results as 'DQ'. Regardless of Q1 results, drivers attempting Q2 will always start ahead of drivers outside the Q2 cutoff and within 107% of Q1 pole.
The starting grid size is defined by Q1 times within the minimum grid size or within 107% of Q1 pole, whichever produces the larger grid, to a maximum of 28.
Championship and Points Scales
All drivers will compete for the Drivers Championship, with the total points earned by all of a team's drivers counting towards the Teams Championship. If a minimum of six suppliers register, there will also be a Suppliers Championship for Engines and Tyres. Each champion will be determined based on the total number of points earned in all rounds.
Drivers failing to complete a minimum of 80% of race distance will be classified as DNF and earn no points for the race.
For the Suppliers Championships, only the highest-ranked representative of each supplier will be used for the distribution of points.
Points Scales
Drivers, Team Points
Pos. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11+ DNF
Pts. 20 15 11 8 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 0
Suppliers
Pos. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7+
Pts. 8 6 4 3 2 1 0
Performance Adjustment Ballast
One point of weight handicap ballast will be applied per drivers point earned in all rounds, with no ballast carried in the final round.
RP Bonus
The RP Bonus score will affect all of a driver's modifiers, with a higher score giving greater benefit.
All drivers will have a default RP score of '5'. Nations can increase the RP score for all of their entered drivers by posting RPs before Qualifying and/or Race cutoffs, scheduled for Fridays (Qualifying) and Mondays (Races) at 1500 US Eastern time.
RPs I judge to be of good quality will increase the RP score for all of a nation's driver, to a maximum of '10', with higher quality giving a larger boost. RPs I deem to be of poor quality will not affect RP bonus. Roleplays discovered to be plagiarised will result in a deduction of 5 RP Bonus points for each offence, to a minimum RP score of '0'. Championship point penalties may also be levied if the situation warrants.
Unless brought below the default value by penalties, RP score will decrease by one point to a minimum of '5' after each race.
Puppet Policy
Puppets will be considered as being the same nation as the controlling account. Puppets must be declared and confirmed upon registration. The use of puppets to evade entry limitations will result in all of the player's entries removed from the entry list, points stripped, and any rounds hosted by the player cancelled or nullified.
