Question Pit menu

So with the implementation of manual pitstops I feel that the pit menu is a bit unfortunately designed, especially with short pit entrances.

I feel that:

- You need to move within the menu when going down the pit lane which maybe worked with auto pitstops but now it's multitasking deluxe.
- With the current colors it's hard to see where your "cursor" is.
- It's very easy to go a step too far when you're going to confirm the stop and it will then cancel the stop.

Yes, I have added pit stop presets. But I feel that it would be enough to:

- Press "pit in" button - the menu comes up.
- Toggle between presets (or not if you're happy) and change settings within the chosen preset). So far so good.
- Confirm settings with "pit in" button (or similar).

Alt 1: You could have the field for "confirm pit settings" in the bottom and the cursor would stop there. The field for "cancel pitstop" would be removed and if I would like to cancel the stop I could just hit the "pit in" button again.

Alt 2: The pitstop is confirmed automatically as soon as you stop in your box.

This would allow everything to be ready in time for the pitstop and I can just focus on hitting the pit in line and my pit box. The colors could be better too. Yellow around the marked field against green and grey is so hard to see, at least for me. Maybe a thicker border and another color?

Just some thoughts after some racing tonight with manual stops.

 

You don't have to setup your pitstop once your inside the pit entrance, you can set it up whilst your doing a lap, then all you have to do is hit the confirm button on the pit lane.
But do agree about the highlight colour (yellow surround) around the selection boxes, can barely see it.

 

Well, you still have to confirm it inside the pit which is though when you have the first box and a short pit entrance.

 

And this could cause a problem. If you make the slightest mistake, and dun forget, now you have a bunch of tasks to handle, you'll abort the stop.

Personally I was always a lill disturbed about the fact, that I couldnt move the cursor to the confirm area, while I'm still on track. Wasnt a big problem though, cause you always had enough time after you've crossed the pit lane. But now with all the other things you need to do ....

So imho it would be best if you are able to confirm the stop while you are still on track, with the opportunity to cancel it within the pit lane. But also the automatic confirm as soon as you stop would be a nice addition.

 

At it current state it's a nightmare in VR.

In virtual reality it's amost impossible to where the selectionbox is and it's very easy to accidental cancel the pitstop by mistake.

 

I totaly agree, this has to be reworked.

 

This is why devs released it to get feedback keep it comin

 

How wasn't it a big problem until now?

The pit stop procedure is exactly the same now as it was before. Only difference is you can drive yourself to your pit box.

This requires you to have a hand on the wheel, so I can see how it would require some dexterity to navigate the menu, but every game that has pit stops is like this (except AC).

Yeah, this would be ideal I suppose. Still, you can do everything else before entering the pits and confirming only requires 2 button presses (down & confirm).

Although, if the above is a problem, I would imagine actually racing where you are trying to go fast would be a lot more difficult to navigate the pit menu than leisurely cruising down a pit lane at 80 kmh.

 

Imo pits are epic strategies now with right server settings and most people i have raced with are lovin it

 

Xpadder helps a lot. Navigating through the menu with one button press

hébergement gratuit d'images

 

Oh Nate, I'm always wondering why you're obviously having some issues with such proposals, but for sure I'm able to state my point.

OK, you wrote "except AC," so letz take a look at AC. The only think you need to do in AC is finding your own pit position, everything else can be done after you've pitted, or you use an app like "pit config". You dont need to check your speed, you dont even need to brake, just find your pit position. In PeeCars it is pretty much the same, your preselected pit strategy gets executed, as long as you dont wanna change anything.

In R3E it isnt a big problem too, I've never wrote that. There are minor problems though, which you cant ignore completely!

Problem #1: If you have a spot near the pit entrance, you'll lose time, compared to the ppl who have a spot in the middle or the end of the pit lane.

Problem #2: If a bunch of ppl are pitting at the same time, you're having problems seeing the STOP-sign. Personally I just fall back a lill while entering the pit, so the sign isnt blocked by the car in front of me. Again, time gets wasted. Again personally I find the solution in AC very good. The guy with the PIT-sign is visible very far away, even if there are a bunch of cars pitting.

Dont misunderstand me plz, I like the fact doing all by myself now, but there should be some helping hands. For example irl there is always a guy standing beside the fast lane, pointing to your pit position.

So there is plain and simple room for improvement, e.g. automatic confirm as soon as you stop.

 

i really cant see what the fuss is , you fire up the pitstop menu , switch between whatever thing you need fuel tyres etc in the presets on track takes about a second , enter pitlane slow while hitting limiter , confirm tada
All of the menu should be pre prepared as your a serious sim racer ....

it really isnt difficult

Andi

 

OK. not worth discussing anymore, sorry.

Andy Blade wrote, devs wanted feedback. I wrote my opinion, but it is all good as it is. Until it is changed in an upcoming patch. After that it is good again as it it. Until it is changed again ... neverending story.

 

Well I believe by investing much time in the game and also trying to spot things to evolve we're all somewhat serious sim racers. And like I wrote in my post, I do use a preset.

For me the usage of a preset is to limit all things you need to do in car. If I hit the pit in button and don't cancel it before I enter the pit, isn't that enough to confirm the pit stop action? Or is real race car drivers obliged to scream while entering the pits "Yes, I wan't to pit - I confirm this!". They wait for the call or make the call themselves.

Just because every sim racing game has this system doesn't mean it's a good system. I have always felt that you only should need to add a preset, maybe correct something within the preset before the stop and then just pit in. As simple as that. Not having to scramble for your keyboard and confirm your already confirmed stop. Push the pit in button = I want to pit.

I wouldn't want a great race to be spoiled just because someone unintentionally canceled their stop (because the menu is designed in such a way) while most likely their adrenaline and stress levels are through the roof.

 

Yeah, I see what you mean here. The Stop sign isnt the most obvious from a distance. I'll add this one to our suggestions list (although the devs browse the forum and may see this thread anyway )

My other statements werent meant to deter you or anyone else from leaving feedback on the pit stops. At least, that wasnt what I was trying to imply.

I was more so confused why people only now think pit stops are too hard and the menus should be simplified when it has been the same for the past 2-3 yrs. That was all really

Cheers

 

As you say, it's been that way for ages, and it's been mentioned before that it's not optimal in many ways. With AI controlled pit stops however, the problem was marginal, because you had both your hands and your mind free to navigate the pit menu once you entered the pit lane.

With manual pit stops on the other hand, you have to navigate both the car and the menu at the same time.

So it's quite obvious and natural that the topic emerges once again with the introduction of manual pit stops. No big mystery here.

And as previously stated, I really don't see the point in forcing the pit menu open every time you pit. It's pointless. No need to simplify the menu itself, just don't open it unless the driver asks for it. There are several easy ways to do this:

1. Two buttons: "pit now" and "pit menu"
2. One button: short press=pit now/cancel, hold button=pit menu
3. One button: one press=pit now, two=pit menu, three=cancel

I'd probably go for option 3, but all of them would work for me.

 

This description is at odds with the complaints that an early pit spot is troublesome. If you have an early pit spot, even before when the AI controlled your car, you would still have to navigate the menu quickly.

And that is where the mystery lies. Pit stops now are literally the same as before, aside from you driving yourself down the lane. You can still make all of your pit choices, and you only need 2 button clicks to confirm.

The whole notion that this is too much work doesnt make any sense to me. There are plenty of places on any track to make your pit choices if you bring up the pit menu on your in lap. And then cruising down the lane, I dont see how those 2 required button clicks are an issue, even with an early pit spot. It would be nice to be able to confirm your entire stop before entering the pit lane, but I dont see it as a necessity.

No can do. Option 3 may require 2 button presses, and that is 2 too many according to this thread

Just kidding there. But, we're kind of going around in circles at this point.

 

Hehe. Yep, we are going in circles, I agree. Probably because I can't really see your point, and you can't see mine...

For me, it's kind of like having to press a button every single lap when crossing the finish line. No big problem, most would agree - one single button press doesn't interfere much with your driving... But such a completely and totally unnecessary small distraction. A bit like the current pit menu system...

 

Well, I already wear glasses... so unless you can come up with another solution, i may be stuck here and not see the point

None of the suggestions here are a waste though. Even if I dont agree with all of them, they are still seen and the feedback appreciated... Im not the one deciding what gets changed/added/adjusted. So, plenty of people probably be glad to hear that

 

OK, some last suggestion, Nate.

The navigation of the menue is imho pretty awful. And Yes, it was always that awful. As you already stated, you can chose every settings while you are still on track. But usually you're preparing this on a longer or not very long straight, with pedal to the metal. And it is proven you are always driving to the direction your sighting goes. So looking to the right side of the screen could cause a problem.
So either the menue should pop up in the middle of the screen, or let the user decide where he wants it. If a "free menue" isnt possible, like its done in AC or PCars, just give the options "Left, Middle, Right" for the position. I have no clue if this is very hard to implement though.
A bigger border of the selected entry in the menue would be great too. Sometimes I really dont know which area is active right now, and I need to take a very close look ... at 250km/h+ on the mentioned straight.
And last but not least, take the cancel-action away from the confirm-selection, so you cant accidently cancel a requested pit. I'm honest, this happened to me only once, but I was completely pissed afterwards. If you're in the lead by six seconds at the Norisring, and your mandatory pit stop gets canceled, you're in the mood to destroy something.
Or just disable the cancel-function after you've already confirmed the pitting. Because that exactly happened to me. I was driving through the pit lane, confirmed the stop, reached for my beer bottle and somehow I canceled the stop.