Welcome to the latest update for Pitstopboss!

After some analysis of the recent server overload and lag issues (mainly due to around 5,000 new players all banging on the server door at once), we’ve had to do some optimising of game pages and the backend
as well as make some server configuration changes.

Our server was operating somewhat how Giancarlo Fisichella was like driving a Ferrari.
We’ve replaced the Fisichella bits with some Alonso-grade code and it’s working at a good pace now.
Earlier than the planned Ferrari Valencia update, we’re already updating some of the game to ensure a fast response time for the game pages and less load on the server.

Some of the visible changes are noted in the update list below, whereas most of the work has been behind the scenes in the engine department.

Update List:

-    Added a new panel to show info about your team and moved credits and other details into the panel
-    Made adjustments to team page which sees the race schedule move to it’s own page
(you do also get a nice flag icon, so you can jump to it in one click)
-    Made it a bit clearer who your mentor is and easier to jump into an academy.
-    Updated some pages with more caching for speed.
-    Added a bonus of 15% bonus credits when supporters make a credit purchase.
-    Added some new awards for long-term members, giving credit bonuses based on time playing
(from 1 to 3 years at 10% – 30%.)

We have plans to get the race test ramped up as soon as these current updates are up and running well.
We will also be releasing some brand new tracks in the near future as well.

Happy racing!

Pitstopboss

After a brief absence, there is more activity in the garage!… here are some updates.

Let’s hope they work as well as the Red Bull updates did in Barcelona!

- Fixed a bug in the damage routine that selected higher grade parts more often when any damage occured.
– Adjusted tyre wear rates for longer runs past 20 laps (mainly for the race code).
– Adjusted slightly the tyre temps of Goodones.
– Fixed a bug that caused problems with upgrades if you lost your CTO (you would be stuck, unable to run).
– Fixed some contract extension exploit bugs.
– Fixed a bug that now allows you to leave an Alliance at any time.
– Added (and Fixed an issue with) BoaCompra payment systems that allows Boleto Bancario and other methods of payment.
– Fixed a caching bug with the end of round scores.
– Fixed a bug with the track information hints, so that they are more accurate and based on the weather.
– Many people are not correctly voting, so we are monitoring the situation and may restrict some of the sites, unfortunately.
– There are some people (and maybe bots) that are hammering the server with page refreshes, which may cause issues, so we are monitoring this and there may be some slight restrictions for those people while we work on a solution .

Welcome to the latest game update!

The Formula one 2010 season has gotten off to a rather processional start, after much hype. Lets hope the racing at Pitstopboss reintroduce more excitement to the genre!  
Speaking of which, we are undergoing a new round of testing, which will hopefully accelerate full racing becoming available to everyone very soon.  

Some bugs fixes and updates have occured recently. Here is a full list:

- Fixed a major bug that very often incorrectly set optimums for drivers based on weather.
- Fixed a bug that allowed new competitions to be started manually.
- Fixed an academy chatroom display bug.

- Added the ability for Academies to have up to four helpers. These helpers each get share in the profits from helping new players pass.
- Adjusted the tyre durability stats for some tyre brands such as Goodones and Dunnies to bring them into line with their race-specification.
- Allowed for level 4 tyres to improve up to their +20 limit (rather than being capped).
- Added an F1 news page (this will eventually expand to include other links of interest).

Welcome to a new update. It’s not big, but it has a few minor additions.

Firstly, due to the fallout of alliance-gate, it seems that the passion and commitment members to their teams has resulted in a breakdown of inter-alliance talks.  In some cases it’s been so bad that I have had to rustle up an “ignore-list” for the chat area.
For those who reckon diplomacy has failed, they can activate it from in their “community” section of the menu.
A failure of diplomacy comes at a price though, so use wisely and as a last resort!

That list in full, then:

* Added a shoutbox ignore-list.
* Added an option to stop accepting entries to your alliance.
* All new Amateur level Alliance competitions require you to be on level 2 tyres (PSB premiums, Star Performance or Controls)
* Fixed an issue (ok, i forgot) so Academies can now list and send mail by group (should be on the front page of your academy now)
* Issued Stig with another speeding ticket to slow him down a bit more and made some adjustments to fix an exploit.
* Minor bug fixes.
* Updated some language files.

As the Formula one testing gets into full swing it seems that somehow I’ve dragged myself into a testing session controversy the equal of which can perhaps be the diffuser row or the medals system of a certain Mr Ecclestone.

In an attempt to get a more accurate reading of skill ratings for players, I introduced some code this week that took into account recent form and history… On paper it should have given a much better approximation of skill than just using the equipment… In practice it hasn’t quite worked out as intended, and rather than refine it and add to confusion, I’ll revert to the old system – but make it a little clearer.

(I’d rather get the race ready for the F1 season than spend many days tinkering with the formula for skill)

Some managers have been struggling in the more professional level competitions.  The main solution for that is to reduce the amount  of maxed out equipment you have, perhaps by going back to premium tyres so that you get reassessed as an amateur rather than a professional.

I’m going to press on with a few seasons of the controversial Amateur Alliance competitions to see if this lower-point scoring competition for amatuer skilled racers is a good thing to have. There is a heated debate about this at present and as with most things and in formula one, testing and analysis will pay dividends.

I think there is room for a competition for those not fortunate to have an stack of pre-saved setups and the best equipment in town, but there is opposition, so we have to test it.  I know how it must be like to be the proposed 14th formula one team now!

Where are these updates? I hear you say.

Ok, not much but bugfixes mainly:

* fixed a stig exploit where you could get to see more hints by turning him on and off.
* reigned the tame race driver (stig) in a little.
* fixed an exploit where you could get to see the setup % from older runs.
* added a help page where you can now get help by sending a message to a marshal (it lists who is online)
* added some more features to the academy pages so you can organize your members into groups.
* academies now listed with languages spoken by owner, to help new members who apply
* fixed a bug where the academy ratings were not displayed correctly.
* put back the older rating calculation of earlier this week, so for some, your skill rating will change.
* will restart the league (slightly later that originally advertised)
* made some minor optimizations.

Right, hopefully everything runs smoothly and it’s still dark enough outside so I can nip over to the neighbours garden and cut Mrs PSB some lovely flowers for valentines day!

Things move fast in Formula one, but at times they move even faster in Pitstopboss!

Anyway, hot off the heels of the earlier update, I bring you another update!
(ok, maybe it’s mainly to fix and improve some issues thrown up from the previous update… but still, it’s an update!)

* Fixed an end of season error message in the Pyramid League when drivers were managed.
* Adjusted the Skill Level calculation to give a better representation of skill (this may mean that some people drop a skill level and some lose or gain equipment performance points). This takes into account some of your form.
It’s not an exact science as there are always going to be some people that will fall into the wrong side of the fence, but hopefully, it will give a little more hope to a lot of managers, who had not a lot in the professional comps.

*Fixed a forum image posting issue.
* Added an amatuer comp for alliances. This is for players that are Novice or Amatuer Level and are in an alliance.
* Updated some translation files.
* Fixed a bug with the tutorials that i fixed already (again!).
* Adjusted the driver limits so they are a more respectable number.

Well the testing starts again for the new F1 season at Jerez, with some the new Red Bull, the new Virgin and the Lotus hopefully being seen in action.

For those of you wanting to get the action live , there’s a feed at: http://live.autosport.com/commentary.php/id/174

…and now back to the racing of a virtual kind!

Updates today include:

* Redesign of some of the initial tutorials (especially for the tutorial #2) to make it easier to understand.
* Fixed a bug in tutorial #2 that stopped it from being completed.
* Removed some of the unnecessary objectives that didnt work (such as ‘read X’).
* Fixed a few login and other security issues.
* Made a few adjustments to the navigation (removed and reorganized some items).
* Allowed resetting of accounts for old players returning, even if they are on level 1.
* Reinstated Holiday Mode for non-supporters, albeit at a higher pricepoint.
* Made clearer the benefits of being a supporter* (some restrictions don’t apply to current players, but those registered after feb 8th 2010).
* Rejigged the voting, as some vote sites were not working. You unfortunately have to vote a bit more to get the same credits (some of the very poor vote sites may soon be dropped).
* Adjusted the height of pages in the forum.
* Adding a Lower-Skill competition for Alliances that will be based more on results for entry (podiums etc.)
* Increased setup save slots by 25%.

Hello and welcome to another game update!

I’ve got a bunch of fixes and some minor additions and also a few balances to mention today.

First off is the resetting of the Pyramid League test and the start of Phase 2, which sees an expanded league and a longer 2-day session amongst other things. 

This means there are now 220 slots instead of the 120 we had before and things are not so rapid, so there is more chance for you to get your team involved.

BUGFIXES:

* Fixed a phantom run bug that allowed some players to mysteriously get extra hints.
* Fixed an some text that still indicated ‘Level’ upgrades, rather than ‘Stage’.
* Added a showcase of custom livery owners  in the forum and in the game.
* Added back the Sprint Race and added a 2-day Alliance race.
* Livery cup now hands out liveries to all prize winners, rather than just winner.
* Slight difficulty increase for League and Alliance races (a bug meant that they were slightly easier in some cases).
* You can now see the name of the person you are sending a message to (in case you have the memory of a fish, like me!).
* Adjusted size of Awards page so egos… i mean awards can be fitted in.
* Fixed a pyramid league relegation loophole regarding replacing drivers.
* The amount of time an item is on the transfer market has now increased to 7 days. This is to compensate for the decreased market size due to restrictions on new player bidding.
* Added an award count for awards given in the pyramid league.
* Updated some forum icons.

Like most updates, as in life – things don’t always go smoothly!
There may be some slight hiccups, so if you notice anything please notify me and I’ll get it sorted!