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Community Opinion On Race Numbers

Number Pylon

A driver’s race number can be a very important part of the driver’s identity. In NASCAR, the numbers are more prevalent than the drivers’ very names. In organized sim racing, the driver numbers can be just as important, and it’s a feature we would very much like to get right. Like anything, there is more than one way to solve the problem of how to assign driver numbers to our members. We feel there are roughly three different methods for driver numbers, and we will outline those below. Driven by the demands of the community, we feel compelled to ask the community to weigh in and tell us their opinions on the issue.

       Method 1 – Site Wide Numbers

Perhaps the most well known method of allocating race numbers is to assign them for the entire site. Several other sites have used site-wide numbers to promote pride in attaining a rather low number to indicate that you’ve been with a site since the beginning, or are currently a very active member. It’s also a very simple method that allows any member to carry the same number through any series they participate in, be that TURN official or community series. Numbers would be renewed annually, with drivers being able to preserve their numbers if they actively participated in a series in the prior year. Numbers would be able to be shown as unique per user on both the main site and in the forums. There are several advantages to this system, particularly the simplicity and consistency. This method has worked for a few other sim race organizers, and it may very well work for us too, giving the drivers that much needed sense of an attachment with a race number they can be proud of putting on their race livery, should the race simulator allow for that.

The downside to this method may be that your favorite numbers get selected and reserved by drivers on other platforms, racing in entirely different series than you do. Also with site-wide numbers, if our user base grows, so too does the scarcity of desirable numbers. If we had more than 1,000 active members, 3 and 4 digit race numbers would be common place, and if TURN grows to be even larger than has traditionally been possible with organized sim racing sites, perhaps even 5 digit race numbers might be seen. While the possibility of 4 or 5 digit race numbers would mean a huge success for TURN itself, it may be nearly impossible to switch to a different method of assigning race numbers.

       Method 2 – Platform Specific Numbers

Another method for assigning numbers would be to assign them based on the gaming platform. Largely the same as site-wide numbers, but would mean that PC members could have their set of site numbers, while Xbox could have another set, and Playstation members yet another. These drivers are not likely to interact with each other, and therefore two drivers on different platforms choosing #14 wouldn’t matter. Numbers would be renewed and allocated the same way as site numbers, first come, first serve, renewed annually or on registration. By splitting the numbers up by platform, we also reduce the likelihood of seeing 4 or 5 digit race numbers.

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That said, there are going to be some members that participate on multiple platforms and could be assigned multiple numbers, which means showing a single number in their member profile may not be possible. We could show the numbers that are assigned to that user, for each of the platforms they choose, and with only a limited number of platforms, the quantity of race numbers a single driver would have is likely counted on one hand, if not a single finger. On the forums, if drivers can have multiple race numbers, the race number’s importance is slightly devalued, since a single driver would no longer solely identify as #14, for example. They would be #14 on Xbox, where someone else could have #14 on PS4 or PC.

       Method 3 – Series Specific Numbers

The last method we will share with you is allocating race numbers by each series. In real motorsport, drivers are not awarded a number to carry with them from one motorsport discipline to another. Paul di Resta was #14 for the 2013 F1 season, then went to DTM for 2014 where he was assigned #6. The very next season of DTM, he was then given #3. In fact, Paul di Resta hasn’t had the same race number for any season in the last 10 years, between Formula 3 Euro, DTM, Formula 1, and back to DTM. In the FIA WEC, drivers themselves aren’t even assigned numbers, the car has a number, shared by multiple drivers. Even if the team wins, its the manufacturer that gets to keep the prized numbers, not the drivers. Le Mans wizard Tom Kristensen is famous for his role in the #2 Audi’s dominance at Le Mans, yet even he has to run a different number if he runs another form of motorsport in the same year (2011 – #9 in DTM, #2 in WEC).

While we certainly don’t want this level of number changing even among the same series, an option would be to award a number to a driver for a series. Renewed each season of that series, numbers would be reserved for drivers that actively participated in the last season of the series. This would mean that in nearly every series, only two digit numbers would need to be used. Let’s suppose you love #14, and want to run it in TURN Grand Prix, but another member over on the Playstation or PC side of the site has already reserved that number. This might be a rather major disappointment, especially considering you aren’t even racing against another #14 in the series, so there would be no confusion on track or in the standings.

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If we chose series specific numbers, we would likely reserve #1, #2, and #3 for previous season championship positions. Drivers will be more likely to be able to run the number they want in a given series, but the prestige of owning those low and desirable numbers for the entire site is lost. Perhaps this would be mitigated by focusing on trying to attain a #1,2, or 3 in your favorite TURN official or community series, but that’s why we bring these options to the table now.

We strongly believe in delivering the quality and features that the TURN community expects, and we would greatly appreciate your choice either in the comments below, over on our forums, on Facebook, or simply let us know your favorite method by tweeting to us @TURN_Media.

Thanks so much for your time and by telling us your thoughts and views, you help us become The Ultimate Racing Network

     Ryan McDowell | TURN Site Manager

 

Comments

  1. Profile Photo

    Ryan McDowell (Cyphon68) • 9 years ago

    My personal opinion is that option 3 makes the most sense, but it devalues “owning” a specific number across multiple series. Once we choose 1 or 2, option 3 is a pipe dream…you can’t give someone relatively exclusive use of numbers, then expect that to be given up to go with a system that makes more sense for a growing site.

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    Michael Groves (Grovesy36) • 9 years ago

    I would say platform specific with 1, 2 & 3 for each series each platform

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    Matt Hall (F4H Spartan) • 9 years ago

    I would go with method 1, mainly because its easier all round. However I would if possible setup an alert system so that unused numbers flag up after 90 days inactivity and then can be reallocated to other players. Reserve all lower numbers (1-9) for staff.

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    Robert Thomas (itzz Darkside) • 9 years ago

    I would say Method 1 or 2 would work best in my opinion, #2 would be my choice because of like you said, it wouldn’t affect anything if we had a #25 for XBOX and a #25 for PS4, just make it a rule that, if they decide to race on another platform, their number would not come over with them, so lets say I was #25 on Xbox One, I would not have that number on PS4.

    But either way 1 or 2 would be my opinions

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    Anthony Mahone (F4H Lightning) • 9 years ago

    It’s going to be a hard choice on this. While Method 1 is easier, it’ll be ok until the site eclipses 1,000 active members.

    3 might be best after that happens.

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    Dominic Mako (Dominic Mako) • 9 years ago

    Since most of the racing on TURN will be through Project CARS in the foreseeable future, and you can’t personalize a number on the car, it would seem the easiest way to ensure the driver number matches the car number is to assign by series. Many of them have about 20 liveries at most, so you’re a bit limited there still, but if there is a situation for duplication you can do what dirt track drivers have done and add a letter. #21a would be the first person to select that car, #21b would be the second one, and so forth. If you have subsequent seasons, the driver with the number in the previous run would get first dibs again, so he could stay #21a again. Of course, you can do all of this through the initial registration of each series/season.

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    Ryan McDowell (Cyphon68) • 9 years ago

    @Dominic Mako – while this is true for the TURN Official events, we cannot predict where the community series will take TURN. We have to assume the Forza Motorsport 6, Gran Turismo 7 may represent valid options where numbers are more relevant than they are in Project CARS. While I agree with your sentiment on series specific numbers, I’d hate for us to choose a method based on what is only directly in front of us….but I still think option 3 is best for both situations. 😀

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    Nick James (Nick James123) • 9 years ago

    Method 2 for me would be the best I think.

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    Chris Parker (Fariko Epicus) • 9 years ago

    Option 2 would be best in my eyes, has there been word from project car about being albe to add custom race numbers?

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    Clay Layne (XessIV) • 9 years ago

    For me option 2 makes a lot of sense. Ownership of a preferred number is another way to recognize drivers.

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    Joe Burchett (WRA Joe) • 9 years ago

    Option 2 is the best option right now. Also any word on custom paint editor for project cars?

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    Moo Wallace (Daytona Dreams) • 9 years ago

    Driver’s numbers, to myself, i have always had alot of pride in the number i carry as they have alot of meaning behind them. But i also have been on the receiving end of a number i wanted being selected, by a member that had disappeared a month later into the wilderness. I personally feel that keeping the drivers number as an open book would solve all issues in one. As part of your sign up for a series, providing your sign up is in full, i.e no TBC crap, you choose the number you would be running for the season. If theres a second wanting to use that number, then the addition of a letter would be fine. This way, theres no cross platform issues, no begging for a number assigned to someone that never runs, no need for a member of staff to be keeping a thread up to date and watching as time period draws to an end.

    While Project CARS is your weapon of choice, driver numbers wont matter anyway on console, on Forza Motorsports 5 & 6, a driver can then run with a shop bought paint for example in a series. Which means those that dont paint can make an effort in looking good for the media, which from a sites point of view is always good for promotion. Downsides, yes you may end up with a few of the same number in a series, but you are going to end up with a bunch of series with the same paints on Project CARS anyway, especially the spec stuff.

    Foot note on Paul Di Resta, the DTM allowed the drivers to chosse their own numbers for the entire season, which did cause some grieve to them as other drivers less ranked had already picked their number of choice. Even in the real world, arguments happen when the phrase driver numbers are used.

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    Ryan McDowell (Cyphon68) • 9 years ago

    @Moo Wallace – Thanks for your insight. So you would prefer option 3, numbers chosen for each series? As for Paul Di Resta, even if we use option 3, there’s no guarantee that your preferred number will be available, just like DTM…but its highly unlikely that we’d see many 3 digit driver numbers in a series

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    Gashi Gashi (X Gashi X) • 9 years ago

    I prefer option 4.

    Have the teams themselves owning the numbers. If they field a team, the drivers use the numbers that the team owns. If privateers race, they get a number not assigned to a team. That is how race teams have numbers assigned to cars. If a team wants to field a car and they don’t have the required number, they get a number that isn’t normally used, a three digit number that is similar to their normal two digit number.

    If that doesn’t work, I vote for option 1.

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    Sam Evans (exp1osive sam) • 9 years ago

    Surely method 3 is the only way forwardbfor Project CARS, especially on Xbox where there is no livery editor. From what I’ve seen, the numbers on the cars don’t go much higher than 100, so if I for example was late to pick a number, and had to pick 205, I would never be able to find a car to race with surely. Also, if you have to stick with the same number, I would be seriously limited with the number of cars I can race with.
    I might be looking at it wrong, but my vote would go to Method 3

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    Martin Hall (F4H Trash) • 9 years ago

    It’s option 2 for me.

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    Ashley Stubbs (LRT Stubbsy) • 9 years ago

    I like options 2 and 3, but i think option 3 would be the best.

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    (Cliffyboy1962) • 9 years ago

    Option 2. This gives you 999 3 digit numbers per platform. I would love to imagine that TURN could attract more members than that but honestly…..

  19. Profile Photo

    Brandon Scott (TLR Overdrive) • 9 years ago

    Option 2 if we get a livery editor. Option 3 if not.

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    Shane Powell (LER VisionThing) • 9 years ago

    I don’t think you could even find 100 different numbers in PCars, GT3 has a good selection of cars but I don’t think there are even 50 different number/design combinations. With PCars, having a race number is more for your profile on site, as the game just isn’t co-operative for what we do. That said it is important to think about the future, and look beyond PCars. Forza 6 is on the horizon, and potentially so is the recently announced Assetto Corsa (although as yet, we have no idea on how numbers will work on that game), but with Forza we know we can have our number, no matter what it is, placed on the car.

    For me, I’m used to option 1, and whilst I think about it more and more, I feel option 2 would be the next logical step, with future games and the intended growth of the site in mind. Whilst I may not get a number that means anything to me, just like on other sites I have raced on, I do over time form an attachment to that number. I see race numbers as an important part of my profile, just as much as my gamertag.

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    Hunter Wood (TLR Eclipse) • 9 years ago

    Neither Option 1 or 2 makes any sense as the Console Versions have no way to Create our own Liveries yet, Option 3 works with what the Game has already and should work until a better solution becomes available.

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    Paul Matthews (ToOSk3tChY) • 9 years ago

    My vote would be for Method 3 to match real life IMO.

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    Josh Glessner (omgcoffee) • 9 years ago

    Option 2 is my vote. It’s a shame Pcars doesn’t have assignable numbers, but you shouldn’t let the limitation of the game hold back your platform.

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    Sean Lamont (slamont24) • 9 years ago

    IMO… Everyone would love to have their own number in motorsports that they could use for their whole career. However, in real motorsports, the driver very rarely gets to chose their own number. Just as in real life, as long as I get to participate, I don’t really care what number I am racing with. I believe that option 3 makes the most sense. It is the most true to reality as Ryan points out with the Paul di Resta example.

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    Mark Roberts (TGM SPARKY) • 9 years ago

    Its a good debate.

    For me its option 1 but thats just because i love my number and had it my whole life racing in real life and on racing games.

    thats my opinion but you gotta go with what plays best for TURN’s mechanism.

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    Adam Brown (MRBROWN33) • 9 years ago

    For me, a bit of all methods. Numbers 1,2&3 should be given to who ever has the most championship titles and the rest of us, first come first severed. Numbers should also be platform specific.