Developer Chat

Welcome! I'd like to spend some time today answering any questions you may have regarding Clutch.

how long has CRD around. (barryjv - All-Star - 12:04 PM)

Clutch has been around since May, 2005.

How come with the exact same settings and equipment, I may qualify 20th one day and qualify 1st on another at the same track??? Ditto for races also. I understand "randomness" but shouldn't there be some consistency? Without consistency there's no point in playing. The game then becomes one of chance in lieu of skill. (itsamiracle - Veteran - 12:08 PM)

That is a fantastic question. There is definitely probability and statistics and randomness involved in every race. And with so few races in a season (compared to a 162-game baseball season), it's hard to distinguish sample size variation from accuracy. On top of that, your competition changes for each race. Practice runs should provide the best glimpse at optimizing your car and parts for a particular track. Outside of that, there is some chance but lots of factors in play due to the activity of the other cars and their settings.

Please explain the process behind Qualifying, and how we can improve our Q positions. (OldPirateman - Hall of Famer - 12:11 PM)

The strategy for qualifying should be different than your strategy for winning a race as the race is all about endurance whereas the qualifier is about a simple fastest time in a much shorter spurt. Aside from the different settings you can adjust for the qualifier versus the race, you'll also want to remember that changing parts between qualifier and race will put you at the back of the line for your start position.

I understand parts "wearing out" and the need to have to repair some of them, but tell me how my "Wiscar Specification Templates" needs to get repaired ? Some parts need to be set to "doesn't break" - also, now that you are in the new version, it seems like a tremendously higher amount of money is being spent on repairs. Too many repairs now !!!! (mightymoose - Hall of Famer - 12:13 PM)

Repairs are an interesting (not necessarily overly enjoyable) part of the game. In the previous version of Clutch, it only happened in between seasons which was not very realistic. In the new version, it occurs during the season and is actually tied to usage, along with the domino effect or cascading of damaged parts. Are repairs needed too frequently? Depends on usage and how often your garage is working. Is it silly that a book gets damaged and needs to be repaired (i.e. re-purchased)? Sort of, but we all know books get damaged from being in a garage. There are a few parts that don't need repairing, though.

The more u run a an engine up in damage,does that effect how the durability is effected after a repair? Also, does a damaged frame effect handling?And is asphalt or concrete easier to handle on? thanks for the game !! (joshcarolina - Hall of Famer - 12:17 PM)

No, damaging a part will not influence it's future durability after a repair. We consider it wear and tear moreso than incurring permanent damage to a part. A damaged frame does effect handling. Damaged parts will definitely negatively impact your performance, but remember it's not a linear relationship. A slightly damaged part won't hurt you too much but as it builds, it'll really start hurting you. Not sure about asphalt versus concrete. Will have to look that one up later.

i have two tracks that i just suck at (wenatchee & evergreen) how should i go about improving on these tracks? (barryjv - All-Star - 12:19 PM)

It's all about trial and error (and the occasional friendly competitor that will provide insight). The nice thing is you can do quite a bit of practicing to figure this out (especially at the beginning of the season). Try and pinpoint what's different between the tracks you're struggling with and the most comparable track you do well on and focus on the differences and what individual setting you think is most related, then tweak and run.

Why can't we just sell an engine without it having to be another driver? It takes so long to get the cash to move up, when many of us have plenty of prestige. (the_plow - Veteran - 12:20 PM)

I'm not sure I follow this question. But selling an engine to acquire the cash needed to advance levels is definitely a viable option. And remember that the AI controlled teams will also purchase parts from time to time.

In CRD, I'm curious to know if my driver/CC (still young!) are programmed to l improve through the seasons to the highest level (cup) if I hold on to them? Or, should I just do the (previous) conventional thing and fire/let go of them and hire new crews/drivers as I progress up the levels? What's the strategy here? (itsamiracle - Veteran - 12:23 PM)

This was a big change with the update. You can definitely keep a driver or chief with you and go through the levels with them. But it's also important to remember that a driver or chief will improve during the season and then lose some of the gains in the offseason. How much they maintain is based on their work ethic, age, and level they raced on. And it's also important to remember that a young driver or crew chief needs years (seasons in this case) to improve to the point they are ready to advance to the next level. As long as you remember that drivers and crew chiefs are of a certain range of ages at the highest level, you'll won't be disappointed.

For example, a 34 year old driver may see a ton of gains during the season. But then he'll lose some of the gains during the offseason. This will continue at different ratios during his career. He'll gain during the season, maintain some of the gains, then repeat for several seasons until he's gained the experience and rating points so he's ready for the next level. You'll never see a 34 year old go through two seasons and then be ready to race at the highest level. Same with crew chief. It's just not realistic which is how the development/aging process works. ( Moderator - 12:25 PM)

Will a crew chief and a driver improve to the point of being able to compete at the next level? Assuming they had decent ratings to begin with at the current level. (itsamiracle - Veteran - 12:26 PM)

Yes -- similar to previous question. But temper expectations to realism (see previous response).

It seems the sim's pit process is "off" under yellow flag conditions. Teams are losing a lap without incurring any penalties if they pit under yellow, and the leader or someone up front stays out. There was a race earlier in the season where 6 teams that were on the lead lap ended up a lap down after making a yellow flag pit stop. Just hoping this is something that can be looked into and addressed. Thanks! (onethumbks - Rookie - 12:27 PM)

It could be. I know we have a ticket in our support system regarding this. We haven't had the chance to 100% verify whether there is or is not a problem with this. If there is a problem, we'd like to receive more tickets from other drivers who notice this. It'll help us pinpoint and correct the issue. Thanks

How much of this game is random? (itsamiracle - Veteran - 12:28 PM)

Tough question to answer. Is there randomness in the right places, yes? Are there a ton of opportunities for randomness to play a part? Yes. But since it's all structured around probability and statistics, the long-term result should be about the ratings and the settings and not about the randomness. Sample size is always the key.

Can you be more specific as to the difference between a slightly damaged part and a heavily damaged part? (itsamiracle - Veteran - 12:30 PM)

Slightly damaged: less than 10 points. Heavily damaged: more than 70. Damage is never good, but don't just think that less than 100% means you shouldn't use the part.

All things being equal (i.e. dr/cc, settings, track), how come I will qualify 1st, finish 18th, next time same track, qualify 10th, finish 1st? No consistency here at all. (itsamiracle - Veteran - 12:32 PM)

Similar to the second question in the chat. I understand your point and think that with my team sometimes. But it's similar to real life, too. Sample size is tough in Clutch with so few races. Things may seem too random because of fluctuation, but if you look at the dominant teams, you'll see them repeatedly win and perform well. At the lowest levels, you have many teams that are comparable in parts and ratings which lead to some of the variance.

not really a question just more of a suggestion at the end of last season i was under the impression that all parts would be repaired automatically before the start of the new season perhaps you could make it clear to the newer owners that you must do the instant repair. (inthewallrac - Rookie - 12:32 PM)

Yes, we have done so by adding an end of season correspondence (Inbox message).

ANY CHANCE WE'LL EVER GET TO SET AIR PRESSURE IN EACH INDIVIDUAL TIRE? Right now, we're setting front and back. Correct scenario should be left and right. All four would be best. (itbracer31 - Pro - 12:33 PM)

Sure, if we get enough requests for it. In some cases, we try to simplify things rather than overwhelm people with options. It's always a delicate balance (pun intended).

this is a pretty cool game,a little over priced.if you can ever get the bugs out of it .it would be even better. (mr2ndplace - All-Star - 12:34 PM)

We are happy to fix bugs and incorporate suggestions. As far as the price point goes, if you really feel a lower price would lead to more of your friends playing, we'd love to see a support ticket with rationale. We're always open. Thanks

what is the most important thing we as racers should remember. (barryjv - All-Star - 12:37 PM)

Driver and crew chief skill sets, parts and upgrades are the foundation of your team. They'll get you to the point where you'll contend. From there, the race settings are what's needed to get you over the hump and a championship. Mastering the settings takes time and the ability to analyze performances based on trial and error and paying attention to differences. The Track History page is intended to make this process easier. It's a new page in the update that hasn't gotten much attention but can be very helpful.

Tell us about the "sims." Do they "improve" with age? How smart are they? In the past they didn't seem to do very well compared to us "humans." (itsamiracle - Veteran - 12:38 PM)

Much better now as they actually purchase garage and crew upgrades, buy and sell parts and overhaul parts. Could we make them even better? Certainly. But we'd rather see you guys win than the AI, but we do want them being competitive.

is it rear bias or right bias? what does it do? (barryjv - All-Star - 1:00 PM)

Should be right bias -- we'll fix that. We hope everyone is aware of the Help icon at the top right of each page -- it provides page-specific help. Left & Right bias deal with how your car handles when going from a curve to a straight away.

at the end of the season when you repair all your parts why is overhaul button even there? if you click on it you are charged the cost of an overhaul, but nothing happens (barryjv - All-Star - 1:01 PM)

You can choose to overhaul a part. The overhaul will take place.

Is it safe to say that Qualifying is nothing more that drawing numbers from a jar? (OldPirateman - Hall of Famer - 1:02 PM)

Absolutely not. If you have teams with similar drivers, parts and settings, then there's going to be some variation in the outcome. But the quality of the those items usually have some distance from top to bottom, which means the better teams should qualify higher more often than not.

Thanks to everyone who participated. We hope it helped explain some pieces of the games. If you have any friends who you'd like to get playing the game, remember you can earn referral credits for future seasons.