Fri Aug 07, 2015 1:29 pm by Madrias
I actually enjoyed making cars not explicitly designed for racing. Loved the very generous budget (I really have a hard time when the budget dips below 10k because I have to decide whether to degrade a core value of fuel efficiency or degrade the core value of safety to make the cut) and the rather simple restrictions.
The reviews were amusing to read and well written. I know it'd be more work, but I'd personally appreciate even just a one-line review for all cars as it'd help those of us who were out of our comfort zone find out why exactly our car didn't do too well. Obviously, keeping the top 5 as full review cars offers an incentive to do well as it makes for a good "prize" at the end of the challenge.
All up and accounted for, I found this challenge to be really fun and look forward to further challenges like this. Racing is fun and all, but I like challenges where there's more to it than building a race car that fits the requirements. Sure, I'd love to have had a lap time for all the cars around the Test Track, just to see if I could have been competitive speed-wise despite my significant horsepower disadvantage, but it's understandably not necessary. You covered the core values nicely, and made a challenge that was rather enjoyable to participate in, and one that allowed a wide variety of designs. Sure, the 'not-a-Crown-Vic' body saw a lot of action, but it was one of several good logical choices for the iconic "big American luxury sedan" design.
Effectively, if you make another challenge, I'll probably try to join in, as I use the challenges to hone my carmaking skill and find my true calling. I've learned Storm Automotive can't build dirt-cheap cars, and that we're not really cut out for high-end luxury. Perhaps in the next big challenge, I'll stumble into a market I do well in. Either way, I've had fun, and that's really what matters. I've been enjoying the fact that in these challenges, I get to see how my designs stack up against those from people who have been playing Automation far longer than I have. Seeing how my company, still being created (the name's there, I'm working on a character, and I'm trying to find my calling in car design), does when competing against companies who build extreme high-end luxury cars, sports cars that make hypercars look slow, and companies who know how to do low-budget incredibly well. In the end, I know at some point, I may have to make some hard decisions, ones that will shape how my company runs. Right now, I'm realizing that the "All engines have a turbo" rule and the "All-Wheel-Drive everything" rule are causing me more problems than they've solved. I've learned that 5 valves per cylinder DOHC is not always the instant best option. I've learned that DFI is horrifyingly expensive for what little you actually gain over MPFI. And I've learned that, if given the choice between SPFI and Four-Barrel Carb, take the fuel injection option, it's cheaper and works better.
So yeah, I've enjoyed the challenges and look forward for more. I learn from each one I do, and I learn just a little more about how my company will work and what we will end up making. So if you come up with another good challenge, well, I'll see what I can do, because maybe I'll find my winning design, and then I'll know that this is the type of vehicle I do well.
