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FORMULA MARMADUKE RACING
HOW IT WORKS

The basis of Formula Marmaduke Racing is random numbers. The choices you make when you give a team its orders affects the random numbers. This explains how. All numbers are usually minutes (eg: -0.5 is one-half of a minute subtracted from your time).

Each leg of a FMR Grand Prix is designed to be around an hour long. For example, the motorbike leg (2-wheel) is 100 km long because the average speed of the bike is around 100 km/h. The scenery also changes with the legs. This is how the race breaks down:

Leg 1: Motorbike (2-wheel), 125 km - Street course
Leg 2: Race car (4-wheel), 200 km - Raceway
Leg 3: AG racer (0-wheel), 500 km - Open country
Leg 4: Rally (R-wheel), 75 km - Natural landmark

Since all the legs take around an hour, we use only one formula to simulate the times for each leg. In Excel, the formula is =RANDBETWEEN(58,64)+RAND()-RAND(). This generates a random time of 58 to 64 minutes in decimals to three places for each leg of the grand prix. This also incorporates the transition time between vehicles at the end of each leg. In addition to this we have a series of bonuses that will can either bring down that time or make it much longer.

Firstly, there is the an engine bonus. After the race is complete, no matter which engine you used, you will have had two minutes subtracted from your total time (except for Wreno but that's a special case). The difference is when the bonus comes into play:

• LandVac: -0.5 per leg. Good for spreading your bonus around evenly.

• Modeni: -2 from your first leg. Good for a quick start.

• Merkandes: -2 from your second leg. Good for getting clear in the middle of the race.

• CNX: -2 from your third leg. Good for giving a good place going into the finish.

• Donha: -2 from your final leg. Good for a quick finish.

• Yotaya: -1 from your first and second legs. Gives a decent finish.

• Varied Motor Enterprises: -1 from your third and fourth legs. Gives a decent finish.

• Forwarde: -1 from first and third legs. Good for a decent mid-section.

• Ranger: -1 from your first and fourth legs. Good for a decent start and finish.

• Wreno: A gamble:

  • 20% chance of a DNF

  • 40% chance of no bonus

  • 40% chance -1 from each leg

Before the race weekend, the weather is forecast. The wind is rated from 1 to 9, where 1 is no wind and 9 is practically a typhoon. Depending on the material of your chassis, depends on how well your vehicle does in the race, as a result of the wind. The heavier the chassis, the better it will do in high winds and the lighter the chassis, the better it will do in low winds. Nanofibre is the lightest, then the ever-popular Carbon, Aluminium, Steel and finally Iron. All bonuses are per leg, making wind an important factor in any grand prix.

Each of the ratings are equally likely, under the formula =RANDBETWEEN(1,9) and therefore, each rating has a 11.1% chance of cropping up.

Next we look at the bonuses given for the tyres and AG generator. Their bonuses are dependent on the temperature forecast before the grand prix. The temperature range is given by =RANDBETWEEN(15,35) giving a twenty degree Celsius range. Each T/AG functions well enough for a bonus over a 4 degree range. The right-on (meaning the race temperature falls directly into a manufacturers temp zone) T/AG bonus is -1 from each leg. The glancing T/AG bonus (your manufacturer's range is on either side of the right-on T/AG manufacturer) is a -0.5 from each leg. To see the ranges, see the diagram below:

For example, the temperature is 25 Cs, so teams shod with Dickson T/AG gear will have one minute knocked off their times in each leg. Teams carrying Farrer and Corangamite will have a half minute knocked off their times in each leg.

There are also sponsorship deals available for your team.  They will do is pay your team enough money to lower your time one-thousandth of a minute per point scored (-0.001). The number of points scored works across all seasons participated in, so the older the team is, the faster you are likely to be. The bonus gained by any members of the team will be given to the whole team. The sponsors are:

• Liam & Co: A massive megacorporation that can does just about anything.

• McBurgers: A fast food chain with stores in every civilised, and some uncivilised, nation.

• Koola Kola: The company responsible for more dental damage than any other product in history. The ultimate soda producers.

• Howler-Packington: The company who brings us our top notch computer gear for FMR.

• Bullseye: If you can't buy it in this chain retailer, its not worth buying.

• Blue Steer: Its said 1/3 of all FMR drivers are high on this energy drink megacorporation's product before going into a race.

• Spirits.com: NS's biggest online alcohol retailer. You can't get drunk properly without logging on here.

Individual drivers may pick up bonuses too, dependent on their personality and whether the race is wet or not. There is a 10% chance of rain for any grand prix. Bonuses are from each leg time.

• Aggressive: -0.2 in the dry. +2 in the wet.

• Neutral: 0.

• Defensive: +0.2 in the wet. -2 in the wet.

Of course, its not all bonuses. Every driver faces a 10% chance of failing to finish the race. Before the race, using a special number generator, it is decided whether your driver will see the finish line. If they do draw a DNF, the leg on which it happens is also randomly decided.

For example: Liam & Co Racing has scored 167 points in its history and Punh Marmington is their main driver. Punh is defensive and drives a Liam & Co racer who's chassis is made of aluminium, runs on a LandVac engine and is shod with Calare T/AG gear. At the Liamton GP, the wind is rated 4 and the temperature is 31 Cs. The overall weather is fine. Punh's bonus is:

-0.167 for the Points
-0.5 for the Chassis and Wind
-0.5 for the Engine
-1.0 for the T/AG gear and Temperature
> +0.2 for the Personality and Overall Weather

Giving a total of -1.967 minutes per leg. Punh's times are:

62.666 for 2x leg + -1.967 of bonus ==> 60.699
59.505 for 4x leg + -1.967 of bonus ==> 57.538
60.310 for 0x leg + -1.967 of bonus ==> 58.343
63.953 for Rx leg + -1.967 of bonus ==> 61.986

Giving a total race time of 238.566 minutes. All the drivers generate different times and are ordered, giving a race finishing position.

That's how the game works mathematically. If you would like to know more about it in game terms, see the Rules.