The website is a key component of the series, it pulls the results directly from the race replays, instantly calculates the results, assigns the points for the specific race held, and then makes it all available for you to view. Infact, the only thing it cant do is race, and thats where you guys come into it!
Heres a run-down of the different areas of the site...
Public Areas:
Ignoring the fairly obvious areas like News & Updates and Calendar etc, there are some more advanced sections.
Media Area - In this section you'll be able to download all the hi-res skins submitted to the series just before the first round. Users will be able to upload their race skins to the site, and then the site rounds them all up and puts them into seperate skin packs (GTR, NGT... etc) to make it easier for the people racing and downloading the race replays with hi-res skins. The 2nd section offers links to all the replays files, the second its uploaded onto the site and parsed, the site lists it and makes it available to download. We aim to put the files onto the site within around 2-3min of each individual session finishing. The 3rd and final section is the skinning files, the logos, race plates and sun visors. We should have official skinning templates available soon with all the relevent on a transparent layer for you to apply straight onto your skins to save you time.
Series Information - This menu hides 3 sections within it, Rules, About LFSPS, and Contact Us, in here theres plenty of information about the series, exactly what you'd want in the Series Information section!
LFS PS Remote - We've embedded the LFS Remote application into our site, connected directly to the series LFS server. With this we've also made some additional details about the drivers involved accessable so you can check out their info while watching them drive.
Areas which may disappear during different parts of the season...
Season Sign-Up Area - This section of the site is only accessible while applications are being accepted, in here it explains most of the information you'll want to know before signing up, it also includes seperate forms for individual drivers and team applications, there isnt much information required from applicants, just enough to start with, and upon your acceptance into the series you'll be required to give a couple more details.
Driver & Team Info - This section has had a bit of a redesign since the test season, and will only appear when the driver line-up is confirmed for the current season, in here you'll find some details about teams and their line-up, and individual drivers have a seperate section too. All include the usual driver information and stats from the current and previous seasons. As more seasons pass, additional stats will be added.
Standings - This is another area which is only displayed when there is something to display, so as soon as there are points on the board, this section will appear. We now have both Driver Standings and Team Standings in 1 page, under 4 tabs - Basic Driver Standings, Round by Round Drivers Standings, and likewise for the Team Standings. Each time the page is refreshed you're getting 100% live calculations, this ensures your getting the latest information straight from our databases. Nowhere in the db does it hold a value which it shows without it having calculated each person & team race-by-race beforehand! Additionally, the standings looks at the race penalties for each round (time/lap based), and even filters that into the equation, we never alter the original MPR based data.
Results Area - This section also only displays when there are results in the db, with seperate layouts for qualifying results in a grid format, and a traditional race result row format, the results are colourfully presented and also include any penalties issued to drivers for that race. In here you can also find a new feature, race comments. After the race drivers will be able to leave comments about the session, this should add some colour to the site, with some amusing excuses and the odd play-by-play on impressive results expected
Driver Only Areas:
Booking In Area - Drivers taking part in the series will be able to access the Booking In area of the site. The booking in area is similar to check-in when boarding a flight, 7 days before the round you'll be emailed by the site saying booking in is now open, this gives you 5 days to confirm you'll be racing, or unable to attend the round. You'll also receive an email when there is just 24hrs left for booking in, to remind anyone who's forgotten etc. When booking in closes, any places remaining can be applied for by drivers on a reserves list, they'll have 24hrs to express their interest, and the best applicants will be selected and informed about 30-40hrs before the race takes place.
We may extend the deadlines at the start of new seasons if feedback suggests its easier to remember and allow the replacement drivers additional practice time rather than being short notice.
User Area - This section of the site will allow you to enter some additional race details, enter race session comments, submit incident complaints, upload your skins, and check your booking in status for the next round.
