Welcome to RaceOnLine

This is an Online Version of a racing game normally played on squared paper: Each player starts a line at the start / finish line of a given circuit. One after another you prolong your line according to some rules until your line crosses the finish line. The first player crossing that line is the winner.

Features

• Directly race other players or try improving track records!
• Large and increasing number of tracks.
• Immediately interactive, but low bandwidth needed.
• Runs on slow CPU with simple graphics.
• Player worldwide ELO ranking.

Login

RaceOnLine can only be played online. You need a unique account to play. This game runs on Linux, Windows, Mac and all mobile devices. There is no common user platform, so RaceOnLine manages its own platform.

• When creating a new account, enter user name and password and press „Register“ . If your name is already registered, you get an error message. If you are successfully registered, you can „Login“. The first thing to do with a new account: Take part in any race and finish it within 20 minutes. Just finish a race, even as slowest car! If you fail to do this, your new account will be removed. Simply create it again..
• After a successful login from this device, the login data will be remembered and from now on you can "Login" immediately.
• If you were already logged in from another device, enter your login data ( password twice ) and directly press "Login".

• User name
  Any name you want. This name will show up in the general user list and the player list during a race.
• Password
  We recommend using a NOT valuable password. E.g. do not use your email password or OS login password! The password will be sent encrypted via network, but will be stored clear text on your device. You have to enter the password twice.
• Join race directly
  Check this box, if you like to join a race immediately after pressing Login. Next you will not see the three lists for races, users and events, but the grid of a random race track. Directly go to racing!.

Race List

• RACE AT
  The name of the track.
• LOAD
  Number of joined players compared with grid capacity.
• START
  Time until race starts.

• TRACK
  The name of the track for the race.
• RECORD BY
  Name of the track record holder.
• MOVES
  Number of moves for the record. Good to know how long the race may be.
• MOVE TIME
  Thinking time for one move. If you have a very bad internet connection, do not join a "blitz race".
• DAMAGE
  Maximal allowed damage on your car. You collect damage if you leave the white track. Damage count depends on your speed.
• START IN
  Time until race starts when you selected the race.
• LOAD
  Number of joined players compared with grid capacity when you selected the race.
• ->
  Join race. Arrow will disappear after some seconds. If you still want to join the race, go back to the race list and select the race again.

• Show
  It is possible to do "simultaneous racing" if the races have one minute moving time or more.
  "Mine" to see only races you have joined.
  "New" to see only races you have not yet joined
  "All races" to see all races you could join.
• Track Length
  Preferred length of the track you like to race.
  "Short" : track record is 50 moves or better.
  "Normal" : track record is between 50 and 150 moves.
  "Long" : track record needs more than 150 moves.
  "Unknown" : tracks with fewest finished races on.
  "All" : Don't care about track length
• Moving Time
  Select wanted moving time or "Don't care"
  Thats what divides real racers from lame ducks.
  But if your internet connection sometimes breaks down, use a minute or more.
• Car Damage
  select maximal allowed damage on your car or "Don't care"
  "Zero" : For racing surgeons.
  "10", "20" : good for us.
  "Infinite" : good for them. :-)

Event List

• TIME
  The time of the event. The interval starts 24 hours before now and ends 24 hours from now.
• EVENT
  The description of the event.
  If you win a race or improve a track record, you will show up there!
  Or if you invited others for racing.
  For the current time, the number of different players, who logged in the last 24 hours, is listed.

• Invite for racing
  Check this box, if you like to invite others to race with you within the next 24 hours.
  Uncheck it to cancel your previous invitation and close the dialog, the invitation then will vanish from the official event list within one minute.
• Time Editbox
  If you checked above box, you can enter or edit the time for your invitation. If you already invited before, this time is shown, else the field is initialized 10 minutes from now.
• OK
  After choosing a time, submit it to the server by pressing OK. The dialog closes and the last line of the event list now shows your selected invitation time. Within the next minute, your invitation with your user name will be officially listed above.

User List

• RACERS
  The names of the players currently logged in.
• ELO
  The current ELO rating of each player. For details see below.
• STATE
  If the player has joined a race, you see "grid", if the race has not yet started, "race" if race has started, or "move" if the player is the next to move there.

• NAME
  The name of the player.
• ELO
  The current ELO rating of the player. See below.
• NUM RACES
  Number of races the player has finished. Crashing out or disqualification does not count here.
• WON
  Number of races the player has won.
• RECORDS
  Number of tracks the player currently owns the record.
• STATE
  This entry exists, if the player has joined a race. "grid" for a race not yet started, "racing" if race has startet or "moving" if player is the next to move.
• ->
  Follow the player into the race. If race has not yet started, you race against the player, else you watch the race. Arrow will disappear after some seconds.

Racing

After joining a race via the race list, the track is loaded and the display moves to the start / finish line of the track. The race starts after some waiting time to allow more players to join. If no other player joins, you have the chance to do a "Hotlap" against the current track record. For details see below.

The Track

The track is drawn on squared paper. See image at top. The start / finish line is vertical or horizontal. It’s length limits the number of players for the race. The track forms a ring starting and ending at this line. The ring divides the paper in a white region „inside track“ and a grey region „outside track“. Inside your car is faster and better steerable than outside.

An arrow besides the track defines the direction to go around. Going wrong direction causes a black flag for you.

A green line across the track defines a "jump line". If you cross it, your move will be doubled immediately. This may be good or bad for you!

Crossing a red line results in sudden death.

Track View

Initially the track view shows the area around the start/finish line in original scale. Pan the view with one finger or mouse to explore the complete track. Zoom the view with two fingers or the mouse wheel to see the whole track or any detail. Always you can rotate your smart device to landscape or portrait orientation to get the best view on current track part. When viewing the track, you find some symbols around the border of the view:

• Helmet: Touch upper left corner to open the list of players who joined the race. The list shows each player's name, race state and ELO ranking. It is sorted by the race positions. Selecting an entry centers the view on player's car. Close the list by touching the list header.
• Speech Bubble: Touch top mid symbol to open a simple chat view. This is a group chat between all players who join before the race starts. At the bottom line of the chat view you can enter simple text lines. Furthermore, you can give some commands to the server. The chat history above shows your text to the group. You can scroll the history, but it only contains some previous entries. After the race your chat will be forgotten. Close the chat view by touching the header of the chat history.
• Racecar: Touch upper right corner to open the list of racecars. The list shows each car's owner, damage and remaining moving time. It is sorted by moving order, the next car to move is on top. Selecting an entry centers the view on the car. Close the list by touching the list header.
• Info button: Touch bottom right corner to open your browser with this web site.
• Nine green dots: Touch the symbol at the bottom mid to toggle the move zoomer. This symbol is only visible if you are next to move. After touching it, the move zoomer will be visible instead whenever you must move:
  
  It is simply a magnifying glass of the region where you have to select your move. Regardless the track is zoomed and panned for best overview, you can select your move exactly and quick. It is a must for playing with smartphone. Close the move zoomer by touching it's bottom edge.
• Exit button: Leave the track view and return to the race list view. It is visible before and after the race, during hotlaps or races with long moving time. Pressing Exit does NOT mean leaving the race! But to avoid touching it accidently you must hit it twice. You can join the race later again. If your moving time expires and you are not here, a move is done for you, see below.

The Start

Each car is a symbol at a random grid line crossing the S/F - line. One car after another may move one square distance. The square corners around the moving car are marked by dots:

• green dots : you are the next car to move.Light green is inside, dark green is outside the track.
• grey dots: another car may move now.

Moving

After the race is started you can see the simple principle of moving:

• M1: at your current position attach a copy of your previous move line, defining an „offset position“
• M2: now you may move your symbol to the offset or to any square cross surrounding the offset.
• M3: the new move line is the connection of the previous to the new symbol position.

Track Rules

• T1: When your car is outside, step M2 is restricted to:
  MO2: If VV (or VH) is greater 1, you may only move to square crosses, which decrement VV ( or VH)
  In longer off road walks this results in moving like the king in chess.
• T2: No Shortcut:
  You can not select a move starting and ending at one side of the track ( e,g, inside ), which crosses the other side of the track ( e.g. outside )

Car Rules

• C1: You can not move to a position occupied by another car.
• C2: The winner is only the first car which crosses the finish line after correctly mastering the track.

• If you are the last car to move, maybe all good positions are occupied.
• At the end it may be bad luck of moving order to loose the race.

Back-Off Move

Additionally to M2 ( or MO2 ) you can skip the move.
Click your symbol if there is a green dot! Your symbol stays where it is, the next player may move. But you do not loose a move, it will be made up later and something more:
Normally the cars move one after another in the same order for every move. You can change this order with a back-off move: After doing a normal move later, you will be the first car in the order for subsequent moves.
But be careful: Another player may top the order with a later back-off !

There are two forms of back-off moves:

• tactical back-off:
  During the race, after the first move, you may do three tactical back-off moves. Reasons to back-off:
  If someone wants to block your racing line, you have a chance to escape and perhaps to overtake. At first glance this sounds boring, but it seems, that fights for position become longer and more interesting with this move. Avoid consuming your tactical back-offs too early:
  If you discover, that you will loose the race just by unlucky moving order, you can swap the order and so perhaps win the race. Except the opponent has more tactical back-offs left…
  In „physical“ sense you can interpret this move as „slipstream“, or think about the „standstill“ at bicycle track sprinting.
• free back-off:
  If you must move, but all valid positions are occupied by other cars, your only choice is a back-off. This one is not counted as tactical back-off. ( If you are clever, this could be also a tactical move.. )
  
  At the start you have three free back-offs ( at the moment ). So there is no disadvantage to start as latest car. You can wait until the other cars cleared the start chaos. If you then do one first normal move, you will catch up immediately to the current number of moves. Not sure about this detail, let’s see how it develops.
  If everybody uses free back-offs at the start, the race is canceled.

Damage

Always if you fail to hit the road with your move your car is outside the track. This will damage the car:

• The current speed of the car determines the amount of damage. This is simply the length of the move in grid units.
• The racecar list shows the current damage of any racing car and the maximal damage allowed. If you surpass this maximum, your race ends immediately.

Moving Time

Every race has a limited thinking time for you to select a move.

• The last ten seconds of this time will count down on the track view and the racecar list.
• If the time is over, your selected move is performed.
• If you do not have selected a move yet, a move will be selected for you five seconds before time is over: A back-off if possible, or one shortest possible move.
• If the time is over and your car is outside the track, you are black flagged and your race is over.

Hotlap

If you are the only player who joined a race on a track which has a track record, you race against the track record holder. This is called a "hotlap". It is like a normal race with some special features:

• You always move first, record car follows.
• The record car is not massive. It can move on your position, you can move on it's position.
• Independent from the damage allowed for the joined race, the maximal damage is at minimum the damage used by the record car. Else the record car would not finish the race.
• In a hotlap race no back-off moves are allowed.
• To win the race you must beat the record. You succeed if you need fewer moves than the record, or the number of moves is equal while the record car is more damaged than your car. If you do not succeed, it is possible, that you cross the S/F line first, but anyway loose the race.

ELO Ranking

RaceOnLine uses the same ranking method like chess. At the beginning your ranking rises easily, simply by finishing races faster than others. Later holding your ranking is more difficult.

• You start your career with ELO rank 0. Your rank never can be negative, even if you always loose.
• You can only score points, if you FINISH a race before another player. The number of points you get depends on your current rankings: If the other is ranked higher, you get more points, if your rank is higher, you get fewer points.
• You loose points if you do not finish a race while others do it, or you cross the line after another car. The number of points you loose depends on your current rankings: If you are ranked higher, you loose many points, if the other is ranked higher, you loose fewer points.
• The points you loose or win against each opponent are summed up after the race and added or subtracted from your ELO ranking.
• In a hotlap, you win points if you get the record. The previous record holder looses points. But if you do not get the record, you loose points and the record holder wins ELO points in absence! If you beat the track record in a normal race, you own the record but you get no extra points for it, the former record holder looses the record, but no points. Most likely you earn points later when others fail to beat your record in their hotlaps.

Chat commands

The simple text chat allows you to give some commands to the server as long as the race is not started. Just type the command and commit the line. Up to now the following commands are supported:

• start hotlap : ensure that also the track record car enters the race. If it wins the race, the record holder earns ELO points from every player taking part.
• start bot: a bot will race against you. Bots will try to finish the race. They will give you a hard time, but you mostly have a chance to win. By starting more bots you have the chance to earn, but also to loose more points!
• start now : start race immediately. A chance to have a "private race". But driving alone will not count as a won race and you get no points for it.
• it is enough to enter the first letter of the command words: e.g. s h starts a hotlap.
• you may combine more commands in ohne line: start hotlap now immediately starts a hotlap. This is equal to s h n.

Data privacy statement

• RaceOnLine sends the app login user name and the user's game input to the server. The app login user name needs not to match any real user name. This data must be treated as unencryted.
• RaceOnLine sends the app login password to the server in encrypted form. This password is saved on the user's device in unencryted form.
• RaceOnLine does not use any data, which was not entered into the app by the user.
• This website uses no cookies and does not track any visitor action.