Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 109: Great Balls of Fire

 Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 109: Great Balls of Fire

Even though a new version of Automation (4.2) is already in the opt-in alpha phase, I was unsure of how well it would work in practice, and after some deliberation, I decided to continue using the current stable release (4.1) for the time being. Of course, this meant that I could not enter CSR 144 (which used version 4.2), but there was another challenge (with a very similar rule set) on the forums using 4.1, so I entered that one instead. Ironically, my submission for that challenge would have been eligible for CSR 144 had I remade it on version 4.2, but I was not yet ready to make such a commitment. On the other hand, my decision to keep using version 4.1 gave me an opportunity to host the latest round of the TV And Movie Car Challenge (in which I finished fifth) after the top four entrants in the previous round balked at the idea of taking the reins.

The theme for TMCC 14 was a high-octane blockbuster film about a no-holds-barred cross-country open-road race called the Fireball Tour, inspired by the real-life Cannonball Run. The film I would be mentioning was the third one in the series, titled Fireball III: To Hell And Back, and scheduled for a summer 1995 release date, many years after the previous one had hit theaters. As part of the film's premise, the lead character (a man who went by the name of T. L. Palmer) would receive a car for use in the titular race. Specifically, it would be a high-performance sports car costing no more than $65,000 AMU, with a flashy, prestigious image to draw in audiences. After some minor revision to the rule set, I launched the challenge and almost immediately began receiving entries - by the time I reached the deadline (which I had to extend by 24 hours at the request of some potential entrants), I had 13 of them to judge. 

The top 5 cars of TMCC14 - which one of them would claim top honors?

Some entries missed the mark for one reason or another, but eventually I came across a few entries that hit the spot. The first of these was the Avantii Antifa V8 Sports, a front-engined, rear-drive muscle car powered by a high-displacement V8 engine. It had the speed and style to qualify for the finals (for which I would create a list of the top 5 cars still under consideration), but there weren't many other cars that made the cut along with it. Fortunately, those cars proved to be more than worthy of their place in the top five. They included the GSI Caligula, Swanson 937, Llewellyn Elmira GTX, and Munot Starkwind RS. This list would have been larger, but one of the cars that looked like a finalist at first glance, the EcaMobile All-In, was regrettably eliminated in the first stage for having suspension that was too soft. Mercifully, only one car turned out to be ineligible for consideration - although it would have fallen short anyway had I judged it normally.

Eventually, the entry period closed, and shortly after that, the time came for me to rank the finalists. First to go was the Antifa - it was a solid performer, but overshadowed by the remaining contenders due to excess understeer. Next to go was the Starkwind, which was the least powerful car in the top 5 and could have done with a more powerful engine. The Elmira came third on account of its amazing performance and styling, but was ultimately held back by an overly safe suspension tune (which caused some mild understeer) that caused some concern among the stunt drivers. This left the Swanson and the Caligula, but the latter narrowly won out for being a more prestigious offering, seeing as it was powered by a V8 (as were the Antifa and Elmira), whereas the Swanson only had a flat-six.

The winning car from TMCC 14: the GSI Caligula.

That said, the Caligula wasn't perfect: I felt that it could have done just as well, if not better, with more power; speaking of which, I would also have preferred a power peak closer to the redline (300-500 rpm between peak power and maximum revs would have been more appropriate for something like the Caligula). Even so, I was satisfied with my decision to give it the win, and everyone who entered definitely agreed with me. Thus ended the first Automation forum contest I had hosted since CSR 137, and I am looking forward to what TMCC 15 brings next.

In Defense of the Garthan Scout: A Small but Potentially Dangerous Ship

Happy (belated) New Year to my fellow Infinite Space Adventurers! This time, I would like to share my thoughts on one of the most underrated ships in the Infinite Space trilogy: the basic Garthan Scout. Not a Garthan Corvette, Light Carrier or even a Frigate, just the smallest scout model. Like almost every other similarly sized ship, it comes with one front-mounted turret and four equipment slots. However, unlike other ships, if you acquire it, you will not have any chance to trade it in for a larger Garthan ship if you are playing on a map in which the Garthan home system (which is always a white star) does not appear. So why am I considering it one of the most underrated ships not just of its kind (or size, for that matter), but also in the entire game?

A heavily (but not fully) upgraded Garthan scout - more of a threat than most players realize.

Well, for starters, it has one attribute no other scout-sized capital ship has: sheer speed. It doesn't have the the easier availability of a Terran scout, the extra armor of a Muktian scout, or the space-folding agility of a Zorg scout (to say nothing of the extra turrets of a Calatian destroyer, which might as well be in an entirely different league), but in combat, (sub-light) speed is vital, and skilled players often use strategies that treat speed as armor - a faster ship is always going to be harder to hit than a slower one. With the extra speed, you can more easily distract opposing ships, thereby giving yourself a better opportunity to ambush them using your other capital ships.

There is one build in particular that stands out for its effectiveness: the Garthan Nova Scout. It basically involves fitting a Nova Cannon (which can only be obtained from a Timeless Bauble in normal gameplay) to a Garthan Scout, along with high-end thrusters (at least an Ion Impulse Thruster), strong shields, (a Proton Matrix Shield at the very least, although a Meson Lattice Shield or better is preferable), and an advanced targeting computer (either an Eidetic Matrix Bubble, or a Sardion Optimizer/Maximizer if either of them are available). The result is the interstellar equivalent of a fast, light, agile and very hard-hitting artillery piece. In fact, if you equip it with a Plasma Coil Cloaker in addition to the three items mentioned above, you will have one of the most overpowered anti-capital ship builds in the game.

The Garthan Nova Scout with fully upgraded equipment.

Taking on a Kawangi Dreadnought with a fully upgraded Garthan Nova Scout.

The superior speed of the Garthan Scout compared to other similarly sized ships makes it easier to perform evasive maneuvers with.

The end result: a Garthan Nova Scout successfully destroys a slow, lumbering Kawangi dreadnought. Presumably the scout's crew must be celebrating such an unlikely triumph.

If the Nova Cannon is not available, other long-range weapons such as the Multi-Missile Launcher or Particle Vortex Cannon can be substituted. Neither of them is as powerful as a Nova Cannon, but both are more easily obtainable, and the Multi-Missile is also purchasable from the Terran or Muktian home systems (from 4600 AD onwards at a cost of 575 credits and 4595 AD onwards at a cost of 4 coins, respectively).

In short, the Garthan Scout may seem like either fodder or an early trade-in candidate at first, but as with all other scouts, its speed is a key asset in combat, and it can serve as a fast, agile sniper when fitted with powerful thrusters and a long-range weapons. However, as one of the fastest scouts, it is more than a match for any other similarly sized ship, and can even threaten much larger ships when fitted with the right equipment.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 108: New Hardware, New Builds

A few weeks ago, I received a completely new PC, and promptly installed Automation and Sea of Stars on it. The first time I booted up both games, the effect was obvious: both of them ran far faster and more smoothly, what with the new PC being even more powerful than the previous one. Not long afterwards, I heard that there would be a spiritual successor to the much-loved Cult of Personality II, but focused on the European market and running from 1945 to 2005. Unsurprisingly, I was quick to jump into the challenge.

This time, I created a new company - an Asian one, with Japanese and South Korean influences, - with the name of KAI, and I showcased one of its cars in each of the six rounds, as stipulated by the rules. Each one of the vehicles I submitted ended up being quite well-regarded, but special mention goes to the K180 Turbo, a small, light and agile rear-drive coupe powered by a turbocharged inline-four developing between 180 and 230 horsepower depending on market and trim level - all at a relatively low price. 

A modern classic in its own right - that's the K180 Turbo in a nutshell.

I submitted the K180 Turbo in the fourth round, and the host described it as "a modern classic in its own right", and for good reason: it became a cornerstone of the tuner culture, especially in the 2000s when seemingly every enthusiast worth their salt wanted to get their hands on them, just to unlock its full potential. But according to lore, as the tuner culture slowly died out later in the decade, stock examples became increasingly highly prized, and are now appreciating in value.

My penultimate submission for this challenge, the K3 RS-T, was also quite well-received. Yes, it was a lot more expensive, mainly because of it being designed as a Group A homologation special (as the lore stated), but with 20 more horsepower than a non-catalyzed K200 Turbo (an updated variant of the K180 Turbo with a larger engine), a six-speed manual gearbox and an AWD system, it was even faster still across the ground. Unsurprisingly, it became even more highly prized than the K180 or K200 ever were, as reflected in its rising second-hand prices (as stated in the fluff).

The K3 RS-T - more expensive than a K200 Turbo, but well worth it in hindsight.

And as my last submission for the challenge, I decided to come up with the K300 Turbo, a larger rear-drive sports car that replaced the K180 and K200. Specifically, I chose the facelifted 1997 model, not just to meet eligibility requirements, but also for its mechanical improvements. Predictably, it too was well-received, and marked a fitting conclusion to the saga. Interestingly, it was the only one of my submissions to be powered by a six-cylinder engine - specifically, a straight-six. I also created factory tuned versions of both the pre- and post-facelift K300, but it's the standard versions that I remember most fondly, for being genuinely good sports cars in base form.

A post-facelift 1997 K300 Turbo in an attractive metallic green.

Thus ended another one of my many lore-building exercises. But this was only the beginning of my Automation experience on the new machine - there would be a lot more to come in the months ahead.

Life Tiles and Action Cards Revisited: A Vital Component of the Game of Life

Life Tiles and Action Cards Revisited: A Vital Component of the Game of Life

Although I have already discussed Life Tiles in some of my earlier posts here regarding the Game of Life, I have yet to make an in-depth discussion about them (or the Action Cards that replaced them, for that matter). So how exactly were Life Tiles introduced to the Game of Life in the first place? For context, consider that the original version of the game was out of step with contemporary values by 1990, a full three decades after its debut. Therefore, the next version would have to change with the times - by rewarding players for being good citizens.

With this in mind, some spaces were now designated as Life Spaces. Anyone who landed on them would receive a Life Tile, but if the draw pile became empty, they could take a Life Tile from another player, unless that player had retired at Countryside Acres. Thus, the only time that a Life Space could not award a Life Tile at all is when all other players have either retired at Countryside Acres and/or have no Life Tiles in their inventories.

The new version of the Game Of Life had three Life Tiles worth $250,000, four tiles worth $200,000, five tiles worth $150,000, six tiles worth $100,000, and seven tiles worth $50,000, for a total of 25 - these values were printed on the reverse side, with black text on an orange background. However, four Life Tiles would be randomly placed at Millionaire Estates at the start of the game (to be given to the richest player who retired there), leaving the remaining 21 tiles to be placed in the draw pile. In addition, each Life Tile had a description on the reverse side, with those of the more valuable tiles referencing more prestigious achievements.

Originally, Life Tiles were highly prized, especially by players who were falling behind in terms of net worth. As such, it was possible for a less wealthy player to earn a come-from-behind victory by gaining a sufficiently large amount of money from their Life Tiles. To reduce the chance of such unexpected comebacks, all Life Tile values were reduced fivefold in 2002, when the Game of Life was updated. Thus, there were now three $50,000 tiles, four $40,000 tiles, five $30,000 tiles, six $20,000 tiles, and seven $10,000 tiles. 

These values were retained when the Game of Life was redesigned yet again in 2007, although the tiles' descriptions were removed, and on the reverse side the black text on an orange background was replaced by white text outlined in black over a yellow background. In addition, the draw pile consisted of 22 tiles, since there were now only three tiles out of 25 that would be randomly selected for placement at Millionaire Estates at the start of the game, and each of the first three players who retired there would receive one tile.

In the current version of the Game of Life (in print since 2013), Life Tiles are completely absent; instead, Action Cards have taken their place. These can only be obtained by landing on yellow Action Spaces, which are intended to represent important events in a person's life. Each Action Card is worth only 100,000 points at the end of the game, but unlike Life Tiles, these items cannot be lost after being acquired. Moreover, each Action Card contains instructions that vary from losing your job to collecting or paying money, in some cases from and to another player, respectively. Finally, at the end of the game, the value of each player's Action Cards will be added to their net worth. 

However, in The Game of Life 2, which is a stand-alone video game not based on any existing board game variant (a first for the franchise), Action Cards have been replaced by three new items: Happiness, Knowledge and Wealth tokens. These can be earned from Action spaces or through a Fate space. Moreover, choosing the Bucket List option upon retirement will grant the player an opportunity to spin for additional tokens during their turn until all other players have retired. Regardless of type, however, they will contribute to a player's final score upon retirement in the same way that Action Cards and Life Tiles did in previous versions - each token is worth 100,000 points, and the player with the most tokens of a specific type will also receive an additional points bonus.

As I have previously described in this series, it is worth noting that a later version of Generation II gave the Athlete career a unique ability in which returning 4 Life Tiles will yield the $100,000 Salary Card, trading salaries if necessary. Also, the Enhanced Mode of the video game adaptation of Generation III has a unique Share the Wealth Card named "Shared Memories", which allows any player who obtained it to take a Life Tile from any other player. However, this card can only ever be obtained at random, and as stated above, is useless if no Life Tiles are in play. In both of these cases, these rules were not part of the original rule sets of the respective generations of the Game of Life in which they were introduced.

This concludes our discussion of Life Tiles and the items that replaced them. Stay tuned for the next post in this series, in which I discuss a persistent housing problem that has plagued the Game of Life for decades - and has only recently been solved once and for all.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 107: The New Cult of Personality

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 107: The New Cult of Personality

The recent re-launch of the Cult of Personality challenge on the Automation forums got me excited about creating a company with lore for the first time in a long time. Similar to the earlier Generations II tournament, this was focused on the American market, but focused on a narrower time period, from 1960 to 1992. With this in mind, I decided to concentrate my attention on some of the most significant cars from the Madison Motor Car Company, an American manufacturer which I had specifically created for this challenge.

My first submission (for the period between 1960 and 1966) representing Madison was the top-end trim of their intermediate-sized muscle car, the 1966 Trebuchet 427. Its 7-liter pushrod V8 engine delivered a searing 330 net horsepower and 440 foot-pounds of torque, yielding a 0-60 mph time of 6.5 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 14.7 seconds - formidable numbers for the era. For the second round (which spans the years from 1967 to 1973), I submitted an even faster and more powerful trim, dubbed HP (short for Handling Package). In addition to having 20 more horsepower, the HP option (introduced in 1970) added front and rear spoilers, specially tuned suspension, alloy wheels, and front disc brakes, with radial tires, a wider front track and rear disc brakes also being available for the first two years in which it was offered.

A 1970 Madison Trebuchet 427 HP (left, in yellow) next to a pre-facelift 1966 model (right, in blue).

The third round (which covered the years 1974-1979) was set in an era where the entire automotive industry was struggling to adapt to new laws that had been hastily passed in the aftermath of the oil crises of the 1970s. To prove a point, I submitted a completely new model that would serve as a halo car for the next decade - the Ballista. My submission was the top-shelf 350 GT model, powered by a 5.7-liter pushrod V8 delivering 205 horsepower mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. To harness what seemed like a sizable amount of power back then, I fitted vented disc brakes and A-arm independent suspension at each corner. Although the otherwise clean exterior design had to be encumbered by separate rubber bumpers, I managed to integrate them more cleanly than I expected. Then again, the Ballista was all about performance, and with a 0-60 mph time of 6.7 seconds and a top speed of 156 mph, it was never going to disappoint anyone.

Front (above) and rear (below) three-quarter views of the 1979 Madison Ballista 350 GT.

In the fourth round (set between 1980 and 1986), I chose to submit an updated version of the Ballista - the 350 GTS, powered by a 285-bhp fuel-injected version of the 5.7-liter V8. I also made a cheaper variant, the 305 GT, whose engine was a fuel-injected 5.0-liter V8 developing 225 horsepower. All trims had a mechanical LSD and five-speed manual gearbox as standard. In addition, the facelifted Ballista could be distinguished by pop-up headlights, integrated bumpers, a full-width rear reflector, and (from 1986) a central high-mounted stop light. For the first time ever, customers could order the option of a contrasting pinstripe around the lower bodywork, below which a second, different contrasting exterior color could also be applied. To distinguish it from the 305, the 350 GTS also had a more flamboyant aero kit, complete with a large hood scoop and rear wing - helpful when exploiting its improved performance (0-60 mph in 5.7 seconds and a top speed of 170 mph) compared to lesser Ballistas.

1985 Madison Ballista, shown in 350 GTS (above, black/red/silver) and 305 GTS (below, red/black) trims.

For the fifth and final round (which spans the years 1987 to 1992), I submitted yet another version of the Ballista, the 500 GT. Unlike the earlier trims, this was based on a completely new model, redesigned from the ground up, and powered by an all-new, 5.0-liter all-alloy dual-overhead-cam V8 developing 345 horsepower with the aid of variable intake and exhaust valve timing. As befitting its halo car status, the new Ballista came with a raft of new technologies, such as anti-lock brakes, traction control, and dual front airbags, mostly to improve safety, but also to enhance the driving experience. This car is different from my other submissions in this challenge for another reason - it is the only one of the five to have a fully detailed interior. To be fair, it is somewhat rudimentary compared to some of the examples I have seen elsewhere on the forums, but it's a far more comprehensive job than any of my previous attempts at a detailed interior in Automation.

Above: 1992 Madison Ballista 500 GT - a more capable, civilized and curvaceous offering compared to its angular predecessor, and now boasting a menacing yet pretty feline face.

And what did the host think of my submissions? According to his lore compilation, the original Trebuchet 427 proved to be a formidable force on the stock car and drag racing circuit; this was also true of the later HP version, whose chassis tweaks yielded a surprisingly effective road course racer. Speaking of which, it was a role for which the original Ballista had been explicitly designed to excel in - a tradition carried on by the second-generation car, and indeed all subsequent Ballistas, although all Ballista versions after 1992 (and, by extension, anything from Madison after that date) are too new to fall within the scope of the competition.

And so another compelling challenge on the Automation forums comes to a close. But this is not quite the end of the Madison story, for I have one more version of the Ballista to show here - the 540 GTS, introduced in 1995 and powered by a 5.4-liter engine developing a heady 405 horsepower. As I've previously stated, it's actually too new to be eligible, but is even more capable than the 500 GT from which it was derived, thanks to forged alloy wheels with an extra inch of diameter, adaptive dampers, small front and rear spoilers, larger brake discs, and a six-speed manual gearbox.

Above: 1995 Madison Ballista 540 GTS - too new for Cult of Personality II, but worthy of mention here on account of its improved performance.

As a side note, the second-generation Ballista is the first car in a long time that I have made in Automation with a highly detailed interior (which is something I rarely do, and even then, only if I really want and/or have to), and to be fair, it's somewhat crude and rudimentary compared with some other cars I've seen on the forums, but it's my best attempt yet.

Nova Cannons Compared: Infinite Space vs. Warhammer 40,000

Nova Cannons Compared: Infinite Space vs. Warhammer 40,000

Throughout the Infinite Space trilogy of sci-fi roguelikes, there has never been a weapon more feared than the infamous Nova Cannon. It is a standard fitment on the Yellow Kawangi Dreadnought, and is normally unattainable during normal gameplay, unless the player acquires a Timeless Bauble and uses it to create said cannon. When fitted to a capital ship, it becomes the most useful weapon in the game bar none - a single direct hit can destroy any ship outright unless it has enough armor and shielding. It also has a high muzzle velocity and a very long range that is exceeded only by the Cobalt Torpedo Tube and Multi-Missile Launcher, neither of which are as expensive or powerful.

Its only drawbacks are its lack of homing capabilities, a slow fire rate and immense cost (750 Terran credits), although the first two of these can be mitigated somewhat by combining the cannon with an advanced targeting computer such as the Sardion Optimizer. Also, the game does not treat it as a dedicated anti-capital ship weapon, and can therefore automatically target fighters - this is actually a hindrance for the cannon, given that this was not a role for which the weapon has been designed. As a workaround, you can target capital ships manually to prevent this from happening.

Behold the almighty Nova Cannon - a slow-firing and expensive but extremely powerful anti-capital ship weapon.

If the Nova Cannon seems familiar to you, that's because the popular tabletop game Warhammer 40,000 has a weapon with the exact same name. According to W40K lore, it is one of the most powerful capital ship weapons ever to have been conceived by the Imperium of Man. However, like its Infinite Space counterpart, it is inaccurate and must be aimed carefully to ensure a successful hit. Nevertheless, it can still destroy weaker ships with a single direct hit.

Unlike its namesake from the Infinite Space trilogy, the W40K Nova Cannon comes in three major variants. The Mars Pattern is the simplest; it fires what is basically a very large high-explosive shell. The Ryza Pattern replaces the standard warhead with a an even more powerful (and unstable) plasma warhead of immense size. Finally, the Jovian Pattern utilizes exotic vortex warheads that open a rift into the Warp, capable of splitting even the largest vessels in two; however, such ammunition is even more volatile than that which is found in other Nova Cannon variants, thus making the weapon more susceptible to battle damage. It is worth noting that unlike in earlier games (or W40K, for that matter), it is impossible to completely destroy a Nova Cannon in Sea of Stars, although it can be temporarily disabled, thereby preventing it from firing.

On the subject of ammunition, Nova Cannons in W40K can also be loaded with electromagnetic shells that jam enemy communications upon detonation, gravitic shells that implode to create miniature black holes that suck in anything and everything in the vicinity, or Doppler shells that expose the locations of enemy ships by releasing gravimetric waves. The Infinite Space counterpart, on the other hand, carries only one type of ammunition and is mainly an anti-capital ship weapon - one that is far more useful in that role than anything else the entire series has ever had to offer.

Infinite Space lore shows that any capital ship (i.e. any vessel larger than a fighter) can be fitted with a Nova Cannon as long as it has one non-structural turret capable of mounting a heavy weapon - the only capital ships incompatible with this immense weapon belong to the Calatians, Tchorak or Ravians. The former simply do not field any capital ships with large hardpoints; the latter two use integral weapons (which are built into their ships' superstructures) that cannot be replaced. In Warhammer 40,000, however, only six of the Imperium of Man's ship classes are fitted with Nova Cannons: the Victory and Apocalypse class battleships, Mars and Mercury class battlecruisers, Dominator class cruisers, and the Adeptus Mechanicus' Arks Mechanicus.

Above, left to right: A Terran destroyer, frigate, corvette and scout each armed with a Nova Cannon. Below: A Terran frigate just after destroying one Tan Ru Decimator with its Nova Cannon, and is now attacking the other Decimator with its dual Tachyon Ray Guns.

Just to avoid a potential point of confusion, the Nova Cannon is not the same as the Nova Bomb from X-Com: Interceptor, which is a highly specialized (and enormously expensive) missile capable of destroying a star system with a single direct hit - something that neither of the Nova Cannons can do (the Yellow Kawangi have a different, unnamed device for that purpose, but there is no way for the player to obtain or use it). The Nova Bomb even shares its name (and capability) with a superweapon from the Halo franchise - but a detailed discussion of Nova Bombs is best left for another time and post, if I ever choose to delve any deeper into that matter.

Having compared the Nova Cannons of Infinite Space and Warhammer 40K, there is one question left to answer: which version of the W40K weapon is most similar to its namesake? Judging by the characteristics of the Infinite Space version, it most closely resembles W40K's plasma-based Ryza Pattern Nova Cannon. This is evident in the flavor text, which states that it fires a highly powerful neutronium pod which detonates on impact with an extremely high yield equivalent to a thermonuclear warhead - in fact, earlier games stated that the yield was much larger, similar to thousands of such warheads going off at once. This also provides an explanation of why it is utterly unmatched for damage per shot, as I have stated earlier here - in fact, a direct hit against a small ship with little or no shielding tends to be overkill.

Above, from top: In an epic battle sequence worthy of Warhammer 40,000, a relatively tiny Terran Scout, armed with a Nova Cannon and turned into a dedicated anti-capital ship artillery platform, repeatedly bombards a gigantic and well-protected Yellow Kawangi dreadnought until it is completely destroyed, leaving behind an enormous explosion.

In short, there is little in the Infinite Space trilogy that can match the destructive potential of a Nova Cannon. The only items that are more powerful (as far as I am aware) are the Chromium Gong and Limited Vacuum Collapser, but the former can only be used between one and three times before shattering and becoming unusable, and the latter cannot be used more than once (as well as carrying the additional risk of annihilating its user upon detonation unless he/she is out of range). A Nova Cannon, on the other hand, can be fired as many times in combat as its user wants as long as it remains functional, just like any other ship-mounted weapon. Combine the sheer brute force it can deliver with the stealth factor of a Plasma Coil Cloaker, and you have the cheesiest (but most effective) battle strategy on your hands.

Above, from top: The Nova Cannon is not without its disadvantages, but it can quickly turn the tide of a battle if used correctly.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 106: Muscle Bound for Glory

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 106: Muscle Bound for Glory

The past month saw my reputation as an Automationeer improve drastically, since I managed to score an impressive runner-up placing in CSR 136 before going on to do an excellent job of hosting the round immediately after it. Viewed in the context of CSR 136, this seemed unlikely at first, considering that the brief was to design a sporty, retro-themed car for a moderately wealthy client. However, I ultimately decided to reference the exterior design for my CSR 120 entry, and use that as inspiration for the car I would enter in CSR 136: the 2002 MAD Corsair.

The 2002 MAD Corsair - a retro-modern muscle car with a big engine, lots of power and the handling to match.

To my absolute surprise and amazement, the reborn Corsair snagged a second-place finish by virtue of doing everything right and hardly anything wrong. This may have influenced what happened next: with the winner unwilling to host the next round, I chose to take the reins instead, and introduce a theme of (mostly) four-door modern muscle cars. 

After some consultation with potential entrants, I launched the round and, within a week, had received well over 50 cars. However, 20 of them turned out to be ineligible due to rule violations, and of the others, only 10 made it to the final stage, which included a time trial around a circuit from a standing start.

A few days of deliberation followed, after which I finally settled on a winner: the Turból j4 SAV 6.6 CS. It was the right decision, given that it was the sportiest car (mostly because it was also the fastest car around the track) and had no deficiencies whatsoever in any of the other judging criteria.

The winner of CSR 137: the Turból j4 SAV 6.6 CS.

With the contest done and dusted, I could now turn my attention to preparing for the next round... But that is a story for another time.