Time attack
Encyclopedia
A time attack is another term for time trial
. The term is commonly used in Japan for individual time trial events for motor vehicles that involves a vehicle running around the circuit in lieu of a qualifying lap
and the term is widely adopted outside the country for tuner event and media.
or Tuner Battles) originated in Japan
when the tuning media organized the event on race circuits such as Tsukuba Circuit
, where it commonly occurs, as a proving ground for street tuned cars built at a large budget by highly respected tuning
companies. As a result of the quick rise in popularity, tuners developed cars especially to use to beat the competition, including the purpose built HKS
CT230R Lancer Evolution
, with its body made entirely out of carbon fiber
. The Lancer Evo is the OEM chassis Time Attack record holder at Tsukuba which it still holds to this day.
Unlike other timed motorsport
disciplines such as sprinting
and hillclimbing
, the car is required to start off under full rolling start
conditions following a warm up
lap where they will have to accelerate out as fast as possible to determine how fast they enter their timed lap. Commonly, as cars consist of modified roadgoing cars, cars are required to wear tires authorized for road use and in all, drivers are allocated to three laps in a final event run; warm-up, timed and cool-down.
Largely as a result of the popularity of the tuning industry
, the name appears as a category for modified production vehicles at the annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb utilizing Time Attack regulations which allows aftermarket modifications
to the car and is split into two categories (2WD and 4WD).
Time Attack events should not be confused with Time Trial events as the two are distinctly different, most notably by competition format (TA: limited number of laps, TT: open sessions) and industry relevance (TA: follows and allows for relevant and current trends, TT: restrictive sets of rules).
National Auto Sport Association
Time Trial Series is a National auto competition program, utilizing Regional series based on a time trial style format, with rules that establish car classifications to provide a contest of driver skill. NASA TT is designed to bridge the gap between NASA HPDE (High Performance Driving Events), and wheel-to-wheel racing.
NASA TT provides a venue for spirited on-track competition with a high degree of both safety and convenience. NASA TT competition will take place during NASA HPDE-4 sessions or in separate TT run groups, depending on the event schedule and number of participants. In addition to having a set of National NASA TT Rules, the rules, safety guidelines, and driving requirements of the HPDE-4 program apply to NASA TT. These rules can be found in the NASA CCR (Club Codes and Regs).
.
Usually the best results achieved in a time attack mode are stored
in long-term memory by the game (on a hard disk
or non-volatile memory
), so they can be shared with friends or improved upon at a later date. Racing games often feature "ghost cars" which are saved when the player sets a record time. In subsequent races, the ghost car follows the path the player took when setting that record, allowing them to clearly gauge how they are performing against the previous achievement. Saved ghost cars can often be shared with other players.
The inclusion of a time attack mode can often be an effective way of adding replay value
to a game. Racing games may also include ghost cars recorded by the development staff — attempting to beat their times can provide a final challenge to players who have mastered the rest of the game. Often the game provides other incentives to use the time attack feature; GoldenEye 007, a first-person shooter
on the Nintendo 64
, encouraged players to revisit levels more than once by offering unlockable cheat options as a reward for completing them within target times.
Sometimes the settings of a time attack mode are "locked" in order to standardize competition between players. For example, Soul Calibur
features a time attack mode automatically set to two rounds for a win, the normal difficulty setting and a default time limit; but it also features an alternative Arcade
mode, which allows any option settings to be used and saves record times separately.
Both speedrunning
and time attacking have extensive online communities
dedicated to achieving the fastest times possible.
Time trial
In many racing sports an athlete will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. In cycling, for example, a time trial can be a single track cycling event, or an individual or team time trial on the road, and either or both of the latter may form components of...
. The term is commonly used in Japan for individual time trial events for motor vehicles that involves a vehicle running around the circuit in lieu of a qualifying lap
Lap
A lap is a surface created between the knee and hips of a bipedal being when it is in a seated or lying down position.-Consumer products for laps:...
and the term is widely adopted outside the country for tuner event and media.
Motorsport
Time Attack (alternatively known as Super LapSuper Lap
Super Lap is a time attack motorsport event. Super Lap events are being held in Australia and New Zealand.The inaugural Superlap Australia Superlap Australia event was held at the Oran Park Raceway in July 2008...
or Tuner Battles) originated in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
when the tuning media organized the event on race circuits such as Tsukuba Circuit
Tsukuba Circuit
The Tsukuba Circuit is a motorsport race track located in Shimotsuma, a neighboring city of Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. It is long, has 32 pits and the longest straight is long. There is a small chicane corner that is used for motorcycle racing only and increases the total length to...
, where it commonly occurs, as a proving ground for street tuned cars built at a large budget by highly respected tuning
Car tuning
Car tuning is both an industry and a hobby, in which an automobile is modified in order to improve its performance, handling and appearance. As most vehicles leave the factory set up for average driver expectations and average conditions, tuning has become a way to personalize the characteristics...
companies. As a result of the quick rise in popularity, tuners developed cars especially to use to beat the competition, including the purpose built HKS
HKS Co., Ltd.
is a publicly traded company headquartered in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan specializing in the production and sales of aftermarket and accessory automotive parts and components.-Corporate history:...
CT230R Lancer Evolution
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, colloquially known as the Lancer Evo or Evo, is a high-performance sedan manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors. There have been ten official versions to date, and the designation of each model is most commonly a roman numeral...
, with its body made entirely out of carbon fiber
Carbon fiber
Carbon fiber, alternatively graphite fiber, carbon graphite or CF, is a material consisting of fibers about 5–10 μm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber...
. The Lancer Evo is the OEM chassis Time Attack record holder at Tsukuba which it still holds to this day.
Unlike other timed motorsport
Motorsport
Motorsport or motorsports is the group of sports which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles, whether for racing or non-racing competition...
disciplines such as sprinting
Sprint car racing
Sprint cars are high-powered race cars designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa....
and hillclimbing
Hillclimbing
Hillclimbing is a branch of motorsport in which drivers compete against the clock to complete an uphill course....
, the car is required to start off under full rolling start
Rolling start
A rolling start is one of two modes of initiating or restarting an auto race; the other mode is the standing start. In a rolling start, the cars are ordered on the track and are led on a certain number of laps at a pre-determined safe speed by the safety car or pace car...
conditions following a warm up
Warm Up
Warm Up is a Formula One style racing video game, released in 2000 developed by Lankhor, and published by Microïds, for Microsoft Windows based PCs....
lap where they will have to accelerate out as fast as possible to determine how fast they enter their timed lap. Commonly, as cars consist of modified roadgoing cars, cars are required to wear tires authorized for road use and in all, drivers are allocated to three laps in a final event run; warm-up, timed and cool-down.
Largely as a result of the popularity of the tuning industry
Import scene
The Import Scene or Import Racing Scene or Tuner Scene refers to the subculture that revolves around modifying imported brand cars , especially those of Japanese brands, for street racing.-History:...
, the name appears as a category for modified production vehicles at the annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb utilizing Time Attack regulations which allows aftermarket modifications
Car tuning
Car tuning is both an industry and a hobby, in which an automobile is modified in order to improve its performance, handling and appearance. As most vehicles leave the factory set up for average driver expectations and average conditions, tuning has become a way to personalize the characteristics...
to the car and is split into two categories (2WD and 4WD).
Time Attack events should not be confused with Time Trial events as the two are distinctly different, most notably by competition format (TA: limited number of laps, TT: open sessions) and industry relevance (TA: follows and allows for relevant and current trends, TT: restrictive sets of rules).
National Auto Sport Association
National Auto Sport Association
The National Auto Sport Association is an American motorsports organization promoting road racing and high-performance driver education....
Time Trial Series is a National auto competition program, utilizing Regional series based on a time trial style format, with rules that establish car classifications to provide a contest of driver skill. NASA TT is designed to bridge the gap between NASA HPDE (High Performance Driving Events), and wheel-to-wheel racing.
NASA TT provides a venue for spirited on-track competition with a high degree of both safety and convenience. NASA TT competition will take place during NASA HPDE-4 sessions or in separate TT run groups, depending on the event schedule and number of participants. In addition to having a set of National NASA TT Rules, the rules, safety guidelines, and driving requirements of the HPDE-4 program apply to NASA TT. These rules can be found in the NASA CCR (Club Codes and Regs).
Video games
Many computer and video games include a time attack (or time trial) mode, in which the main goal is to complete levels — or, in some cases, the entire game — as quickly as possible. This mode prioritizes completion time ahead of other measures of success such as high scores. In cases where a game does not have a dedicated time attack or trial mode, a fast completion is frequently known as a speedrunSpeedrun
A speedrun is a play-through, or recording thereof, of a whole video game or a selected part of it performed with the intent of completing it as fast as possible, optionally under certain prerequisites, mainly for the purposes of entertainment and competition...
.
Usually the best results achieved in a time attack mode are stored
Computer file management
The term computer file management refers to the manipulation of documents and data in files on a computer.----Specifically, one may create a new file or edit an existing file and save it; open or load a pre-existing file into memory; or close a file without saving it. Additionally, one may group...
in long-term memory by the game (on a hard disk
Hard disk
A hard disk drive is a non-volatile, random access digital magnetic data storage device. It features rotating rigid platters on a motor-driven spindle within a protective enclosure. Data is magnetically read from and written to the platter by read/write heads that float on a film of air above the...
or non-volatile memory
NVRAM
Non-volatile random-access memory is random-access memory that retains its information when power is turned off, which is described technically as being non-volatile...
), so they can be shared with friends or improved upon at a later date. Racing games often feature "ghost cars" which are saved when the player sets a record time. In subsequent races, the ghost car follows the path the player took when setting that record, allowing them to clearly gauge how they are performing against the previous achievement. Saved ghost cars can often be shared with other players.
The inclusion of a time attack mode can often be an effective way of adding replay value
Replay value
Replay value or replayability is a term found in combination with video games, but it may be also used to describe other kinds of games, movies, music, or theater plays. In video games, the term replay value is used to describe the entertainment value of playing a game more than once...
to a game. Racing games may also include ghost cars recorded by the development staff — attempting to beat their times can provide a final challenge to players who have mastered the rest of the game. Often the game provides other incentives to use the time attack feature; GoldenEye 007, a first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
on the Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
, encouraged players to revisit levels more than once by offering unlockable cheat options as a reward for completing them within target times.
Sometimes the settings of a time attack mode are "locked" in order to standardize competition between players. For example, Soul Calibur
Soul Calibur
is a 3D, weapons-based fighting game developed by Project Soul and produced by Namco. It is the second game in the Soul series, preceeded by Soul Edge. It was released in arcades in 1998, and it ran on the Namco System 12 hardware. In 1999 it was ported to the Dreamcast with improved graphics and...
features a time attack mode automatically set to two rounds for a win, the normal difficulty setting and a default time limit; but it also features an alternative Arcade
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
mode, which allows any option settings to be used and saves record times separately.
Both speedrunning
Speedrun
A speedrun is a play-through, or recording thereof, of a whole video game or a selected part of it performed with the intent of completing it as fast as possible, optionally under certain prerequisites, mainly for the purposes of entertainment and competition...
and time attacking have extensive online communities
Virtual community
A virtual community is a social network of individuals who interact through specific media, potentially crossing geographical and political boundaries in order to pursue mutual interests or goals...
dedicated to achieving the fastest times possible.
Motorsport events and series
- Redline Time Attack (US) official site
- NASA Time Trial Series (US) official site
- Super Lap Battle (US) official site
- Super Lap (New Zealand)
- Super Lap (Australia)
- Time Attack (UK) - Official Website
- BE-Circuit TC200 Time Attack (Japan)
- Time To Attack: Sepang - Official Site
- Sigma Racing Time Attack: Mosport - Official Site