Thursday, May 30, 2013

Attia Stadt Grand Prix - V1.10 - Released

In this update to Attia Stadt GP, I have fixed the significant bug to the pit exit and make a few small tweaks here and there.

There is not much to say about this update as the issue was identical to the issue found in Manhattan GP. The tirewall model is flawed. I now set all these tirewalls to not include a collision model, which seems to fix the issue where cars 'ghost' into the abyss of the track. I have however been unable to resolve the issue with the AI cars cutting corners and cutting through walls. This issue is caused by the AIW drive-line of which I am not a master of construction. If anyone is willing to help fix this issue without compromising the AI's speed and competitiveness around the track, please contact me.

There are some other minor tweaks throughout the circuit, but they hardly warrant an analysis here. Please check the Readme file for how to install and to see a complete changelog.

As always, my tracks which include Attia Stadt GP 1.10 can be downloaded directly from NoGripRacing HERE.

Enjoy!

Friday, May 17, 2013

Manhattan GP v1.55 Update Released

I released a major overhaul to my original Lower Manhattan GP (now known as Manhattan GP 1990) about two weeks ago. However it would seem that I did not check it thoroughly enough before releasing the V1.50. Within a day or so, a user found two bugs that can be crippling to the track. The first was what appeared to be a hole in the track surface and then a similar bug was found further around the track. It took me another week to determine exactly what the bugs were. As I stated, it seemed like a hole in the track surface. However after trial and error, I fond that it was a model surface that was invisible.

The tire wall at turn one was interfering with the track geometry, thus giving an illusion of a hole in the surface. The only way to rectify this issue has been to not only move the tire wall (and the concrete wall the tires rest against) but to remove all instances of it being a solid object. Therefore the tire wall at turn one is now purely cosmetic. I had to remove the ability for the tires to receive shadows as well as cast them, then convert the object into a 'ghost' meaning it has no solid properties. The actual concrete wall behind the tire wall is still however solid.

It would turn out that the second bug was exactly the same, but at a different corner (turn five). I have performed a similar fix which means that the circuit now has two 'ghost' tire walls around the track. All other tire walls should be solid. The other issue I had with the v1.50 was the AIW. I had made them very fast and very competitive (well I found they were with my skill level at 98%). However I have observed them cutting many corners and riding hard over the kerbs. I have amended the AI racing line just enough to reduce the frequency of the AI cutting the track by up to 70%. However if I make any more changes the AI will not be competitive. Already I have made such a change to the AIW that the AI now runs the track at around 2.5seconds slower (on average) than the previous version (v1.50).

A complete list of changes can be found in the readme file which are always included with my tracks. As always you can download the track HERE at NoGripRacing. I am not in a rush to release it to RFC just yet, so I recommend going to NoGripRacing to get the update.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Manhattan GP v1.50 - Released

After a long time and many unavoidable delays, I am releasing my remake to my Lower Manhattan GP.

Now titled a far more simple Manhattan GP, this version (v1.50) is essentially a remake of LMGP which I released over two years ago. Manhattan GP retains the LMGP layout, however almost everything is new to do with the track. The only retained elements are mostly objects and some textures from LMGP. However for those with a keen eye for detail, you will see that I have changed everything and for the better.

Over the last two years, my skills in rFactor circuit design have developed to the point that I feel my older tracks are dated and need revamping. I started with Phoenix Proposal 1989, updating it to v2.55 and moved on to my much loved LMGP. I renamed the circuit to Manhattan GP for simplicity as it is clearly lower Manhattan, so why not simply call it Manhattan. Please read the readme file that is included in the .ZIP file as I have detailed what changes I have made to LMGP to bring it up to a v1.50.

Sadly I will not now improve my other Manhattan circuit, Lower Manhattan INDY as the files that originally created it are long gone with a failed hard drive. So that circuit will unlikely see a relaunch.

As always, Manhattan GP and all my other publicly released tracks can be found at NoGripRacing HERE. I may release it to Rfactor Central in the coming days but no promises.

If you enjoy racing on my tracks, then please consider donating to my PayPal, which can be found on the sidebar to my blog. Every little bit helps and helps keep me motivated to continue my efforts for the sim racing community. Thank you and enjoy Manhattan GP.