Aussie Muscle
10-01-2002, 06:00 PM
1. What is Racer?
From the Racer homepage at http://www.Racer.nl
Racer is a free car simulation project, using real car physics to get a realistic feeling. Cars, tracks, scenes and such can be created with relative simplicity in mind (compared to other driving simulations). The 3D and other file formats are, or should be, documented. Editors and support programs are also available to get a very flexible and expandable simulator. It uses OpenGL for rendering.
Racer is the work of Ruud van Gaal, a professional programmer who codes in his spare time. Be warned that this is not a finished, polished sim - there's no AI, no multiplayer, and the physics and graphics engines are still being added to and debugged with each new release. Many options and variables are stored in plain text .ini files - don't be scared to have a rummage and see what you can find!
2. What's it look like? Got any screenies?
Racer's car and track models are the work of the Racer community. Quality varies considerably, so check the screenies and make up your own mind how good things look.
Screenshots: #1 (http://seamus.m4driving.sm/pics/350z_skidpad.jpg) - #2 (http://seamus.m4driving.sm/pics/gt500.jpg) - #3 (http://seamus.m4driving.sm/pics/edgerainx.jpg) - #4 (http://seamus.m4driving.sm/pics/z_cockpit.jpg) - #5 (http://seamus.m4driving.sm/pics/mini_chase.jpg) - #5 (http://seamus.m4driving.sm/celica.jpg) -
Thanks to seamus for hosting these pics
Videos:
- Racer promo movie (http://www.racer-xtreme.com/beta/video.php) (varies 9 meg to 37 meg depending on quality)
- rendered 350Z (http://stecki.m4driving.sm/junk/350zcomp04.avi) (3 meg)
3. Quickstart Guide for the Computer Literate (Windows)
The latest version of Racer is v050 beta 5 (http://racer.m4driving.sm/beta/rr050b5.exe)(10.5 meg).
Windows users: Download, install, then run config.exe to select graphics and controller options, and you're away.
Try the Racer homepage for info on Linux, Mac OS X and SGI Irix versions (Uwe's Linux FAQ is here)
4. Updating Racer 050beta5
You'll probably want to download (http://www.racer-xtreme.com/) some new tracks and some better handling (and looking) cars. Racer Xtreme is a great place to start - here you'll find Stecki's Nissan 350Z (one of the best car models made for any sim on any platform) as well as over 50 other cars and a dozen tracks. Installation is straightforward - Racer will automatically pick up on folders in the cars/ and tracks/ directories.
5. Why does <car name> handle so badly?
In each car folder there's a plain text "car.ini" file. This defines the handling and performance of the car - things like weight, gear ratios, suspension settings, tyre coefficients and so on. Recent changes to the way Racer reads this file mean that some cars no longer handle as originally intended, and you may have to do some tweaking in the .ini file to adjust performance to your liking!
6. I need more help!
The folk in Racer's irc channel - #racer on irc.enterthegame.com - will hopefully be able to answer most questions and problems that you might have. If you don't have an irc client installed, try the java applet at Moleskin, or post on these forums. The forum search page is very useful as many questions have been answered before.
"Quick answers" section
* Multiplayer
This doesn't work yet. If you try to Join or Host a multiplayer session, there's a chance your Racer might "break" (!)
* Default controls
To choose your controller, run Racer/config.exe and select a preset file from the drop-down list. You can edit the preset files - they're in the Racer/ctrlset/ directory.
If you don't own a wheel/pedals or analogue joystick, then the mouse is the best way to control Racer. Buttons change gear, and S operates the starter motor.
If you really want to use the keyboard, then the default setup uses the cursor keys, plus A and Z for gear changing, and S for the starter motor.
* What other keys can I use? (applies to all controllers)
Cameras:
- Use 1,2,3....0 on the keyboard to change car cameras.
- The numpad moves cameras (rotate, zoom) in real time.
- "C" toggles between car cams and trackcams.
Replays:
- Hit F2 for replays, then "S" to save, or use the "eject" button.
Other functions:
- Use Ctrl-1, Ctrl-2 ... Ctrl-0 for the debug screen readouts.
- "P" for pause, handy for checking debug readouts.
- "W" (in car select screen and Racer's modeler.exe) toggles wireframe mode.
- Shift-R resets your car to the first grid position (the start).
- Shift-P resets your car to the first pit position.
- F12 takes a screenshot as a .tga and stores it in Racer/dump/ directory.
- Ctrl-F turns off the FPS readout in the top left.
- Ctrl-S saves the current gamestate (and also kills the engine).
- Ctrl-L loads the saved gamestate.
- Escape to return to menu.
Common Graphics Problems
* Green and yellow debug dots
To turn these off, use WordPad to open up Racer/debug.ini, and find the line near the bottom that says "show_car_points=1". Change this to read "show_car_points=0" and save.
* Weird black flickering in Car Select screen
This is a known bug - a problem with the shadow stencilling.
* Crashing to desktop when using trackcams ("C" on keyboard)
Another known bug - frequent crashing in Windows, especially when switching to/from trackcam. Now fixed, apparently!
* 1600 x 1200 behaves strangely
A bug - check this thread for the simple workaround.
* Voodoo3 users
Turn off environment mapping (your card can't cope): use WordPad to open up Racer/gfx.ini, scroll down to the "envmap" section, find the line that says "enable=1" and change it to "enable=0". You may also find problems with textures larger than 256x256, in which case you will need to manually resize textures using a paint program.
Other "Getting it to Run" Problems
* Sound problems in Windows
Read this thread
* "A required .DLL file, DINPUT8.DLL, was not found"
Racer on Windows requires at least DirectX8.
* Mac OS X users
This thread might help with installation problems
* Racer won't run - once loading is complete it crashes or throws me back to the menu
Racer runs as a networked client/server even in singleplayer mode - if you have a firewall try turning it off, or at least give Racer full access. If this doesn't apply to you, try disabling sounds (use Wordpad to open up Racer/racer.ini, find the "audio" section, and set "enable=0").
[color=red]What to do if you STILL can't get it to work[/red]
* Forum search
You might not have found the answers you need in this FAQ. Before posting a new thread, why not search the forums - this is the quickest way to get an answer.
From the Racer homepage at http://www.Racer.nl
Racer is a free car simulation project, using real car physics to get a realistic feeling. Cars, tracks, scenes and such can be created with relative simplicity in mind (compared to other driving simulations). The 3D and other file formats are, or should be, documented. Editors and support programs are also available to get a very flexible and expandable simulator. It uses OpenGL for rendering.
Racer is the work of Ruud van Gaal, a professional programmer who codes in his spare time. Be warned that this is not a finished, polished sim - there's no AI, no multiplayer, and the physics and graphics engines are still being added to and debugged with each new release. Many options and variables are stored in plain text .ini files - don't be scared to have a rummage and see what you can find!
2. What's it look like? Got any screenies?
Racer's car and track models are the work of the Racer community. Quality varies considerably, so check the screenies and make up your own mind how good things look.
Screenshots: #1 (http://seamus.m4driving.sm/pics/350z_skidpad.jpg) - #2 (http://seamus.m4driving.sm/pics/gt500.jpg) - #3 (http://seamus.m4driving.sm/pics/edgerainx.jpg) - #4 (http://seamus.m4driving.sm/pics/z_cockpit.jpg) - #5 (http://seamus.m4driving.sm/pics/mini_chase.jpg) - #5 (http://seamus.m4driving.sm/celica.jpg) -
Thanks to seamus for hosting these pics
Videos:
- Racer promo movie (http://www.racer-xtreme.com/beta/video.php) (varies 9 meg to 37 meg depending on quality)
- rendered 350Z (http://stecki.m4driving.sm/junk/350zcomp04.avi) (3 meg)
3. Quickstart Guide for the Computer Literate (Windows)
The latest version of Racer is v050 beta 5 (http://racer.m4driving.sm/beta/rr050b5.exe)(10.5 meg).
Windows users: Download, install, then run config.exe to select graphics and controller options, and you're away.
Try the Racer homepage for info on Linux, Mac OS X and SGI Irix versions (Uwe's Linux FAQ is here)
4. Updating Racer 050beta5
You'll probably want to download (http://www.racer-xtreme.com/) some new tracks and some better handling (and looking) cars. Racer Xtreme is a great place to start - here you'll find Stecki's Nissan 350Z (one of the best car models made for any sim on any platform) as well as over 50 other cars and a dozen tracks. Installation is straightforward - Racer will automatically pick up on folders in the cars/ and tracks/ directories.
5. Why does <car name> handle so badly?
In each car folder there's a plain text "car.ini" file. This defines the handling and performance of the car - things like weight, gear ratios, suspension settings, tyre coefficients and so on. Recent changes to the way Racer reads this file mean that some cars no longer handle as originally intended, and you may have to do some tweaking in the .ini file to adjust performance to your liking!
6. I need more help!
The folk in Racer's irc channel - #racer on irc.enterthegame.com - will hopefully be able to answer most questions and problems that you might have. If you don't have an irc client installed, try the java applet at Moleskin, or post on these forums. The forum search page is very useful as many questions have been answered before.
"Quick answers" section
* Multiplayer
This doesn't work yet. If you try to Join or Host a multiplayer session, there's a chance your Racer might "break" (!)
* Default controls
To choose your controller, run Racer/config.exe and select a preset file from the drop-down list. You can edit the preset files - they're in the Racer/ctrlset/ directory.
If you don't own a wheel/pedals or analogue joystick, then the mouse is the best way to control Racer. Buttons change gear, and S operates the starter motor.
If you really want to use the keyboard, then the default setup uses the cursor keys, plus A and Z for gear changing, and S for the starter motor.
* What other keys can I use? (applies to all controllers)
Cameras:
- Use 1,2,3....0 on the keyboard to change car cameras.
- The numpad moves cameras (rotate, zoom) in real time.
- "C" toggles between car cams and trackcams.
Replays:
- Hit F2 for replays, then "S" to save, or use the "eject" button.
Other functions:
- Use Ctrl-1, Ctrl-2 ... Ctrl-0 for the debug screen readouts.
- "P" for pause, handy for checking debug readouts.
- "W" (in car select screen and Racer's modeler.exe) toggles wireframe mode.
- Shift-R resets your car to the first grid position (the start).
- Shift-P resets your car to the first pit position.
- F12 takes a screenshot as a .tga and stores it in Racer/dump/ directory.
- Ctrl-F turns off the FPS readout in the top left.
- Ctrl-S saves the current gamestate (and also kills the engine).
- Ctrl-L loads the saved gamestate.
- Escape to return to menu.
Common Graphics Problems
* Green and yellow debug dots
To turn these off, use WordPad to open up Racer/debug.ini, and find the line near the bottom that says "show_car_points=1". Change this to read "show_car_points=0" and save.
* Weird black flickering in Car Select screen
This is a known bug - a problem with the shadow stencilling.
* Crashing to desktop when using trackcams ("C" on keyboard)
Another known bug - frequent crashing in Windows, especially when switching to/from trackcam. Now fixed, apparently!
* 1600 x 1200 behaves strangely
A bug - check this thread for the simple workaround.
* Voodoo3 users
Turn off environment mapping (your card can't cope): use WordPad to open up Racer/gfx.ini, scroll down to the "envmap" section, find the line that says "enable=1" and change it to "enable=0". You may also find problems with textures larger than 256x256, in which case you will need to manually resize textures using a paint program.
Other "Getting it to Run" Problems
* Sound problems in Windows
Read this thread
* "A required .DLL file, DINPUT8.DLL, was not found"
Racer on Windows requires at least DirectX8.
* Mac OS X users
This thread might help with installation problems
* Racer won't run - once loading is complete it crashes or throws me back to the menu
Racer runs as a networked client/server even in singleplayer mode - if you have a firewall try turning it off, or at least give Racer full access. If this doesn't apply to you, try disabling sounds (use Wordpad to open up Racer/racer.ini, find the "audio" section, and set "enable=0").
[color=red]What to do if you STILL can't get it to work[/red]
* Forum search
You might not have found the answers you need in this FAQ. Before posting a new thread, why not search the forums - this is the quickest way to get an answer.