A little update info on Racer

[Frank N. O.]

Just in case you are interested.

The next windows beta of Racer 0.5.0 will be #7 to avoid confusion with the beta 6 that was a semi-updated beta 5 published only for the OS X (Mac). An esimate Jim Seamus is that it could be here here within 3 weeks but this cannot off course be backed up since Ruud is more than useally burdonned with real life work and he wants to remove as many of the bugs as possible so beta 7 will not be another bugged beta.

For those liking japanese cars I have successfuly tested 4-wheel-steering. Like the Honda Prelude over 40 kph the back wheels steer the same direction as the front to stabilize the car while cornering hard. By setting steerin=1 for the back wheels and adding the lock=x line the rear wheels can steer. Set the lock= a fraction of the front lock, for instance front lock=50 -> rear lock=8 perhaps. The wheels cannot be set to steer opposite of the front.

Also RSC and therefore also the official Racer forum is undergoing some changes so off-line time / database failure like tonight can happend a little time yet.

Frank N. O.

Four wheel steering would allow a Skyline GT-R to be simulated fairly well, provided the rest of the physics engine is sorted out similarly.

The GT-R uses super-HICAS four wheel steering, along with a trick Attessa ET-S electronic torque splitting system, to distribute power to all the wheels efficiently..

It's one mighty complex car, that one.

So, I must ask, does Racer support 4wd (or all-wheel-drive), yet?

I suppose simulating a Skyline GT-R's all-wheel-drive system would be tricky, and require a lot of programming.. :( Though, if I remember right, the Japanese racing program, Real Car Simulator (the Nissan version) had done this.

[Frank N. O.]

Sadly 4WD is not yet simulated. I'm doing some updated realistic WRC ini's and need 4WD for the EVO6+7, 2000+2002 Scooby, Focus WRC02, Xsara T4 and 206 WRC.

Also when 4WD comes I think it's simulated mechanic with visous couplings like the only LSD is now.

The 4WS is also mechanical and can only turn the same way as the front wheels. The Super HICAS system turns first the opposite way to induce sharper steer-in and then switches to steer in the same direction as the fronts. But still the static 4WS does make the cars different to drive so it's getting closer to an advanced japanese performance car.

Antiguabill's R32 GT-R will be converted to Racer when it's ready, Solicom has an exclusive agreement with him as I understand it, also for the R33+34, a little like the agreement with Martin Leps for all his cars.

I know the news isn't what you had hoped for but you can still have fun with Racer once and a while. Maybe when we are making the R32 I can get permission to give you a closed beta of it to evaluate the handling now that it seems you have such great knowledge of it.

Frank N. O.

Yes, I'm a bit of a Skyline GT-R enthusiast, I must admit.

I've loved them, ever since Nissan Australia brought over those 100 R32 model GT-Rs, which were awesome, even at AUD$110,000 each.

These things had the performance, and handling ability to leave a Ferrari 348 breathless around a race track. Indeed, Wheels magazine discovered that, when it compared the 911 Carrera, Ferrari 348, Honda NSX, and R32 Skyline GT-R.

The Skyline GT-R was chosen over the others, though the NSX was also very highly rated.

[Justin Martin]

Another really cool development in Racer is tahustvedt's incredible Norwegian road track. http://forum.racesimcentral.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=420975#post420975

The screen shots on the last page are probably the most incredible pics of a street track in any racing game i've every seen.


As for me, i'm finishing up the driver for my 914, then i'll release the final versions of the 914/4 and 914/6. Then i'll start working on the 914/6 GT, 916 and 914/8 versions. :D