WIP Gizmo Trail

[luthobu]

Ok, here's the deal. The track is still far from finished, but I have made some
changes that are agreeable and it "feels" good. Today I will clean up some more
and try to release a beta preview by this evening. But please, don't posts any
bug reports or feature requests, I know where most the bugs are, and I have
lots of features that are not implemented yet. But I would like comments on
improvements, on things that don't look or feel right, and even major road bugs
(sinking wheels, rocket launchings, traps, stuff like that). So.. I'll post it later
I guess..

 

[luthobu]

Here it is. Fixed alot of bugs in a rush, some QLOG errors but none fatal.

Some parts of the track might seem empty. That is because it is not done.
Some buildings might look alike. That is because they are only "placeholders".
Some things might look odd, strange, funny, bad.. well.. not finished.

Works with CG and NO-CG (no-cg has no skydome though)

DOWNLOAD BETA01 PRE-RELEASE: Gizmos_Trail-beta01-061210.7z

IF YOU ACCIDENTLY DOWNLOADED Gizmos_Trail-beta01-021110.7z
then please download the version above! (I uploaded the wrong one at first)

The file was taken offline for a while as I discovered a rather nasty bug.
It has now been fixed and the track should be online again. Please, please
read the CREDITS.txt included with the track! A lot of people have been
involved in various ways, and they deserve respect and have my gratitude!

 

[QuadCoreMax]

For which version, your track was optimized or compiled ?

I know, how hard it is to update content, I'm also having hard times to debug my project (LiL Lake) & implement more stuff. I'll take my time & as promised, some cool features will be included.

 

[luthobu]

@QCM: Racer v.0815. It's not an update but a scatch-made mashup.

PS: If it does not work with 0825, then I give up.. can't run any version
above 0815 as my GPU is not compatible. Sorry.

 

[QuadCoreMax]

PS: If it does not work with 0825, then I give up.. can't run any version
above 0815 as my GPU is not compatible. Sorry.

No worries, I hope you'll get a new PC soon, so you can continue to follow Ruud crazy progress...:wink:

I also thinking about buying a new GPU something in the ATI HD 6000 series, just waiting till prices drops a little more....maybe after X-mas

 

[luthobu]

Well, I just tried with 0825 (the lag is really bad so I can't actually drive with only 4fps).
But if you look at the screenshot (attached) it is not really that bad (except for the light
to be way off.. way too bright and unnatural). Time is set to 2000.

Maybe you misunderstood, the track is a beta, and as such not finished at all. I have
spent almost a year on making this track, and have had to alter it from Racer version
after another. So it is far from finished. Everything is in a state of flux as I and many
others are waiting for a stable and working version of Racer. The only reason I decided
to release a beta at this point was to "get the pressure off my back" as I have to focus
on my job and private life for a while. Hopefully the comments on the track can help me
to improve a final version, as long as the comments are constructive and not "I want this
and why not add that".. or comments on shaders not working properly (since they will
have to be altered for a final anyway).

Also I thought it might be fun for the user base to have something new to play with.

Finally, to compare it to Lil Lake is unfair for the both of us since the tracks have nothing
in common other than being for Racer. (That came out all wrong.. I just meant that the
tracks are very different) I do like Lil Lake though, a cute and dizzy track

 

[boomer541]

Working quite good for me on ver 0.0825, some of the trails just end, perhaps you can make them come back to the city rather than dropping off into the great abyss.

There are some objects that don't aparently have anything on them. using the car camera and raising vertically shows what needs to be taken care of.

It'll take several hours to explore everything, Good track Luther.

 

[luthobu]

Working quite good for me on ver 0.0825

Thanks. Good to hear that.

.. some of the trails just end, perhaps you can make them come back to the city

Yes, it is on my todo.. made some attempts that did not "feel" right.

There are some objects that don't aparently have anything on them.

textures you mean? that sounds strange. I'll take a look.

It'll take several hours to explore everything

Sounds good.

I had to laugh about the "Luther" comment though, being a theologian.
Not sure if it was a typo or intentional, but I found it funny. That man
had a really bad temper..

 

[DavidI]

& I thought your avatar was a self portrait...

 

[luthobu]

& I thought your avatar was a self portrait...

Hehe.. on one level it is. A portrait of my "mental state" (the expression of facing
yet another Racer version that breaks things that work and that you counted on).
I also had a beard like that some years ago..

 

[Alexander Knoll]

Ok Lu...here some pics...and yes works verry well with the 025 THX!!

 

[luthobu]

@DF: Great screenshots! #2 is the best I think.. might use it as a
loading screen for the next release, if you approve of that of course

 

[DavidI]

the expression of facing yet another Racer version that breaks things that work and that you counted on

No it can't be an image of that, theres no slash marks on the wrists

 

[Alexander Knoll]

...sure...if you like it...i does only some random shots nothing special....

 

[francomk]

Update looks great ;-) Only loading time´s killing me, but that´s needed for track-size...

 

[luthobu]

@DavidI: The other wrist..

@DF: It is a good shot, and really captures the atmosphere of the track. Thanks

@francomk: Thanks. Loading is a pain, I know.. trying to reduce the time, but I
fear it will be even longer in a future release as new stuff is added. I am going
to redo parts of the track and try to cut down on both mesh sizes, polys and the
annoying loading time. I did change a lot before this release, like removing bumps
that looked odd, downsampled images, reused images ++ so it is actually faster
than my development version..

 

[EngineOfDarkness]

@DavidI: The other wrist..

@DF: It is a good shot, and really captures the atmosphere of the track. Thanks

@francomk: Thanks. Loading is a pain, I know.. trying to reduce the time, but I
fear it will be even longer in a future release as new stuff is added. I am going
to redo parts of the track and try to cut down on both mesh sizes, polys and the
annoying loading time. I did change a lot before this release, like removing bumps
that looked odd, downsampled images, reused images ++ so it is actually faster
than my development version..

Loading the track the first time took a lot of time, but after that it loads quite quick for me (for a Track of that size).

 

[luthobu]

I also thinking about buying a new GPU something in the ATI HD 6000 series, just waiting till prices drops a little more....maybe after X-mas

I was talking with splashonda about this the other day, or rather, about buying an ATI. Then he said that it might be better to buy an nVidia so I could keep up with the Racer progress as it is mainly targeted towards nVidia CG functions. It makes sense. So I think I will go for an nVidia for my next GPU. Guess I am "selling my soul" for the sake of a car sim

@EngineOfDarkness: Good to hear that the cache loading is faster. Still, I will try to optimize even more.

 

[DavidI]

Highly recommend GF460GT1GB, or whatever it's just about to be replaced with (560GT?). very good price/performance.

 

[luthobu]

Just a quick question. I know I said I was not interested in comments, but what I would
like to know is if it runs well, if it loads as it should, if you like it, if there is anything you
would like to see removed or even improved. No pressure though, just a humble request

Huh. Don't know why I posted that.. sorry. On anther note, have been looking at cityscapes
at Turbosquid - absolutely amazing stuff..