Racer v0.8.36 released

Ruud · Nov 11, 2011

A good date for an update. ;-)

Racer v0.8.36 is at http://www.mediafire.com/?i6rnbmthb5sr3dh (52Mb)

I'm going to investigate the cameras; the location wasn't right when we modified them relative to the nullpoint, but I seem to have some trouble getting them right in the Lambo. I'm away for a week first though...

The changes:
- Bugfix: script parentheses could cause confusion: 'paint sin($a*0.8)+10 at float[2]{ 50,50 };'
would give numbers between -1..1 instead of 9..11 (priority conflict).
- Bugfix: the camera locations not relative to the nullpoint. This does mean
you should move your camera positions!
- Added 'terminal' console command; this opens an output window. Also added dev.terminal in racer.ini to open it at startup.
See also http://www.racer.nl/tutorial/development.htm . Useful for content development as well; seeing warnings quickly.
- Entering of console commands is now also possible in the menu screen (although not many commands work here).
- Added 'debug <path>' to show a subtree's values live, much like the Ctrl-1 to 9 screens.
- data/cars/default/car.ini contained a differential tree which was not used; now split into 'differential' and 'differentials' (the latter is preferred)
- FMOD upgraded to v4.36.5 (fmodex.dll)
- Added 'reload globalviews' console command to reload data/gui/globalviews.ini
- Added damage parameters to default/car.ini (damage is still very alpha functionality)
- Added views.ini type 'clip' (for example for a filling bar) - currently it stretches the image though
- If a car's view0 was empty, Ctrl-9's second subpage could crash
- Added 'get focus car' script command to retrieve the car in focus (unlike 'get local car' for example)
- 'doc scriptfuncs' now opens the file after creation.
- Pacejka player could not edit 'a0' in Pac96 mode.
- Pressing Ctrl-0 twice would crash
- racer.ini's collision.report_car_track_collision now shows collisions between objects in the console
- DOF_Fix had an endless OpenGL error loop
- Endless roads possible by defining endless.min.x/y/z and endless.max.x/y/z in a track's special.ini
See http://www.racer.nl/tutorial/endless_track.htm
- Newton upgraded to v2.34 (newton.dll)
- Movables initial state is now no longer to freeze; this to fix framerate issues (although it's a little slow at the first few frames).
- Added generic model align_axis property, to fix one of the axes of a generic model (to prevent rotations; only 2 endpoints are defined).
This was done for Boomer's IMP car, to keep a suspension model from rotating when moving.
- Added susp<n>.susp_y_change_per_rad (around 0.01 to 0.1) to dynamically move the suspension attachment point for geometric effects.
- Ini.exe would crash when adding a non-existing key
- Added 'show lidar' and 'hide lidar'. High-end laser scanned tracks only (alpha development).
- Added 'lidar movex <v>' plus movey and movez commands to translate Lidar data to match the track.
- Gearwhine sample now also uses jitter (similar to the engine).

Enjoy!

tormento19 · Dec 7, 2011

After a 200kmh crash, the lambo it's in really good conditions:!!!!!!

Hehehehe seriously, damage in Racer! Great!

2o6 · Dec 8, 2011

So how exactly does damage work? Is it pre-modeled? Or is it a more dynamic solution?

Alexander Knoll · Dec 8, 2011

here is ruuds example car...
http://www.divshare.com/download/16340172-1e5

2o6 · Dec 9, 2011

I wish I could use it, but I'm stuck at around 0.82. I need a new computer.

DavidI · Dec 9, 2011

I find 0.8.36 to be faster than earlier versions.

Some1 · Dec 9, 2011

I must say that the camera location bugfix really messed up my SMD chase cameras. Previously I had a pretty nice SMD chase cam for my car that rotated around the car's nullpoint, but now I just can't make that camera swing behind my car, if you know what I mean. Help!

EDIT: Also, I hate the default color grading, as it makes the night too bright and colors are washed out.

Alexander Knoll · Dec 9, 2011

...is there realy a fix for cams possible? i was sure it's a bug....

Mr Whippy · Dec 9, 2011

Some1 said:
I must say that the camera location bugfix really messed up my SMD chase cameras. Previously I had a pretty nice SMD chase cam for my car that rotated around the car's nullpoint, but now I just can't make that camera swing behind my car, if you know what I mean. Help!

EDIT: Also, I hate the default color grading, as it makes the night too bright and colors are washed out.

SMD cameras need attention in my view.

You currently can't use the angle offset which is a shame, since I want to be able to use it.

They often seem buggy on their offsets too (as currently)

As per the colour grading, isn't there no grading by default? I thought you had to add the colour swatch to the track to enable it? (are you looking at it on Carlswood?)

Night time is broken a bit too really I think. We just need a max exposure variable (as your eyes eventually can't expose and it gets pitch black)... then we can use real values for night kLux, which should get real ish looking nights. Currently it's a fudge with that exposure compensation curve for night use.

Hmmmm

Can still make very nice content, but it could be nicer still with fixes

Dave

2o6 · Dec 10, 2011

It may be a dumb suggestion, with the new Chrysler 9-speed transmission, can we have support for more than 8 forward gears?

boomer541 · Dec 10, 2011

Thanks Ruud and all else that worked on the lambo damage car. Love it and we don't have to work for a month or two to figure out how to use it. There is a problem with the lambo, I'll fix and post tomorrow night.

Now about traffic...

skybh · Dec 10, 2011

Hi ruud

I don't think the vertex dommage is a good way, like in the lambo so parts stay flying, i would prefer 3d one's like in GTA IV but i don't think how it's hard to do...and i know you put so much effort in this simulation wich is amazing, keep it up !
Also any chance to see some ambient occlusion?

QuadCoreMax · Dec 10, 2011

Thx Ruud !

Was testing the damage shaders + new car damage features (car.ini), unfortunately it doesn't work on my ATI machine. Anyone else ? Any mod suggestions ?

Code:

Sat Dec 10 15:55:52 (INFO): [racer/4680] Loading car 'lamborghini_murcielago'
Sat Dec 10 15:55:52 (WARN): [racer/4680] DGPUShaderManager:MakeObject(dyn_standard_bump_reflect_damaged_v.cg): can't create CG vertex shader program
Sat Dec 10 15:55:52 (WARN): [racer/4680] DGPUShader::LoadAndCreateFromFile[data/renderer/shaders/dyn_standard_bump_reflect_damaged_v.cg]: The compile returned an error.
Sat Dec 10 15:55:52 (WARN): [racer/4680]  data/renderer/shaders/dyn_standard_bump_reflect_damaged_v.cg(73) : warning C7011: implicit cast from "float4" to "float3"
data/renderer/shaders/dyn_standard_bump_reflect_damaged_v.cg(77) : warning C7011: implicit cast from "float4" to "float3"
data/renderer/shaders/dyn_standard_bump_reflect_damaged_v.cg(57) : error C3004: function "float4 tex2D(sampler2D, float2);" not supported in this profile
data/renderer/shaders/dyn_standard_bump_reflect_damaged_v.cg(57) : error C3004: function "float4 tex2D(sampler2D, float2);" not supported in this profile
Sat Dec 10 15:56:26 (FATAL): [racer/4680] DGPUShaderManager:MakeObject(dyn_standard_bump_reflect_damaged_v.cg): can't create CG vertex shader program
The compile returned an error.
data/renderer/shaders/dyn_standard_bump_reflect_damaged_v.cg(73) : warning C7011: implicit cast from "float4" to "float3"
data/renderer/shaders/dyn_standard_bump_reflect_damaged_v.cg(77) : warning C7011: implicit cast from "float4" to "float3"
data/renderer/shaders/dyn_standard_bump_reflect_damaged_v.cg(57) : error C3004: function "float4 tex2D(sampler2D, float2);" not supported in this profile
data/renderer/shaders/dyn_standard_bump_reflect_damaged_v.cg(57) : error C3004: function "float4 tex2D(sampler2D, float2);" not supported in this profile
Sat Dec 10 15:56:26 (INFO): [racer/4680] Crash detected - attempting to recover some data before displaying the crash dialog
Sat Dec 10 15:56:28 (FATAL): [racer/4680] Exception 0xC0000005, flags 0, Address 0x004161D2
(this dialog text is stored in QLOG.txt)
 
OS-Version: 5.1.2600 (Service Pack 3) 0x100-0x1
 
0x004161D2 d:\source\trunk\dev\src\libs\qlib\qdebug.cpp (line 382): QCrash()
0x0040770D d:\source\trunk\dev\src\libs\qlib\qmessage.cpp (line 537): qfatal()
0x0044E6E4 d:\source\trunk\dev\src\libs\d3\dgpushader.cpp (line 811): DGPUShader::LoadAndCreateFromFile()
0x0044E96F d:\source\trunk\dev\src\libs\d3\dgpushader.cpp (line 202): DGPUShaderManager::MakeObject()
0x005CAA4B [racer]: (filename not available): _getch

Stereo · Dec 10, 2011

Looks like for some reason ATI's vertex shaders can't do texture lookups, at least on that card... you could remove the vertex damage (which lets actual dents appear) by setting damage.texture_damage.vertex_damage=0 in racer.ini.

QuadCoreMax · Dec 10, 2011

Thx Stereo, it's working but yeah too bad I can't get the full effect...

Alex Forbin · Dec 10, 2011

Well, I didn't plan on saying much about damage modeling yet since Ruud has said it's not officially supported yet, but it seems to
be a topic of interest and before the community gets too far into the conversation I thought it might be time to jump in.
The current system works by using a control texture to determine the extent that a vertex can move from it's original position. It also will overlay scratches or other paint damage from a damaged texture onto the car. It is what I call a "canned" or pre-calculated type of damage.
I really hope this is not going to be the final direction that we take for damage since it screams arcade, and Racer certainly deserves
better. The problem with this type of system is it's VERY random. For example, if you hit a wall at 30kph and a specific angle you will get the same dent that you will at 200kph, it also might put a completely unrelated dent on the far side of the car. If you hit a pole, or the end of a wall, don't expect a dent in the front of the car that conforms to the shape of what you hit. In other words it basically is a system to apply random "dentiness" (I know, no such word

) to the car when it hits something.
It may seem unrealistic to some to expect the type of damage shown in the Microsoft XNA demo from 2004

but I think this is an example of the type of damage we should hope for. There are similar examples that have been done on other systems such as Rigs of Rods

.
Some may say that it would be too CPU intensive but the GPU should be able to do most of the heavy lifting.

Alex Forbin

boomer541 · Dec 11, 2011

Lambo damage and lambo default Qlog error:
change braking_factor for both front and rear wheels as below.
braking_factor=0.5 ;1.0

Also the rpm gauge doesn't work on the lambo damage car. Perhaps Mr Whippy can fix it.

QuadCoreMax · Dec 11, 2011

@Alex

Yeah it's a half dynamic damage system, as you explained earlier & it could be improved, so that collisions events occur in a more realistic manner, for example, the 2 collided materials needs to absorb or blend each other material color in their relative scratches dynamically.

Another question arises when you want accurate vertex deformation which transfers the correct physical damage to the car.ini variables, so you get a realistic feeling. Softbodies, as used in RoR, are perfect for accurate simulation, still most games don't use this technology for their damage systems, probably of intense GPU resources.

Also, when the car is almost destroyed & most parts are deformed, if none of the shaders is set to cull=0, you would see thru the surfaces. In certain cases, the parts would fall apart, so we need a certain resistance or pivots where we want it to be...for example the front bumper could have some 3 or 5 attaching points to the chassis of the car, if they break, the car looses its generic/default parts. The lost bumper would continue to deform if hit by any force & the broken car would become lighter & less aerodynamic. (logical thinking)

Also, any car part has its own properties, which is quite important...a glass would split in thousands pieces, a fuel gas tank would leak & tyres would explode in many particle pieces, etc.

Mr Whippy · Dec 11, 2011

Viper Racing damaged seemed pretty good back in the day.

Ultimately though, I'd prefer fundamental fixes to the driving elements of Racer, over damage improvements which imo, is an arcade feature anyway.

Right now if we can get damage on cars that half approximates bumps and scrapes that is good enough. Beyond that I don't get the point really.
Ie, games like GT5 or whatever with fancy damage, are just arcadey in my view anyway. If a car was dented so badly as we often see, then they would probably deploy airbags, have a dead driver, have smashed engine mounts, damaged radiators and thus siezed up engines etc etc etc...

Subtle is enough for me, and this looks like it does subtle perfectly well right now

Of course, Ruud's example looks a bit iffy, but I'm sure he just did a quick example for us to use as reference. With some quality time spent learning the ways to get the best from it, I think this system is pretty good to start with... especially considering there are very very few quality cars out there for Racer in the last three years or so!

Properly though, I'd prefer more time spent on the audio parts of Racer, and the SMD cameras. Racer has been left behind by modern games in an audio/immersion point of view (think Shift 2 interior camera views, great feel and sounds like you are really there!)

Dave

QuadCoreMax · Dec 11, 2011

& what about the LIDAR commands ?

I'm quite interested, since the data is available via IR satellite imagery & can be baked quickly in 3D polies. Our photonics technologies enables us to see thru everything & we can use this data for building real existing worldwide tracks without NO EFFORT.