Complete Controller Software for Sim (Racing) Rigs

[TheBigO]

Hello all,

I have a little Xmas present for you. In the past few months I've been working on a software as an integrated solution to control every aspect of our beloved sim rigs. The basic idea is to put your button box in total control of every aspect of the simulation, including tactile and motion feedback, if available. But you can also control your ingame chat system, launch telemtry software, and so on. The possibilities are endless. But since every button box has only a restriced set of controls, I introduced a layer concept, which allow the button box to implement context-sensitive bindings of control functions to actions.

Beside that, the software can control all your favorite applications and simulation games and combine them into one seamless user experience. But take a look at the main features:

* Connect all your external controller, like Button Boxes, to one single center of control
* An unlimited number of layers of functions and actions, called modes, can be defined for your controller. Switch between modes simply by pushing a button or switch a toggle on your controller.
* Modes are defined and handled by plugins, which can be implemented on your own using an objecct oriented scripting language.
* Configurable, visual feedback for your controller actions
* Define your own Button Box visual and integrate it with the Simulator Controller using the simple plugin support. Depending on configuration, this window will popup whenever an action is triggered from your controller, even during active simulation.
* Code your own functions to be called by the controller buttons and switches using the simple, object-oriented scripting language
* Configure all additional applications to your taste, including the simulation games used for your virtual races
* Start and stop applications from your controller hardware or automatically upon configurable events
* Add splash screens and title melodies using a themes editor for a more emotional startup experience
* Full support for sophisticated application automation - for example, start your favorite voice chat software like TeamSpeak and automatically switch to your standard channel
* Several plugins are supplied out of the box:
* Support for Assetto Corsa and Assetto Corsa Competizione already builtin
* Fully customizable plugins supplied for total control of SimHub and SimFeedback - change your settings while racing using the dials and switches on your favorite Button Box
* Send your predefined kudos and rants to the ingame chat without touching the keyboard
* Additional support to trigger every function and action from external sources like a voice or gesture recognition software to always keep your hands on the wheel
* Builtin support for visual head tracking to control ingame viewing angle

Every aspect of the Controller software can be configured using graphical tools:

The software is free for anyone for non-commercial use. You can download the latest build at GitHub. Also take a look at the very extensive documentation, including lots of stuff for developers.

And now - have fun. Happy Xmas, a good start into the next year and stay healthy...

TheBigO

 

[TheBigO]

With todays release 2.8.6, another cycle in the development of the Simulator Controller Suite is slowly coming to an end. With Assetto Corsa Competizione, rFactor 2, RaceRoom Racing Experience and now also iRacing, 4 simulations are fully supported, including integration for Jona, the virtual race engineer. In detail, release 2.8.6 brings the following new functions:

1. Complete integration of iRacing via a specialized plug-in
2. Control of the Pitstop Black Boxes in iRacing with the Button Box via the integrated "Pitstop" mode
3. Full support for iRacing via Jona, the virtual race engineer
4. New actions "Accept" and "Reject" in order to be able to control Jona largely from the button box even without voice commands.

The next cycle is again dedicated to artificial intelligence. If everything goes as planned, in the end we will see the driver fully supported by a virtual racing strategist. Just as Jona supports you as a race engineer with technical questions and automatically determines the settings for an upcoming pitstop, this virtual racing strategist will calculate the ideal time for a pitstop based on the positions and likely strategies of all other drivers. Completion of the automated setup database is also on the plan for the coming cycle.

 

[TheBigO]

With version 3.0 - as announced - the next development cycle begins, the further expansion of support for the driver. For some time now, the virtual race engineer has been collecting data from the various sessions and, of course only with consent, transfers it to a central server for consolidation. Release 3.0 now brings a first tool with which this setup information (tire selection and air pressure) can be queried depending on the vehicle, route and weather conditions. An extrapolation method helps to determine setup instructions for conditions that have not yet been "experienced".

Another note at this point: You always have access to your own data, you only get access to the (tire) setup information of the community if you also contribute to the development of the database. Therefore it may be time to reconsider your own consent.

 

[TheBigO]

This week's release brings many changes "under the hood" to prepare for further steps in the development of the setup database and the virtual race engineer. The most important visible change concerns the virtual race engineer, who now also asks the setup database when the tire pressures are calculated for an upcoming pit stop. This is particularly advantageous in the case of drastic changes in the environmental conditions, because then the dynamic calculations based on the data from previous laps reach their limits. When querying the setup database, extra and interpolation methods are used and a factor is used to consider how resilient the derived tire pressures are if no exact data is available. The query of the setup database can of course be configured.

 

[TheBigO]

This week's release brings more features to the setup database. In addition to information on the correct cold air pressures and the tire compound depending on the track and weather conditions, which have been collected for a long time already, the setup for mechanical and aerodynamic settings can now be uploaded to the setup database. If consent is given, this information will also be shared with the community. Consents can now be given separately for air pressure and setup information. For this reason, consent will be requested again with this release. In addition to the information mentioned, private notes can also be stored in the setup database, which are never shared with the community.

 

[TheBigO]

This week, too, there are further improvements to the setup database and the associated integration with the virtual race engineer. The settings for a current session can now be automatically saved in the setup database and automatically loaded from there at the beginning of a new session. Another page has been added to the general configuration tool, with which the dynamic decisions and statistical processes of the virtual race engineer can be influenced or configured.

 

[TheBigO]

Release 3.1 took two weeks to mature. But a lot has happened, even if much of it is not yet fully visible. All changes serve to integrate a new virtual assistant into the platform. In addition to Jona, the virtual race engineer, the driver is now also supported by Cato, a future expert in racing strategy. Cato can currently hardly do anything, but when fully expanded he will have a complete overview of all drivers, their lap times and the development of the positions, even with different pit strategies. Cato will furthermore be able to develop appropriate pit stop strategies if you are stuck in traffic and he will be able to react to unforeseen events such as sudden weather changes and severe damage - all hand in hand with Jona, the race engineer. All of this will come step by step over the next few weeks / months.

Since two different assistants are now available as conversation partners in Voice Chat, the speech recognition has been fundamentally revised. It now allows several simultaneous dialogues and can switch between the conversation partners with an activation phrase. In addition, many internal changes were made to make further development more flexible and the rule system for the AI kernel was modularized. As always, details can be found in the release notes.

 

[TheBigO]

This week brings the first usable functionality of the virtual race strategist. The knowledge base now includes a model for the positions and current lap times of all drivers on the track as well as a complete history of all past laps. On this basis, the functions of Cato are now being developed. At the moment, on the basis of this information, Cato can provide information about your own current position in the race and provides information about the distance to the cars in front and behind, as well as their lap times compared to your pace. Corresponding information is also available for the leading vehicle on request. These functions are sure to please those of you who drive with VR glasses.

With this release, data connections have been integrated for iRacing, rFactor 2 and RaceRoom Racing Experience. The data provider for Assetto Corsa Competizione has also finshed implemented, but has not yet passed the final tests. This integration will therefore follow with the upcoming release.

Beginning with this release the sources are no longer part of the release package in order to save some space. But the sources are still openly available on GitHub.

By the way, I am currently building a Discord server for the Simulator Controller community. Feel free to join: https://discord.gg/5N8JrNr48H

 

[TheBigO]

The next step in the development of the virtual racing strategist comes with this release. Cato, the AI-based virtual racing strategist, is now able to project the development of the positions in the current race into the future using a probability model. This is based on the weighted lap times of all drivers in the last race laps. When overtaking, it is taken into account that the vehicles involved are held up for a certain period of time; this discount can be configured. The model is also able to predict the loss of time during a pit stop and thus the position in the race after the stop.

You: "Hey Cato"

Cato: "Yes, I hear you"

You: "Can you simulate the race in 6 laps?"

Cato: "Understood, give me a few seconds."

(After a few seconds...)

Cato: "You will most likely be on P 7."

In addition, the data interface for Assetto Corsa Competizione was finally tested and approved and a new activation procedure was developed for Push-To-Talk as soon as several "dialogue partners" are active.

Note: In some cases there are still problems with the position data in ACC, when a multiplayer session is active. This will be fixed in one of the next releases.

 

[TheBigO]

After the introduction of the probability model for the future development of the race and the positions of the individual drivers, today's release brings a full simulation of the pit stop strategy. Cato is able to determine the lap for the stop either for the scheduled pit stop or for a selected lap within the limits of a configurable window that offers the greatest possible benefit in terms of position and traffic density after the pit stop. Under- and overcut scenarios are recognized and are also included in the assessment.

Here is a short excerpt from a dialogue with Cato:

-------

Driver: "What is the best lap for the next pitstop?"

Cato: "Understood. Please give me a few seconds."

(Cato again runs a complex simulation, taking into account your remaining fuel, the current race positions and the weather outlook. Cato will recommend the lap for the pitstop, where you will have the least traffic after the stop, or the lap where an undercut might be possible, taking into account the best lap for a tyre compound change, if applicable.)

Cato: "I recommend a pitstop in lap 17. Should I inform your race engineer?"

Driver: "Yes, please."

(Cato will hand over the information to your virtual race engineer, which will handle the technical stuff and plan the pitstop.)

-------

There are also some improvements in the setup database and a first version of support for Automobilista 2.

And now have fun with it ...

 

[TheBigO]

With today's release, the integration of Autmobilista 2 is completed. Jona can now plan and prepare the pit stop, as long as the functions in Automobilista 2 are available. And Cato has all the data available to develop the right strategy. In addition, the options for the pit stop in Automobilista 2 can also be controlled from the button box, and there is a new controller action "eecute", with which external applications and commands can be activated from the button box.

 

[TheBigO]

A lot has happened in the last week:

1. Cato's predictions of future racing positions and the optimal lap for a pitstop have become even more precise.
2. In addition, Cato can now relate the distances to opponents either to the standings or to the positions on the track.
3. The new features in the Pitstop HUD from the last "RaceRoon Racing Experience" update have been incorporated. Repair of rear aero damage is now also supported.
4. For all those, who want to use the racing assistants without speech recognition, the most important commands are now also available as actions for the hardware controller (ButtonBox, StreamDeck, etc.). So you can now have the current lap times of the opponents or the optimal lap for the upcoming pit stop announced at the push of a button.
5. A new controller mode "Assistant" is available as a layer for the button boxes in order to group the assistant commands.

 

[TheBigO]

Today's release is all about speech generation and immersion. I implemented a complex audio postprocessing. The voices of Jona and Cato now sound authentically like in team radio, including noise, crackling, distortion, etc. The bigger change, however, is the possibility to carry out the voice generation in the Azure cloud. Significantly more voices are available and they sound far more natural than the voices of the Windows speech generation on the local computer. Of course you need an Azure account to use this service, but the first 500,000 characters per month are free in the regions "US West", "Asia SouthEast" and "Europe West" - more than enough for our purposes. As always, details on the installation can be found in the "Update Notes".

The project is now on a summer break. However, that does not mean that work will not continue. But since testing capabilities will be quite limited, there will be no release in the next 4-5 weeks. For support and questions I still can be reached via Discord (https://discord.gg/5N8JrNr48H).

After the summer break, you can look forward to a wizard that will significantly simplify the rather large hurdle of installation and configuration. And the community edition of the setup database will certainly come in a first version.

 

[TheBigO]

I am back from my holidays and it's done, I can provide you with the new installation and configuration tool today. The configuration process, which has been quite complex and difficult to date, is significantly simplified by the tool. Each configuration step is explained in detail and is supported by a point and click interface. The Setup Wizard uses the same AI technology, which is also used by the race assistants Jona and Cato, to control the configuration process and to discover and prevent senseless settings.

The configurations created in this way can be loaded and changed at any time using the new Setup Wizard itself or using the familiar configuration tool "Simulator Configuration". While the latter tool supports all functions of Simlator Controller, but also reveals the entire complexity, the new Setup Wizard should already offer sufficient support for most applications.

There are also some minor improvements that you have requested:

1. The Push-to-Talk mode now generates a short acoustic signal when the listening mode has been activated.
2. A new plugin argument of the "System" plugin now allows a more flexible definition of the applications for "Launch" mode.

By the way, my biggest thanks go to those of you who have supported me intensively over the past few days with testing, in order to find and fix the (hopefully) last errors of the configuration wizard. I would particularly like to mention @iEnki, @ctbr and @Chris Matthews at this point.

Before you start: Please make backup copies of the files "Simulator Configuration.ini", "Button Box Configuration.ini" and "Simulator Settings.ini" from the folder "Simulator Controller\Config" in your user "Documents" directory. It has been extensively tested, but the new "Simulator Setup" wizard is also a very complex piece of software. So, better safe than sorry...

 

[TheBigO]

With todays release, the improvements relating to downloading, installing and configuring the Simulator Controller software have been completed for the time being. An automated download and installation process is now available that installs the software in the Windows operating system without any further effort and can always keep it up to date with automated updates. Of course, the Simulator Controller can continue to be operated as a portable application, i.e. without installation in the Windows Registry, if desired. Please note that with the new procedure, the update to version 3.5.2 is almost like a new installation and therefore be sure to have a backup copy of your local files beforehand (folder "Simulator Controller" in the user "Documents" folder). As always, you can find further information in the Update Notes in the documentation.

There is also a new and exciting function. It is now possible to adjust the settings for the upcoming pitstop with your Button Box, as long as Jona has already planned AND prepared a pitstop, but this pitstop has not yet been carried out. The settings (for example adjustments to the tyre pressures) changed in this way are automatically transferred to Jona's knowledge base. Unfortunately, due to technical restrictions in the other simulations, this option is only available in "Assetto Corsa Competizione" and "rFactor 2".

 

[TheBigO]

Today I have a new tool in my luggage for you with which you can carry out a variety of analyzes after a race. "Race Reports" uses the knowledge base of the virtual Race Strategist Cato and brings two interesting reports with this release:

1. Position development



2. Pace analysis



Three more reports are already being planned for the release at the end of next week. You can be curious.

At this point again the reference to our Discord server (https://discord.gg/5N8JrNr48H). The first Mods for Simulator Controller from the community are already available there.

 

[TheBigO]

As announced, today's Friday release brings three more reports for the "Race Reports" tool. The "Overview" report gives, as the name suggests, an overview of the participants in the race, the different lap times, the starting positions and the finish. The "Car" report provides an evaluation of various aspects of your own car in the course of the race and the "Driver" report allows different drivers to be compared in the dimensions "Potential", "Race Craft", "Speed", "Consistency" and "Car Control" . In addition, the "Pace" report has been revised and now provides information for the median and the lowest and highest quartile of the lap times. Details on all reports can be found here: https://github.com/SeriousOldMan/Simulator-Controller/wiki/Virtual-Race-Strategist#race-reports

There are also extensive improvements in voice control when Push-to-Talk is not used. As always, you can find more information about this in the release notes.

The next release will be a little longer in coming this time. After the voting in the Discord Community, I am now about to implement a tool for developing and simulating race strategies. That takes a little preparatory work.

At this point I would also like to thank my supporters who make all of this possible, because this is no longer a side project. And I would be very happy to have more supporters. You can find a link to this on GitHub.

 

[TheBigO]

With this release the development of the "Strategy Workbench" begins. From now on, Cato, the virtual racing strategy, collects important telemetry data from every session and stores it in a database. After the session, this data can be graphically evaluated according to various aspects. In addition, they will serve in the future as a statistical basis for developing different strategy variants in a multi-stint race, as soon as the development of the "Strategy Workbench" has been completed. Note: With Release 3.5.8, this tool can already evaluate the telemetry data, but strategy simulation is not yet possible.

 

[TheBigO]

Today comes the first usable version of the strategy simulation. With the "Strategy Workbench", a new member of the Simulator Controller software family, different pit stop strategies can be developed, simulated and compared with each other before a race. The simulation uses both directly entered data and telemetry data from previous sessions. The tool is still under development and some functions are not yet available. Details can be found in the documentation: https://github.com/SeriousOldMan/Si.../Virtual-Race-Strategist#strategy-development

At this point I would like to point out to our Discord community again, which is particularly helpful for newcomers, as the software package with its large number of functions and options is not easy to master at the beginning: https://discord.gg/5N8JrNr48H

You can download the software here: https://github.com/SeriousOldMan/Simulator-Controller#download-and-installation

 

[TheBigO]

Here comes another update for the "Strategy Workbench". The functionality is now largely complete:

1. Rules and settings for the upcoming race can now be loaded from various sources.
2. A number of borderline cases are correctly mapped in the strategy simulation.
3. The defined pitstop rules for the are now fully observed.
4. Strategies can be saved and reloaded at any time.
5. A comparison of different strategies is possible.

In the upcoming release (probably on October 22nd, 21) a strategy can be handed over to the virtual race strategist, who can then take care of the implementation of the strategy during the race in cooperation with the virtual race engineer. The driver will be actively called to the pits according to the strategy. In addition, heuristic variations of the stint length, the engine mapping and thus the fuel consumption, as well as the service life of tires in endurance races will be implemented, probably also, at least in parts in the next release. It remains exciting.

We are currently voting on the next feature in our Discord server. The options are 1. providing the setup database for everyone, 2. comprehensive support for StreamDeck, and, probably the greatest challenge, 3. a cloud-based solution for endurance races so that Jona and Cato are available to all drivers and that knowledge from previous stints. Here is the link to the voting: https://discord.com/channels/852795995049558016/852798195334774784/897443893602320404

 

[TheBigO]

With today's release, the development of the "Strategy Workbench" has been completed for the time being. The strategy simulation now supports several optimization heuristics in order to determine the best possible strategy. Up to 32 different scenarios are created and compared to each other for each engine map for which lap times for the given conditions and the selected tyre compound are available in the telemetry data. The optimal and maximum service life of the tyres is also taken into account, as is the influence of the car's weight on the lap times.

As soon as the optimal strategy for the upcoming event has been developed, it can now be handed over to Cato. The virtual racing strategist monitors the race, informs you about upcoming pitstops and forwards the selected pitstop plan (fuel quantity, tire change, etc.) to the race engineer, who then takes care of the pitstop fully automatically. As you can imagine, Cato has learned several new commands for this, both for voice control and for control via a button box or other connected controllers.

At this point again the reference to the vote for the next feature on Discord: https://discord.com/channels/852795995049558016/852798195334774784/897443893602320404. Last chance to vote here, development will start on Saturday...