Apps Esotic Shift Light V1.17

[ronniej]

You can hide the app using the menu on the right. Is that what you are referring to? I suppose I could add an option to the INI to hide it in replay, but I'm not sure it necessary.

Thoughts?

Thanks,

Dave

Ok ya, so basically I can turn off the app before I go to replay and then it wont show right?....Sry for my laziness I could try it so I know for sure instead of bugging you....lol, brb
Yes, you can just close the app before or during replay, so it wont affect recording replays. Forget about what I said in previous post....My bad, but thanks for responding in kind.

 

[Carson Harrell]

Is it possible to only have the red light? I tried deleting the green png but I still get the green light on screen.
It worked fine until I edited the shiftrpm numbers. If I could just have a red light at the rpm I want then that would be great.

 

[Esotic]

Is it possible to only have the red light? I tried deleting the green png but I still get the green light on screen.
It worked fine until I edited the shiftrpm numbers. If I could just have a red light at the rpm I want then that would be great.

The PNGs aren't actually being used yet, as I am still working on that feature, but they are included in the Zip.

If you set the minimum and warning RPM values equal to (or above) the shift RPM value then you shouldn't see green or yellow in the app, as it should go straight from grey to red. You would currently have to do this on a per car basis, so I'll probably add an option at the top for something like showminimum = 0 and showwarning = 0. I will try to get that update out somtime this week.

Thanks,

Esotic

 

[Esotic]

Esotic updated Shift Light with a new update entry:

INI Options to Hide Min and Shift LIghts, toggle lights in 6th gear

There are now general INI options for hiding the minimum/green and warning/yellow lights at the top of the INI file. If you don't copy over the new INI these entries will be created the first time you run the app in a session. They are both defaulted to on.

I have also included an INI entry to show/hide the lights in the maxGear. The app previously did not show lights in top gear, but now it's an option that is defaulted to on.

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[Esotic]

Is it possible to only have the red light? I tried deleting the green png but I still get the green light on screen.
It worked fine until I edited the shiftrpm numbers. If I could just have a red light at the rpm I want then that would be great.

Please note that the new V1.4 should support what you are asking for with edits to the general settings at the top of the INI file.

Cheers,

Esotic

 

[Tobias G]

I wrote a review:

Looks nice.
But the light does not switch red at the best RPM spot.
It is better to shift late:
https://www.reddit.com/r/assettocorsa/comments/2zwmhe/when_to_shift/​

Esotic answered:

Thanks for reviewing the app! There's a lot of varying opinions in that reddit thread, so I'm not sure when one you are referring to. Regardless, the INI will let you adjust the shift RPM on a per car basis, so if you believe that shifting later (at a higher RPM) is better, then you can set those exact RPM values. I have provided default values for every car in AC (no small task) to try and keep each car close to it's maximum power based on the graphs provided in the game. If there are specific cars you'd like adjusted in the default settings.ini please comment in the support thread and I will investigate those adjustments on a drag strip. Thanks!​

Sorry for that bad review. Can I change or delete it somehow?

Maybe I am wrong but I feel like shifting with the default app makes me faster.
I tried to prove that and found this reddit-thread:
https://www.reddit.com/r/assettocorsa/comments/2zwmhe/when_to_shift/
Especially Dillard7324 and Tal_S:
https://www.reddit.com/r/assettocorsa/comments/2zwmhe/when_to_shift/cpo5c88
https://www.reddit.com/r/assettocorsa/comments/2zwmhe/when_to_shift/cpn6i1w

How I understand it:

The app suggests to shift at the torque you reach the highest power.
But than you shift into a gear that has less power due to the transmission. The transmission has a stronger impact on acceleration than the power curve has. So usually it's best to shift as late as possible to accelerate as fast as possible.​

 

[Esotic]

No worries about the rating, as I think you are raising some valid concerns.

According to "Fast Car Physics" (eBook you can find on Amazon) finding the proper shift point actually changes per gear, and is based on calculating acceleration using formulas (too lengthy to include here) that consider mostly gear ratios and the HP/torque curves. Ultimately you want to shift up to a higher gear when the acceleration curve for the current gear overlaps the acceleration curve for the next gear up, which in some cases will be at or near the redline, but in other cases will be closer to the max HP. As a short-term solution I used a shift point near/at the max HP, then set warning slightly below that, and minimum near the max torque (max torque should always be lower than max HP, but some cars have torque and HP curves that are almost the same).

The STI they reference in the book has a first gear shift point of 7000 RPM, but a second gear shift point of 6470 (most other gears are around that 6450 mark). This is just an example and optimum shift points vary from car to car and the same cars shift points will change with different gearing. :-O

The author suggested that if you had to set a static/singular RPM for shifting that particular STI with stock gearing he'd choose 6500, which is the average best shift point.

All that being said, I agree that there are better RPM shift values than the defaults I provided, so you have the ability to tweak them (once per car for the time being) and then communicate back to me (via this forum or a PM) what you are using and why (and I would probably test them and update the INI to reflect those better values).

I'm assuming that if use the drag strip I should be able to graph acceleration vs RPM (both provided by the API) by running each car though each gears full RPM range and then plugging those overlapping acceleration values into the setting.INI file. There may even need to be a "learning mode" so you can also take a car to the drag strip and retrain the app when you've made setup adjustments. That work has yet to be done, though, so for now we are relying on the defaults, which are user adjustable.



Cheers,

Esotic

 

[Esotic]

As an FYI, I found this page for calculating shift points, which seems to agree (well enough) with the calculations in Fast Car Physics:

http://glennmessersmith.com/shiftpt.html

Now I suppose I'll need to figure out how to properly run the numbers for the various vehicles in AC to get baseline shift points per gear.

 

[Esotic]

Hmmm, as it turns out the "ratios" in AC are not floats like are normally discussed in literature, but actually a representation of the number of teeth in the gears on the mainshaft and layshaft:

Still not sure how to get the gear ratios as numbers I can plug into a shift point calculator.

 

[Esotic]

As an FYI, I am working on updates to this app. Using PNG images for the "lights", which will allow for some customizations, custom fonts, setting shift points on a per gear basis, as well as a super secret surprise that I'm not comfortable describing until I get it working.

I am hoping to have a new version and updated demo/tutorial video released in the next week or so.

Cheers,

Esotic

 

[Esotic]

Esotic updated Shift Light with a new update entry:

Custom Images and Fonts

This update supports using custom images for the colored lights, as well as customizing the font. The default settings provided in the zip are for the Wednesday digital font and a rectangular LED image for the lights. I have also provided example INI files that contain the old default settings that use a simple dot, as well as an INI if you'd like to try using a round light PNG instead of the simple dot. The PNGs can be customized by you. If you have any trouble getting custom PNGs...

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[Esotic]

@somake The features you requested should now be supported by the V1.5

 

[Esotic]

Esotic updated Shift Light with a new update entry:

AutoCalculate Mode

V1.6 supports a learning mode that will optimize shift points automatically when you take your car and setup to a practice session on the drag strip. Make sure you watch the tutorial, as there are some specifics to getting this working correctly.

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[Esotic]

The learning mode in V1.6 will create entries in the INI that look like this:

[pagani_huayra]
minrpm = 2000.0
warnrpm = 5300.0
shiftrpm = 5500.0
maxgear = 7
gear1shiftrpm = 5669.6
gear2shiftrpm = 5500.0
gear3shiftrpm = 5500.0
gear4shiftrpm = 5500.0
gear5shiftrpm = 5713.7
gear6shiftrpm = 5477.5

There are 80+ vehicles in AC. If it takes roughly 10 minutes to run through the process of "autolearning" each vehicle that's still 13+ hours of work to get baseline shift points for all the cars in AC. If you happen to create a baseline set of RPM values for any of the cars in AC, please post it up to this thread so I can include it in the default settings.ini that's included in the zip. I will start working on some of the cars (especially the ones I like to drive), but it would be some time before I can get to every single one of them (not to mention all the add-on/mod cars).

In the tutorial video I alluded to making copies for specific gearing. Let's say for example that you have a tune for Brands Hatch Indy, where the top speed is greatly reduced and the gearing is much tighter than default. After running the autolearn process you could make a copy of that entry into the INI, something like:

[pagani_huayra_BrandsHatchIndy]
minrpm = 2000.0
warnrpm = 5300.0
shiftrpm = 5500.0
maxgear = 7
gear1shiftrpm = 5669.6
gear2shiftrpm = 5500.0
gear3shiftrpm = 5500.0
gear4shiftrpm = 5500.0
gear5shiftrpm = 5713.7
gear6shiftrpm = 5477.5

This entry would never get loaded by the app, but those values should stay in the INI indefinitely (as long as you don't overwrite it when copying a newer version of the app into AC). You could then copy those values into the default location for the Huayra any time you planned to race at Brands Hatch Indy. You may also want to keep a backup copy of your settings.ini to make sure any customizing you've done is kept safe (on the off chance you do happen to overwrite the settings.ini).

This is making me think I should add logic in the app to allow for specifying setups for each car and track/configuration. I'll put that on my ToDo list.

Any time new entries are added to the INI the app should gracefully create those entries in your current settings.ini file the first time it runs, so there is no need to copy the settings.ini from the Zip if you have personalized settings you don't want overwritten.

If you have any questions or thoughts please let me know.

Cheers,

Dave\Esotic

 

[Esotic]

Esotic updated Shift Light with a new update entry:

Bug Fixes and Learning Mode Modifications

The V1.6 was correctly saving the auto-learn values to the INI, but not properly loading them. V1.7 fixes this issue and should now correctly save and load these values. I also made a modification to the logic to allow for red-lining the throttle in neutral before running any laps to set the maxRPM value for the vehicle. Tutorial video for V1.7 auto-learning mode will be posted shortly.

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[Esotic]

Awww i was hoping the shift light was a PNG file so i could make my own. Wanted to add some "glow" to it. This stuff is created with code so it's all too hi-tech for me lol.

Love your delta though.

@Alex72 I forgot to message at you to let you know the newer versions do support using customized images for the shift lights. The new default rectangular shift "led" does have some glow to it.

 

[Esotic]

Forgot to mention that V1.7 now creates entries in the INI for car/track/config combinations. will remember your most recent track and duplicate any auto-learn shift points to that track as well as the default for the vehicle so you don't have to copy them manually. The assumption here is that if you are in a league you'll be practicing for an upcoming race. First you'll probably figure out the gearing for the track, then take that setup to the drag strip and optimize your shift points, then head back to the track for more practice.

 

[Esotic]

As a random FYI, I like how the shift light app blends in with the C7 dash in the V1.7 tutorial video. Lately I've been turning off camera shake and the x/y/z vehicle bobbing in the menus, so the car stays nice and steady, but you still get the environment bouncing around to provide that sense of balance. This allows these small apps to blend in with the dash/instrument cluster fairly well.

 

[Alex72]

@Alex72 I forgot to message at you to let you know the newer versions do support using customized images for the shift lights. The new default rectangular shift "led" does have some glow to it.

Hey mate. I actually seen it already but i forgot to post and rate as i had a bit much to do. Awesome and thanks for adding PNG's and more options. Really cool and well made. Great to have people like you in the AC community. I will test it and rate as soon as i can. Im sure it will be perfect.

 

[Esotic]

I just found a bug, actually, so I can't say it's perfect, but it is coming along quite nicely.

FYI (to anyone using the auto-learn feature), if the car has more than 6 gears then you'll need to run an initial lap to set the new maxGear, exit, and then restart your drag strip auto-learn session (or edit the maxGear INI entry for the car manually before you start the drag strip training session).

I will look into fixing this.

Since I've been running this on a multitude of vehicles I'm imagining some PNG light shapes to help the app blend in with various dashes.