How are you killing time?

Sunil Odedra · Feb 5, 2013

So, how are people 'killing time' whilst we wait patiently for AC? Are other racing sims/games being played solely or maybe there's a TV series that you're glued to? Heading out doors maybe for a spot of kayaking in your thermals?

I've been hooked on the tv show 'Breaking Bad' but have made it to the last season and decided to pace myself - I highly recommend it!

Been playing rfactor 2. Tested out their latest update last night and it seems like an incremental update to the tire physics. Nothing mindblowing, just slightly more grip which translates to an over all better feel. The tires still lack a rubbery/grippy feel that I feel KS always nail

Of course, I love to join in in any NetKar online/offline play when I feel like a blast. Which seems to be every other day at the moment as online is often dry and time trialing solos are getting a bit boring. I have however (finally) started playing with car setups and I've made a fair bit of progress with the osella and replica. Finding the 1800 & 2000 a bit more challenging but my times are improving

Oh, and I think i'm getting addicted to DayZ! I've really gone off of FPS since overdoing it on BF3 over the last couple of years and DayZ is a really refreshing change. It's a zombie apocalypse sim and it really is quite a gripping game. Didnt think i'd like it very much due to fewer and far between targets but its so much more than just a shooter. If you're looking to jump in I'd say wait for DayZ Standalone to be released as it will be easier to setup, play, visually more impressive and cheaper! Should be beta in the next couple of months

Anyways. Hope you guys have been enjoying the calm before the storm, too

Cow

kikie · Feb 19, 2013

Playing AC, duh.

Sunil Odedra · Feb 19, 2013

kikie said:
Playing AC, duh.

No one is biting!!!

kikie · Feb 19, 2013

Sunil Odedra said:
No one is biting!!!

Michael Hornbuckle · Feb 19, 2013

I'm killing time by impatiently waiting.....was hoping to have Formula Truck to kill time with but alas, still waiting on that also

I would love to kill time learning how to mod but unfortunately there is no "Modding for Dummies with no Artistic talent" book or manual to be found...

Stereo · Feb 19, 2013

Michael Hornbuckle said:
I would love to kill time learning how to mod but unfortunately there is no "Modding for Dummies with no Artistic talent" book or manual to be found...

Well, there's two aspects to any mod - the look and the feeling. And behind both of them is a whole bunch of research. If you're building a car, then on the looks side, there's finding accurate blueprints, and high quality photographic references of every part of the car you want visible in the game (body panels, rims and dashboard are about the minimum - suspension & brakes, undercarriage, the rest of the interior, and so on are commonly detailed now). Somewhat in between the two is getting good measurements - overall length, wheelbase, tire diameter, etc. - which the models slip onto like a glove. And then on the pure feeling side, there's looking up every coefficient in the game's configuration files to learn what they mean and what they control, finding the physical equivalent, and researching what they'll be for the specific car. Then, since most of them will be pretty vague (center of gravity's around 35-40% of a car's height but good luck finding a number), going back and forth from the configuration to the game and tweaking them until it 'feels' right.

A lot of that is just time spent on Google, the game's modding forums, etc. reading stuff - and that part doesn't especially need artistic abilities. Once you become known for some part of the process, and mesh well with a few modders with complementary skills, you can get some good work done together.

It's hard to write a book on the creation process because games change, hardware changes, and the ideal mod is a moving target. But solid research, with enough background to pick out the relevant information and vouch for its accuracy - that part's always going to be important to modding for sim games.

It'll look goofy, but you can do the configuration part without 3d models of the car you have in mind. And if you can do that well, people with the artistic ability to model a car will be quite interested in the opportunity of not having to tweak the car themselves, just have it magically work in the game.