Tracks Twelve Oaks (work in progress) 0.7.26

Christian Speed · Sep 12, 2020

Christian Speed submitted a new resource:

Twelve Oaks (work in progress) - A fictional track for the brave ones

This very unfinished track is my first attempt in track building. I've never worked with any kind of 3D-Software before, so I started learning Blender from zero. Please consider that when you compare your favourite race horse with this limping donkey.

This track is pure imagination: no scanned data or map reference was used. I made a bow to the greatest track in the world, but I borrowed just a name for interpretation: "Mutkurve" (corner of courage).

I uploaded the track in this...

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Dave Thayer · Sep 12, 2020

For your first track build, you are off to a great start so far and know it is a WIP. Where you have the portion of the track with pillars before we get back to the S/F line, I assume you will have some guard rails on both sides to prevent falling off into the depths below? I dont know if your pits can handle more than 12 cars, most people like at least 20 or more AI cars for AI or online racing on tracks. Keep up the great work.

Christian Speed · Sep 13, 2020

Thanks for your feedback, Dave. I thought it might be interesting without guard rails (the safest track that is not that safe), but if it is not thrilling but rather annoying, I might reconsider that. Your right, the pit section is very small. But I think I did read somewhere that in pitlane it can be cramped. Next update there will be at least 20 cars, someway or another. If my PC wasn't that old, I probably would have started right there.

Christian Speed · Sep 13, 2020

Regarding AI and more AI cars:

As I mentioned: my PC is old. Because of that I did all the testing in hotlap mode or in races versus 3 or 4 AI cars. No problems at all. Today I upgraded the track to 36 starting positions and experienced unpleasant things while testing. I don't speak about the CPU warnings I've got. The start went well, but the containers took quite a toll from AI cars. Added AI hints and danger warnings didn't really help. So I went back to 20 starting positions, but I'd recommend only 8 AI cars or hot lap mode, until there is a reliable fix. I marked 4 rows on the tarmac, the safe zone.

I don't want to get rid of the containers just to race versus AI, but in a less challenging way. Maybe AI can be taught to race in single file through a certain section. They should know, because what looks like track to us is not marked as track.

Dave Thayer · Sep 13, 2020

Do what you can do Christian. You have done great so far with the track design. Usually it is the first lap that the AI are bunched up.
After that most the time they are in single file except when a couple want to pass. There is no control for the AI unless you shrink
down the track side lines/ boundries- which could be done in the Pylon sections if certain cars have problems. But if you did that for
entire track, it would be no fun racing the AI.

Find an APP called "AI helper" and there is a tutorial on youtube on how to use it. The app creates new left-right track boundries which are called
side lines and are created inside the data folder. This APP allows you to control the AI better through certain critical sections. I use it
all the time. That way you dont have to get rid of the containers.

If you can, make your track smooth transitions if you can. Not have to be totally smooth, but try to get rid of any staircasing where the
track feels like it steps up or down, not being a rounded smooth transition. I am no good at doing mesh smoothing, but their are people
that do know here and tutorials.

20 starting positions are great. Just make sure you also have 20 pit stalls. they have to match.

No matter how you do AI hints, I found you cant make every car mod made go around a track without incidents. Shoot for certain cars
and the rest of us can modify to make our car mods go around the track. Just worried about the Bridge Pylon sections.

Your track is not a real track, so you can do what ;you like in your design

take care and good luck with your track,

Christian Speed · Sep 13, 2020

I might try the APP, but I think I already did the hard way what the APP seems to do in a soft way. Before I recorded the AI line, I did cut out the areas around the containers and marked them as "off track". It felt really great when it finally worked with 3 AI cars. But maybe it is too short of a notice for AI when there is a pack of them. I'll try to funnel them once more, from earlier on this time.

I bunched 36 in the pits, that worked. The crashes in round 1 were the sole problem.

Thanks for mentioning staircasing. If you feel that way, it won't be much different to others. I don't notice that anymore, because the track comes from way worse and because I know where to brake. For me it's more than one enjoyable "Flugplatz" (Nordschleife) on a much shorter track.

Thanks again for your time. Have good races!

Christian Speed · Sep 13, 2020

Christian Speed updated Twelve Oaks (work in progress) with a new update entry:

From 12 to 20 pit boxes with improved AI

Thanks to a hint by Dave Thayer and the excellent AI Line Helper App (plus an additional AI hint file), there are now 20 pit boxes. No crashes by AI with containers in round one in the tests I did. It's a tight section and probably there will be losses now and then, but it's a big improvement.

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Dave Thayer · Sep 16, 2020

Hi Christian,

Got around to driving the track tonight and is a fun fantasy track to drive. Looks like your side lines work great going through the containers and cars seem to stay on track through the pylon section. Track seems very smooth so no problems there.

You might run into problems with kunos cars such as the Abarth's or any cars that have allot of suspensions or side sways or get up on 2 wheels allot. Dont worry about that, it is hard to get every car mod to go around the tracks correctly without adding a ton of AI hinits which slows down the track quite a bit. i run into the same thing.

One other little tip I learned with setting up-recording the "pit lane" line. when you record a pit_lane line for entering and exiting of the pits, Try to make the light blue pit line join up with the main "fast lane" on both ends. This is when doing WEEKEND mode, the AI cars will then correctly exit and enter the pit area. Seems right now the AI cars dont want to come back into the pits after doing a few laps in WEEKEND mode. They leave the pits ok.

Keep up the great work.

take care,
Dave

Christian Speed · Sep 16, 2020

Thanks a lot for your feedback, Dave. I got rid off of the first corner with too much camber/dip on the bridge. With added reflector posts it'a nice night section. One day there will be active lights, too. Not only the emissive lamps I've tried so far.

I'll redo the pit section (flaten it, I don't understand how the camber sneaked in there) on the weekend and pay attention to your remarks regarding AI. Thanks again! I'm really grateful for feedback.

Christian Speed · Sep 20, 2020

I had to work on Saturday, but I made a complete new pitlane on Sunday. AI is finally running, I checked weekend mode.

I also made complete new parts of the road with the biggest jumps. The last corner jump before finish is way smoother now, the first jump after start is almost gone. The character is still there, I think. After those changes there is still much clean up work to do, but I'm on it.

Christian Speed · Sep 22, 2020

Christian Speed updated Twelve Oaks (work in progress) with a new update entry:

New pitlane, working AI & more

- complete new pitlane layout with working AI
- 3 sections of the track are completely redone (1st jump after start & dip on the bridge are gone, jump in last corner is 75% reduced), smaller bumps are reduced in 2 sections
- reflector posts on the bridge for night orientation
- tarmac without unwanted distortion
- more guard rails & many little things

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mitch porter · Sep 25, 2020

love the track bro, is there any chance you can widen the piece of track where there are no sides (as you go up ) just a little bit please as it feels narrow there please, but top workmate for your first crack at it. 5\5

took the bmw 134 judd v8

Christian Speed · Sep 25, 2020

Thanks a lot for your feedback. Just to be sure, are you talking about the part on the bridge after Sir Stirling Moss corner? Or about the part Walter Röhrl Rampe/Ludwig plateau where the pit lane exits?

For me the last corner is still a challenge. Not easy.

The middle section also has an uphill part. There I reworked the outer kerbs for next update. Longer and softer to zero camber on the end. I also reworked the pitboxes, changed all non main sponsors on the track and built a grandstand ...

I should try the Judd V8 on the track. Loved it in Raceroom.

mitch porter · Sep 26, 2020

sorry for the stuff up there bro. the bridge needs sides you fall off track into no man land and you are not wrong about that goddam corner (Last corner), I raced the track this morning and it was fine to me and the bridge is the only thing, the track is good. sorry again

Christian Speed · Sep 26, 2020

You're 100% right that falling off the bridge into no mans land is VERY annoying. There are some collision planes below, but they don't solve the issue. Actually I like the idea about serious consequences (falling off the bridge), but it doesn't work out as it is. For update 0.5.4 I will reconsider the problem. Thanks again!

Christian Speed · Sep 26, 2020

Christian Speed updated Twelve Oaks (work in progress) with a new update entry:

New grandstand, new real world sponsors, many small fixes

- complete new grandstand
- complete new real world sponsors except Palvoline and wonderbrakes
- pitlane & pitboxes overhaul and numbering
- Bulgakov Bend middle section with more outside kurb and softer exist
- transitions road/grass for whole Bulgakov Bend reworked to get rid off gaps

I realised that the wording "world's safest track" was misleading, even more than I intended. I reassembled the words. Now the claim reads: "where bravery is valued". Basically the same, I think.

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Christian Speed · Sep 30, 2020

Christian Speed updated Twelve Oaks (work in progress) with a new update entry:

Guard rails for the bridge! And more.

- added guard rails on the bridge: THANKS FOR YOUR FEEDBACK!
- new billboards/sponsors for whole bridge (movie references don't make sense anymore)
- terrain & building updates
- more rework of road/grass transitions to get rid off gaps
- added big red ad wall to extended Marbles hotel to catch cars who lost the track (that wall is the last remainder of serious consequences)
- enlarged "Kodak photospot" moved to parking area before Marbles hotel; it's now COLLISION WALL (to prevent corner...

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