V8 Supercars Championship in RFactor

[aasasd]

Wait a second, isn't this the FVR 2009 version? At least it says so in the track files. (Here's the Mediafire link in case RFC downloads don't work for someone.) I thought previously that it's an older year, so installed it just now. It seems that the difference between the Indy and the V8 tracks are the sponsors, the rest feels pretty much the same as in GTR2 to my not-too-attentive eyes—including the kerbs. The ‘WIP’ designation is a bit suspect, but the GTR2 release also has it, otherwise the version numbers are rather confusing. If the 3D model is what's mainly wanted from the track, then I would guess this might work—dunno if replacing the sponsor banners is much hassle.

As for the ‘cursed’ version, I'm guessing this is it, with the head-on barriers—the configuration familiar to me from TOCA Race Driver 2. If not and someone wants the one in the vid, I know where it can be obtained, but it indeed seems wider than the FVR one.

 

[MJQT]

Wait a second, isn't this the FVR 2009 version? At least it says so in the track files. (Here's the Mediafire link in case RFC downloads don't work for someone.)

Ooh, that looks like the right one! Certainly it's the right rough layout. @Speednut357 is this the one we were interested in? I don't have time to test it out right now.

dunno if replacing the sponsor banners is much hassle.

IIRC it requires unpacking MAS files then editing DDS images (see here) so no, not really too much of a hassle. Although we've prioritized AI fixing and tweaking above all else as a starting point.

As for the ‘cursed’ version, I'm guessing this is it, with the head-on barriers—the configuration familiar to me from TOCA Race Driver 2.

That's one of them, and the other is this one (which originally is for rF1 and GTR2). It's close in many ways (and Climax added great textures) but not great in others... the non-existent kerbs in particular are unfortunate.

 

[Speednut357]

It was under my nose the whole time.
It looks to have flat curbs, but they are not. The curb drag is correct, and you can feel the bump. There is a couple of slippy corners for the AI that need touching up. Overall it's a nice feeling track.

 

[aasasd]

@Speednut357 What mod/year are the cars in the vid? (FVRV8 2009?) You get much better driving than I do—though my habits seem to be a bad fit for these cars, but still the understeer is overwhelming with a couple different mods. However FVRV8 apparently differs plenty through the years.

 

[Speednut357]

Yes FVR has been updated a few times, and their latest version drives very nice. I think you need to join the FVR discord to get the latest version. However, in the video, I am using V8Factor Unleashed.
Available here

It is not necessarily better but there are subtle differences and for the moment I prefer the old V8Factor mod.
I also have made changes to the game to make things less aggressive from the AI. I am not a very good driver and often found the AI would basically run me off the road. So I have tried to make things more suited to my driving style.

 

[aasasd]

BTW, if you're still looking for the Yas Marina track, the release by NAD/forlorn&kamilo62 (SimracingPro) has the V8 layout (Mediafire link). However, idk about the quality of the track.

Funny enough, the Grand Prix Karting releases have five variations of the old layout and eight of the 2021 one, but there's barely anything in full size.

 

[aasasd]

And Bahrain by CTDP has the ‘paddock’ layout for the Desert 400, apparently complete with the 2009 V8 adverts (Mediafire link). Looks pretty good from a quick solo drive.

The same release also has a link to something called Bahrain V8 2006.

 

[MJQT]

Thank you for sharing these links and helping out! Really appreciate it.

BTW, if you're still looking for the Yas Marina track, the release by NAD/forlorn&kamilo62 (SimracingPro) has the V8 layout (Mediafire link). However, idk about the quality of the track.

Funny enough, the Grand Prix Karting releases have five variations of the old layout and eight of the 2021 one, but there's barely anything in full size.

I think I have this one, but not sure – @Speednut357 is this the one we've been using?

If that's the one, it's decent, but imperfect. I haven't yet found a version of Abu Dhabi with the V8 layout with working night lighting at the "V8 shortcut" (where they skip the chicane and hairpin) and the huge elevation change of the V8 shortcut (see this 2011 race for example) has been wayyy off in every mod I've tried (even WCP F1 2015/6 tracks). Thankfully in 2012, the V8s ran the full layout during the daytime, so the job is much easier for that year!

And Bahrain by CTDP has the ‘paddock’ layout for the Desert 400, apparently complete with the 2009 V8 adverts (Mediafire link). Looks pretty good from a quick solo drive.

The same release also has a link to something called Bahrain V8 2006.

This one I'm pretty sure we have, and if it's the one I'm thinking of... yeah, it's a solid track mod!

 

[aasasd]

Also btw, the shortcut is apparently called ‘the corkscrew’, and the whole layout ‘the corkscrew layout’. Which sorta hints that the elevation is not too trivial, even if it's not quite Laguna Seca.

 

[Speednut357]

Sorry training day yesterday. Yes, that seems to be the same Yas Marina we have. Packaged differently, ours was in a file called AbuDhabiBahrainWithV8. I downloaded it anyway. You can never be sure. May it be a slightly newer version? No, this time, it is precisely the same file.
Thankyou aasasd. Nice to have some help finding files.

 

[aasasd]

Any tracks you're still missing? It's kind of my pastime with the game to leaf through sites trying to get together interesting mods, instead of actually learning to race properly well with any of them.

 

[Speednut357]

LMAO, that is pretty much our pastime as well. There will be more. We are trying to make a track pack from 2007 to 2012. I will let you know what else we need to get better versions on.

In the meantime, I am still trying to improve the FFB on these cars. I get this strange effect: sometimes, when I lose grip on the front, there is no way to recover, and I crash?
I found this tip, and I am doing a bit of testing on it.

A SPECIAL NOTE!! The RealFeel plugin's force is most dependent on the suspension CASTER of the car you are using. The higher the caster the stronger the force you will have straitening the wheels out at speed. If you find a car has severely low or high FFB. Instead of putting the Strength below 1000 or raising the divider above 8-9000 and risking over/under modulation try to adjust the Caster in the advanced tab to ~4-8 degrees. An example of Caster being an issue is the V8 Supercars use 15° of caster which is VERY HIGH. I set it to 7° and it was much easier to adjust the FFB correctly.

 

[aasasd]

15° is bonkers, I've never even seen anything close to it anywhere, at least in games—idk about real life. Not even in oval racing. I was baffled by the default values of something like 7 or 8 degrees with various V8SC mods.

The splendid lecture ‘Physics of racing’ mentions only two effects from caster: more feedback and centering, and that with high angles, caster effectively adds camber in turns—however as I understand it, the latter feature only matters in long turns. Whereas I'd much rather have a low value and get some plain turning ability in the car, especially on street circuits—so I really don't know why anyone would run 15° unless they want the car to run in a straight line.

 

[MJQT]

One track we might want to use – Wanneroo 2006 by Stuart Griffiths, The Lonely, SLN, and ORSM. You can download it from the "Wanneroo" link at darrellbennett dot wixsite dot com/ddr2017/rfactor1 What makes it great is that elevation change and track layout seems roughly correct, but it only has the original pit lane on the left.

Whereas the main version we've been using is a 2013-era version which includes the new pit lane, which first featured in the 2012 V8 season. It's a great mod... but not historically accurate for any season prior to 2012. https://xfactorracing.com/index.php/forum/30-tracks/10294-barbagallo2013

 

[MJQT]

Just had another similar realization about Eastern Creek – my preferred mod, XREasternCreek (which can be downloaded here) models the reconfigured track which debuted in 2012. Whereas races before this (e.g. in 2007 and 2008) used the old layout – which has a small right before the big left at what is now Turn 6, no tarmac runoff outside Turn 5, and none of the yellow/black Sydney Motorsport Park branding (e.g. on the walls along the main straight). See attached images to compare the layouts.

(As a relative newcomer to Australian motorsport, I'm still learning as I go about the history of how race formats and track layouts have changed )

So what should be used instead for races before 2012? Probably "Eastern Creek Laser", which is available on the Internet in various places. It's from LIDAR data, so the elevation and rough layout are correct. Textures IIRC aren't great and kerbs are the wrong colour (they are white and red, but should be white and blue) but that could be fixed fairly easily if we wanted to in the future.

 

[Speednut357]

Just had another similar realization about Eastern Creek – my preferred mod, XREasternCreek (which can be downloaded here) models the reconfigured track which debuted in 2012. Whereas races before this (e.g. in 2007 and 2008) used the old layout – which has a small right before the big left at what is now Turn 6, no tarmac runoff outside Turn 5, and none of the yellow/black Sydney Motorsport Park branding (e.g. on the walls along the main straight). See attached images to compare the layouts.

(As a relative newcomer to Australian motorsport, I'm still learning as I go about the history of how race formats and track layouts have changed )

So what should be used instead for races before 2012? Probably "Eastern Creek Laser", which is available on the Internet in various places. Possibly at darrellbennett dot wixsite dot com/ddr2017/rfactor1... I don't remember. It's from LIDAR data, so the elevation and rough layout are correct. Textures IIRC aren't great and kerbs are the wrong colour (they are white and red, but should be white and blue) but that could be fixed fairly easily if we wanted to in the future.

It is in the XFactor tracks pack. To make things easier, I will make a shared folder with all the tracks, including variations, for anyone wanting to try these out.

All of Jason's V8 supercar tracks

It will take a while to upload, so check back later for the complete list. And if anyone is searching for something not in there, let me know. I probably have it.

 

[Speednut357]

I tested the FFB for the V8s and found that the castor angle dramatically changes how the FFB feels, particularly around the center when traveling in a straight line. The default castor angle of 15 degrees gives A nice stable FFB with a centering spring type of feel, you can take your hands off the wheel, and the car will travel straight. By lowering this to around 7 degrees, raising the Real Feel MaxForceAtSteeringRack to 100, and then adjusting the Real Feel mix to 80%, I got a much more lively road feeling. The bumps in the road are now much more noticeable, and I can more easily feel the front tire grip.

I also discovered that using the in-game Real Feel adjustments doesn't work. This seems to be because I have a Logitech wheel that requires negative values, and the in-game shortcut adjusts the value only in the positive range. Changing the Real Feel values in the RealFeelPlugin.ini file works and saves a lot of confusion. For example, a MaxForceAtSteeringRack value of 100 is very high, and 500 is a low force value.

Adding a mix value of 80% served two functions. Firstly adding a bit of traditional FFB effects added some vibrations, such as breaking and rumble strips which make the old RFactor tracks not feel so flat. Secondly, it was an excellent way to reduce the overall force value. It allowed me to run a high MaxForceAtSteeringRack and then trim it back with the Real Feel Mix adjustment.


Here are my RealFeelPlugin.ini settings.

[Craig Lowndes #888]
MaxForceAtSteeringRack=100.000000
SteeringDamper=11500.000000
FFBMixerRealFeelPercent=80.000000
FrontGripEffect=0.500000
SmoothingLevel=0
Kf=11500.000000
Ks=7.000000
A=1.500000
Kr=3.000000




And here are my Controller ini settings for the 20% Effect mix.


[ Force Feedback ]
FFB Device Type="1" // Type of FFB controller: 0=none 1=wheel, 2=stick/custom, 3=rumble pad.
FFB Effects Level="4" // Number of FFB effects to use: 0=No Effects, 1=Low, 2=Medium, 3=High, 4=Full, 5=Custom.
FFB Gain="1.00000" // Strength of Force Feedback effects. Range 0.0 to 1.0.
FFB Ignore Controllers="0" // Do not use FFB on: 1=controller1, 2=controller2, 4=controller3 (or add values to ignore multiple controllers)
FFB Throttle FX on steer axis="1" // 0 = Throttle effects on throttle axis, 1 = throttle effects on steering axis.
FFB Brake FX on steer axis="1" // 0 = Brake effects on brake axis, 1 = brake effects on steering axis.
FFB steer vibe freq mult="0.50000" // Controls frequency of steering vibration. Recommended: 0.5 to 1.0, 0.0 disables steering vibration.
FFB steer vibe zero magnitude="0.12000" // Magnitude of steering vibration at 0mph (reference point).
FFB steer vibe slope="0.00000" // Slope of line defining magnitude as a function of frequency (used with FFB steer vibe zero magnitude).
FFB steer vibe wave type="0" // Type of wave to use for vibe: 0=Sine, 1=Square, 2=Triangle, 3=Sawtooth up, 4=Sawtooth down.
FFB steer force prediction="0.00100" // Time into the future that force is predicted, to help counteract wheel latency (0.0 to disable)
FFB steer force max change="15.00000" // Maximum change per second based on current difference between calculated and applied force, to help avoid jerky behavior (values under 15 or so should reduce jerkiness, 100 disables)
FFB steer force neutral range="0.04500" // Max distance from center "neutral force" location where forces are reduced to help avoid oscillation (0.0 to disable)
FFB steer force neutral function="0.00000" // Function to apply near neutral force location, in order to tune out FFB "deadzone" but keeping oscillations in check: 0.0=original, 1.0=new
FFB steer force exponent="0.90000" // Steering force output "sensitivity". Range 0.0 to infinity. 0.0 to 1.0 = higher sensitivity, greater than 1.0 = lower sensitivity.
FFB steer force input max="-11500.00000" // Default 11500, increase to give more fidelity to the FFB
FFB steer force output max="2.00000" // Maximum force output of steering force, recommendation 0.8 to 2.0
FFB steer force grip function="0.55000" // Range 0.0 to 1.0 (previous hardcoded value was 1.0) - lower values will make steering force decrease LATER as front tire grip is lost - try 0.3
FFB steer force grip weight="0.80000" // Range 0.0 to 1.0, recommended: 0.4 to 0.9. How much weight is given to tire grip when calculating steering force.
FFB steer force grip factor="0.40000" // Range 0.0 to 1.0, recommended: 0.2 to 0.6 (previously hardcoded to 0.4). How much of a factor the front wheel grip is on the steering weight.
FFB steer front grip fract="0.00000" // Range 0.0 to 1.0 (previous hardcoded value was 0.0), additional effect of front grip loss on steering force
FFB steer update threshold="0.00000" // Amount of change required to update steer force/vibe (0.0 - 1.0). Lower values = steering force updated more frequently = lower frame rate.
FFB steer friction coefficient="0.10000" // Coefficient to use for steering friction. Range: -1.0 to 1.0
FFB steer friction saturation="1.00000" // Saturation value to use for steering friction. Range: 0 - 1.0
FFB steer damper coefficient="0.10000" // Coefficient to use for steering damper. Range: -1.0 to 1.0
FFB steer damper saturation="0.00000" // Saturation value to use for steering damper. Range: 0 - 1.0
FFB throttle vibe freq mult="0.10000" // Scales actual engine frequency to force FFB vibration frequency. Suggested range: 0.10 to 0.50
FFB throttle vibe zero magnitude="0.17500" // Magnitude of engine vibration at 0rpm (reference point).
FFB throttle vibe slope="0.00000" // Slope of line defining magnitude as a function of frequency (used with FFB throttle vibe zero magnitude).
FFB throttle vibe wave type="0" // Type of wave to use for vibe: 0=Sine, 1=Square, 2=Triangle, 3=Sawtooth up, 4=Sawtooth down.
FFB throttle vibe update thresh="0.02000" // Amount of change required to update throttle vibe (0.0 - 1.0)
FFB brake vibe freq mult="0.80000" // Scales actual brake rotational frequency to force feedback vibration frequency.
FFB brake vibe zero magnitude="0.13000" // Magnitude of brake vibration at 0mph (reference point).
FFB brake vibe slope="0.00000" // Slope of line defining magnitude as a function of frequency (used with FFB brake vibe zero magnitude).
FFB brake vibe wave type="0" // Type of wave to use for vibe: 0=Sine, 1=Square, 2=Triangle, 3=Sawtooth up, 4=Sawtooth down.
FFB brake vibe update thresh="0.02000" // Amount of change required to update brake vibe (0.0 to 1.0)
FFB rumble strip magnitude="0.35000" // How strong the rumble strip rumble is. Range 0.0 to 1.0, 0.0 disables effect.
FFB rumble strip freq mult="0.65000" // Rumble stip frequency multiplier 1.0 = one rumble per wheel rev.
FFB rumble strip wave type="0" // Type of wave to use for vibe: 0=Sine, 1=Square, 2=Triangle, 3=Sawtooth up, 4=Sawtooth down.
FFB rumble strip pull factor="-1.50000" // How strongly wheel pulls right/left when running over a rumble strip. Suggested range: -1.5 to 1.5.
FFB rumble strip update thresh="0.05000" // Amount of change required to update rumble strip effect (0.0 - 1.0)
FFB jolt magnitude="1.00000" // How strong jolts from other cars (or walls) are. Suggested Range: -2.0 to 2.0.

 

[aasasd]

Before I forget: on the Trippteam forum, there's a track pack for S5000 shared, and it includes a bunch of Aussie tracks for the 2021 year—presumably with S5000 sponsors, though, if that matters. IDK if yall saw them already.

 

[MJQT]

Did lots of spreadsheet work a while ago, then forgot to share it. I now have two sheets - one listing the races for each season (so far, I've done 2007, 2008, and 2012) and another explaining track layout/surroundings changes year by year and listing rF1 mods that correspond. For 2007 and 2012, I also have YouTube links to watch the races, which I highly recommend for some fun viewing

 

[legendsatlunch]

I have done this for AMS But completely renamed every track to suit the years.