C.A.R.S.

[Bauer]

Here's a challenge, gents.
I think the F68 cromvell V8 is a crazy crazy car so I set moderately nice lap around Bologna with it; 1:44.231
beat it!

Im only 10 seconds off the pace so far it seems. not bad for day 1 and the first timed lap I have done without a crash

[thornz]

44.9 at this stage.

Damn, the more I play this game the more I am liking it. Have found that in DX9 mode, you can hit the F1 key and adjust your steering in game which is great. Have found its just the sensitivity that needs to be changed for different cars, the rest stays the same from my experience so far.

That F68 is great fun, especially when you nail a powerslide out of aqua minerale, and then hold it over the crest as well, brlliant fun!

[Brett_S]

Having a few problems with the steering on my G27 - can't seem to get the sensitivity right so if I start to break traction on the rear and and attempt to correct it I can't and have to slow to a crawl before it will stop fish tailing

Ended up getting a decent lap without too many issues tho - 1.41.249

Hope they get the multiplayer up soon

Liking it so far

[richo]

I may be blind or plain stupid but i can't seem to find a link for this sim?

[ysu]

I may be blind or plain stupid but i can't seem to find a link for this sim?

would be good to have in in the opening post.
start here: http://www.wmdportal.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
or actually, better here: http://www.wmdportal.com/projectnews/ca ... g-started/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


oh by the way guys, have you seen this screen? it comes up if you cycle the display or what
it seems to be tyre grip/slip info

[Dr. Pain]

There's a few hidden goodies. F1 is good for changes on the fly and I found the displays by chance.

[ysu]

oh guys, the question about if it's a full blown sim:
the answer is yes. Here's a quote from their forums;

Question:

Got a question, don't really know where to put it:

What physics engine is CARS based on? I heard some rumors about that, but couldn't find any confirmed informations.
Is it an engine you've created all by yourself, or did you buy it from someone else? So can you actually keep refining the hole engine, and influence the way the physics are calculated? Or is it more some sort of fixed system where you have to try to match the parameters of the cars to make them feel right?

Answer:

It's a bit of a hybrid. But the most important parts like tyre physics are home grown. The low level suspension model is ISI's. We have access to all the source so can do what we want with it. I think we even have the physx source which is rare.

We also have a complete home grown engine basically complete but it won't feel any better and uses the same tyre physics.

The tyre physics are based on a brush model by the way, the same type I believe iRacing have changed to recently.

And by the way a new release is out, some basic AI is included apparently....downloading

[thornz]

Pain that you have to do a full download and there isnt just a patch. Have to pay per GB on my current plan.

[DarrenM]

This game is unplayable for me. Even at min details, which looks like complete ass, I only get 50-60fps and the input lag is ridiculous.

Is there some magic setting you need to use to get it to work or is a GTX285 too slow for this game?

[ysu]

This game is unplayable for me. Even at min details, which looks like complete ass, I only get 50-60fps and the input lag is ridiculous.

Is there some magic setting you need to use to get it to work or is a GTX285 too slow for this game?

Interesting, I can drive it very well on 50fps, no input lag...

[DarrenM]

Dropped my resolution to the min that still allows full screen and got my fps up to 60-70 range and it's driveable but still really laggy. Wonder if it's a multiple controlers thing?

Got to 41.4 in the F68 at Bologna. The low speed understeer in it is pretty annoying. Dropped a lot of time once I noticed it's impossible to lock the brakes.

The 70's f1 car felt pretty good as well. Didn't think much of the rest of them, but the faster formula cars are very difficult for me to drive atm.

[DarrenM]

Hmm, interesting. I unplugged my pedals and used just the G25 and when I mapped the throttle it said it reset the controls to default. There was a lot less lag and my fps are higher as well. So I plugged my pedals back in, remapped the controls and it's still ok.

So I guess there was just something hosed up in the control configurarion. It's still a little laggy compared to iRacing, but it's not too bad.

[Dr. Pain]

I've done some races against the AI and those F77's look great. They seem so wide especially when you try to pass them. I didn't seem to suffer any real frame rate hit at Imola. I always get some shuttering going past the pits and running AI didn't make that any worse. Pretty happy about that seeing that my CPU is the recommended minimum. I'm still yet to find any faults with this. Having the displays open is distracting but it's nice to see 1060 BHP when in the F86

[Cutter]

How big is the download? I'm running out of internets this month with a few days to go.

[Bauer]

current build is 991 meg.

[richo]

Running it on an old AMD Dual Core and its ok , the box does have a GTX470 though . Sold my i7 Box recently so it looks like i need another

The game is quite nice indeed if they don't go arcade it up too much it could be a good thing.


Edit: And now it won't work exactly after i posted this..

[Cutter]

Cheers Stu.

[wobblysauce]

Imola uses more resources then the Glen, that is a reason why you get less frame rates on that track.

[VIPEROSI]

C.A.R.S. – Development Build 078 Available Now

http://www.wmdportal.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Slightly Mad Studios have released a new development build of their WMD-powered C.A.R.S. title, adding several new content items and lots of improvements to the pre-alpha version.

Build 078 adds a whole new genre of motorsports to C.A.R.S. as the formula cars, touring cars and sports cars currently available are enriched by karting. The new version includes the fictional Glencairn kart track as well as a powerful Shifter Kart to throw around the corners.

Sim racers who like it more powerful can also try the Ariel Atom V8, a lightweight road-going sports car powered by a mighty 500hp V8 engine. Preview shots of all new content items can be found below.

Other Changes the Build Offers:

Improved lighting settings for most tracks
Various UI fixes and improvements
Added cloudy weather selection to race menu
Enabled fuel consumption and tyre wear
Added a few more options to visuals menu
Added free camera (Ctrl-F then the mouse and WASD, SHIFT keys)

[Brett_S]

Nice - I'll grab this tonight and have a look

New time trial challenge for the Karts?

[Woodee]

Junior members are still waiting for build 78 which has the karts I think. We are still on build 73.

"Junior - first Friday build of each month (full build)"

Build 80 (26/10/11, Manager+)
New tracks in, Bologna Reverse (prealpha), Connecticut Hill Reverse (prealpha), Connecticut Hill Short Reverse (prealpha), Glencairn Reverse (alpha), Glencairn East Reverse (alpha), and Glencairn West Reverse (alpha)
New export of Asano X4 (beta)
New export of Bologna (prealpha), and Connecticut Hill (prealpha)
Removed slip audio effects at low speed
Fix for shadow mapping 'black edge' around car bug
Added grip points to debug physics screens
Some bug-fixes and performance improvements for RenderContext setting in DX11
Fix to enable loading of WDF files on the F1 debug menu from the 'lighting edits' directory within my_documents/cars/
Formula B: multi-part chassis collision for more accurate shape
Improved carbon shader
Improved Fresnel paint
Fixed names of the Leonus cars to match the forum

Build 79 (25/10/11, Senior Manager)
Improve the lift off over steer
Option to turn off cockpit mirrors in options
Fixed issue of 'reset' button still being active during the steering/pedals calibration process
Fixed right front suspension geometry for LEONUS F68 CROMWELL V8
Telemetry screen layout change
Added engine mesh for the RACER V8-RS
New Aussie Hill export

Build 78 (24/10/11, Team Member+)
Toned down heat haze
Added a few more options to visuals menu
Added gamepad filtering option
Added cloudy weather selection to race menu
Fix for DX9 windscreen corruption bug
Fix for groundcover crash
Updated Glencairn track
Updated Racer car
Improved lighting settings for most tracks
Fixes to car setup menu (still lots of bugs)
Change audio balance to bring out more wind noise
Version number added to UI
Various UI fixes and improvements
Updated kart
Fixed direction of driver head lean in corners
Enabled fuel consumption and tyre wear
Added free camera (Ctrl-F then the mouse and WASD, SHIFT keys)

Build 76 (20/10/11, Manager+)
Car setup menu added (first pass, many bugs)
Kart added (first export, no bug reports yet please)
Glencairn track added (first export, no bug reports yet please)
Nuke 3 added (first export, no bug reports yet please)
Fix for DX11 "grey square around the player car" bug
Updated exports of all tracks (various fixes and improvements)
Various UI fixes
Idle throttle adjusted on all cars so you can stall if clutch not used properly
Disabled exhaust backfire on LM2011

Build 74 (17/10/11, Team Member+)
Instant replay enabled (placeholder UI and cameras).
Fix for 5:4 aspect rendering.
Fix for blue tint bug affecting certain NVidia cards.
Language set to English only.
Security implementation to support builds per member level.
Made look left/right faster.
Racer sound improvements.
AI aggression reduced a little.
AI improvements at Connecticut Hill.
Formula B physics updates for better performance over kerbs and turning in general.
Continued Connecticut Hill art updates.

[VIPEROSI]

Im not that well versed in the development process for a title, but at face value would it be fair to say that C.A.R.S Development pace makes IRACING's new build process look extremely lazy?

[Exar Kun]

Early development looks like this for a lot of games. I was in the beta program for GTR, GTL and GTR2 and all of those titles (although yes, by the same people) had similar development early on. As beta testers we'd get probably a weekly build that was always a few increments in build no. on from the last build we received with lots and lots of changes. Of course, once those games were released there weren't exactly many updates after that. I'm not sure what the post release development plan is with CARS is but there is no way they will keep up this sort of progress once it's at full release.

[pab]

Plus, if they're using a previously completed game as their base for this in many cases adding a new feature might just involve adjusting the existing feature for the new code and turning it on rather than trying to implement it from scratch (in fact the cynical among us might even suggest that many of these features could have already been completed in Shift 2, and they're just turning them on at a trickle to keep the paying beta testers happy ?

[VIPEROSI]

I do remember journalists qouting how the early development model of shift 2 had many more sim features and a sim feel about it compared to the end product. But still they would have to be polishing many of the different aspects of the title and improving them for the purists out there to be happy with the end product.