| Scott_J on the rFactor Update:
You could say that I've been doing my small part on the update since Lienz, due to the Rally addition. Otherwise, very late March I began working the Nurburg track. The beginning of May I started Northamptonshire. After both had a good first pass I went back and gave a bit more love to each, correcting some layouts flaws, adding some content, etc. There's another track that I'm currently working on that won't be part of the update (I don't think). It has elements that people have wanted for a LONG time and I'm really excited to be able to do them. I'm very proud of it and I really can't wait until it's available....
As to the new features in the update--there's SO MANY that's it's very hard to say which is my favorite. There's new stuff for offline play, online play, etc.; plus all the new content.... The change list is quite impressive. I've said this several times, but the team at ISI are the most dedicated folks I've ever had the pleasure to work with--no one could ever say that don't care about rF nor making it the best game it can be. It's very refreshing!
Oh, a note on Euro-ring, after a bit of a delay it will be finished up in the VERY near future--so it hasn't been forgotten about.... It's a wonderful track to drive and I can't wait to get back to it.
The Lienz hill climb was actually completed when Lienz was initially released. But, we all decided to hold off on it so we could perhaps do a bit more work to the off-road driving. The off-road section is actually taken from an old, defunct German hill-climb course, which I seamed into the current track. It fit in perfectly and is a pleasure to drive. The elevation is fictional though, so I was able to add some cool jump features, train tracks, etc. I choose to build the track as if it were an old tractor road, with really pronounced, wide, ruts. They can really be a help or a hindurance to driving the course--you'll quickly discover where you can and can't rely on them to help you out....
There are a few places where you MAY find some invisible collision, but only if you get WAY off coarse. As with the rest of Lienz I faced the problem of having to restrict the player gracefully--sometimes it's not so graceful though. There's a section off to the right out of the pits that comes to mind--don't drive that way--you won't get far :) I built Lienz with the thought that I could add new sections over time. There's places for three more layouts. I'd like to continue to grow Lienz, and it certainly could use a face lift in certain areas, so I don't expect you've seen the last of it :)
For off-road set-ups, you'll want a really soft car with big ride heights (I believe that's correct--works for me anyway)--something that will soak up the huge bumps and depressions. But, this will feel terrible when you're back on the tarmac--so you'll have to find a compromised setting, or favor one type over the other. I think just finding a good setup for the car is fun :)
Lastly, the deer and searchlights are now back in, as the option to shut objects off and on at night is working. A note on the deer--I don't know where the idea ever came from that they actually run out in front of you, but that's not the case (I don't think I ever said that). in fact, they don't even have collision as I didn't want someone's race getting prematurely ended due to hitting a concrete animal :) They are static, like any other crowd, and are there just to distract you when you first see them. I would love to re-do them into 3D objects at some point, when time allows though....
Nurburg and Northamptonshire are, in my opinion, a faithful recreation and a pleasure to drive if you enjoy the type of tracks that they are. I tried to give each a little something extra in the way of additional layouts for. I could see some folks liking the shorter variants, so I made sure I included those. I'd expect at some point, either officially or not, an update for Northamptonshire that will include a specific kart track, as well as a rally stage. Those are just a matter of finding time to work them up. In fact, the kart track is already there--it just needs proper textures, a pit row and a AI work--it wouldn't take me long to do once I set about getting it done :) Another thing we'll be adding in for another update is night lighting. You can drive at night now, but it's fairly dark. To do night lighting correctly required some time that I didn't have, so we left it out until it can be done right. |
