Quote from felplacerad :

I'll look into it when the FBM has been available for some time and the skinnerz have got around to creating some public skins for it.

Cool!

I've already made a few AI files (1024x1024x72dpi .dds & .col) from the freely available skins that people have kindly posted in the 'Finished skins>FBM Skins' forum, and they look great!

Superb quality skins from the community yet again.

So, if you need any help with any of those, just let me know.

Cheers
/d

Many thanks to all the contributers and organisers for this pack.

Brilliant stuff.

It brings the whole AI experience to life, and it looks like it'll see a whole lot more action now the AI is getting an overhaul.

Does anyone know, are there any plans to add skins for the new Formula BMW?

Fan-bloomin'-tastic, René! :clapclap:

Thank you.

Quote from FL!P :

Oh come on! The map is the only substitute we have to pit radio and track marshalls.

Give me a pit crew keeping me informed of what's going on around me (is the car behind fighting me for position or is it a lap down, for example) and track marshalls that tell people when they can rejoin safely, and I'll be glad to see the map go. Until then, we need the bloody map!

Quote from joen :

Pointing out something else being unrealistic too doesn't make the feature in question any more realistic.

You see, SchneeFee - now look what you started!

Quote from SchneeFee :

... why are digital speedos unrealistic? The map is still there!

:eye-poppi

Shhh! :shhh:

Don't say that out loud!

Don't forget that this is a "We like it well 'ard" thread. :hide:

Quote from geeman1 :

It depends. You don't have to unlock every patch. Besides when ever a patch requires a unlock the devs award everyone with one extra unlock if they don't have any. So no need to worry about unlocking.

Ah, OK.

Thanks geeman.

Guys,

Sorry for what must seem a real dumb question to those who have tested patches before, but here goes.

When I installed patch X30 I had to use an unlock to do it.

Will I have to use another unlock for X31?

If so, presumably I'll run out of unlocks pretty quick as more updates come out.

What's the procedure here?

Cheers
/d

Quote from Taavi(EST) :

To see 90 degrees, just push the side button you want and at the same time press the opposite view button. Nothing really has changed with this.

I think the OP was also talking about DFP wheels though, where you can't do that with the POV button ...

... but, as Tristan pointed out:

Quote from tristancliffe :

... and DFP users can use the logitech profiler or in game scripts to make what they want happen.

That would effectively make the different views allocatable to the different POV positions, which is what I was after, up in post #2.

Quote from tristancliffe :

I propose that all look options (except straight ahead) are removed from the game, and pressing the old look left/right buttons links to the TrackIR homepage. Then you'll all be really grateful for what we have now.

Ever thought that Scawen was going to remove 90° altogether, but had a change of heart at the last minute and left it in to stop moaning? Moan too much, and he might remove it altogether (all this is conjecture, NOT based on fact, but you never know).

And DFP users can use the logitech profiler or in game scripts to make what they want happen.

I don't think you're making due allowance for the fact that IRL you have peripheral vision with which you can spot things along side you without looking directly.

The only way to see to the sides in-game is by changing the view.

I would suggest that in addition to the current method, the 45 left, 45 right, 90 left and 90 right views should each be allocatable to controller buttons and/or hat positions of your choice.

That should cater for everyone.

OK.

Downloaded the patch last night.

I was a bit apprehensive about this patch having read some of the comments on the forums, so I decided to back up my entire LFS directory just in case.

Didn't bother re-naming sets and all that jazz 'cos I was only gonna give it a quick try before restoring the original LFS directory and waiting patiently for the next patch.

Had a quick look 'round the new BM' - very nice! Didn't go for it straight off though. I wanted to try a few familiar cars first, so I could compare and see what all the fuss was about.

So.

Here's where I went:
- South City, my fav circuit. Lots of lumps, bumps and feedback - lovely.

Here's what I drove:
- The FOX, the MRT [big grin!] and the LX4

Here's what I liked:
- The AI is quicker, especially down the straights where it seemed to run out of puff before, and it no longer gives up once you overtake. It keeps trying. Nice.
- 'Peek-a-boo' rear view with the virtual mirror. I actually like this. I can still see where I'm going while glancing behind.
- Is it my imagination, or are the real mirrors clearer? Noticed this on the FOX in particular.
- Bum-jiggling, teeth-chattering curbs in the MRT. Smashin'!
- Small X,Yand Z adjustments in FCP. Much better. Thank you.
- Slow lap by the AI after the finish to get back to the pits. Nice touch.
- Standard sets seem good.
- Gear, revs, etc., HUD when in 'no wheel' view. Nice and clear without being too arcadey (sp?) :/
- The white Castrol barriers on the left hand side in the approach to the SC chicaine. Thank you SO much! These provide contrast with the barrier immediately ahead, so now I can actually see the entry point to the chicaine before its too late. Afraid I didn't have time to admire all the other graphical improvements on this circuit though, because of ...

... the bombshell ...

The Handling:
- Holy cow, what happened? Quite frankly LFS used to be the most realistic driving sim of them all for me, and now ... it's even better? Don't know how they did it - don't care really - this is cool.

It amazes me how the visual cues and the feedback in the wheel alone create such a convincing illusion in the complete absence of any g-forces or seat-of-the-pants feedback. This was good before, but (imho) it's even better now.

For example, driving the FOX, there are no surprises any more. I can 'feel' the car on the road and I know when I'm about to spin or run out of road 'cos I can feel it coming. Change down too soon and the way the back end tries to slew 'round just feels so real. I can feel where the limit is better than before. Even spins (and my attempts to correct them) feel more convincing.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is that now the illusion is even better for me. It just feels more like I'm actually in a car, on the road. I don't know really. I can only assume it's a combination of all the changes made - the tyres, the engine modelling, the slightly bumpier ride and the slightly better visual feedback. I guess they all contribute.

Oh, and no probs with clutch for me, b.t.w. I've got the standard two pedal DFP setup and the most I got was a little bit of orange where I occasionally forgot to lift out of habit. By the end of the session though, I'd got used to it. (Might even go so far as to say I enjoyed it.) I also liked the fact that the three cars I drove all had slightly different throttle blipping/lifting requirements. It adds to their individual driving characteristics.

Anyway, before I knew it, I was still hacking 'round South City at 3.00am this morning, totally immersed (yet again) in the LFS world.

Doesn't look like I'll be restoring my original LFS directory after all, then.

X30's a keeper for me.

Hats off to the Devs - Top Bombin'.

Last edited by dungbeetle, Wed, 12 Dec 2007 12:25.

Quote from thisnameistaken :

I think the config for the look functions aren't very well thought through. I'd much prefer an option to map 45 or 90 degrees independently ...

Agreed.

This would allow people to set things up the way that's best for their equipment.

There are just too many different combinations out there to have one arrangement that suits all.

For example, DFPs would prolly be better off using the D pad, while G25s might prefer to use some kind of two button and two paddle combination as there's no D pad on the wheel.

Quote from SamH :

Damn. Going to need to find a way to compile this app before the new patch is released properly then

Fear not Sir Sam, for there are a goodly number of willing and able testers here at your command; 'twill end in victory, I am sure!

Hurrah!

Regarding the 45/90 deg views.

Can the 45 and 90 deg (left and right) views be mapped to the d-pad on a wheel that has one, e.g. the DFP?

I mean, so that you can press 'up+right' or 'up+left' directions for the 45deg views or just left and right for the 90 deg views?

Anyone heard anything about the possibility of some (albeit limited) X, Y, Z movement in forced cockpit view?

Check out the interview with Scawen in AutoSimSport's Volume3 Issue 5 (the interview starts on p33 but talk of FCV starts on p38, centre column, bottom paragraph)

http://www.autosimsport.net/backissues.php

(It's a downloadable .pdf by the way)

Quote from Damo74 :

To KartRacer: Amen brother, Amen.

I would just like to add that those who complain that its taking SOOOO LOOONNGG to get updates and "its easy to do most of these things", why dont YOU go out and do it yourself if its so easy.

Also, to those who prophesise the "death of LFS", this has been prophesised now for many years, and as we just recently set a new record for the most people online at once ever, LFS must certainly be dying. Oh dear. What will you do if it died? you will have to go over to Rfactor forums and prophesise the death of that or something.

Even if development on LFS were to stop today, it's so good even now that it would continue to live on the same way that GPL and Nascar 2003 have.

Cool.

Thanks to everyone for sharing knowledge and experience.

Gonna try R1s with more pressure tonight.

Cheers.

Interesting stuff.

So do the tyres in LFS ever wear out completely?

What I mean is, if you run R1s at high pressure for say, 60+ laps, will they eventually destroy themselves if you just keep going?

I know you can burst tyres doing burn-outs, but I just wondered about how they behave under proper race conditions.

Quote from Forbin :

Try increasing the pressures with R1's, all the way to max if you have to. R1's aren't really overheated until they get up to about 85-90 degrees, especially since they'll cool down a lot as they wear down.

Ah, OK.

Same method, but the other way 'round, eh?

Cool. I'll give that a go too.

Thanks, Forbin

Just a quick bit of feedback after messing with pressures.

Dropping to 19psi front and 16psi rear (doing around 1:39s to 1:40s), internal temps were as follows:

After 3 laps: cold blue starting to turn turquoise on rhs tyres (mostly left hand turns on South City Long).

After 5 laps: turquoise starting on all tyres, more on rhs tyres as expected.

After 10 laps: rhs tyres turquoise, lhs tyres blue/turquoise.

This is much better. Just stone cold blue before.

Might try even lower pressures and longer runs when time permits, but still very driveable at these new settings.

Thanks for the pointers guys.

Thanks, G.

UPDATE: Sorted!

Last edited by dungbeetle, Fri, 12 Oct 2007 15:55.

Quote from tristancliffe :

... As for the rears, burnouts might help

Aah, excellent - I was hoping I might have to do something like that!

Thanks guys.

OK

So going with the pressures then, what should I roughly be looking at?

Say, drop the pressures by 10% (2-3psi) at first and maybe more later if handling is still OK?

Hi T

Thanks for the reply.

Quote from tristancliffe :

If you drive extra agressively and get the tyres warm (using too much steering in the first lap or two), will they stay warm after that, or do they cool back down?

To be honest I haven't tried that, but when I drive aggressively on cold tyres I usually spin out!

I'll give it a go though, to see what happens.

The thing is, even after 10+ laps, it just feels like the tyres aren't gonna get any hotter. The surface temp seems to go green but the internal temps won't budge.

Maybe they only warm up inside during GP leingth races i.e. 50-60 laps. Even so, most tyres irl normally warm up after 10 or so laps don't they?