Hi folks
This is a question for the makers of LFS. Are you planning on releasing tools so that one can make their own cars for this awesome game ? I think its a shame that car games almost never are made for modders

Maybe they will release tools for making addon cars after S3, so a long time to wait.

I will enjoy the cars which are in the game until then.

It is thought that one day, yes, we will be able to make our own cars and or tracks.

But it's a major problem in sim racing - if someone just makes a GTR car than can pull 7G and do 400mph then they'll win until someone does something more extreme. At the other end of the scale (hang on, just got to tend to my engine model, brb. Okay done that) if someone makes a nice 'mod' that introduces a class or several classes of racing then it has to be done to a very high standard to be any good.

rFactor is a prime example. There are many many mods of cars and tracks, but there is only two or three worthwhile car mods (4 if you count the karts), and only half a dozen finished tracks of a good standard. The rest just makes rFactor look like junk (which it is, but thats another story, so no flaming here peeps!).

track & car editor released for everyone cant end very well

ex:
http://forum.rscnet.org/attach ... d=350894&d=1140418967
http://forum.rscnet.org/attach ... d=349314&d=1139758252
http://forum.rscnet.org/attach ... d=340401&d=1136340895
http://forum.rscnet.org/attach ... d=342047&d=1136933280
etc...

illepall That's disgusting, Don.
Guys, don't look - danger of permanent damage to retina.

It's creativity

(it's hard to write anything when your eyes are bleeding...)

Having gazillion different tracks isn't really problem, because you can still have good races there with good cars. But if the cars are not good and everybody is on his own server with his Supra GT awd 999hp mod there isn't even people to race with.

Just make the modding so hard that only the most committed and best mods survive.

yeah, i'd like to see a track making program (but hard to use, or a pain in the ass like sandbox) but not car/physics editing.

What is wrong with the attachment which shows half a dozen super7s? The others, ok, they are teh suck... but this?

Surely if LFS has the kick arse Physics engine that it is destined to have then breing able to implement your own design vehicles would actually work. Obviously you would have open servers for all and restricted servers for proved and tested cars but if there are no 'bugs' to exploit then each 'design' would be susceptable to real world physical limitations. Nothing is a great leveler than physics.

*cough*custom tracks suck*cough*
wow.. talk about diversity, i wonder if a server owner has ever had more than 10 people on a server at a time with .. everything that is required..

Quote from DodgeRacer :

yeah, i'd like to see a track making program (but hard to use, or a pain in the ass like sandbox)

That's just counter productive. The easier it is for people to work with something the more time they can devote to polishing the product rather than having to jump through hoops just to get it working.

Yes, making it easy will bring a lot of sub standard items to the party but like with any other game, people will only download and continually use the quality stuff.

There are a lot of terrible skins out there but I don't hear people calling for the devs to make that more difficult so only the most commited survive.

I reckon it might be ok to have custom cars, as long as there's some sort of scrutineering system in place, as long as the car adheres to the formula/rules then it can race, i'm not talking about the same sort of freedom as fonny's creations. Something like a fixed engine, min/max dimentions, standardized wings, etc.

it would be a much more realistic way of doing things, and would leave plenty of room for design ingenuityillepall.

might be tough to implement but I it world be worth it.

As far as tracks go, I'm all for open tracks, i would prefer that to custom cars, I think it would bring some real racetracks into LFS.

I'm tempted to say the N word but i won't.

Quote from NaBUru38 :

One question: why does "open-source software" exist for?

Yes, I know you three work too much to make it for free. But the gaming community is waiting for the developers to release official game editors. Older / simpler racing games have them (GeneRally, Stunts Car...) but nobody has ever allowed to make a full 3D racing track with permission. Why are you wanting to delay this?

It's true, in the GeneRally database therer were thousends (not overdone) of boring/ugly tracks... until the Track of the Month apperared. Racers could check which tracks had won a prize, which meant they were awsome.

The same could be done for LFS, but a little bit organised (not centralised, btw). In the official forum (here) track designers would discuss new projects, and could work in a team. If a designer found that someone else was doing the same track (especially real tracks), he/she could join the other person and finish the track in less time and with better quality.
Each new track could be sent to a website (any large website) and receive opinions, suggestions and votes. If the designer or someone else thought that the track was good enough, it could be presented in an official competition. This can mean it made available in a public server, where drivers could test it and also comment. The best tracks could be included in the fowllowing version of the game.

The same could happen for mods. E.g. the LFS developers could improve the mod so it gets better for official release.

Legal editing and modding is the future of videogames. Be the first group to make it possible.

The first apart from rFactor, racer, Netkar..... and look where it got them.

I'm not adverse to community modding, but not if there is much of a chance with stupid cars or tracks flooding the system.

Right now we DO have people putting two black lines on a jpeg and calling it a skin, or people randomly putting 200 cones on a straight and calling it a track. Just think what'd be like if we allowed them to 'make' cars!! If they could only be used after moderation then maybe thats okay, but who and how?

I say, assume the worst (it won't be possible) then be happy if it does

it would be nice if you could design your own wheels. oh yes that would be sweet.

I rekkon it would be good to have some modding (i.e. bathurst , and V8 Supercars, or DTM ) but too cut out all the half assed modds, I think it shouldn't be moddable by the general public, but rather the developers issue lic's to certain qualified people that can produce quality mods and have the credentials to prove it

Its funny to crash and see how the effects the damage modeling has on your car makes it look like some real life cars (occasionally). I was thinking it would be pretty cool if there was a tool that allowed modders to manipulate the damage engine (stretch a little here, smooth a bit here) in order to create variants on the car bodies that appear in game. You could easily create bodies that look near identical to certain real life cars (or just create something crazy looking that doesnt handle like it just did 100 mph into a wall).

Don't know how comprehensive the aero is atm (Or how complicated it will get with the next physics patch) but messing around with the crash damage distortions can only be detrimental to your performance. Thats not really in the ethos of LFS.

If LFS could really get accurate enough then the design tools you could implement are ma-husive. A wind tunnel, engine workshop, all those testing facilities, the pit lane would have to become about 10 times more functional than it is now . . .

Making a car for LFS wouldn't be just a case of dropping a body on a chassis and plugging in an engine (Unless it was a purpose built mod with stock shapes and engines Etc.) You would have to make everything from the ground up. I don't think there are many of us that could make a workable vehicle model to implement into LFS.

http://forum.rscnet.org/attachment.p...7&d=1136933280

well what can i say thats awsome graphics r great the suroundings of the track r just jaw droping god where can i get that from

Quote from george_tsiros :

oh
the N word. I think you mean NURBURGRING?

Yes, NURBURGRING would be a great addition... and i wonder if anyone could hack NURBURGRING into LFS since there is already an "open" version for it, for RACER.NL

Perhaps you mean the NORDSCHLEIFE instead of the F1-track ?!

wow many replies.
It sounds on the most of you that custom cars would destroy the whole game. I mean if you dont like a custom car why download it ? In my case, modding is an oportunity to get my models in a game.

And it is not impossible to make servers restrict custom models. If you dont want to race with custom models, just connect to a restricted server.

I think modding is something that makes a game last longer AND gives people like me a chance to polish their modelling skills and actually be able to test their own things inside a game-engine.

I spent alot of time in the quake 1 scene during it's days, there were thousands and thousands
of maps around, and this was never a problem for anyone.

Also, it wasn't necessarily the zoolander (really-really good looking) maps that got themselves onto popular servers.

Tristan seems to say rubbish tracks has somewhat crippled racer and netkar, but for me they were basically the only reason for really trying those programs for more than 10 minutes, as i found the somewhat-better-looking-"official" tracks of these sims to be extremely dull.
I even almost liked the netkar nurburgring, even though it's basically the worst looking track ever.

I guess this topic was about customs cars though

Quote from NaBUru38 :

One question: why does "open-source software" exist for?

I'm just picking this one, cause: If you want Open Source Racegame, go 4 RACER. You'll see how fast and great it develops.

Why is windows used on so many desktop PCs? Why isnt it an open source system? Cause not every user wants to check every now and then if some freak somewhere on the world coded som elittle maybe cool thing for his system. Even if M$ sux big time etc. it still gives us the most compatible software platform all over the world. Same goes for a non open gamesoftware:
It gives us a paltform to compete on with the same "weapons" all over the world. And the user and online playing numbers - even small - show that this is the right way to go.

Maybe in the future Eric decides to accept tracks from the outside, but will then check through them and only the best of the best of the best will get an OK. In terms of cars, I dont think and i actually do not hope that this will happen.

I think it would be cool if you have the 25 km long Nurbürgring ( or how long it may be)

but with MORE player cars possible, else you got no race...

Question to the ones crying no to allowing modding in LFS. Once LFS is finished in every aspect the developers have planned, how long will peoples interest be held without the community stepping up and continuing the work? You say there is a chance some might release poorly created cars or tracks, and I'm sure your right, but, in any other sim I've raced, the community is never shy about pointing out the short falls of a track or a car. Why would this be different in LFS? Besides if you download an addon and in your opinion it sucks, can't you just uninstall it?
This attitude that modding will kill a sim is a total joke and so far from the truth it baffles my mind you actual waste your time trying to convince people. Modding has extended the life on many different games, not just racing, I might add. How do you explain this I wonder?