ARCA Sim Racing 2008 (rFactor) Simulator
  • B Lori
    #570
    ARCA SIM RACING X PATCH EXPLAINED:

    What content will be integrated into the first X-Patch?

    Currently we are planning to integrate the Chevy Silverado Truck into the first patch. As it has been a complete overhaul of the physics system as well as integration of 2012 engineering, race rule standards and vehicle dynamics, it has been a very large development process.

    In doing so we have found much that has changed in the cars and trucks since original release and prior patches and have also received new tire data and engineering data that has allowed a physics re-development that we feel far exceeds the realism in comparison to our original content.We are going to attempt to provide a complete re-development of the ARCA Car physics as well in the original X patch V-1.12.

    If we feel that development time will stall releasing the trucks past what we feel is acceptable, we will release the trucks in the first X-Patch and continue our efforts on the ARCA chassis so that we may quickly follow that patch with the ARCA updated 2012 chassis and engine.

    What changes can be expected in regards to setup restrictions?

    All gear rules restrictions are in place track-to-track, which levels the competitive playing field and allows only the gear adjustments allowed at each track, which means you can run only two gears combinations at each track per the actual rulebook and your final and fourth gear must be 1:1 in ratio.

    Setup changes that would put your vehicle out of technical inspection limits have been implemented to the garage. Our setup philosophy has and always will be based on what you can actually run in a real race car. The setup philosophy between the truck and a NW or ARCA car are very similar in regard to suspension and aero tuning. The truck simply has different aero and drag characteristics as well as a other items that all are all currently in place on that vehicle. You may want to setup your car slightly more mechanically loose and aero tight, in comparison to a far higher horsepower ARCA car or a NW car which has equal horsepower and has different aero setup philosophies. Mainly due to the nature of the trucks reaction in an aero situation this manner of a setup is common when at Intermediate and Speedway tracks where aero protocols are far greater than at non aero condition tracks.

    What is the main difference in physics design in the ASR-X Patch in comparison to the original ASR release as well as our competitors?

    First and foremost, as a developer our focus has always been to produce professional level simulated physics and vehicle performance characteristics for the stock car racing industry. As we do not currently focus on the whole spectrum of race vehicles and solely on stock cars, every aspect of what we do with physics and vehicle modeling is fine tuned for the stock car driving professional and team engineer and we do it hand-in-hand with them. Our development goal is to create a simulated race car that is effective for training on actual real life protocols. The by-product of this and equally our intent is to also provide a great platform for online league racing and the die-hard stock car racing and simulation enthusiast looking to use real life setups to create true to life simulated racing.

    The gmotor physics engine by ISI allows un-matched capabilities for the developer in regard to vehcile dynamics and realism. We are able to program a vehicle with a level of realism that can match the data exported from the real life vehicle, at each track, within the ninety percentile. We feel this is a true feat when looking how far sim racing has come since its inception.

    While we are aware that the graphics system is still limited in comparison to our competitor’s software engine, the bar has been lifted and we will meet or exceed expectations in our next full version in regard to track texturing, surface design and the overall visual graphics experience. While our next version is still at least a year away, our goal is to expand the integrated content of ARCA SIM RACING with the ASR X-Patch and following updates, to create a more thriving community and league racing environment.

    To the nutz and bolts of the Z-Patch. Any real life engineering data that we have from 2011 and now 2012 that was to go into the next retail released version of software, is being implemented into the ASR X-Patch. With the next version using a tire model that allows the developer to replicate a tire far beyond what we ever thought would be available in a commercial sim engine, as well as more physics and ruling additions and the fact that car changes are expected in 2012 for 2013, the decision to integrate this new data into the X-Patch was a simple one to make. As stated we will be providing the Chevrolet Silverado vehicle this patch and hope to also include the revamped ARCA physics, with the NW and CUP car to follow.

    All manufacturers as well as more tracks, features and much more will be in the currently untitled next release of software at the time of its release. For 2012 our goal is to put every ounce of our ability into the currently released software to provide our community the best racing experience that we can with current technology and the X-Patch is our first step at doing so.

    How was our truck model made?

    Starting with a laser scan of an approved body for the 2012 racing season and with every bit of warp, we have created a truck that is within a fraction of a millimeter of its real life counterpart. We did not symmetrically build the model for what would be thought as an easier sim car to paint...instead we are providing an exact replica and a template that is truly revolutionary in regard to painting on a non-symmetrical race vehicle.We are pushing the limits of this graphics engine to the limits and are excited with the quality that we will provide.

    Is there a difference in the system requirements for the X-Patch in comparison to the original released version.

    Absolutely. If we are to remain competitive and at the same time provide you the best physics system as well as graphics within the ability of the engine and the power of consumer PC equipment, we must lift the bar in comparison to our original release which was four year ago.

    The truck is far more detailed in regard to the 3D modeling. It also has a higher quality of texturing and to provide you what can be powered with today’s technology, we cannot develop graphics for graphics cards from 2008. But we are confident that if you can run our competitors software at max visual quality, you should be fine doing the same in ours for the trucks.

    We are using the same racing computers in our cockpits that we originally used when developing ASR. Obvious upgrades have been made to graphics and modeling stations but our race cockpits have always been the same. Since starting the truck we have purchased a new video card for each cockpit as the cards we had from 2007 were not allowing max settings and we cannot develop quality we cannot see. Other than that, no changes have been made to our computers and we purchased cards for less than a hundred and forty dollars each to make sure commonly used cards will still be fine so mostly users will not require an update. Some users of cards that are out of date may need to update or turn some settings down.