Racer -- Driving Simulator
I hate to admit it, but I'm hooked on a video game.
Ok, maybe "video game" is too strong a term. It's not a video game. It's a simulator. A car simulator, to be precise. It's a beta version, it's a community effort, and it's free. Here's the URL:
http://www.racer.nl
Right now I'm running 0.5.3b16, which is an astounding piece of work. The simulator itself only comes with one track and one car (two cars now, I think) but hundreds of cars and tracks are available from other people in the Racer community.
The physics of the simulation is quite good. Maybe that's what attracts me to it. I've downloaded some cars I've actually driven, and by and large they drive the way the real car does (except that I'm using a mouse -- Racer supports most force feedback wheels and pedals, but I don't own any.)
It's possible to bend the laws of physics with this thing (for crying out loud, someone made a Lego car), but for the most part people have gone after real vehicles rather than "what-if" cars.
I finally got good enough at driving to record my first AI line on a track. Once you think you've got a pretty good line with a given car, you can record a lap and use it to feed acceleration and steering PID loops inside the simulator. At that point you can race against yourself, or against other people.
My first AI lap was in a Ferarri F1 car at Watkins Glen. Woohoo! I can still beat it, given the same car, but that's just a matter of beating it, recording a new one, beating it again, etc.
It's bad just how addictive this thing is. I find myself wanting to develop cars and tracks for it, but deep down I know I won't. I do enjoy 3D modeling. I do enjoy tweaking physics until something is just right. But I also enjoy reading, writing, machining, hand tool work, etc. I could devote a year to developing cars and tracks, and considering the learning curve on the software involved, I doubt I'd impress anyone, least of all myself.
I really would like to make one track, though: The drive to work. It involves paved roads, half paved roads (you call that a road?!) and dirt roads. I'd like to see what it's like to drive to work in a cutting-edge World Rally Championship car. Hey, for that matter I'm curious how some of these high-end race cars perform on dirt!
We'll see if that project ever gets off the ground. Probably not. Still, it's a thought.
Pencil
Ok, maybe "video game" is too strong a term. It's not a video game. It's a simulator. A car simulator, to be precise. It's a beta version, it's a community effort, and it's free. Here's the URL:
http://www.racer.nl
Right now I'm running 0.5.3b16, which is an astounding piece of work. The simulator itself only comes with one track and one car (two cars now, I think) but hundreds of cars and tracks are available from other people in the Racer community.
The physics of the simulation is quite good. Maybe that's what attracts me to it. I've downloaded some cars I've actually driven, and by and large they drive the way the real car does (except that I'm using a mouse -- Racer supports most force feedback wheels and pedals, but I don't own any.)
It's possible to bend the laws of physics with this thing (for crying out loud, someone made a Lego car), but for the most part people have gone after real vehicles rather than "what-if" cars.
I finally got good enough at driving to record my first AI line on a track. Once you think you've got a pretty good line with a given car, you can record a lap and use it to feed acceleration and steering PID loops inside the simulator. At that point you can race against yourself, or against other people.
My first AI lap was in a Ferarri F1 car at Watkins Glen. Woohoo! I can still beat it, given the same car, but that's just a matter of beating it, recording a new one, beating it again, etc.
It's bad just how addictive this thing is. I find myself wanting to develop cars and tracks for it, but deep down I know I won't. I do enjoy 3D modeling. I do enjoy tweaking physics until something is just right. But I also enjoy reading, writing, machining, hand tool work, etc. I could devote a year to developing cars and tracks, and considering the learning curve on the software involved, I doubt I'd impress anyone, least of all myself.
I really would like to make one track, though: The drive to work. It involves paved roads, half paved roads (you call that a road?!) and dirt roads. I'd like to see what it's like to drive to work in a cutting-edge World Rally Championship car. Hey, for that matter I'm curious how some of these high-end race cars perform on dirt!
We'll see if that project ever gets off the ground. Probably not. Still, it's a thought.
Pencil
posted by pencil at 3:53 PM
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