Introduction
Yesterday, we rolled out a new update for RaceRoom! You will find the full list of changes at the bottom of this article.
We're about to deliver the next step of our graphic engine upgrade, which means we have lot of code and art changes that are still WIP and that I couldn't include in the build yesterday.
As a consequence, the changelog revolved solely about physics and AI improvements and therefore the work of our physics & a.i. designer: Alex Hodgkinson – the man behind the feel of the cars in RaceRoom. It was a great opportunity for him to take the stage and share a bit more about what went into this update and give you a closer look at the work involved and help understand what some lines found in the changelog actually mean. Hope you enjoy the read!
Best regards,
J-F
Head of Studio, KW Studios
About Alex Hodgkinson
[img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/4043123/93cf19ddbca6e4946e0918d656b6fabe2c70153b.png"][/img]
Hi, I’m Alex – the physics / handling / A.I. guy here at KW Studios. I’ve been deep into real motorsport since I was 10, long circuit kart champion in England and eventually moving up to single-seaters and GT cars. I have a degree in motorsport engineering and before joining RaceRoom, I was teaching at track days.
I’m really passionate about bringing the feeling of real racing cars into sim racing. And that’s exactly what this latest update is about.
What’s new in this update?
As ever, this round of updates has focused on improving the accuracy of our car handling as well as delivering user-friendly base setups. With the vast depth of car selection we have it’s taken a while to be able to return and update some of our older content, but finally it’s happened! Proudly we have managed to bring the KTM X-Bow RR and DTM 2013 to 2016 cars bang up to date. So let’s dive into what’s new with those;
DTM 2013–2016
While some parts had received updates over the years such as engine behaviour, brakes, tyres and aspects of aero behaviour the main handling decider suspension components had remained untouched. Starting afresh and using our (now very large) library of car data, the suspension behaviour has been rebuilt to much more accurately represent cars of this era.
Aerodynamics have been reviewed and updated which adds another layer of dynamic behaviour, especially from the large venturi tunnels underneath these cars.
We also made the decision to keep performance levels across the years the same so that any car from this era can race against each other.
Be warned: any old setups will absolutely not be compatible from here on with these cars.
[img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/4043123/d6a105afefa5ae39082260c5b64b5ed4c2716c9c.png"][/img]
KTM X-BOW RR
This is a clean slate with absolutely everything updated; there is nothing carried over from previous game iterations of the RR.
It’s worth mentioning to begin with that our version of the car is the first generation cup car. Second generation added a large rear wing and for good reason – it can get very loose at the rear end. However that is something that should be embraced and to master it will develop useful skills which can be applied elsewhere in our car selection. This means it stands out somewhat as a loose track-day type car as we don’t have anything else like it in game.
[img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/4043123/f1ce3e9bcdce96d7892c60ab5948ea00e05932b7.png"][/img]
Suspension kinematics & accuracy
You’ll see this note often in relation to physics updates. In the context of suspension kinematics refer to the motion of the various moving components and the arcs they describe when moving. It’s something absolutely critical for car handling as kinematics decide how much camber the tyre has in given conditions, how much load is transferred through springs or geometrically and a lot more.
Updates of this type focus on making this behaviour accurate not necessarily perfect. Often a car’s behaviour quirks are down to design compromises made in this department.
Damper tuning
Dampers main task on a racing car is to minimise the load variance of the tyres. As tyre load varies so does grip level, and that is something which can make grip unpredictable. If you minimise that load variance a car will become more compliant and profitable at the limit.
Lessons learned from our parent company KW enable us to apply real world solutions to our car’s suspension. These updates are another which are often mentioned and are all about ensuring all of our cars are at an equal level in terms of damper tuning.
[img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/4043123/c353e2f9ee8d2b849e9843c0f1fd22aa678c25ea.jpg"][/img]
Thanks for reading – and enjoy the experience! As always, let us know your feedback!
Best regards,
Alex Hodgkinson
Physics Designer, KW Studios
[b]Full Changelog:[/b]
[b]Update details:[/b]
Download size = 2.9 GB
Client version = 0.9.6.60
Client BuildID = 18917494
Dedi version = 102.0.1556
Dedi BuildID = 18903086
All cars - Updated default gear ratio for all track layouts
Aquila - Rear suspension geometry tweaks
Audi TT cup - Tuned dampers and improved baseline setup
Audi TT RS VLN - A.I. improvements, tuned dampers, improved baseline setup and reduced tyre heating
BMW M1 Gr 4 - Tuned dampers, increased accuracy of suspensions, improved baseline setup, adjusted engine cooling
BMW M1 Procar - Tuned dampers, increased accuracy of suspensions, improved baseline setup
BMW M2 CS - Increased accuracy of suspensions, tuned dampers and baseline setup, tweaked tyre heating curves and engine heating
BMW M4 GT4 - BoP adjustments
Chevrolet Daytona Prototype - Improvements to the baseline setup, updated brake discs composition
Chevrolet Greenwood Corvette - Increased accuracy of suspensions
Crossle 90F - Increased accuracy of suspensions, tuned dampers and baseline setup
DTM 1992 - A.I. improvements
DTM 2013 - Physics updated
DTM 2014 - Physics updated
DTM 2015 - Physics updated
DTM 2016 - Physics updated
DTM 2020 - A.I. improvements
Fabcar 935 - Tuned dampers, tweaked tyre heating curves and baseline setup improvements
Formula RaceRoom 2 - Tuned dampers, updated brake discs composition (cooling and inertia), increased accuracy of suspension, tweaked tyre heating curves and baseline setup improvements
Formula RaceRoom 3 - Physics updated
Formula RaceRoom 90 - Increased accuracy of suspensions, tuned dampers and baseline setup, tweaked tyre heating curves and engine heating. Increased downshift blipping.
Formula RaceRoom U.S. - Increased accuracy of suspensions, tuned dampers and baseline setup, tweaked tyre heating curves and engine heating
Formula RaceRoom X-17 - Increased accuracy of suspensions, tuned dampers and baseline setup, tweaked tyre heating curves and engine heating
Formula RaceRoom X-22 - Increased accuracy of suspensions, tuned dampers and baseline setup, tweaked tyre heating curves and engine heating. Updated brake discs specs.
Group C car class - Tuned dampers and baseline setups, tweaked tyre heating curves
Group 5 car class - Updated drag sensitivity to body ride height/rake
GTE car class - Improved rear suspension kinematics
GTO car class - Increased accuracy of suspensions
GTR 2 car class - A.I. improvements
GTR 3 car class - A.I. improvements
GTR 4 car class - Reviewed tyre heating curves, increased accuracy of suspensions, improvement to baseline setups, tuned dampers and radiator cooling
Hillclimb Icons car class - Increased accuracy of suspensions, improved baseline setups
KTM Xbow RR - Physics updated
NSU TTS - A.I. improvements
Pagani Zonda - Increased accuracy of suspensions, tuned dampers and baseline setup
Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 - Increased accuracy of suspensions, tuned dampers and baseline setup
Porsche 911 GT2 RS CS - Baseline setup adjustments
Porsche 991.2 GT3 Cup - Increased accuracy of suspensions, tuned dampers and baseline setup
Porsche 991.2 GT3 R - Increased accuracy of suspensions, tuned dampers and baseline setup
Praga R1 - More downshift blipping in lower gears, tuned dampers, increased accuracy of suspensions, improved baseline setup, reduced radiator cooling
RaceRoom Truck - A.I. improvements
Silhouette car class - A.I. improvements
Super Touring car class - A.I. improvements, Fuel usage tweaks, Dampers tuned and some adjustments to baseline setups
Tatuus F4 - Rebalanced dampers
Aragon - A.I. improvements
Brands Hatch GP - Fixed some starting grid spawns that had gone rogue
Brno - A.I. improvements
Daytona Road Course - A.I. improvements
Dubai - A.I. improvements
Hungaroring - Moved time attack spawn
Laguna Seca - A.I. improvements
Monza - A.I. improvements
Motegi East - A.I. improvements, moved time attack spawn
Nogaro Caupenne - A.I. improvements
Norisring - A.I. improvements
Oschersleben - A.I. improvements
Road America - A.I. improvements
Sachsenring - Moved time attack spawn
Silverstone Classic GP - A.I. improvements
Zhejiang - Moved time attack spawn
Zolder - A.I. improvements
