Tracks Pacific Coast 1.0

[Phoenix77]

Great update, v0.209 feels a lot smoother and is in fact faster from what I can see.

Thanks mate Have taken away loads of unnecessary polygons, and added cambers/banking.. some corners are good... some need quite a bit of work... Mostly the last 3rd of the track needs more attention.

There is a funky bump on the right side of the road just after the start and in the second half of the track in the slower sections it is very very bumpy. It wasn't like this in the first version.

Yeah I know of the funky bump you're speaking of, it seems, partly, to be car related which is a bit weird! In a gallardo for example, it doesn't seem so funky... In a Aventador and others it gets funky.. It will get sorted though
The last 3rd of the track has changed quite a lot because I added terrain either side of the road... Before it was like a rollercoaster if you remember? Also added quite a bit of bankings so that's changed the track a lot more than it may seem...

Good job on the meshing improvements. Whats planned for next version?

Thanks for the feedback mate Appreciate it.
Plans for the next version are getting the terrain/road totally sorted to how I want it... I'd say it's 70 - 80% there (not allowing for adding detail to the actual road mesh) I'm going to get the meshes as close to 100% done as possible before adding objects.. trees, bushes, signs, barriers until that's done... As I don't want to have to move them again when sorting terrain/road . I'm also thinking of adding random dynamic objects along the route (like the randomly appearing balloons)... So everytime you load the track there might be random roadworks... random parked cars etc... Not sure if that would be a good idea though? After then road/terrain mesh is almost 100% sorted will add a North layout too (obviously).
Number one priority is getting the track smooth, as in elevations and bankings in corners.

I've already added a sections.ini, so if anyone such as yourself has feedback on a particular section it will be easier to report.
I would upload that, but don't really want to upload a v0.210 update just for a few Kb sections.ini file... So people have to download 160mb for that file.. I know other modders update for little things, but I'd find that annoying!

Should I upload the section.ini as another mod in AC Misc? and put a link to it on the Track download page?

 

[Phoenix77]

road mesh probably too smooth, have you seen lilskis posts on creating a detailed mesh?

Haven't spent a lot of time concentrating on the actual road mesh yet... mainly been concentrating on getting the terrain/road mesh sitting right with each other... And still working on bankings cambers... so detailed road mesh will be something I will be looking at after that's all done.

what might be good is if you put the physics road in a separate kn5 file and then we could try a few with different parameters and give feedback.

Yeah that makes total sense... I will be breaking things down into seperate kn5's again when I get things gelling together.. I'm a total noob at making a track so I'm trying to keep things as simple as possible
(doing a 23km track as my 1st track was really pretty dumb! lol But I can't help it I got carried away picking the location! lol).

If I separate things into different kn5's I take it that will help FPS's?
Obviously the start grid/pit objects have to be separate kn5's for the South & North routes and will be referenced in the models_south.ini & models_north.ini
Would it be a good idea, when I've got the terrain and road to where I like... Seperating the more distant mountains (the ones more inland) into seperate kn5's?

Would be good if possible to avoid exceeding the max track size, the first part of the drive is kind of unpleasant with all the glitchyness

I'm not sure what you mean about glitchyness? (especially on the 1st half of the track) almost everyone else has said it's fun... Not unpleasant... lol? Can you elaborate?

Cheers Chris for the feedback... It's most welcome mate

 

[Chris Kennedy]

Hi, afraid i dont know the specifics regarding performance, things can still use the LOD system without being in separate kn5s as far as i know. The only thing in this area performance-wise i know, is that any detailed barriers and such should have a duplicate non-rendered version that is very low poly-count for the collision mesh, as it helps with the cpu load i believe. Same applies to the road mesh of course, once you make it detailed and such, it should certainly not be rendered, a low poly version that conforms to it makes sense.

here are the posts i was referring to:
http://www.assettocorsa.net/forum/i...-in-track-making-plus-tips.27180/#post-574975
http://www.assettocorsa.net/forum/i...-in-track-making-plus-tips.27180/#post-576243

regarding glitchyness, at the start point of the track and for the first few km, everything shakes a bit, and the digital display on sf-15t flickers and stuff, because the current position is outside the recommended max range (think its 16x16km or something?)

sorry for the vague-ish answers, not made anything like this myself

 

[Phoenix77]

Cheers for the details Chris

Good to know about the collision mesh, I think I heard something about that... It's a good job I don't have any objects that need a collision mesh just yet... Unless someone finds a way of colliding with one of the balloons lol
Will check those posts down the line mate... Thanks
I will probably start adding objects around update 0.4 point probably... so will try and keep things as simple as possible up until that point. Will add the north route just before I add objects so I can test the placements work for both routes... even though I could have separate kn5's for each route... But that'd make the folder size much bigger!

Does the glichyness happen for all cars?... from what I'm finding, cars with harder suspension seem to suffer worse... like on the funky bump near the start. Hopefully the glitchyness will be cured when I separate the road and terrain kn5's. We will see

Maybe I'm just out side the 16x16, not sure though as the road runs pretty much diagonally up the extents of the map area... in other words the road is the hypotenuese with the opposite and adjacent both being 16km if that makes sense! it's 23 - 24 kms long... with quite a bit of meandering... using pythagorean theorem I should be ok with 22.6km. Right that's enough maths for one day (math if you're american lol)

Seriously, thanks for the vague-ish answers... I probably wouldn't have understood if they were less vague lol after all this is the first time I've made anything like this...

 

[AccAkut]

Glitchyness happens for all cars, and is most apparent on the cockpit displays of the more modern cars (Lambos, Ferraris etc which use many layers of mesh very close to each other). Also AWD cars can react more feelable to it (because due to the glitchyness at the wheels torque gets shifted around).

 

[Phoenix77]

Cheers for the info
That's a right pain in the.......
Hopefully there will be a way to sort it out... who knows... we will see...
Anyway, my main aim was to get a track into AC for my own use... anything else is a bonus lol
I must admit I wasn't expecting over 14,000 downloads!

 

[Chris Kennedy]

Perhaps you could make some parking lots inside the 16x16 or whatever, and have an additional version of the track (using the layouts system) with spawn points and start/finish lines inside these limits, so that there is the option of a shorter but zero glitchyness route?

 

[Phoenix77]

Yeah that's a possibility... If I can't find a way to get round the glitchyness... or maybe just move the start/pit boxes a km or so... and also the finish boxes...

I'm hoping there will be a way to get rid of the glitchyness without having to compromise... I'm hoping separating the road to it's own kn5 will do the trick... I've noticed that is how Kunos have done Nords... Landscape mesh in one kn5, road in another kn5, trees in another kn5... etc

It will work, I will make it work... or I will get my hammer out and hit it a few times! lol

And if that doesnt work... I will kick the tyres!

 

[Chris Kennedy]

haha im not sure it can work, i dont think its down to the detials of the track, i think you would get the same on a completely flat plane with no objects

 

[aphidgod]

It's purely down to distance from origin. I don't think there's a workaround. Best you can do is set it up so that 0,0,0 is at the 11.5km point.

 

[guidofoc]

I just love your track, perfect with this Porsche on street tires and no TC.. Great touch the balloons, if you add the sound of seagulls it's perfect!

 

[Phoenix77]

haha im not sure it can work, i dont think its down to the detials of the track, i think you would get the same on a completely flat plane with no objects

No worries Chris... When I get to (probably) v0.4, with the terrain and road done... then I can split the road and terrain into separate kn5's and then I will see what happens... There's obviously a reason Kunos split them with the Nords.

I have tested a few different cars out and the glitchyness is there... up until just before Diamond Rock (the pointy rock)... But I really wouldn't say it's that bad IMO... Maybe you have more of an eye for those graphical things... Which is fair enough. Any FFB things I don't have any issues with... But... It's probably because my ANCIENT wheel doesn't pick up on it... I have the wheel that came with GT3... So until my Charity G29 kickstarter fund happens.... I will be driving in complete ignorant bliss! lol

 

[Phoenix77]

It's purely down to distance from origin. I don't think there's a workaround. Best you can do is set it up so that 0,0,0 is at the 11.5km point.

Ok mate... when I get to v0.4 and split to separate kn5's I will see what's occuring... If it still happens, that's life...

 

[Phoenix77]

I just love your track, perfect with this Porsche on street tires and no TC.. Great touch the balloons, if you add the sound of seagulls it's perfect!

Thanks mate, really glad you're loving the track makes all the work worth it!
Tail happy cars work well on this track because it is mostly made up of fast sweepers... so you can have some really long high speed drifts
Great idea about the sounds... That would certainly add to the feel of the track... Great screenshot too
Hope you keep having fun on it, that's why I decided to upload it so early... as I thought it was already fun

 

[Phoenix77]

Some more skins...

California Highway Patrol - Porsche 991 Carrera S

http://www.racedepartment.com/downloads/porsche-991-california-highway-patrol.12438/

California Highway Patrol - Porsche 918 Spyder

http://www.racedepartment.com/downloads/porsche-918-california-highway-patrol.12444/

California Highway Patrol - Porsche Panamera

http://www.racedepartment.com/downloads/porsche-panamera-california-highway-patrol.12448/

 

[SS454]

what glitchiness are you talking about?

 

[Phoenix77]

what glitchiness are you talking about?

There's a little bit of glitchyness in cockpit view, with some of the cars with screen type dashboards... I hardly noticed it... Until it was pointed out... Maybe that was because I wasn't looking at my instruments and flooring it lol

Also there is a little bit of shaking... Which I just thought was engine rumble up until the section right down by the coast (with the pointy rock) which I have named Diamond Rock in my sections.ini

On an another matter....

If anyone knows about track modding and reads this... I'm looking to add some ambient sounds to the track... I read that you add an AC_AUDIO_1 object to the track model... And put an audio_sources.ini in the tracks data folder... and reference the object... and the relevant .WAV in the sfx folder that you want to trigger. This doesn't work, I'm guessing because the object needs to be AC_AUDIO_Somethingelse?

Just to keep you up to date... I'm currently modelling a few objects in MAX ready to put in, when the road/terrain's as near done as I can get it
It's slow going, as my modelling skills leave a bit to be desired... But I'm starting to get the hang of it.
All I will say... Is... I will be able to put some of these objects in... Because they're someway away from the road lol

 

[Phoenix77]

Coming soon

Will work on the textures more for another version... But here are some placeholders for the next version.

I now have 34 different US road signs to choose from...
Which will also help when I come to pick up another project that I started
at the same time as this track... Also my 3D skills are improving.. After some mucking about with texture issues and not baking some models.... And unit issues lol

A 1.8cm high road sign really wouldn't have been much use! lol

Also if anyone is experiencing a lack of FFB detail... When the road / terrain are 100% where I want them... I will be cloning the visual road mesh... Sub dividing the visual mesh and adding noise to it... So it will be coming later.... But not until it's done... Most things on this track are placeholders at the moment... I will be switching them for the main things as I work out the best work flow.

I'm also looking into FAR better shaders... Seeing as the track is called Pacific Coast... There is a large element of this track that needs to have... A bit of shine lol

 

[Phoenix77]

When I get to add the North route in... I am thinking about putting in various... Practice Mode Layout variations for South and North layouts...

For example...

Interceptor Layout
A layout with 12 pit boxes in the North and 12 pit boxes in the South
Pit boxes will be numbered so the 1st 12 players into the server can choose to Getaway... The next 12 players can choose Police
Roadblock Layout
A layout with 10 pit boxes in the North and 10 pit boxes in the South
4 pit boxes nearer the Middle of the track
Pit boxes will be numbered as follows
1 -10 Getaway in the North... 11-20 Police in the South... 21-24 Police nearer the middle of the map (For SUVS)
The Getaway Layout
A layout with 8 pit boxes in the North (Police) 8 pit boxes in the South (Police)
And 8 pit boxes in the middle of the Map... Getaway drivers
Pit boxes will be numbered as follows
1 -8 Police in the North... 9-16 Police in the South... 17-24 Getaway in the middle of the map.

If the server wants the reverse variations on these 3 layouts... Just tell the 1st players who join to be the Police or Getaway... the opposite as before

What do you think, worth doing?

That'd make 5 or 6 layouts

Plus having 12 players start in the North and 12 players start in the South... You can have oncoming traffic

 

[Germain Entete]

Promising track!
To enhance the "chase" aspect, did you consider setting up 2 pits, distants from 100 yards each other?

So that on a MP session, a car exiting the pit in the front can wait on his line for a police/interceptor car showing up in the mirror from the 2nd pit in the back, and then launch the chase immediately

The goal for the chased car would be reaching the other side of the track without being catched up
= pushed into the sea by the chaser

No fences obviously