TGM tires, and ply placement

Truth be told, my last post on the rF2 tire model a while ago was written in frustration. Looking back on it, I do stand by everything I said, but I'm back to trying to work with it. I have absolutely no in engine results yet, but I have got some nice findings in the construction. Notably in the ply distribution.

Suspension design - Applying to rFactor

Suspension design's a deceptive thing. There's some very basic principals at work, but some of them don't really show unless you're looking for them. At a first glance, the PM files in rFactor look pretty simple, and I'd say they are very simple (though I'll be going over them anyway just to make sure everything's clear).

I'll try to quickly go over the main details to keep in mind during suspension details. This is written primarily for use with rFactor. I think the functionality is pretty much the same in GTR2, GTL, GSC, Race 07, etc. and to some extent, rF2 aswell, but there may be some differences I haven't mentioned here.

rFactor 2 and the new tire model - First impressions

It's generally accepted that one of the most important elements (if not, the most important element) in any racing sim is the tire simulation. People often say the ultimate performance of a car comes down to what's going on with the contact patches in each corner, which is what makes simulating them well so important.

I can't deny that in terms of technical comprehensiveness, the tire model in rFactor 2 is much more comprehensive than it is in rFactor 1. And I have learned a lot from it, it's been fascinating to work with. But it seems inappropriate for modders.

Modelling tires in rFactor

This is an idea I've been throwing around in my head lately, whereby characteristics are designed for individual tire compounds, and then transferred to different tire sizes.

Parameters in the TBC file like Heating and WearRate maintain what the average is around the full circumference of the tire. The heating parameter controls the effect of rolling and friction on the average temperature all the way around the tire, and the same applies to wear rate.

But tires of different measurements will have different surface areas. More rubber mass on the tire, more mass to heat up, and more mass to shave off when wearing the tire down. So, a larger tire of our compound will wear down slower and heat up slower than a tire of the same compound but smaller size, right?

Cover systems in video games

Cover systems are typically met with mixed responses. The video games industry seems to love them, while audiences meet them with mixed feelings. Chances are if you've played an action game lately, you'll have played one where there's a context sensitive button to hide behind some object. A lot of people seem to find it frustrating, asking whether it was worth having in the first place. I personally think so, and to see why, we need to take a broader look!