Well someone’s been busy. Today, iRacing released their Season 2 2014 Build and what a build it is. First the content. Circuit of the Americas (COTA), Lucas Oil Raceway Park (LORP), Gen-6 NASCAR Toyota Camry and BMW Z4 GT3 join the sim. As for updates, the user interface now allows you to move the “black boxes” and a tweak a few other things. Traction control and paintable rims show up on some of the cars. Almost every car receives some sort of physics update with the Riley MkXX Daytona Prototype and Star Mazda receiving “overhauled” physics. The oval cars received stronger wheels to reduce damage from minor wall contact. New tracks, COTA and LORP, get animated trackside characters in the spectator areas, a first for the sim.
Overall, one of the heavier builds in iRacing’s history. Check out the release notes in their entirety below:
Season 2 2014 Build
User Interface
- Both the replay and driving screens now have user interfaces where elements can be moved around. Not all elements can be moved, but most can. Press alt-k to activate the UI edit mode, any object that can be moved will then be highlighted with a blue background. Simply use your mouse to drag the object around and then hit alt-k again to exit edit mode and permanently save the positions. Some elements are laid out relative to other elements, for example the delta time windows depend on the vertical location of the virtual mirror, so if you move the virtual mirror then the delta time bar will move as well. Just be sure to move the parent element first then the child, if you want to precisely place everything.
- By default you can only move elements that are currently visible on the display, but if you set app.ini [Graphics] forceVisibleWhenMove=1 then all movable elements will become visible when you enter the UI edit mode.
- If you are using a triple screen setup and you want to move the UI elements onto your side displays you can now turn off the code that restricts the UI to just the center monitor. In app.ini [Graphics] set DriveUIFullScreen=1 to allow the driving UI to span all three monitors and set SessionUIFullScreen=1 to allow the replay screen to span to all three monitors.
- The delta bar can now be hidden when using the ghost car or delta time feature, just set app.ini [SplitDeltas] deltaBarHideBar=1.
- You can now increase the level of transparency of the background of the UI in both the driving and replay screens. Set app.ini [graphics] SessionUITransparency=1.0 or DriveUITransparency=1.0 to a value less than 1.0 to increase the transparency of the replay and driving user interface and set it to a value greater than one to decrease the transparency so the UI is easier to view (in some limited cases).
- Fixed a bug with the delta time bar where the reported time could get cutoff if it jumped over 1 minute.
Camera
- We have added in support for editable driving cameras; think of it as having an adjustable seat position. You can now bring up the camera tool and edit the driving camera just like any other camera. You will be limited to the same range of motion that the TrackIR device is limited to (a couple inches in all directions). Note that this is not cumulative. Moving the camera up to the limit will stop TrackIR from being able to move up. The driving field of view and VanishY are not currently adjustable on a per car basis, instead they are still written out to the app.ini like always so that your FOV is shared between all cars.
- We have added in two new wheel cameras to complete the set, bringing the total number of editable on car cameras to nine.
- We have opened up the camera tool to support 179 deg FOV’s, even if most cameras can’t go past 160 without a triple monitor setup.
- There is a known bug where changing the FOV while driving and then editing the FOV from within the camera tool can cause the FOV set while driving to be lost, reverting back to the original FOV when the session was started.
- We have opened up TrackIR head motion a bit in order to improve compatibility with the Oculus Rift. Using the TrackIR with the original Rift is a nice experience, if you can get it to work. The trick is to start up a Rift demo before starting up the TrackIR software so that the TrackIR software does not attach to the Rift head tracking sensors. Once the TrackIR software is up and running you can launch iRacing at any time and everything will work until you restart the TrackIR software (until you reboot the computer).
Brass Monkey Support
- We are now utilizing the Brass Monkey engine playbrassmonkey.com/ to provide integration between your tablet or smart phone and iRacing. By downloading the Brass Monkey client from your app store you can now use your tablet or phone as a digital dash or even as a driving controller. Simply launch the Brass Monkey client on your phone, and click the iRacing link once the simulator is up and running. Tapping the steering wheel or HUD icon in the upper left will allow you to switch between displays. The app.ini key [Brass Monkey] BMAllowDrive=1 allows you to enable or shut off the driving controls.
1) Install Brass Monkey client on your phone or tablet.
2) Launch Brass Monkey client on your phone or tablet.
3) Start the iRacing simulator (not the website).
4) Click the iRacing link on the Brass Monkey client to connect.
5) Click the steering wheel or HUD icon in the upper right hand side to switch between a heads up display and driving controls.
6) If you can’t make this work, double check that your phone is on the same wi-fi network as your computer.
Spotter
- Updated the TJ and Steve spotter pack with new samples.
Controls
- Turned down our rejection of noisy axis so that joysticks that only use a tiny fraction of their available range still work.
- Fixed a bug that caused the bump stops to be applied backwards when inverting the force feedback forces with an app.ini switch.
- Added in a new experimental ‘friction’ damper to the sim. This provides a small amount of resistance to wheel motion no matter how slow or fast you move the wheel, creating a sense of weight on your wheel. This works best on lower end wheels. To use this change app.ini [Force Feedback] steeringDampingMaxPercent=0.0 to a value between 0.05 and 0.30 depending on how much weight you want to add to the wheel. If this becomes unstable then adjust app.ini [Force Feedback] steeringDampingFactor=0.10 to a smaller value, but you should not need to adjust this at all.
- Make the traction control controls available for assignment.
- Added look up and look down controls.
Telemetry
- Write traction control state to telemetry as “dcTractionControlToggle”. Note that this is the real in car traction control for cars that have it, and not the driving aid.
- We no longer expose the ghost car information to telemetry.
- In order to better support synchronizing disk based telemetry with live telemetry we have added the following features: A new broadcast commands to turn telemetry on/off and to start a new file so an external application can control the telemetry. A new telemetry status output “IsDiskLoggingEnabled” and “IsDiskLoggingActive” to indicate that telemetry is enabled and if a file is actively being written to disk, and a new session string parameter “TelemetryOptions:TelemetryDiskFile:” that provides the full path to the current telemetry file so you can locate and parse it in when it is finished being written. Using these, along with the session time parameter you should be able to easily merge both data sets together after the disk based telemetry gets written out.
Garage
- You can now switch from English to metric units inside the garage with a checkbox.
Race Control
- At tracks that have an extended start line (Suzuka, Spa, Bathurst) the leader of the second pacing line will no longer be restricted from passing the race leader until the end of the entire first lap. Now that restriction correctly only applies until passing the start line.
Cars:
Shifting
- Fix problems where cars with a fully computer controlled gearbox get stuck in neutral if the clutch is disengaged while downshifting.
Pit Crew
- Pit crew’s helmets now get their color from the pit crewman’s suit instead of from the driver’s helmet.
Wheel Color
- You can now change the color of the wheels on the BMW Z4 GT3, Chevrolet Impala Class B, Chevrolet Impala-COT, Chevrolet National Impala, Chevrolet Silverado, Chevrolet SS-Gen6, Ford Fusion-Gen6, Ford Mustang Class B, McLaren MP4-12C GT3, Ruf RT 12R AWD, Ruf RT 12R C-Spec, Ruf RT 12R RWD, Ruf RT 12R Track Super Late Model, Toyota Camry-Gen6.
Toyota Camry
- Now available for purchase!
BMW Z4 GT3
- Now available for purchase!
- Features:
· Wheels can be custom colored.
· 4-way adjustable shocks, low and high speed bump and rebound.
· Adjustable traction control. Traction control can also be disabled for 5 seconds via the new traction control toggle control.
· Has a new layer of backfire and crackle sound for traction control / rev limiter / pit limiter / up shift ignition cut.
Cadillac CTS-V Racecar
- Added adjustable traction control. Traction control can also be disabled for 5 seconds via the new traction control toggle control.
- Has a new layer of backfire and crackle sound for traction control / rev limiter / pit limiter / up shift ignition cut.
- Now has ABS.
Chevrolet Corvette C6R
- Added adjustable traction control. Traction control can also be disabled for 5 seconds via the new traction control toggle control.
- Has a new layer of backfire and crackle sound for traction control / rev limiter / pit limiter / up shift ignition cut.
- Fixed caster to about 9.5 degrees.
- Re-measured the C6R front anti-roll bar thickness; it is softer now.
- Updated power steering setting.
- Pit crew now references proper texture for helmets.
Chevrolet Impala Class B
- Wheels can be custom colored.
- Updated tires to latest version of NTM v5.
- Updated aerodynamics.
- Tape is now adjustable in 1% increments.
- Increased strength of wheels so they don’t damage so easily when brushing the wall.
Chevrolet Impala-COT
- Wheels can be custom colored.
- Updated tires to latest version of NTM v5.
- Updated aerodynamics.
- Tape is now adjustable in 1% increments.
- Increased strength of wheels so they don’t damage so easily when brushing the wall.
Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS
- Improvements made to reduce inside wheel pickup.
- Increased strength of wheels so they don’t damage so easily when brushing the wall.
Chevrolet National Impala
- Wheels can be custom colored.
- Updated tires to latest version of NTM v5.
- Updated aerodynamics.
- Increased strength of wheels so they don’t damage so easily when brushing the wall.
Chevrolet Silverado
- Wheels can be custom colored.
- Updated tires to latest version of NTM v5.
- Updated aerodynamics.
- Increased strength of wheels so they don’t damage so easily when brushing the wall.
Chevrolet SS-Gen6
- Wheels can be custom colored.
- Updated tires to latest version of NTM v5.
- Updated aerodynamics.
- Tape is now adjustable in 1% increments.
- Increased strength of wheels so they don’t damage so easily when brushing the wall.
- New spoiler added.
- Contingency decals updated to 2014 season.
Dallara IndyCar
- Slow down jack-drop to reduce chance of damaging car as it hits the ground.
- Has a new layer of backfire and crackle sound for traction control / rev limiter / pit limiter / up shift ignition cut.
Ford Fusion-Gen6
- Wheels can be custom colored.
- Updated tires to latest version of NTM v5.
- Updated aerodynamics.
- Tape is now adjustable in 1% increments.
- Increased strength of wheels so they don’t damage so easily when brushing the wall.
- New spoiler added.
- Contingency decals updated to 2014 season.
Ford GT
- Added adjustable traction control. Traction control can also be turned on or off via the new traction control toggle control.
- Has a new layer of backfire and crackle sound for traction control / rev limiter / pit limiter / up shift ignition cut.
Ford Mustang Class B
- Wheels can be custom colored.
- Updated tires to latest version of NTM v5.
- Updated aerodynamics.
- Tape is now adjustable in 1% increments.
- Increased strength of wheels so they don’t damage so easily when brushing the wall.
HPD ARX-01c
- Updated tires to latest version of NTM v5.
- Updated aerodynamics.
- Added adjustable traction control. Traction control can also be disabled for 5 seconds via the new traction control toggle control.
- Slow down jack-drop to reduce chance of damaging car as it hits the ground.
Lotus 79
- Slow down jack-drop to reduce chance of damaging car as it hits the ground.
McLaren MP4-12C GT3
- Wheels can be custom colored.
- Added adjustable traction control. Traction control can also be disabled for 5 seconds via the new traction control toggle control.
- Updated engine sounds with new distant external sounds.
- Has a new layer of backfire and crackle sound for traction control / rev limiter / pit limiter / up shift ignition cut.
- Now has 4-way adjustable shocks, low and high speed bump and rebound.
- Re-measured the anti-roll bars; they are softer now.
- Generally improved the car’s handling over bumps and curbs.
Radical SR8
- Added dive planes for more front downforce.
- Updated the differential, only the preload is adjustable.
Riley MkXX Daytona Prototype
- Overhauled the car physics.
- Updated tires to latest version of NTM v5.
- Updated aerodynamics.
- Updated the differential; only the preload is adjustable.
- Updated garage layout.
Ruf RT 12R AWD
- Wheels can be custom colored.
- More aero stability for very high speed corners.
Ruf RT 12R C-Spec
- Wheels can be custom colored.
- Has a new layer of backfire and crackle sound for traction control / rev limiter / pit limiter / up shift ignition cut.
- Updated brake system to use pressure-based bias.
Ruf RT 12R RWD
- Wheels can be custom colored.
- More aero stability for very high speed corners.
Ruf RT 12R Track
- Wheels can be custom colored.
- Added adjustable traction control. Traction control can also be disabled for 5 seconds via the new traction control toggle control.
- Has a new layer of backfire and crackle sound for traction control / rev limiter / pit limiter / up shift ignition cut.
- Updated brake system to use pressure-based bias.
- Increased low end torque.
Star Mazda
- Overhauled the car physics.
- Updated tires to latest version of NTM v5.
- Updated aerodynamics.
- Updated suspension geometry.
- Updated engine.
- Updated gear ratios.
- Updated brake system to use pressure-based bias.
- Now has 4-way adjustable shocks, low and high speed bump and rebound.
- Slow down jack-drop to reduce chance of damaging car as it hits the ground.
Street Stock
- Increased strength of wheels so they don’t damage so easily when brushing the wall.
Super Late Model
- Improvements made to reduce inside wheel pickup.
- Increased strength of wheels so they don’t damage so easily when brushing the wall.
VW Jetta TDI Cup
- Fuel is now adjustable.
Williams-Toyota FW31
- Has an updated layer of backfire and crackle sound for traction control / rev limiter / pit limiter / up shift ignition cut.
- Fix ranges on differential settings so that 1-20 shows up in sim.
- Updated damper curves.
- Heaving spring preload limit increased from 3.5mm to 5mm.
- Slow down jack-drop to reduce chance of damaging car as it hits the ground.
Tracks:
Animation
- Animated trackside characters added to spectator areas at Circuit of the Americas and Lucas Oil Raceway. These characters will appear if shaders are enabled, Crowds are set to low or higher, Grandstands are set to low or higher, and Object Detail is set to high.
Circuit of the Americas
- Now available for purchase!
Lucas Oil Raceway
- Now available for purchase!
Auto Club Speedway
- Scoring issue fixed at the Competition configuration.
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
- The GP Pits configuration mistakenly had a different 1x configuration than the other configurations. It is now the same as the other two.
- A wall has been constructed joining the upper and lower pits when running the Endurance configuration.
Long Beach Street Circuit
- Brake markers added.
Mount Panorama Circuit
- Brake markers added.
- Several surface issues fixed.
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
- Fixed an issue where a car would visually sink into the surface in Turn 2 and Turns 3 and 4.
Okayama International Circuit
- 0x issue fixed in the area where the configurations join.
Phillip Island
- Moved pit road exit to the nearer exit. No longer uses the narrow exit road.
Road America
- Extended the yellow pit exit line.
Watkins Glen International
- Edited grass normal map textures to remove noise and make them more like our other tracks.
