GTR Q&A With SIMBIN’s Ian Bell

Questions were submitted in the RSC forum after the initial idea by Fremmed.

ZeeDD: Which version of ISI engine has been used for GTR and did you make some changes in it?

ISI-Gmotor1.0 engine. And yes, there has been quite a number modifications to the base engine, in all areas of the game (graphics, physics, multiplayer, AI, etc). Most of these are done specifically to accommodate the type of cars and racing style that we’re simulating.

rebelrocker: What is the SBDT AB lap record on spa?

Oh… 2:09s with the Press demo physics I think, but we don’t have any time to actually play the game!

F@st: Is there really going to be a multiplayer demo with a porsche?

This is something we might consider after the release of GTR. Right now, we’re spending all our energies on completing the game. We had a full grid Porsche multiplayer demo done for E3, but even that is now thoroughly outdated by the improvements that we’re implementing on a day to day basis.

Mad-Cap: Will there be an advanced damage-system in the final GTR? (due to curbs. Losing liquids, motor/gearbox failures)

Yes, there are some new aspects of damage added in. Things that will make using the severe gear down-shifting to help braking won’t be possible if you want your engine to last more than a few laps. The rev limit is also in there and you trade off engine lifetime against that. There’s also vertex based damage for the car body, flat tyres and much more.

Mad-Cap: How many people with different connecting speeds will be possible without any problems on a dedicated server?

We have had 14 on a standard cable connection, from all over the world – some with dialup and it was great racing. The dedicated servers will be much better.

We ran one test with a non-dedicated server sitting on a 56k connection in South Africa, and 6 other players connecting to it from all over the world, with connections ranging from 56k to ADSL. We were able to run a race session without any problems on this setup. Since then, the multiplayer code has been further optimised, and is continually being finetuned.

Mad-Cap: Will there be any final changes on the physics or tracks to make the lap-times more realistic?

The press demo is an old build… The physics have had 3 iterative improvements since. Other issues that now comes into play, are things like more accurate marble-build-up, grip variations during a racing session, etc. All issues that real-life drives have to content with, and now so will all ye virtual racers.

inthemix: Will there be a save feature for the 24 hour race at Spa?

In a sense… Without giving away too much at this stage, I’ll simply say that you will be able to continue where you left off without losing your position

inthemix: Will there be full course yellow flags, with us following the pace car?

Yes.

Fremmed: Will the Live Track feature effect the creation of 3rd party tracks, and if so, how?

It’s all in the code so shouldn’t represent an insurmountable problem.

Mad-Cap: Will the “GTR – Live Track Technology” work online (via internet)?

Yes.

ZeeDD: How will GTR be released? Via CD/DVD?

Double CD is looking likely.

ZeeDD: Who will publish GTR?

Publishers.

Es Nes: Will the FIA SCC cars from the 2003 Spa race be included?

We have some quirks in licensing but there will be some specific 24 hour only cars in the release. We also have an interesting ‘Added Value’ plan for customers with a proper serial number and they can register and download some additional cars free of charge from our portal. What we can tell you, is that we’re doing all we can to include as many cars as possible from the 2003 Spa race. At the very least, you will have a substantial selection of cars available specific to the 2003 Spa race.

Karsten Borchers: Will it be possible to make driver changes in online races, and how will it work?

Yes… It should be easy and intuitive. This is indeed one of the areas that we’ve spent a good amount of resources on, and have made substantial progress in making this as easy/transparent as possible.

BlackJack1301: Will there be AI in multiplayer modes?

Time allowing we would like this in for this product. It does throw up a multitude of issues though.

BlackJack1301: What will you be able to fix in the pits, any key components like gearboxes, worn brakes etc?

The pit system is fully interactive, you have a lot of control over what to fix as a trade-off against time spent sitting still and faster laptimes. All that, and driver change as well.

Shoe: How did e3 go?

It was fantastic. The response and reaction was extremely positive. Some major publishers stated it was ‘THE game of E3’. Working so closely with the game on a day-to-day basis, one tends to lose objectivity, and it’s nice to see it again for the first time, through someone else’s eyes. We had some key industry players visiting our stand again and again, spending several hours altogether at the display. E3 being what it is, that says a LOT. We were especially proud to be invited by NVidia to be part of their exposition.

Shoe: Will there be any reading material included? Setup/driving tips?

Yes, but not massively in-depth inside the case. We are working on a comprehensive book that should be available after release as an addition to the manual shipped with the game.

McKafre: Will 24 hour races be possible in all tracks or only Spa?

Only Spa. You will be able to race at least some of the other tracks at different times of day though.

McKafre: Will dirt on the windshield depend on traffic? If the car infront has an oil leak etc?

It’s time-based and cumulative. And it no longer builds up under paused games.

McKafre: Will the Live track depend on where the cars are passing in game or will only affect “the ideal line” developers setup? ie: Can you clean your side of the grid for the start etc?

We’re still tweaking the functionality and degree to which all the variables are exposed to the player. Seasoned racers will notice many many subtle nuances in there… but I don’t want to give them all away as it spoils the surprise.

We are in fact very excited to see the racing community “discover” all that this technology brings to the table.

Karsten Borchers: What about dedicated server requirement. How powerfull for how many clients?

Dedicated server (hardware) tests are underway now. We’ll have more on this soon.

Karsten Borchers: Do you have an estimate on bandwith usage?

As above (sorry).

Karsten Borchers: Will there be a race result export feature, so that you at any given point, can export the current standings in a race/practise/qualifying? Goes for both online and offline.

Yes, and a comprehensive interface and portal facility. We are spending a good amount of time on making this information as user-friendly/usable as what we can.

Karsten Borchers: What changes have been made to the replay system? (ie can you skip back into previous sessions etc, or just view the last 30s or whatever)

We have a lot more functionality exposed to the user now in the on-screen buttons. We have a number of improvements over the stock replay system in place. For example, more and better control over replays, better camera work (more organic), etc.

Hubert January: Is the multiplayer client/host system built into the game, or via gamespy etc?

It’ll be a home-built solution. I think we can safely say that we have some of the most talented/respected people in the industry working on our own proprietary system.

Hubert January: Would it be possible for another player to see telemetry from my car during a track session?

Much more than that all being well.

Hubert January: What kind of server commands can we expect for dedicated hosting? e.g. “kick”, “ban”, awarding black flags etc.

Kick. ban, force no aids, force certain aids only, force cockpit view and much more.

Exar Kun: Will tyre management be included: i.e. only being able to use allocated sets of tyres in each session as per the FIA rules?

Yes.

Tommy Trauma: Will we be able to add tracks from F1C, or will the track makers have to do them all over again?

No. The 3d format is incompatible with any competitor’s product.

STam: Which month is GTR most likely to be released, July, August, Spetember, October?

Definitely one of those. The latter being most likely.

STam: What has/will be done for wet weather? Have reflections to track surface, rain drops on windscreen or wipers been added? And has the non realistic trail behind tyres been removed and or improved?

Wet weather racing is still being coded. We are making it as realistic as what the technology base will allow us.

What is final is the physics end which we’ve worked hard on to ensure the driving experience is as realistic as possible.

STam: Will the sky change smoothly or abruptly depending on time of day/weather?

There is a smooth transition to wet from dry and vice versa. At this stage, the time of day is preset. Technology and time limitations will probably see us doing fully dynamic time events in the next product.

STam: Can we expect to see a situation where it’s sunny, the clouds come over, it gets darker 7.00pm, there’s some light rain, track gets wet, stops raining, clouds clear, there’s a sun setting, shadows are darker and longer, a dry racing line appears, its very dark and race finish? Can we have an option to set the probabilty of rain?

Not in this product.

HumanCargo: Will there be support for ivibe Tactile Feedback? I would guess the question should be, will you allow information needed by the creator of this product to support gtr? or are you working with him?

We’re open to supporting the widest range of peripherals possible. We haven’t worked on this yet though.

DexterPunk: Is there much work being done to try an combat cheats? what sort of anti cheat methods would be used?

Lots. Cheating will be extremely difficult and easily detected if anyone manages to slip something sneaky in.

DexterPunk: If modding turns out to not be an option, will SBDT consider releasing their own updates? (eg more tracks, cars, seasons, etc etc)

Some of this is planned as part of our ‘Added Value’ scheme. Registered customers will receive free downloads. I suggest waiting until GTR is released, then crossing that bridge. Either way, we will be doing official, free releases/add-on modules for registered customers.

KO-Virus: Will be dedicated server support LINUX?

No final decision on this yet.

KO-Virus: How is GTR and SIMBIN financially supported? Is it coming from their own pockets?

We couldn’t possibly pay the costs of developing this game from our own pockets.

KO-Virus: Will SIMBIN continue to work with the community after the game’s release?

We have big plans for a dedicated portal with lots of extras for registered members. Specifically, we are planning some interesting things for the community, who by definition will be those who are legally registered through the dedicated portal. We can’t get into much detail at this point in time, but can tell you that you won’t be disappointed to be a registered portal member.

KO-Virus: Do SIMBIN have any other surprises for use like LiveTrack?

Yes. Just watch this space.

cpd: Recommended retail price?

The normal AAA product price.

cpd: Modding – if it is possible, then what applications will be needed, for example, any of the ones on the following list:
– Z-Modeller 1.07
– Z-Modeller 2
– 3D Studio Max 4.x or higher
– Maya
– Lightwave

If it’s possible then Zmodeller would be handy, as would any paint program …and Windows. XP would be best.

cpd: Will modding be possible only through special arrangement with SBDT, or will it be free for all to mod?

Given the nature of our licenses, we are unable to support modding to the extent we would like if all our assets were generic.

Mad-Cap: Is it possible to change the slider for the seat-position to an even more realistic level (height!)?

There is complete control over seat position, live and dynamic forward-backwards, up and down in-game. The dynamic seat adjustments via mouse/keyboard works around a per-car offset. This will be set to be as realistic as possible in the final product. One bragging point you will have, is that you own the simulation with the most accurate seat adjustments ever.

Mad-Cap: Is it only a rumor or has GTR once more been delayed for a release in fall 2004?

We are aiming to finish it as soon as possible. The operative term being ‘finish’.

Until such time as an official announcement is made that changes our current official announcement, you would be well advised to consider any other information as rumor. We are working as hard and fast as we can to get the ‘finished’ game in your hands as soon as possible.

Boxer: Do you have any plans for add-ons at this early stage? i.e. the 2004 season?

The 2004 season will most likely be simulated in a future product. It’s important that we have all the data from the cars telemetry systems as they raced on the circuits to ensure the simulation is accurate. Apart from the 2004 season, we do intend to have add-ons available to registered members. This will include cars, tracks, and other goodies.

Boxer: How has Simbin being finding this experience? Enjoying the ride?

We’re all loving it. We are privileged to be part of two extremely dynamic and exciting industries (racing and gaming), and to bring the two together into one product is an amazing experience. We have the opportunity to work together with highly skilled people, both in the racing, and in the gaming industry space. What is there not to enjoy? Oh, the E3 booth girls. Yea, bit boring this year…

Plato: Will it be possible to drive all the cars from the real GT championship, if so will they all have their own physics, and potential laptimes?

Yes and yes. Each car under AI control will react and behave based on the racing personality/performance of the real-life driver assigned to that car. This extends to all areas of the race, including qualification.

Plato: I saw Doug Arnao is in the simbin team, will he include his own compettetive setups, next to the standard setups, in the game?

Yes.

Plato: Did you guys do many races against each other yet?

We’ve had a few big meets mainly for testing purposes. The beta guys are at it constantly though.

Mikkel: I’d like to know more about leagues and championships… are SBDT planning any official league/Championships?

We have something planned here that will make the covers of every gaming mag on earth.

Mikkel: Would SBDT be interested in teaming up with … say e.g. RSC … to create a “world league” of sorts?

We’re open to any good idea… We’re easily bribed.

Mamsa: Are there gonna be different levels of AI drivers?

Yes. There are some new things modelled in the AI to take into account the psyche of the driver based on time racing and on his position in the race. We’re particularly excited about the AI for GTR. One of my favourite “testing methodologies” is to start a racing session with a full grid of cars, enable in-car music, give my AI team-mate control of the car, switch to trackside cams, and watch the AI going at each other. They get up to some very human like manoeuvres, including making mistakes.

Mamsa: Do AI make mistakes also?

Yes, and it’s great fun watching them full-on opposite lock and hear them playing with the throttle in an attempt to gather it all up.

Lobsang: Will there be some sort of multiplayer championship mode? (As in the brilliant Gp500) (Allowing you to race a 10% season in one day, or full distance over a long period)

Yes.

Lobsang: And, if so, will you be able to save multiplayer or online championship status for a later date?

We’re still working on this end, but that is something we are aiming for.

Lobsang:Will there be an Official hotlapping site (Ala GTR Rank), and will the hotlapping system be made bulletproof with very stringent line and cheat checking?

Yes and yes, we’ll do everything humanly possible to curb cheating, and to keep it fair, open, and exciting.

Lobsang: Will keyboard drivers using steering aids be able to unfairly drive faster than a very skilled driver, or will they (Theorectically) be able to go just as fast and be on an even playing field?

The keyboard drivers should be slower even with all aids on. Even if they somehow manage to go faster, they will automatically be categorized in a different group, based on aids used.

Lobsang:Will it be COMPLETELY obvious if it changes to wet weather before the race and will you be able to have a wet setup that would be loaded automtically?

You need to choose your setup at present. But that’s a good idea…

AlphaGeek: Will track temperature vary throughout the course based on geography and weather? (i.e. shade trees, hills, wind, clouds, etc…)

No, there’s ambient and track temperature applied throughout.

AlphaGeek: Will GTR be available for online purchase and download?

Yes, online and traditional retailers (brick and mortar) at this stage.

AlphaGeek: Any chance of dual-screen support for viewing synchronized replays and Motec?

Nothing definite either way on this yet.

InCogNito: will it be possible to see informations like speed, gear or even acceleration in the replays?

This is all available in the motec telemetry files. Again, for in-game replays, nothing definite yet.

Sel: I would like to know if we could have a ghost car to race against?

There are some copyright issues associated with ghost racing. It’s something we would have liked to have in there. Some wise soul took out a patent on ghost racing. We’ve been looking at this quite extensively, and is definitely something we’re aiming to eventually have. Next product though…

BlueRocket: Will there be a way to “force” no driving aids, cockpit view, etc.

For multiplayer, yes. In single player, we can’t stop you from hitting the function keys.

Metalstar: In multiplayer races, will you be able to change drivers during a race?

Wouldn’t be GT racing without that… that, and so much more.