It's December already! After a tough year for everyone and while we brace for what seems to be some additional months of the same thing, we hope you will spend a good holiday season in good health and spirit and that you're keeping yourself and your relatives safe.
This month of December is a traditional break in community leagues and esport competitions and today is the day we can squeeze in between two competitions from RaceRoom Asia to push all the nice things we have been working on for the last months.
Let's start with content releases: the current generation of the Audi Sport Customer Racing lineup is now available! The Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO is here of course, along with a wide selection of liveries. We're also adding the Audi R8 LMS GT2 as well as the brand new version of the GT4. Lots of liveries were expected this season, but due to the circumstances that you know, there were not many real life liveries for us to add. We will make sure to bring out liveries throughout the 2021 season (hopefully there will be one...).
From Volkswagen, you can finally enjoy the record breaking ID. R as well as the legendary 1976 Scirocco Group 2. Both are exhilarating cars to drive and race!
After the release of Daytona earlier this year, we're excited to bring out our second NASCAR licensed venue: The Glen! With its four layouts, Watkins Glen International ticks one more item from the list of the community's most requested tracks.
When it comes to most requested, nothing will ever top the Grand Prix layout of Brands Hatch. We are happy to finally release it! (even though we can't help but feeling a bit sad about killing a meme) Thankfully everyone can now move on to wishing for the Indy Reverse layout!
The only way we could bring the GP layout to you was to separate Indy and Grand Prix (much like we had done for Nordschleife and the Nuerburgring). However, you can grab the Grand Prix layout at a 50% discount that will run until the 25th December at midnight CET.
Physics engine - Added support for engine maps. Cars featuring these will have special settings in the car setup menu. Control bindings are also added to alter the map from inside the cockpit, which not all cars support.
Physics engine - Added support for modifying the amount of Engine Braking from the car setup.
Physics engine - Added support for throttle maps. Those are not tweakable in car setup but are specific to each car.
Physics engine - Revamp of the turbo simulation for better realism of spool / throttle management.
Nissan Skyline (Touring Classics) has 2 engine maps
P1
P2
Mercedes DTM 2003 and 2005
Volkswagen ID.R
Dedicated server:
Added “Skip Qualifying” option. If this is enabled, the server will fetch leaderboard laptimes of all connected players for the current track layout and the performance index of the car they’re driving. The starting grid of the race will be defined by those lap times.
Added “Prevent false start” option. If set to off, players will be able to jump the start of the race and receive a penalty for doing so.
Added support for race duration in laps.
Added an option for rolling or standing starts for each race session. A rolling start is right now still AI controlled, but we aim for human control rolling starts in 2021.
Changelog:
New replay menu
Spectator - New data is available through the API. All changes are listed on the github page.
New data in shared memory API for Traction Control level, Engine Map and Engine Braking settings.
Unification of cut detections between the reputation system and the cut corridors. Previously, an incident point for an off-track would not always result in the invalidation of the lap.
Added a key bind to override traction control and allow for that quick 180 recovery from a spin.
Pitstops - WTCR car classes are now using the same pitstop timers as the GT4 car class.
Physics - Tweaks to behaviour of gravel and grass.
Physics - WTCR car classes now make use of the Anti-Lag System that had been developed for DTM 2020.
Physics - Fixed tyre pressure that wasn’t being set properly on preheated tyres which affected leaderboards.
Physics - Launch control logic change where it will now disengage when upshifting from 1st gear.
Sounds - ALS sound effects added to WTCR cars
Sounds - New external sounds for the Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR (18&19)
Sounds - New external sounds for the Radical SR9 AER
Sounds - Improved external sounds of the BMW M4 DTM 2020
Sounds - Improved external sounds of the Peugeot 308 TCR
Sounds - Improved cockpit and external sounds of the Porsche 962C
Sounds - Improved external sounds of the Porsche 911 GT2 RS Clubsport
Sounds - New cockpit sounds recording for the Audi RS 5 DTM 2020
Sounds - New cockpit sounds recording for the Chevrolet Dekon Monza
AI - Countless tweaks and improvements to AI behaviour and their racelines around tracks
Added support for 32:9 monitor ratios
Art - Bathurst updated to 2020 specs
Art - Imola updated to 2020 specs
Art - Portimao updated to 2020 specs
Art - Oschersleben - Added a missing brake marker at turn 1 and a bump in the road that was missing after turn 3.
Added support for manual inlaps at the end of the race session. This option is currently accessible through Gameplay Settings, but we eventually plan to make it a server option just like driving assists so it can be forced on or off.
Dedicated server - Fixed scheduling of one-time events (no repetition) that could sometimes not spawn
Laguna Seca - Updated to 2020 specs
Tweaks to AI behaviour and/or corridors at Spa-Francorchamps, Lausitzring, Mid-Ohio (fixed cutting through pitlane in turn 1), Red Bull Ring. Leaderboards were cleared where necessary.
Default controller profile added for Logitech G923
Default controller profile tweaked for Simagic
Default controller profile added for Thrustmaster TX 458 Italia Edition
Default controller profile for Thrustmaster wheels now have FFB effects for flat spots disabled to stop them from acting up
Pushed liveries for an upcoming competition in Asia
Shared Memory - Fixed Incident Point value that was always 0 for player's current incident points. Some 3rd party applications are already making use of this information, such as CrewChief
Tweaks to the position of Bonnet camera on the CUPRA e-racer
Tweaks to a couple TV cameras on Red Bull Ring that had a blocked view when using esport advertisement boards around the track.
Formula RaceRoom Junior - Updated physics to latest tyre model v4.1 - Leaderboards were cleared.
Hillclimb Icons cars - Updated physics to latest tyre model v4.1 - Leaderboards were cleared.
Porsche Cayman 981 GT4 Clubsport - Updated physics to latest tyre model v4.1 - Leaderboards were cleared.
Motorland Aragon - Improved AI behaviour on the MotoGP layout
Sachsenring - Revision of some cut detections, making it more strict - Leaderboards were cleared.
Suzuka - Revision to some cut detections, making it more lenient in some areas.
Esports WTCR car class has now received livery updates to match the Zolder and Nurburgring real rounds. Note: This class is only accessible through competitions. It is the one that was used in the pre-season series with the real drivers back in June 2020. You can watch it on Youtube
DTM 2020 - Modified DRS activation limits regulation, following this formula:
([Expected amount of laps] / 2 ) x 3
If the driver chooses to use DRS in a lap but does not use all 3 activations, the remaining activations will go to waste and be withdrawn from the total.
The data display will show:
[DRS available this lap] / [Maximum activations for the race]
DTM 2020 uses a specific Push to Pass regulation: One activation per lap for a maximum of 24 race laps. Push to Pass is not available in the first lap. Push to Pass is not available to the race leader. (A race leader is determined at the crossing of each track sector and not only at the start/finish line) Push to Pass is available regardless of the gap to the car in front of you.
DTM 2020 uses a specific DRS regulation: 3 activations per lap for a maximum number of activations set to half the expected amount of race laps (rounded up). (i.e.: a 18 laps race will give you a maximum of 9 activations, and since you can activate it 3 times per lap, you can run out of DRS within only 3 laps). DRS is not available in the first lap. DRS is not available to the race leader. (A race leader is determined at the crossing of each track sector and not only at the start/finish line) DRS is available regardless of the gap to the car in front of you.
DTM 2020 Physics evolution after driver feedback.
DTM 2020 drivers now have real helmets designs and racing suits.
Physics engine - Added simulation of Anti-Lag System, used in DTM 2020 for now. This comes with specific sound samples triggered under coasting. The system will propagate to relevant cars in future updates.
Launch Control logic modification - Launch Control will no longer automatically upshift for the player.
Options menu - Added a toggle for TV Camera tracking lag.
Shared Memory - Added Pit Stop Minimum Duration and Pit Stop Minimum Duration Time left
Shared Memory - Added the Incident Point limit before DQ.
Shared Memory - Removed information from opponents current incident points as it could lead to behavioral change near players close to limit
Shared Memory - Player’s Incident points suffers from a known issue where it’s not updating properly. It will be fixed soon™
Sounds - Reduce volume of sound effects from underbody scraping the tarmac, improved their variety.
Fixed DRS regulation that affected other cars equipped with the system and limited the amount of activations since the last update.
Formula RaceRoom 90 - Added some backfires that were missing
Brands Hatch - Updated the track to its 2020 state.
Circuit Zandvoort - Moved the time attack spawn location further back to better allow reaching of maximum speed.
Dubai GP & Club - Some track limit adjustments to make it more strict. (Cleared leaderboard laptimes for those)
Motorland Aragón - AI improvements
Red Bull Ring - Updated the track to its 2020 state
Lada Vesta is now free to play with 2 liveries, playable against WTCR car classes.
Prepared content for upcoming DTM 2020 competitions
Sounds - Cockpit cameras now feature backfire samples specific to the interior of the car, bringing extra life and vibrance.
Sounds - New lot of samples for backfires and made their patterns richer. Amount of backfire is car dependant and much more diverse than before.
Sounds - Brake disk whine samples volume is now affected by the brake disk temperature. New recordings of brake whines for GT cars.
Sounds - New fuel pumps samples
Sounds - New gravel sound samples.
Sounds - Porsche 911 GT3 Cup - New sound recordings
Drag Reduction System and Push to Pass are now split in two unique control bindings
Added a key binding for FFB Multiplier, allowing to adjust this setting from inside the car.
Moved some old HUD overlays to the butterHUD system (Traction Control, Brake Bias)
Disabled the in-game screenshot capture system, as it caused conflicts with and was inferior in quality to Steam’s own screenshot capturing. Visit your Steam client settings menu to bind a key and select a folder for your screenshots.
Changed so the graphics_options.xml located in your Documents folder now contains variable names, making it easier to edit some settings through notepad.
Dedicated server - Scheduler - Improvements to handling of different time zones between browser and host machine
AI - Porsche 911 GT3 Cup + Sprint - Tweaks to improve their handling of slow turns
AI - DEKRA Lausitzring - Fixed AI braking later than the pit lane entrance gate.
AI - Dubai - Fixed some broken waypoint that was causing AI’s to stop driving
AI - Nordschleife - Calmed down some AI’s around the Adenauer forest.
Art - DEKRA Lausitzring - Fixed the sudden disappearance of certain track objects while sitting in the gravel in turns 8 and 10.
Art - Sachsenring - Updates to bring it to 2020 visuals.
Art - Spa-Francorchamps - Updates to bring it to 2020 visuals
Renamed Mazda Laguna Seca into Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Dedicated Server - Added Scheduling feature, allowing to set up automated spawns on specified dates and times as well as a repeating pattern.
Player Profile - Added “Ranked Multiplayer” tab with the player’s ranked history and statistics.
Controller - Added two alternative FFB profiles for Fanatec DD1 and DD2
Controller - Reduced default FFB slip effect from 5.0 to 2.0 for Thrustmaster profiles
Fixed - Sepang South layout no longer locks the game up when in single race sessions using a web gameplay overlay.
Content updates:
Hockenheim - Updated to 2020 specs. Mostly means walls were moved closer to the track before turn 12 (Mobil 1 Kurve), but many details were updated like curbs, runoffs and environment assets such as the Porsche Experience center.
Lausitzring - Renamed into its new official name “DEKRA Lausitzring”. A new layout is available for free to all Lausitzring owners: the DTM Grand Prix Course. The track has been updated to 2020 specs and that includes a modified pit entry path.
Monza - Updated to 2020 specs with 3D curbs, textures and assets updates.
Nürburgring - Minor updates to update the track to 2020 specs. Some curbs, runoffs refinements.
Zolder - Updated to 2020 specs, which mostly means a new and freshly resurfaced track, curbs and updates to the paddock building.
All tracks - Adjusted initial fuel consumption estimates in order to provide more accurate values in the car setup menu before the player recorded actual consumption telemetry laps.
Bathurst - AI improvements
Bilster Berg - AI improvements
Dubai - AI improvements
Imola - AI improvements
Indianapolis - AI improvements
Macau - AI improvements
Moscow Raceway - AI improvements
Nordschleife layouts - AI improvements
Sachsenring - AI improvements
Sepang - AI improvements
Shanghai - AI improvements
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3 - Fixed an off-center driving camera