project cars Expansion Pack #4 Test Track is back! (And more from our favourite car manufacturer)

[Ryzza5]

Patch 4.0 was released earlier this month:

[spoiler=View Patch Notes]Feature Update 4.0 is now available on PS4 and PC (Xbox One forthcoming) adding support for forcing default setups in multiplayer, enhanced brake assistance, additional best line visualisation, stability enhancements, improved AI behaviour when pitting, and much more!

 

NEW & ENHANCED FEATURE SUMMARY

Online – added support for ‘Force Default Setups’ in Multiplayer restrictions screen.

Online – players driving the wrong way will now have their collision disabled and their vehicles will display as ghost cars.

Online – lobby search settings are now saved between sessions.

Career – mandatory pitstop opening lap will now scale when the player scales the length of the race. For example, if the race was set to 5 laps, the pits would open for the mandatory stop on lap 2. If the player now scales the race length to 15 laps, the pits will open on lap 6 for the mandatory pitstop.

HUD – when adjusting real-time settings, for example Brake Balance, the player will now see a HUD message to indicate what the setting has been changed to. The HUD will display “N/A” in the real-time settings HUD, messaging when a specific setting is not available due to it being disabled in MP session or not present on the vehicle.

GUI – added a game version number display to the main menu.

Assists – Enhanced Brake Assistance system so that people who are unable to use brake controllers at all can still play the game with this assist enabled.

Assists – the Best Line assist now provides an option to only show the braking areas

Tracks – Movable trackside objects and broken-off car parts will now be removed from the track after impacts.

 

ONLINE

New – added support for ‘Force Default Setups’ in Multiplayer restrictions screen.

New – players driving the wrong way will now have their collision disabled and their vehicles will display as ghost cars.

New – lobby search settings are now saved between sessions.

Fixed an issue where the AI could remain stuck on the grid after the previous host left the session.

Fixed an issue where the player was unable to select the Bentley GT3 in online races.

Fixed an issue in Create Lobby where selecting Vehicle ‘view details’ would reset the class filter.

Fixed an issue where the in-game chat box would scroll when the player pressed the accelerator and brake controls.

Various tweaks to the behaviour of cars that are terminally damaged, and cars will no longer try to teleport to the garage if there are no pit lanes.

Fixed an issue where the player could drive out of the garage again after retiring from a race.

Further tweaks and improvements to the online lobby Car Class GUI – classes are now sorted alphabetically; changes are now only apply once the player accepts the new settings; ‘Create’ options defaults to ‘Any’ class; fixes an issue where the host would see only one vehicle in the quick vehicle chooser list if identical vehicles was set to ‘yes’.

Fixed the rolling start option so that toggling the rolling start flag correctly updates MP game data.

 

DRIVER NETWORK TIME TRIAL

The standings info on the pause screen now shows real-time updated lap and standings info, and sorts the order of all active participants based on lap times.

Fixed an issue where the player’s best of session ghost time didn’t always exactly match his actual best of session time.

 

PITTING, TUNING, SETUPS, STRATEGY

Fixed an issue where a selected tyre option saved to a setup prior to Patch 3.0 would cause a game crash after applying Patch 3.0 and using that saved setup.

Fixed an issue where tyre pressures were not resetting properly when returning to pits.

Fixed an issue where brake temperatures were being reset when the player entered the pits, leading to unexpected braking behaviour.

Adjustments to fuel calculations when returning to pits during a practice session – when calculating the required fuel when the player returns to the pits, the estimated fuel levels are used for consistency.

 

PHYSICS & AI

Tyres – small adjustment to peak slip ratio or P Zero Trofeo, Faretti Track, and other soft-track road tires for road cars.

Various improvements to AI navigation when entering and leaving the pit boxes.

Improved the transition from road to off-road as certain off-road surfaces caused too much jarring on the steering.

 

CUT TRACK DETECTION SYSTEM

Sakitto International – further tweaks to the downhill Esses, to keep the AI on track when attempting bad passes that were causing the AI to hit the exit barriers

Various tracks – Nordschleife, Greenwood Karting, Silverstone National, Dubai GP, Barcelona National, Nurburgring Sprint Short – cut-track improvements based on latest community feedback.

 

CAREER

Fixed an issue where the player would be placed first on the grid of race two in a multi-race round, after being disqualified from the first race. Disqualified drivers will now be placed at the back of the grid.

DLC Career Accolades are now only present if the appropriate DLC pack is installed. This fixes an issue where the player was unable to do 100% completion of accolades due to non-purchased DLCs accolades also being present.

Fixed an issue where bonus points were not being awarded for Kart series and some invitational events.

Fixed a bug where the invitational events that require winning team championships weren’t always unlocking.

DLC Career Accolades – translated (non-English) strings added for Invitational Accolade – 320 Touring Challenge

Fix to make sure player is placed last after skipping/simulating, in races where the second-best qualifying time is used for grid placement for the 2nd race (this was affecting Formula Rookie, LMP1-3, GT5 and Touring races).

New – mandatory pitstop opening lap will now scale as well when the player scales the length of the race. For example, if the race was set to 5 laps, the pits would open for the mandatory stop on lap 2. If the player now scales the race length to 15 laps, the pits will open on lap 6 for the mandatory pitstop

Improved Contract system to allow for extra entry level contract awards when progressing to a new motorsport, or when only being offered a renewal for the current motorsport.

Improved the AI logic during races with Mandatory pit stops so that they will pick a more optimal time to stop when there is also changing weather at play.

 

AUDIO

Tweaks to the Ginetta GT3, Clio and Bentley Speed 8.

 

GUI, HUD, TELEMETRY

New – when adjusting real-time settings, for example Brake Balance, the player will now see a HUD message to indicate what the setting has been changed to. The HUD will display “N/A” in the real-time settings HUD messaging when a specific setting is not available due to it being disabled in MP session or not present on the vehicle.

New – added a game version number display to the main menu.

New – the Best Line assist now provides an option to only show the braking areas.

Rebalanced the point at which Forecast weather becomes Current weather in the UI display so that the info display changeover better matches what the player is seeing in-game.

Track temperature is now displayed on all in-game menus.

Fixed an issue where the Time Progression slider skipped every 2nd option when moving the slider left or right.

Track temperature will now display correctly based on the unit system and language selected by the player.

Fixed an issue where the tyre wear meters on the HUD telemetry screen were flipped for the right front and left rear tyres.

Track Temperature and Weather information are now positioned uniformly across all in-game screens.

Removed redundant leading zeros from the KERS motec display.

Fixed an issue where accessing the map or telemetry in the monitor screen would disable the player HUD in game.

Enabled scrolling of the drivers list on the post race Standings screen.

Vehicle Class icons – updated vintage F1 and vintage GT class icons.

New GUI image with real-world livery for Ford Capri Group5.

Fixed an issue where the menu borders would at times display unintended colours.

 

REPLAYS

Fixed an issue where vehicle damage would automatically be repaired when watching a replay.

 

CONTROLS & FORCE FEEDBACK

Steering wheel angle now reverted to always centering during pause / pits / menus / etc. An alternative fix is now implemented to prevent the jolting when un-pausing the game.

Fixed an issue where force feedback was still active when an AI team mate was driving the player’s car.

Fixed an issue where calibrating the pedals could at times cause the pedals to function incorrectly.

Logitech – updated pedal mappings for the G29 to match the latest hardware revisions.

Fanatec – added use of accelerator rumble on CSW Base v2.

Fanatec – CSR Elite 2nd dpad removed (as per SDK change); handbrake now works when attached to pedals via wheel base; added support for CSP connected via USB.

Fanatec – upgraded to SDK 1.6.1 – fixes reversing of the CSS shifter gear up / down sequential mode.

Fixed an issue with the Fanatec CSS connected via USB to the PS4, the wheel paddles stopped functioning.

 

VEHICLES

Audi A1 Quattro – changed class to Road C1.

Audi R18 e-tron – added hybrid/KERS readout to cockpit display.

BAC Mono – fixed duplicate material name causing a problem on painted cockpit parts.

BMW 2002 Turbo – tweaked default tyres and brake balance so that the default setup provides a better overall performance versus the other cars in its class.

BMW 320TC – fixed the top speed statistic displayed in the front-end.

Caterham SP300R – added push-to-pass boost gauge to cockpit display and enabled exhaust backfire.

Ford Escort and Mustang 2+2 Fastback – tweaks to help reduce climbing other vehicles during side-to-side contact.

Ford Mustang 2+2 Fastback – fix for shadow flicker on AI cars.

Ford Capri Group5 – fixed offset rear fenders.

Ford Mustang GT 2015 – reduced FFB tire force multiplier by 25%.

Gumpert Apollo – re-added four exhausts.

Marek/RWD LMP cars – improved the default view position.

Ruf CTR – recalibrated engine boost and allow up to 1.4bar boost in setup to match original car. Stock boost of 1.1bar provides around 470hp as advertised.

Added hybrid boost gauge to display for McLaren P1, Marek RP339h LMP1, RWD P30 LMP1.

Ruf CTR – Fixed an issue where the external side mirrors were switched.

Audi R18 e-tron – Rebalanced cockpit exposure/brightness.

 

TRACKS

Le Mans – lowered the entry part of the kerb in the Mulsanne corner to fix the issue where cars would register a collision with the kerb.

 

GENERAL

New – movable trackside objects and broken-off car parts will now be removed from the track after impacts.

Enhanced Brake Assistance system so that people who are unable to use brake controllers at all can still play the game with this assist enabled.

Reworked the stretched headlight reflections to be more accurate to real life.

Fixed an issue where the Driving Line assist would become invisible when particles were set to off.

Ensure that players cannot turn on assists using hotkeys in community events, when the assists have been explicitly disabled for the event in question.

Fix further cases where the pre-race cameras would at times cut into the track surface.

Fixed an issue where vehicle windows would at times not render correctly when using centre cockpit cam and helmet cam.

Tweaks to gamma settings to closer match the PC and Xbox One platforms (PS4 only)

Fixed a potential crash when returning from in-game to main menu.

Fixed an issue with the rendering of shadow edges, improving overall shadow rendering.

Improved general game stability.

Project CARS was created by the community and via our ON DEMAND program we’re committed to continuing that conversation with players to ensure it has the features and functionality expected by them throughout the year and beyond.

 

With ON DEMAND therefore, Project CARS players will continue to receive free game updates that include the following…

Fixes for the highest priority issues identified by the community

Improved balancing and defaults

Additional functionality and expanded support for existing features

Brand-new items that open up new possibilities within the game

Support for new hardware released

Already the community have been instrumental in giving us feedback on some key issues and areas for improvement so head over to our official forums and let your voice be heard on what features and improvements you’d like to see!

 

The test track from WMD is back, polished and rebranded. The Mojave circuit comprises of five race layouts and a special open Test Track layout allowing players to freely practice, tweak their car setup, or just muck about via Banked Oval, Drag Strip, Hillclimb, Skid Pan, and Tight Corner sections. Accompanying it are four new cars covering a wide range of history. Here are a few notes on what were found during the physics development.

 

 

 

[headline]Aston Martin DBR1[/headline]

Working on these very old, very rare cars is always a fun experiment in research. A book by Anthony Pritchard on Aston Martin’s post-war cars proved incredibly useful in learning about the development and history of this Le Mans winner. We were able to find decent data for the engine and (terrible*) Dave Brown CG537 gearbox. The 2922cc straight-6 is good for over 250hp at 6000rpm, which isn’t half bad for 1959 and is really great for a car that weighs less than 900kg. Gear ratios are very close between 4th and 5th, I think to keep it near the top of the power band during the shift on Mulsanne alone. Suspension is trailing link front and de Dion rear. The trailing link front gives no recovery of camber loss in roll and also induces a fair amount of bump steer because the motion of linkages is in different directions. Very different front end to all our other cars; feels weird and definitely comes across as old fashioned when you drive. Could also be that a full fuel tank hangs 150kg of liquid way out behind the rear axle! It definitely changes balance by more than a little as the fuel burns off.

 

*If Stirling Moss is on record complaining about it constantly sticking in gear and being very difficult to downshift, you know it's bad. We’ve represented this in game by increasing in each gear the damage acquired from a bad shift. Take care of it if you are going for a long run or it might become increasingly difficult to get a working gear.

 

A new tire is available for use on this car and the Mercedes 300SL. There would have been a ton of tire development from 1952 to 1959, but letting them use the same rubber helps equalize the two (a bit) so matchups could be done at the right tracks with the right drivers. Should be fun stuff.

 

Motion ratio = 1.0 all around (torsion bars on the trailing links. Using wheel rate keeps it simple)

Damper transition speed = 70mm/s all around

 

 

 

[headline]Aston Martin DBR1-2 LMP1[/headline]

50 year after the DBR1, the folks at AMR decided to build a car to celebrate their win and the DBR1-2 LMP1 was the result. What started life as a fairly traditional LMP1 chassis took advantage of a rule which allowed use of a ‘production’ GT1 engine with a larger air restrictor to compensate for the weight disadvantage. And a very impressive engine they did use. It was based on a unit from the DBR9 GT1 car but with a restrictor 15% larger, which meant it was good for 670hp or more in race spec. By our usual calculations, this unit unrestricted would be good for over 960hp! All that power means a medium-high downforce aero package made sense to use even at Le Mans; something which hasn't really been practical since 2009 as restrictor and boost reductions cut power quite a lot. You can run downforce levels in the middle and still pull near 340kph in a draft while feeling very nice and stable through the Porsche Curves. The default setup is good for over 4000lbf of downforce at 200mph. Impressive stuff. Rest of the car is pretty standard LMP1, but man that engine...Overall performance is very similar to the Audi R18 TDI.

 

Motion ratio = 1.0 all around

Damper transition speed, bump/rebound (mm/s) = 30/60 front, 40/80 rear

 

 

 

[headline]Aston Martin Vantage GTE[/headline]

A lot could come from the V12 GT3 version as they aren't hugely different under the skin apart from the drivetrain differences. The 4.5L V8 is quite evolved over the road model’s 4.7L and would be good for 620hp unrestricted. It is also mounted much lower and further back than the V12, giving a weight distribution sitting right around the ideal 50:50. ACO balance of performance has it breathing through two 29.1mm restrictors which cut it down to about 450hp. It has run anywhere from 2x28.3mm to 2x29.4mm in the last couple of years, so we entered that as the range of adjustment a player can fiddle with. End result is output from 435-460hp. Surprisingly low for a car of this class, but it finds speed in other ways by being much lighter, more fuel efficient, and having a very efficient aero package. Low drag setup is good for 290kph and just under 14 laps at Le Mans on a 95L fuel tank - all consistent with data from this year's race - and lower top speeds around 255 and 240 at Spa and Silverstone, respectively, as you put downforce on. Good car to drive. Feels much more composed than the GT3 version thanks to being 80kg lighter with the smaller engine mounted so much lower in the car. Makes a nice contrast in that it is down maybe 70hp but overall is faster around nearly every track.

 

Motion ratio = 0.71 front, 0.77 rear

Damper transition speed, bump/rebound (mm/s) = 30/60 front, 50/95 rear

 

 

 

[headline]Mercedes 300SL W194[/headline]

Engine is strong from 4000-6000rpm, peaking at 180hp near 5200rpm. Quite impressive for 1952. Rest of the car, maybe not so much. Very low drag bodywork, but that comes with a fair amount of aero lift. Like the DBR1, there is a big fuel tank slung way out back, so handling balance changes dramatically over the course of a fuel stint. Weight distribution changes by something like 10% rear to front as that burns off. Huge change!

 

Suspension design is very old fashioned. Zero caster, camber or steer axis inclination at the front means steering often feels quite vague, and the swing axle rear is responsible for some spooky handling. It combines the fun of very high camber change with a very high rear roll center. Not exactly a recipe for the most stable rear end. The designer made lots of notes on this and the very late prototype W194/11 was switched over to a low pivot swing axle which, while still suffering the extreme camber change, at least brings the roll center down and improves rear stability. Same idea works amazingly well in our model, and it's tempting to use that setup, even if not strictly accurate. Shame it never raced as they shifted focus to F1; the notes out there on W194/11 make it sound quite impressive and it probably would have been a strong contender for a second Le Mans win. 90kg lighter than before, 35hp more from direct fuel injection, less aero drag and the improved rear suspension design. Hard to argue against the success they had in the W196 F1 car though.

 

Motion ratio = 0.59 front, 0.72 rear spring, 0.55 rear damper

Damper transition speed = 150mm/s all around

 

Free Car #4

 

[headline]Also,[/headline]

Some good news for console players! Tim has been in discussions/negations with Sony and Microsoft and has got the OK to enable the broadcasting of Shared Memory across the local network, possibly a first (at least in the racing genre). This will enable those mobile dashboard apps, etc.

 

One new app that's still WIP but possibly worth a look if you're on PC is the Crew Chief alternative. It uses shared memory data to tell you various things at the push of a button, and even features some speech recognition so that you can ask what the gap to the next car is.

Details here: Clicky

 

Another member has published his work in creating a bespoke Arduino dashboard: Clicky

 

An update on triple screen support: Clicky

[Eudemon]

Awesome post mate and even though we love that maker it is still good to see them releasing top content often for the game and continuing with the improvements.

[Ryzza5]

[Ryzza5]

This DLC is the final free DLC for WMD Team Members and Seniors. It has been added to your Steam account if you activated the WMD Steam key there. (This includes those who received spare keys from WMD members).