rec.autos.simulators

by **Thomas Hart** » Tue, 20 Aug 2002 23:21:18

I know from my previous posts that some people here are developers working
on driving games, so I just wondered - has anyone any information whatsoever
on the data formats used by any version of Hard Drivin'? I would very much
like to be able to import data - especially track and object data - from
this game.

I have discovered the PC game Hard Drivin' 2, which includes a level editor
helping me to understand the concepts at play within the file format, and
probably offering a route to eventually reverse engineering its formats on
my own, but I was just wondering if anyone can give me a head start?

-Thomas

by **Ruud van Ga** » Wed, 21 Aug 2002 02:25:01

On Mon, 19 Aug 2002 14:21:18 +0000 (UTC), "Thomas Harte"

>I know from my previous posts that some people here are developers working
>on driving games, so I just wondered - has anyone any information whatsoever
>on the data formats used by any version of Hard Drivin'? I would very much
>like to be able to import data - especially track and object data - from
>this game.

Given its age, isn't it easier to go for SCGT-style track data? That's
known, documented, and various people here use its style of storing
things (including Racer).
It's also targeted at todays graphics card, unlike GPL for example. I
wouldn't be surprised if Hard Drivin's data structures weren't exactly
targeted at today's hardware anymore...

Ruud van Gaal
Free car sim: http://www.racer.nl/
Pencil art : http://www.marketgraph.nl/gallery/

by **Mike** » Wed, 21 Aug 2002 02:47:18

I suspect hes trying to do a conversion of Hard Driving.

by **Martin Ursu** » Wed, 21 Aug 2002 08:02:33

On Mon, 19 Aug 2002 14:21:18 +0000 (UTC), "Thomas Harte"

>I know from my previous posts that some people here are developers working
>on driving games, so I just wondered - has anyone any information whatsoever
>on the data formats used by any version of Hard Drivin'? I would very much
>like to be able to import data - especially track and object data - from
>this game.

>I have discovered the PC game Hard Drivin' 2, which includes a level editor
>helping me to understand the concepts at play within the file format, and
>probably offering a route to eventually reverse engineering its formats on
>my own, but I was just wondering if anyone can give me a head start?

Doug Milliken can often be seen replying to posts in this
forum. I believe he worked on the vehicle dynamics of the arcade
version of Hard Drivin' and Race Drivin' - both games that I
absolutely adored and spent many, many quarters on.

Martin
Long Live Nigel Mansell!

by **Thomas Hart** » Wed, 21 Aug 2002 08:29:03

My aim is to be able to import the traditional Hard Drivin' track, not to
actually use the data formats for the creation of any new data. Coupled with
the fact that my project is pluralist towards data formats, I see nothing
wrong in pursuing the structure of the Hard Drivin' data. Possibly I will
just export that data to SCGT-style data.

Which also explains why Hard Drivin's structures not being optimised for
display today is irrelevant for my purposes, since the graphics displayed by
Hard Drivin' could not overload a modern 3d accelerator however they were
stored within reason.

By the way, do you have a reference for the form of SCGT-style data?

-Thomas

by **Ruud van Ga** » Wed, 21 Aug 2002 17:50:50

On Mon, 19 Aug 2002 23:29:03 +0000 (UTC), "Thomas Harte"

>>Given its age, isn't it easier to go for SCGT-style track data? That's
>>known, documented, and various people here use its style of storing
>>things (including Racer).
>>It's also targeted at todays graphics card, unlike GPL for example. I
>>wouldn't be surprised if Hard Drivin's data structures weren't exactly
>>targeted at today's hardware anymore...

>My aim is to be able to import the traditional Hard Drivin' track, not to
>actually use the data formats for the creation of any new data.

Ok, but often converting from an entirely different format to another
can be more pain than gain. I know my GPLex was certainly not trivial
to do (converts a BSP-like tree to flat 3D vertex arrays).
But I guess if you want the original track, you can't get around it.
:)

Hehe, that's true.

Try http://www.theuspits.com/fbody/scgt/faqhowto.html

Good luck!

Ruud van Gaal
Free car sim: http://www.racer.nl/
Pencil art : http://www.marketgraph.nl/gallery/

by **Doug Millike** » Fri, 23 Aug 2002 06:03:01

> On Mon, 19 Aug 2002 14:21:18 +0000 (UTC), "Thomas Harte"

> >I know from my previous posts that some people here are developers working
> >on driving games, so I just wondered - has anyone any information whatsoever
> >on the data formats used by any version of Hard Drivin'? I would very much
> >like to be able to import data - especially track and object data - from
> >this game.
> Doug Milliken can often be seen replying to posts in this
> forum. I believe he worked on the vehicle dynamics of the arcade
> version of Hard Drivin' and Race Drivin' - both games that I
> absolutely adored and spent many, many quarters on.

I have asked a couple of the original developers (I was just a consultant)
to see if the "3-d world data" (I think that is what we named it) is
archived anywhere, and also if Atari will release it.

I think it would be cool to take a lap of the Speed Track on my PC...since
my Hard Drivin (big sit-down cabinet) is on loan to a friend 6 hours from
here.

No promises.

-- Doug Milliken
www.millikenresearch.com

by **Martin Ursu** » Mon, 26 Aug 2002 10:48:36

>I have asked a couple of the original developers (I was just a consultant)
>to see if the "3-d world data" (I think that is what we named it) is
>archived anywhere, and also if Atari will release it.

>I think it would be cool to take a lap of the Speed Track on my PC...since
>my Hard Drivin (big sit-down cabinet) is on loan to a friend 6 hours from
>here.

>No promises.

Doug,

Just out of curiosity, what was the cost of one of those
deluxe, 3-screen units with the metal/wood gearshift? I'm not in the
market for one, I'm just dreaming!

Martin
Long Live Nigel Mansell!

by **Doug Millike** » Tue, 27 Aug 2002 13:45:21

> >I have asked a couple of the original developers (I was just a consultant)
> >to see if the "3-d world data" (I think that is what we named it) is
> >archived anywhere, and also if Atari will release it.

> >I think it would be cool to take a lap of the Speed Track on my PC...since
> >my Hard Drivin (big sit-down cabinet) is on loan to a friend 6 hours from
> >here.

> >No promises.

> Doug,

> Just out of curiosity, what was the cost of one of those
> deluxe, 3-screen units with the metal/wood gearshift? I'm not in the
> market for one, I'm just dreaming!

No idea on the three screen. The orignal sit-down cabinet with the plastic
bucket seat and direct-drive motor for the steering force had a list price
(late 1980's) of about USDollar 10000 (ten thousand). They are a lot
cheaper now, a friend bought a used one with no monitor for $100, and the
"medium-res" monitor cost another $400 or so. After fixing several broken
wires (etc) it seems to work all right. There is another news group for
collectors of used arcade games, HD/RD games appear fairly often.

Doesn't seem like there is any chance of getting any source released for
free (I did ask). Now--if someone wanted to license HD/RD (not cheap) that
might be another story.

rec.autos.simulators

Hard Drivin' data format

Hard Drivin' data format

Hard Drivin' data format

Hard Drivin' data format

Hard Drivin' data format

Hard Drivin' data format

Hard Drivin' data format

Hard Drivin' data format

Hard Drivin' data format

Hard Drivin' data format