rec.autos.simulators

The patches I'm working on now are:

1) Ambient Noise Patch -- This will include some new sound files with
increased volume levels, plus tweaks to the sound.dat file to further
alter how the ambient noises appear in the game. This patch will give
you an announcer voice over the PA and crowd noises from the
in-cockpit view, VASTLY improved tire squeal sounds (this REALLY helps
the physics model come alive), and reduced volume levels for the
scrape/bump noises (which makes it MUCH less annoying when rubbing
fenders with the AI cars).

2) Slick Grass Patch -- This will make the grass/dirt slick so that
you won't slow down when you drop a tire off the track -- sand traps
will remain unchanged.

The Ambient Noise Patch is now available for download -- it's a 413kB
download, and it's being hosted by those great folks at Blackhole
Motorsports:

     http://www.racesimcentral.net/

This patch will only affect tire sounds (louder from the in-cockpit
view to enable you to judge grip, wheelspin, and overall traction
state), as well as the PA announcer and crowd sounds.

NOTE that this patch includes a Windows-style installation wizard, so
you don't need to place any files in any specific folders or open up
Notepad to do any text editing.  Also note that this patch is
compatible with BOTH the full version and the demo verion of the game
-- see the readme file for details.

With these tweaks (all of which were originally devised by others who
post on the High Gear forums -- I'm not responsible or any original
thought here, mind you), the default physics really come alive. I will
release two (2) versions of these patches -- one for the demo version,
and one for the final version. I hope to have these ready for release
in the next day or so.

I also plan on developing an "advanced beta physics patch" once I
settle on an advanced set of physics that feels right to me. If
there's enough interest, and if several of us can agree on a
"standardized" set of advanced physics parameters, then I will release
a final version of the "advanced physics patch."

The most exciting development for me, though, is what I am currently
working on -- I think I have stumbled on some tweaks of my own that I
haven't seen from anybody else, and depending on how things go, I may
be able to release some significantly revised AI parameters. The only
holdup at the moment is that it's difficult to tell how much progress
I'm making with just the demo version of the game; I have ordered the
full version, and once that arrives I should be able to tell for sure
just how tweak-able the AI really is. At this point, though, it looks
promising -- I've gotten to the point now where the only time the AI
and I get into "bumping" matches is when I make a really stupid move
and try to take an outside line when I shoudn't, or when I try to nose
in for the inside line when there's no room. Making the AI more
cautious seems to slow them down a bit, though -- as they drive a bit
more carefully to avoid you, they seem to drive a bit more slowly,
too, so I'm probably going to have to find a way to speed them up as
well, but that should be easily do-able.

Again, these patches will be usable either individually or all at
once, depending on your personal preferences, so if you have avoided
trying the demo so far, now would be a good time to consider
downloading it.

Also, FWIW, I am aware that anybody could easily perform these tweaks
themselves, but I also know that when you just want to race, it can be
a real pain to have to find the right files, identify the right
parameters, make sure you insert the right values, and then find all
the other things that need to be tweaked as well. Not everybody enjoys
tweaking, and if you just want to jump in and race, it's no fun being
forced to tweak in order to really wring out the full value of a sim.
Using these patches that I'm developing, it should be simple for
anybody -- even those with no computer skills at all -- to enjoy a
well-tweaked and highly playable version of TIR. By making versions of
these tweaks available for the demo as well, maybe we can rekindle
some interest in TIR.

There's a great little sim lurking behind those console menu screens,
and it's my hope that I can help unlock it for the masses.

Enjoy!

-- JCB

MadDAWG

thanks for the work, the game has potential.

Can't wait to try it all...
TIR resides on my shelf atm...
Not worth playing in the '***' version...

I hope you change my mind...

Greetz,

Franky

<snip>

Thanks John. I look forward to the other "fixes" you post.

Ken

94 lines of quoted text to add one line of your own. And bottom posted
at that. Am I the only one that this bugs the ***out of?

--
__________________________
Todd Walker
http://www.racesimcentral.net/
__________________________

-Will

Don McCorkle

However, I read a great post dealing with TOFU's on
alt.humor.best-of-usenet: enjoy!

Cheers,

uwe

--- snip nip ---

Subject: Re: Outlook Express Sig Files

Newsgroups: alt.fan.cecil-adams

: [attribution killed in bizarre folding-couch accident]
: > top posting?
: I thought that was personal preference(sp?). Some people top
post, some
: people bottom post.

Yes, in the sense that some people***in the swimming pool,
and some people prefer to use the restroom.

--- snip snip ---

--
mail replies to Uwe at schuerkamp dot de ( yahoo address is spambox)
Uwe Schuerkamp //////////////////////////// http://www.racesimcentral.net/
Herford, Germany \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ (52.0N/8.5E)
GPG Fingerprint:  2E 13 20 22 9A 3F 63 7F  67 6F E9 B1 A8 36 A4 61

Archive-name: usenet/writing-style/part1



Changes-posted-to: news.misc,news.answers

I would like to take a moment to share some of my knowledge of writing
style.  If you read the suggestions below, remember: it's easy to agree
that they make sense but it's much harder to apply them.

References:
  Cunningham and Pearsall, "How to Write For the World of Work"
  Strunk & White, "Elements of Style"

The above references are both excellent books.  Cunningham is a standard in
tech writing classes and won an award for the best tech writing book from
the Association for Teaching of Technical Writing.  I was lucky enough to
take a class from him as an undergraduate.  Strunk is a standard in college
composition classes.

        Editor's note: Thanks to Columbia University, Academic Information
        Systems, Project Bartleby, Strunk can be accessed on the World-Wide
        Web as:
                <http://www.racesimcentral.net/;

Other ideas here come from my own experience on the net and hints from
other people.

This is a "long article." The rest of it is simply a list of pointers.

                Writing style:

  * Make your writing easy to read.  Keep it simple.

  * Keep paragraphs short and sweet.  Keep sentences shorter and sweeter.
    This means "concise," not cryptic.

  * White space is not wasted space -- it greatly improves clarity.
    A blank line only adds a byte to the article length, so don't be
    stingy if it will help make your meaning clearer.

  * Pick your words carefully.  Writing with precision is as important
    here as it is in any other kind of discourse.  Consider carefully
    whether what you have written can be misinterpreted, and whether
    that is something you wish to have happen.

  * People can only grasp about seven things at once.  This means ideas in a
    paragraph, major sections, etc..

  * Avoid abbreviations and acronyms, if possible, and define the ones
    you use.

  * There are several variations on any one sentence.  A passive,
questioning
    or negative sentence takes longer to read.

  * "Cute" misspellings are difficult to read, especially if the reader
     is not fluent in the language involved.

                Net style:

  * Subtlety is not communicated well in written form - especially over a
    computer.  Remember, most people who will read your posting do not
    know you.

  * The above applies to humor as well. (rec.humor, of course, not
included.)
    Smileys :-), frowns :-(, winks ;-) can sometimes avoid confusion.

  * When being especially "flame-boyant", I find it helpful to go to the
    bathroom before actually sending.  Then, I often change the tone
    considerably. :-) Take a break before posting something in anger or that
    might hurt or anger others.

  * Subject lines should be used very carefully.  How much time have you
    wasted reading articles with a misleading subject line?  The "Subject:"
    header line can be edited in all the various posting programs
    (as can the "Distribution:", "Newsgroups:" and "Followup-To:" header
    lines).

  * References need to be made.  When you answer mail, you have the original
    message fresh in your mind.  When I receive your answer, I don't.

  * Do not include the entire article that you are replying to.  Cut down
    the part that you include to the absolute minimum needed to provide
    context to your reply.

  * It's *much* easier to read a mixture of upper and lower case letters.

  * Leaving out articles (such as "the," "a," "an," etc.) for "brevity"
    mangles the meaning of your sentences and takes longer to read. It saves
    you time at the expense of your reader.

  * Be careful of contextual meanings of words. For instance, I used
"articles"
    just now.  In the context of netnews, it has a different meaning than I
    intended.

  * Make an effort to spell words correctly.  Obvious misspellings are
    jarring and distract the reader.  Every news posting program allows
    you to edit your article before posting, and most systems have some
    kind of spelling checker program that you can use on your article.

  * If your article goes over one screenful, use subheadings to organize it.
    Numbering your paragraphs is rarely helpful.

  * Just before you post your article, re-read it.  This will ensure that
    you actually wrote what you intended to write.

  * Remember - this is an international network.

  * Remember - your current or future employers may be reading your
    articles.  So might your spouse, neighbors, children, and others
    who will long-remember your gaffes.

Enough said.

These suggestions are all easily supported by arguments and research.
There's a lot more to say, but....

Jeff Offutt
Copyright 1997, all rights reserved.
Used with permission.