VRC Pro Column – Time-shifted multi players
In the latest instalment of their VRC Pro column Virtual Racing Industries introduce the new time-shifted multi player competitions, the new video and replay interface and they give a short update on 1/8th off-road testing. Let’s start with the multi player competitions. VRC Pro is raced world wide, and with time zones spreading 20 hours from New Zealand to California, it is impossible to organise real-time multi player events where everyone would be able to participate. It would mean having to race in the middle of the night for some, for others in the morning, at noon or in the evening. VRC has developed a unique solution for this problem, called time-shifted multi player.
VRC has developed ‘virtual opponents’, a unique feature that enables them to offer time-shifted multi player competitions. VRC record your race session replay and offer it to other racers in the same event, heat or final to race against. So your race could be raced a few hours or minutes earlier than another competitor and then other competitors can opt to race against you. In qualifying you race against the clock so the opponents are on the track while you qualify. If you beat them you improve your position. In finals you start from the start grid, if you finish in front of all the others you win.
With the introduction of the virtual opponents and targets in the on-line events, VRC Pro has added a whole new dimension to its competitions. You are no longer racing alone on the track but you can chose to race together with other racers who are in the same qualifier or main final. This adds tremendous pressure to the whole racing experience. Just like in real RC racing, you have to beat them to improve. This important element in racing was missing in VRC Pro and instead of using the AI car technology from version 3, the development team opted to use the replay files of racers to let them race with you.
New replay & video interface
The event and multi player replays have received a new TV like interface which makes watching these replays and the videos like watching a real race. At the top of the screen the positions of each of the 10 racers are displayed, plus the interval times. In one view you can now see who is racing who, where the racing is close or if a racer is gaining or loosing on the car in front of him. At the bottom of the screen information about the car that is followed by the camera, the focus car, is displayed, including his last and fastest lap time, and the time difference with the car in front of him. In the lower section you can also control the cameras which are placed around the track, one by one, or chose the automatic mode where just 3 cameras will be used to follow the car. Switching to another car is just a matter of clicking on the driver name in the positions list. At the start of the race you will see the start list with the names of the racers, at the end the results list will be automatically displayed.
1:8 Nitro Buggy in final testing stage
The buggy development is now in the hands of the VRC Pro beta tester group headed by Euro champ David Ronnefalk from Sweden and multiple US champ David Joor from the US. The beta tester group is selected on their vast experience in off-road racing and expert understanding of the vehicle dynamics and set-up of 1:8 nitro buggies. Only with their feedback VRC are able to reach the realism needed to convince even the most die-hard off-road racer that VRC Pro is the training tool of choice. As this class of racing is developing into a spectator sport with ever more spectacular jumps VRC need to make sure that the ‘air control’ of the car is identical to the real buggy. Only then you can practice these massive jumps without risking a rebuild of your chassis or having to paint another body.
Source: VRC [vrcpro.com]
