VRC Pro track & buggy updates
As promised in the November instalment of the VRC Pro column, the 2014 IFMAR 1/8 Buggy World Championship track of Naxos in Sicily is now available as are two new buggies and some other updates. Starting with the tracks, it’s a great but demanding venue with lots of challenges, just like the real track proved to be back in September. VRI have made a comparison video between some real laps during the Worlds final, and who better to pick than World Champion Ty Tessman, against one of VRC’s beta testers, Nicolas Loriot from France. As with earlier ‘virtual vs real’ comparison videos the resemblance between virtual and real is astonishing close, once more proof of the incredibly accurate detail of the track and the fantastic realism obtained with our state of the art physics engine.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1ZbRKvtVtg[/youtube]
The Naxos track is home of the 2014 VRC Worlds for Short Course Trucks, starting December 3rd, and of the 2014 VRC Worlds for Nitro Buggies, starting December 17th. To let everybody get a taste of virtual r/c racing at its best the Naxos track will be free for everyone during the VRC Worlds.
New buggies
Together with the Naxos track VRC Pro also release two new nitro buggies. The new Intercept NX8-R is an improved version of the NX8, which was released end of 2013. The car has been lightened to make it more agile and responsive and should be a great match for the RX8 chassis which was released back in June 2014. The NX8-S is the spec or stock version of the NX8 and has very limited set-up options, in fact only the steering angle and the gear ratio can be changed. A special easy to run spec engine was developed to make the NX8-S the ideal beginner buggy. 10 Different car configurations are available with body decals of all major brands, like Associated, Kyosho, Hot Bodies, Mugen and more. As with all spec chassis, also the NX8-S and the stock components are free for all members. A special VRC Worlds for the new spec class will be organized on the new Naxos track starting December 17th.
New buggy and truck tyres
VRC Pro is releasing new compounds for both the buggy and the short course truck tyres. Having more compounds available enables you to choose different compounds and even tread designs in front and rear to optimize the balance of your buggy or short course truck. The Proline and AKA range of buggies tyres has been extended with a soft compound to increase traction when needed. The range now covers medium, medium soft and soft compounds. The Proline range for short course trucks has been expanded with a medium soft compound besides the medium compound.
Game software updates
With this December release come also some important software updates. The new in-game chat functionality has been optimized further. Besides these optimizations a 1-line chat box at the bottom of the screen has been added to notify you of personal messages sent to you by other members. Furthermore the graphics engine has been updated to handle dynamic car shadows better. On some tracks they were not working at all, on others they were on and off. This is the first stage of this optimization, further improvements are expected at the next release.
Source: VRC Pro [vrcpro.com]
