Trackname: Kentucky 2012
Version: v 1.0
Date of creation: 29th June 2012
Racing sim: NASCAR Racing 2003 Season
Author(s): Ian Smythe

Type: Real

AI: Yes

Physics support: CUP, GNS, CTS, PTA & OWR05

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

[1] FEATURES
[2] IMPORTANT IMFORMATION
[3] KNOWN ISSUES
[4] TROUBLE REPORTING
[5] CREDITS
[6] AGREEMENT OF USE

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[1] FEATURES

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Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky is the first new oval to be added to the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule in 10 years. To mark this event we at Smiffsden has gone mad and made one of our most feature packed tracks to date featuring the legendary AI from J.R. Franklin, only you'll have no problems getting into this track.  For 2012, we made small updates to the track, including:

Updates since Kentucky 2011:

    * Updated wall textures.
    * Updated infield logos.
    * Adjusted lighting and track shading.
    * Adjusted grooves to balance times closer.
    * Adjusted PTA Physics AI for use with Indycar Racing mod.
    * New light effects (only viewable on all trackside objects).

This track is intended to be used in SIM (SIMULATION) mode, it has not been tested in ARCADE mode.

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[2] IMPORTANT IMFORMATION REGARDING THE A.I.:	

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The A.I. for this track were constructed using a default papy_ai.ini, the default fast setups for each physics (CUP, GNS and CTS) and the opponent strength set at 97%. Ratings for the car sets used in testing and in developing the A.I. for this track are from the NRatings program using the MasGrafx Full Season V3.1 formulas. We went to great efforts to make the AI and racing as realistic as possible. At the same time, we also took some liberties with the A.I. tools available in the track.ini to enhance the "fun" factor. We're confident that you'll enjoy the offline racing experience against the AI the way we have set them up for you. 

We also made an effort to get the A.I. to have an occasional random wreck that would bring out some cautions to further enhance the realism.  In trying to achieve this, we had to "push the envelope" a bit with the settings in the track.ini. This required getting the A.I. to race a little tighter, change lanes and be a little more aggressive.  As a result, the end user may experience an early wreck or 2 between the A.I. at the beginning of a race. This is because at the start of a race, the pack is at its largest and tightest. Testing revealed that once a couple of early wrecks occurred, then the A.I. seemed to settle down and spread out.  However, once another random wreck occurred, the restart would re-tighten the pack and as the saying goes....."Cautions can breed more cautions".  Kind of like real life racing!

To enjoy the best results, we recommend that you use the default fast setups provided with the track and car/truck sets containing ratings as described above. Your results and A.I. behavior, however, may vary depending on the type of mod used, the ratings of your specific car set, different setups used, driving style, skill level and countless other variables that make it practically impossible to predict the results that you will achieve while racing on this track.

We hope that you enjoy the racing experience!

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[3] KNOWN ISSUES

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AI lp FILES:
The AI lp files are packed into the dat file, so please don't report to me that the track won't work because there are no AI files included, there are, and the track will work, just load it up and you'll see.

INDYCAR RACING AI & TRACK INI FILES:
If you are using the track with the Indycar Racing mod, rename race_OWR.lp to race.lp, and track_OWR.ini to track.ini (rename track.ini to something else first), set the weather to Cloudy 40F and AI strength to between 96 & 98% for the carset that comes with the mod, for best result.


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DAY TO NIGHT TRANSITION:
This can now be seen on all graphics levels, the amount of trackside objects, and detail varies depending what level you are on.

Minimal:
You will see the Day to Night transition trackside geometry (hills), grandstands (empty) and basic ground shadows.

Some:
As above but with some added infield RV's, trackside billboards lights (on all the time) and the transitional walls inside turn 3.

All:
Everything including the Full switching on lighting system, Pitlane Club, Haulers, 3D Crowd, and their cameras.

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There is always a night sky in your mirror, even during the day, again this is a limitation of the games graphics engine - blame Papyrus - oh we can't can we?

The Kentucky Speedway building on the outside of turn 3 looks a bit naff (imho) in white, but it's what the track did.

You may still see random texture clipping, again there's not much I can do about that.

The billboards are best guess, they're not quiet in the right position, but then this isn't a laser scanned track, one billboard (click it or ticket) is missing from turn 2 due to technical limitations.

The Grandstands don't really extend as far as they should, we know, deal with it LOL.

The track is filled up with shadow maps, so first thing to do if having fps issues is to turn them off along with reflections. Users of high detail mods such as Cup11s and the Indycar mod may see a bigger than normal fps hit.
 
The AI, Track Grip/Wear and bumps:
J.R. Franklin has lent his AI expertise to the track AI, they are quiet racey so you should have some fun with them, thanks JR!

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[4] TROUBLE REPORTING

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Problems? Report to Smiffsden facebook page.

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[5] CREDITS

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CREDITS:
Track Development:
Ian Smythe

A.I. Development:
J.R. Franklin

Beta Testing:
J.R. Franklin
Ian Smythe

Contributions:
J.R. Franklin - A.I. & beta testing
Kentucky Speedway - photos and reference data
Cody Llamas - Billboard identification
Brandon Lee Schmidt - Pit lane info.

Crowd mip courtesy BOWTIE: http://ewracing.com/ewracing/n2k3_3d_objects.htm

If you appreciate our work, please consider a small donation to help with the costs of keeping the Smiffsden server running, thank you.

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[6] AGREEMENT OF USE

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Storage or Use of this track by installation into a racing simulator constitutes agreement with this and the following statements:

1) This track may not be sold or distributed for commercial purposes, or money exchanged for this track or any part thereof.

2) This track may not be redistributed or hosted on a server without written consent of the original author.

3) This track cannot be modifed without written consent of the original author.

4) Pieces of this track (not including the .ptf file) may be extracted and used for other tracks, but cannot be used in projects for commercial purposes, and credit to the original author should appear in a readme that is distributed with the new project.

5) This track must always maintain an unmodified copy of this readme in whatever form itis distributed.

6) This track is covered by implied intellectual property laws, in that it is the property of the author.

7) This track is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. 

Copyright 2011 Ian D Smythe.

 

