Quote from UniValvePlums :

Looking good Scawen! Any idea when this version will go public?

Thanks. I'm hoping it could be in a test patch in a couple of days.

But my head's a bit of a blur and Victor and I will be reassessing in the morning.

UPDATE: Test Patch B8

The unicode version of LFS seems to have caused no issues at all. It has made it much easier for me to test as I can switch between input languages and keep typing to see if any issues come up. Easier testing has allowed me to identify more bugs and it seems robust now.

Input language support changes in B8:

Text dialog can now get wider if long string typed with IME open
FIX: Characters from click in code page were wrongly interpreted
FIX: Composition string disappeared if you clicked another window
FIX: Composition interpreted in wrong language if language changed
FIX: Composition text could change language of characters after it

https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/97772

The fixes listed above are now available in Test Patch B8.
https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/97772

This should now work more easily in Test Patch 0.7B7
There is no need to set the "Language for non-Unicode programs" as LFS is no longer a non-unicode program.
You still have to select a Cyrillic input language (e.g. Russian) before typing or pasting Cyrillic text.
https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/97772

This should now work more easily in Test Patch 0.7B7.
There is no need to set the "Language for non-Unicode programs" as LFS is no longer a non-unicode program.
You still have to select a Cyrillic input language (e.g. Russian) before pasting Cyrillic text.
https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/97772

This should now work more easily in Test Patch 0.7B7
There is no need to set the "Language for non-Unicode programs" as LFS is no longer a non-unicode program.
You still have to select a Cyrillic input language (e.g. Russian) before pasting Cyrillic text.
https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/97772

This should now work in Test Patch 0.7B7
You still have to select Japanese input language before pasting Japanese text.
But there is no need to set the PC's "Language for non-Unicode programs" as LFS is no longer a non-unicode program.
https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/97772

UPDATE: Test Patch B7

LFS is no longer a "non-unicode program" which helps a few things:

You can type into LFS with any input language supported in LFS
- Latin 1 / Central European / Turkish / Baltic / Cyrillic / Greek
- Japanese / Traditional Chinese / Simplified Chinese / Korean
You can change the input language at any time and continue typing
To paste text from elsewhere you must select correct input language
NOTE: code pages are still used internally - change is text entry

Please test, especially if you use more than one input language!

https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/97772

Test Patch B7

LFS is no longer a "non-unicode program" which helps a few things:

You can type into LFS with any input language supported in LFS
- Latin 1 / Central European / Turkish / Baltic / Cyrillic / Greek
- Japanese / Traditional Chinese / Simplified Chinese / Korean
You can change the input language at any time and continue typing
To paste text from elsewhere you must select correct input language
NOTE: code pages are still used internally - change is text entry

Please test, especially if you use more than one input language!

https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/97772

Quote from kagurazakayukari :

However I found Japanese still have issue. By using Google Japanese IME it does not seems to work.

I've done an experiment today, to receive Unicode characters from Windows. So Windows doesn't think LFS is a non-unicode program.

It's much better as I can now use Korean, Japanese and Chinese IME to successfully enter characters without any system setting "Language for non-Unicode Programs". I can even switch between input languages while typing a single text string.

There are a couple more things to sort out. But I'm hoping to include it in the next test patch so text entry will be more versatile in LFS.

Hello Racers,

I found a couple of bugs in the IME support while I was doing an update for the text entry system.

Some of the IME things are done a little differently, so I would really like to hear from you if you normally use Chinese, Japanese or Korean text entry. It's really hard for me to test properly and I have no way to know if the IME support is bad / good / OK / terrible.

The IME support is supposed to switch off when you exit the text entry dialog and switch on again if you press T again. But it should only switch on if it was on before you exited the text entry box.

I've had some difficulty with this, for example in Japanese there is no way for LFS to know if the IME has been switched on by using the hot keys. So for Japanese it seems best to switch on the IME by clicking the "E" button in the text entry dialog.

Test Patch B5: https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/97772

NOTE: OFFICIAL VERSION 0.7C IS NOW AVAILABLE


WARNING: THIS IS A TEST


Hello Racers,

Here is a new EDITOR test patch: 0.7B12

It is fully compatible with the existing editor and LFS. The changes are listed below.

Please back up or rename your LFS_EDITOR.exe so you can revert to it if necessary.


Changes from EDITOR 0.7B5 to 0.7B12:

Minor update - really just a test after merging LFS updates
Text entry system language support was improved in LFS
Better alignment of entry screen buttons
Smaller LFS logo on entry screen


Changes from EDITOR 0.7B4 to 0.7B5:

You can use the mouse to click where you want to type in dialog


Changes from EDITOR 0.7A2 to 0.7B4:

New selected text system:

If text dialog is initialised the text is shown as selected
Selected text will be replaced by the next character entered
Use left/right arrow or home/end if you want to edit the text
Right click slider initialises dialog with the current value
Use CTRL+A to select all text in the dialog (e.g. to delete)
NOTE: There is no partial selection - it's all or nothing

Modeller:

Triangles that span two cutouts are detected - message shows index
New button in tri mode "index" - select triangle by entering index
Faster generation of wireframe when you click the 'wire' button
FIX: Error "It doesn't matter what image is on the selected skin"
FIX: OBJ file import can now handle infinite or nan vertex values

Vehicle editor:

FIX: Engine sound names are now limited to ASCII character set
FIX: Animation names now limited to ASCII and the correct length
FIX: Confusing message when texture limit was slightly exceeded


INSTALLATION:

A FULL version of LFS_EDITOR 0.7A must already be installed
Extract the contents of this zip file to your LFS_EDITOR folder
Check that you see 0.7B12 at the bottom of the entry screen


DOWNLOAD:

EDITOR PATCH 0.7A TO 0.7B12 (If you already have 0.7A)
EDIT: Link removed - official version is now available (1.3 MB)

Last edited by Scawen, Fri 8 Apr 2022, 15:02.

Thanks for the report. I have heard of this bug from one other person, but I haven't seen it myself. If I do a quick test to save a MPR locally, it seems fine. Is it only in super-long replays? Was the replay saved on the server or client?

I'd like to see a replay that shows this bug to see if I can work out what the problem is. Preferably I'd like to use the smallest replay that has the bug, but if it has to be a massive one then that is OK too.

Last edited by Scawen, Sat 12 Mar 2022, 09:38.

Test Patch B2 has a new feature to download mods while you are joining a host.

This process is cleaner and more efficient than getting them after you have connected.

Hosters, please switch your hosts to B2 when convenient. It's fully compatible.
Racers, please use B2 if you don't have a reason to stick with version B.

Thanks for the testing!

List of changes and download: https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/97772

Last edited by Scawen, Thu 10 Mar 2022, 09:02. Reason : typo

Well... seeing as you are interested... it might be helpful for people to understand the thinking behind the patch, some info about how things actually go in the real world as opposed to some imagined perfect world where I can continue coding full time without any issue. And what the plans are as I see them.

Since version B was released, first I did some finishing work that week and put a little time into a special version that can really help with events such as the football (Soccar) event. As the ball can run on the host, it works so much better. It's a special server version that could be used for some special cases in future. Something I really wanted to do, even since before the first public version of mods. It's an interesting concept. The reason I even *do* this job, is so that I can follow interesting concepts and get them done!

Then I got Covid, and it was the kids half term. So not much done that week.

As you know, we have a public review system now, and it has been fairly common for people to submit mods from other games, usually by mistake (e.g. they got it from a supposedly legitimate website but the person who uploaded it there didn't actually make it). We can't host such mods, so it's important to have the wireframe view that helps people to examine the model and see if it has come from an illegitimate source.

I don't like the fact that there was a crash in the version. Even if rare... there's one reason that LFS doesn't crash much. It's not because it's 'old' or 'can run on a toaster' etc. It's because I always try to fix every crash, and respond when community members report one.

A couple of other bugs and issues were spotted in the football event so I did a quick fix for them. The shadow bug and the wall riding. Good to fix them. Then when fixed, why hold them back? You guys can have the fix too!

One important thing, for people with worse internet connections, is the ability to download mods while joining a host, instead of after you have joined. It was on my sheet for months, long before the first public test patch of the mods system was ever released. I actually did that in a day yesterday. It has been a little hard to get right back to work after Covid.

Although my Covid was classed as 'mild' I can tell you that for me it was a lot worse than a normal cold. I had some rough nights, weird aching muscles and all sorts of symptoms, separately and sequentially. For info I'm 50 years old and semi-fit meaning I run and ride bikes a bit and walk a few km nearly every day if I don't run or ride. I eat a healthy diet, do not smoke (for 10 years) and rarely drink (and if I do, it's one glass). I actually thought Covid would hit me less hard. As I work from home, I was not vaccinated. I got the Covid from Leo who brought it back from school. I'm not asking for sympathy, it was my choice. I have my reasons.

So the download mods thing was a real good day of work yesterday. I had been somewhat distracted by the war and programming seemed very confusing. It's hard to explain to a non-programmer, quite how hard programming can be and how organised you have to be and have a good short term memory and sometimes keep notes as you go. Even in this case, when I wasn't really doing something entirely new and inspirational, there's data collection, packet sending, list processing, and it's quite simply a lot more involved than you might imagine!

I want to call a stop to working on mods, as you know, with a solid version out there. So that's what this test patch is all about. A simple update that allows me to get on with the tyre physics. There are a lot more things I could do with mods but I want to stop, because when we get the new physics and graphics out, it'll be easier to work on things as I won't have to merge two separate versions.

NOTE: OFFICIAL VERSION 0.7C IS NOW AVAILABLE


WARNING: THIS IS A TEST

PLEASE TEST BEFORE YOU POST


Hello Racers,

Here is a new test patch: 0.7B12

The changes are listed below.

0.7B12 is COMPATIBLE with 0.7B

- You CAN connect online with 0.7B
- You CAN play replays from 0.7B

Please back up or rename your LFS.exe from 0.7B so you can revert to it if necessary.


Changes from 0.7B11 to 0.7B12:

Command /eventlist=no to disable list of events
Corrected opacity of background buttons in mods screen
Can receive one more text field to show beside "Sign up"
Updated translations - thank you translators!


Changes from 0.7B10 to 0.7B11:

Improved appearance of entry screen upcoming events list
Can use up / down / page up / page down / home / end keys
FIX: Mods screen flickered while downloading mod images


Changes from 0.7B8 to 0.7B10:

List of upcoming events is displayed on the entry screen
- click event name to visit the event page at lfs.net
- signup and live stream links are provided if relevant
- a "Join" button is also available if the host is running


Changes from 0.7B7 to 0.7B8:

Input language support:

Text dialog can now get wider if long string typed with IME open
FIX: Characters from click in code page were wrongly interpreted
FIX: Composition string disappeared if you clicked another window
FIX: Composition interpreted in wrong language if language changed
FIX: Composition text could change language of characters after it


Changes from 0.7B6 to 0.7B7:

LFS is no longer a "non-unicode program" which helps a few things:

You can type into LFS with any input language supported in LFS
- Latin 1 / Central European / Turkish / Baltic / Cyrillic / Greek
- Japanese / Traditional Chinese / Simplified Chinese / Korean
You can change the input language at any time and continue typing
To paste text from elsewhere you must select correct input language
NOTE: code pages are still used internally - change is text entry


Changes from 0.7B3 to 0.7B6:

New selected text system (for editors, but works in LFS):

If text dialog is initialised the text is shown as selected
Selected text will be replaced by the next character entered
Use left/right arrow or home/end if you want to edit the text
You can now use the mouse to click to position the text cursor
Right click slider initialises dialog with the current value
Use CTRL+A to select all text in the dialog (e.g. to delete)
NOTE: There is no partial selection - it's all or nothing

Misc:

More translations updated - thank you, translators
Maximum force feedback setting reduced to 100% (was 200%)
Force feedback adjustment keys (,/.) now move in steps of 1%
Some fixes for IME (Input Method Editors for East Asian languages)
FIX: Could not play MPR if server had been in game over 24.8 days
FIX: Error message using IME - "UpdateCandidates : No candidates"


Changes from 0.7B2 to 0.7B3:

A message shown for each mod downloaded while joining (like skins)
Removed message "You have the latest version" when selecting a mod
A few more lines on the mods screen can be translated
More translations updated - thanks to translators


Changes from 0.7B to 0.7B2:

Multiplayer:

Mods in use will be downloaded while you are joining a B2 host

Interface:

New option "wireframe" in garage viewer mode
More translation updates - thank you translators
SHIFT+F now toggles force display in garage (F is front view)
FIX: CTRL key reduced size of favourites stars in mods screen
FIX: Rating numbers from previous mod were shown on local test mod

Misc:

Objects with high CoG (e.g. football) retain shadow a bit higher
Reduced maximum lag to process a position packet to half a second
FIX: Wheels could penetrate vertical wall objects when wall riding
FIX: Rare crash if not yet loaded remote mod did pit damage repair


INSTALLATION:

A FULL version of LFS 0.7B must already be installed
To install the PATCH using the SELF EXTRACTING ARCHIVE:

1) Move or save the patch into your main LFS folder
2) Double click the patch to extract it to that folder
3) When you see "Confirm File Replace" select "Yes to All"
4) Now you can start LFS in the normal way

NOTE: You can see if the patch is correctly installed when you run
the program (LFS.exe). At the bottom of the entry screen: 0.7B12


DOWNLOAD:

PATCH 0.7B TO 0.7B12 (SELF EXTRACTING ARCHIVE) (If you already have 0.7B)
EDIT: Link removed, full version is now available (1.3 MB)

Last edited by Scawen, Fri 8 Apr 2022, 14:58.

Thanks, but for some reason I can't open that rar file (though I can usually). Maybe try again with a zip or 7zip?

EDIT: By the way, I don't know what's in the file but the only thing I hope to test is the obj file that crashes the editor. Because crashes should never happen.

Last edited by Scawen, Wed 23 Feb 2022, 14:16.

Test Patch A13

EV battery light now comes on when charge is less than 5%
EV dashboard is now blank when the car is switched off (I key)
FIX: Clutch temperature no longer displayed for electric vehicles
FIX: Power-weight ratio display wrong for EV with power restriction

https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/97038

Quote from Zero7 :

Every now and then I've been getting LFS locking up using mods. The game freezes and the engine sound loops, after a short while, say between 15 and 30 seconds the game resumes. The next time it happens I'll report here with the mod name, at what point it locked (with a screenshot) and how long it locked for. Is there anything else you'd need? Logs?

I think the only thing that could help at this point is the name of the mod, in case that was responsible.

Hangs that eventually recover are most likely something to do with memory access, maybe the RAM has been getting full and it was swapped to disc, so took some time to recover when that memory had to be accessed again. Or any number of hangs due to accessing the hard drive, that LFS can't really control. This case would be most likely if you had been on a server for a long time. Though I don't remember hearing much about long hangs. Also it's more likely if you have a HDD rather than an SSD and that HDD is getting full or your haven't defragged it recently. Though I know some computers simply do hang quite a bit. My main computer doesn't hang much at all, although it is old, but a budget laptop we have frequently hangs for a long time while performing the simplest of operations.

Quote from redbot_ :

I was changing to another car in Just a Ride Server and LFS suddenly crashed. Version 0.7A

Faulting application name: LFS.exe, version: 0.0.0.0, time stamp: 0x61bafeec
Faulting module name: LFS.exe, version: 0.0.0.0, time stamp: 0x61bafeec
Exception code: 0xc0000005
Fault offset: 0x000a58a6


Thank you for the info.

In fact this is the same one reported by VladM above, so that was fixed in December test patches.

Test Patch A12

Improved checks when clicking a link to install a mod
Car name is now shown below driver name in F11 and F12
Key to toggle Viewer mode in Garage changed to V (was S)
Added some translation lines for the Viewer mode in Garage
FIX: Obscure message "Not found" on entering garage with test mod

https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/97038

Test Patch A11:

New LFS://getmod link to install a mod from a link on the website
- works if LFS is not running or is running but not in multiplayer
- can install mod from entry / game setup / garage / mod screens

LFS join links no longer start new instance if LFS already running
- makes existing LFS join host (from entry or multiplayer screens)

FIX: OOS if AI on grid with non-rally car when changing to rx track
FIX: Remote EV would jump / glitch during pit stop if throttle held

https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/97038

Quote from Gunn :

CMX files are obsolete (not compatible with the new system). Scawen is working on a new solution. There is no current ETA for the new mode/system.

Quote from Eclipsed :

...So we're kinda back in pre-CMXviewer times with skinning,which I actually never experienced before - save the skin in LFS folder and while being on track in shift+u mode,switch to high or low textures resolution to force LFS update textures...

Quote from Gunn :

Yes, at least for the mod cars and the updated RB4. For now the CMX viewer is still useful for viewing the other standard cars. I'm keen to begin skinning some of the newer content too.

For anyone following this thread but not following test patch updates:

In Test Patch A10 there is a new skin viewer mode in the garage. You can use manual or auto reload to inspect the result of your changes and zoom / rotate features to get a close look at the model.

https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/97038

Test Patch A10

Skin Viewer in Garage - Click "Viewer" or Press S key
- Rotate vehicle with left mouse button
- Rotate view direction with right button
- Use mouse wheel to zoom in and out
- Select lighting mode, background colour or LOD
- Reload button or auto reload while editing a skin

https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/97038

Quote from versiu :

Someone can explain why thing that I didn't touched broke? It's still okay in the editor and wrong in the game. In maps and cutouts everything are still the same as before. I exported this car 3 times and this error is still there...

PS
I compared this one to latest proper working version and everything are the same in maps and cutouts...

If you use Test Patch A9, do you get a message "Cross-texture triangle found in LODx - mapping corrected" when you enter the garage?

If so then you have the model fault described here. https://www.lfs.net/forum/post/1985581#post1985581

Test Patch A9:

You can now export a skin template from the garage screen
- In the "Colours" tab select 1024 or 2048 size
- Click "Generate Skin Template"
- Select a skin template or wireframe guide
- The resulting image is copied to the clipboard

More translations have been updated - thank you translators

https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/97038

Last edited by Scawen, Fri 28 Jan 2022, 17:48.