Test Patch 0.6M3 is now available.

For VR users it has a look and click feature and a virtual keyboard. You can assign Click, Escape and Virtual Keyboard to controller buttons so you can operate LFS without keyboard or mouse.

The virtual keyboard is also available for non-VR users, so you can control LFS without the keyboard. You will still need a mouse.

https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/89160

Last edited by Scawen, Sat 12 Mar 2016, 18:49. Reason : typo

Yeah, I don't know why they display a chaperone if the program asks for seated mode. And why it's offset in front and to the left, after setting it up at the actual seated position. Seems buggy to me.

Yes, I am working on VR features. As both Vive and Rift are shipping within a month, this has become the most important thing. Tyre physics can wait another month.

A good VR implementation with all the wrinkles ironed out will help bring in more users and that will be good for everyone. It's not possible to be in Steam, for reasons discussed before, but Valve have kindly supported us by sending Vives and we can be fully up to date with the software. On the Rift side, I have been in touch with Oculus and there is still a possibility of having LFS in the Oculus store. This is ongoing and I won't be able to say any more because if there was any more information, it would be under NDA. You'll just have to leave that to me, I'm working on it.

One requirement is that it must be possible to operate the game with a controller only. For the last two days I have worked on a system that draws a crosshair in the view centre and allows you to click buttons using the space bar. Obviously this "Click" function needs to be assignable to a controller button. At first I thought this task would be a few hours but the complexity is quite surprising. Various adaptations and improvements have become necessary. I think the only other buttons that are needed are "Escape" and "Show Virtual Keyboard". These will soon be available in a compatible test patch.

Quote from Amynue :

As far as I know chaperone is supposted to show up only when you get close to the boundaries of your "play space", which you assign during the installation. So you may have to reconfigure that.

No, I set it up for a seated experience. There are two options in the setup and I chose "seated". I am beside a wall in so I cannot set a large open room play area (because I can't push the headset through the wall). SteamVR is buggy about this. Sometimes it shows a ring on the floor, sometimes it shows a box around me, sometime it shows a box in front of me and to my left. LFS specifies a SEATED VR experience.

Just trust me, the behaviour in the SteamVR system is buggy, wrong, inconsistent and annoying. Also, just try to imagine how many times I've reconfigured and reconfigured the area setup, trying to fix this.

I'm the sort of person who tries many times over, before I state that some software is bugged.

Quote from Amynue :

That's kinda good since the speakers are not good for VR and the software is written with headphones in mind. Not sure if you noticed, but Vive Pre have a cable with audio connector somewhere near the back of the strap. Did you get earphones with your Pre? Some guy on Reddit claims that his Pre was bundled with some HTC in-ear earphones.

There are some crappy little earphones, yes. But I am not interested for one second to stick them in my ears. I have headphones if I wanted to use them. But I am in a racing simulator and I have to put the headset on and take it off loads of times. Also I have to lift it frequently to see the keyboard. So actually it is not really good that it disables my speakers without asking me, and that there is no option to enable them. I am in a seated experience and have a warm box on my face. It's going to be more comfortable to not have headphones on if you are trying to race for an hour, unless you like being drenched with sweat and your VR headset to be fogged up.

Now I am just supposing here, but Valve don't seem to think about seated experiences a lot. As a Vive user, I can see that the seated experience support is very buggy and it's the same with the speakers, it's an oversight. They don't seem to really test seated things or think about them much.

Quote from Amynue :

A bit off topic but - any news on your submission for the Rift CV1/SDK 1.0? I've seen that your thread on Reddit about patch 0.6M caught the attention of Philanthropi (Developer Relations, Oculus VR).

No, that was the last I heard.

I suspect that you updated the dedicated host EXE but did not install the full package. The problem then is the ROCKINGHAM_GHOST in the wld folder is from an earlier test patch and only has 3 lighting configurations.

To check this, look at the date on the wld file. The correct one has file date 11 February and size 395 KB.

Test Patch 0.6M2 contains improvements to the lesson editor :
https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/89160

Test Patch 0.6M2 includes input smoothing in multiplayer replays :
https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/89160

WARNING : THIS IS A TEST

NOTE : THIS DOES NOT CONTAIN NEW TYRE PHYSICS OR ANY NEW CONTENT

PLEASE TEST BEFORE YOU POST

PLEASE AVOID : OFF-TOPIC FEATURE REQUESTS / UNRELATED COMMENTS


Hello Racers,

Here is a new TEST PATCH : 0.6M9

- New siren sound and doppler effect on all car sounds
- A long requested feature, to filter out demo servers, has been added
- Virtual Keyboard (press backspace) so you don't need to use the keyboard
- Look and Click feature (for VR) so you don't need to use the mouse
- An improvement to the steering input of remote cars
- Input smoothing for multiplayer replays

This test patch is mainly compatible with 0.6M
- You can connect online with 0.6M
- You can play replays from 0.6M
- An M9 guest's horn or flash will not be seen on pre-M8 guests
- The host must be M8 or later to allow a guest to use a siren

You cannot upload hotlaps made with this test patch because it is only a test patch, not an official patch.

Please keep a backup of your LFS.exe from 0.6M so you can easily go back if there are any problems.


Changes from 0.6M8 to 0.6M9 :

More translation updates! Thank you translators!

Audio :

Reduced the minimum volume to play a sound (can hear further away)
Added doppler effect to all car sounds that didn't have it already
Removed doppler effect resulting from SHIFT+U mode camera velocity
Updated commands.txt with commands /cansiren /siren /ujoin /uai

Siren sound :

Command /cansiren now works on players that have not joined race
Command /cansiren username 0 now switches off username's siren

Fix :

Fixed a recently introduced bug in the /key and /button commands


Changes from 0.6M7 to 0.6M8 :

Multiplayer :

More accurate horn and flash with shorter transmission delay

Siren sound :

Text command /siren=off/fast/slow
Only allowed on cars with a horn and if allowed by host
Allow a multiplayer guest to use siren : /cansiren username 1

InSim :

New ISS state flags to notify if local PC is in dialog / text entry
New packet SMALL_LCS - set local car switches (lights, horn, siren)


Changes from 0.6M6 to 0.6M7 :

VR :

Crosshairs auto-hide in game when buttons visible (e.g. N or InSim)

Virtual keyboard :

Added Serbian / Croatian / Slovenian keyboard (QWERTZ)
Added Slovak, Turkish, Bulgarian and Romanian keyboards


Changes from 0.6M5 to 0.6M6 :

Multiplayer :

New Demo filter at bottom of List of Hosts screen

Virtual keyboard :

Czech and Hungarian keyboard layouts are now supported
Mouse button function (e.g. throttle) disabled if clicking keyboard

Look and click :

Crosshairs did not work with vertical scroll bar


Changes from 0.6M3 to 0.6M5 :

Virtual keyboard :

Can now operate assigned keys - Speed Limiter, Reset, etc.
Most Latin keyboards and Greek and Cyrillic are now supported
The key to toggle the keyboard is now backspace (or controller)
Virtual keyboard is now drawn in front of overlapping buttons
Shift and Alt Gr keys now affect the characters on keyboard
Dead keys (for diacritics / accents) are displayed in red
Virtual keyboard position moved above text entry dialog

VR :

Crosshairs can now go past the interface edge and fade out
Talk function (T key) can now be assigned to a wheel button

Fixes :

LFS could crash if interrupted while generating track
The Alt Gr key + a number could cause the text colour to change
Simultaneous Left + Right view keys were not working properly


Changes from 0.6M2 to 0.6M3 :

VR :

Look and click (with space or button) can be used instead of mouse
OpenVR SDK now 0.9.17 and supports live IPD adjustment (Vive Pre)
Removed interface aspect ratio 1:1 and added 14:9 (default)
New click and type buttons in place of some slider bars

Virtual keyboard :

Automatically displayed in VR mode below text entry dialog
Can be toggled by controller button or backslash key (VK_OEM_5)

Misc :

Input and sound are now enabled by default when LFS is not focussed
Mouse click on demo exit screen now exits LFS or opens www.lfs.net

Fixes :

Out-of-path start warning incorrectly showed local player name
Dedicated server did not search for path after out-of-path start
Non-dedicated server could crash if guest driver drove off track


Changes from 0.6M to 0.6M2 :

Multiplayer :

Reduced steering wobble each time a position packet is received
Smoothed steering / brake / throttle inputs in multiplayer replays
MPR smoothing is disabled by switching on network debug (SHIFT+F8)
Passwords hidden on Start New Host and Join Specific Host screens

Training lessons :

Previous and best times are shown during the lesson replay
SHIFT+R now restarts the lesson without returning to instructions
SHIFT+X exits from replay or lesson back to the instructions screen
Press 1 to watch or restart replay without finishing the lesson
ESC once starts the replay / another time to exit lesson

Lesson editor :

Reverse and open configurations may now be selected
Lesson image filename no longer needs to start with zzz_
Image does not need to be square (but is still shown in a square)
On entry to lesson editor the current track and config are selected
You can now select the lighting (weather) for a lesson

Misc :

Layout editor now allows unmovable objects to intersect

Fixes :

LFS could crash if a shadowed object near a paused car was deleted


INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS :

A FULL version of LFS 0.6M 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 : 0.6M9


DOWNLOADS :

PATCH 0.6M TO 0.6M9 (SELF EXTRACTING ARCHIVE) (if you already have 0.6M) :
www.lfs.net/file_lfs.php?name=LFS_PATCH_6M_TO_6M9.exe (1.6 MB)

PATCH 0.6M TO 0.6M9 (ALTERNATIVE ZIP) (if you already have 0.6M) :
www.lfs.net/file_lfs.php?name=LFS_PATCH_6M_TO_6M9.zip (2.0 MB)


FOR HOSTING ONLY

DEDICATED HOST 0.6M9 (non-graphical version for hosting only) :
www.lfs.net/file_lfs.php?name=LFS_S3_DCON_6M9.zip (1.8 MB)

Last edited by Scawen, Wed 23 Mar 2016, 18:22.

Thanks for the info.

The Pre arrived this weekend. I should be able to have a look early this week. First I have to release a test patch with a couple of updates, either Monday or Tuesday afternoon.

The camera sounds interesting. I'll be pleased if it can allow the user to see the keyboard because it's so hard to type when online in LFS with a headset on.

I am not sure why it has inbuilt phone functionality. As someone who is not addicted to or interested in telephones, I am a bit shocked to think that someone can't take the headset off if they want to interact with their phone. I guess it's like the people who crash their car because answering their phone is more important than staying alive!

I noticed that my previous post could be misread, so I just want to make it clear there will be no tyre physics updates in the coming patch.

1) Test patch in a few days with crash fix, a few small lesson editor fixes, possibly an MPR smoothing.
2) Not going to get into a massive patching session. I've just come off one. Just release the full version with a few minor updates.
3) Do some editor functions that Eric has asked for.
4) Work on tyre physics.

Disclaimer: That's the plan, but plans change...

I have managed to reproduce it using vitaly's method. Thank you for this report and reproduction. It's a bit mysterious, something to do with accessing memory after it was freed. But I'll track it down as top priority.

EDIT: Now I know the cause of it.

EDIT2: It seems to me this bug is not new, and has been there ever since shadows could be cast on layout objects, I think when the concrete objects were introduced.

EDIT3: Now I've found a seemingly more reliable way to get the crash, and in this case it takes place in the new code that selects the correct draw lists depending on your height above ground. In this method, you do not wait for the car to go out of physics. Just use in car view and pause the game before entering SHIFT+U mode. Then delete the object the car is sitting on. You should get a crash when you exit SHIFT+U mode.

EDIT4: Fixed in my version. There are a few quick things on my list that have come up so there should be a test patch out sooner than expected.

Last edited by Scawen, Wed 17 Feb 2016, 21:01.

Quote from Pose1don :

Okay but there was handbrake on MRT for years in LFS. Why the change now?

Thanks for explanation.

There was previously a handbrake on all the single seater cars in LFS. But there are no handbrakes on single seaters in reality. Some people were using the handbrake to gain an advantage in some places while hotlapping. This forces other people to use the same unrealistic trick to remain competitive and there was a request on the test patch thread to remove this exploit while we were on some other hotlapping improvements.

Hi sinanju, thanks for the test.

First of all I see I made a mistake with the folder name. It's actually data\training and not data\lesson. So I've edited the first post with that correction. Hopefully that should solve the problem you found and you should see those files, ready to load.

I see what you mean that my description could be quite confusing. I've changed the "How a training lesson is constructed" section to be more informative.

It's interesting the way you have written your version, in a step by step way that is probably easier to understand. Anyway for now at least I have added a bit more info. I know it needs more, like a description of the format for the text file.

About your last question, yes, if you loaded the layout and image file into your lesson, then when you click "save" at the bottom of the screen, the saved file is a .lsn file, representing the lesson itself and that would be something you could add to the list.

Test Patch 0.6K23 is available with many improvements!
https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/88821

K23 is available on the public test patch thread!

Thank you for the testing, design and suggestions!

https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/88821

THE PLAN!

I plan to release an incompatible test patch tomorrow evening (Thursday).

Some of you may wish to try the current incompatible version, K21, on the programmer thread. Tomorrow's will be similar, and with the Rockingham with the sunset weather, and I'll see if I can squeeze in another update or two before the test.

I don't recommend that patch for everyone, but if you have an interest in the layout editor or InSim, then it might be good to have a look.

The change log would be a good place to start.
https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/88999

After Thursday's Test Patch, the plan is to do a full release on Saturday.

K14 is now available in the first post : https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/88999

It doesn't seem like a big update but in fact it is. The best solution for the duplication bug, when moving InSim checkpoints quickly and repeatedly in multiplayer mode, was to change all the marshall code to support multiple object selection and use similar code to the other types of objects (and share some code). They can't share all the code because these circles internally are really a completely different type of object.

It turns out this was a 12 hour job, because it is complicated how this multiplayer editor works, but I think it works now. I'm not fully confident about that so I'd be grateful if you could have a go and see if it stands up to a test.

Layout editor :

Multiple object selection is now available in marshall mode

Fixes :

Quick repeat moving checkpoints in multiplayer caused duplication

The incompatible updates are listed or discussed on the programmer test thread and to me they are interesting! Yes, most of the changes need InSim to use them but the changes offer some interesting possibilities for online racing, and that's why I'm working with server admins and InSim programmers on that thread. It's all about helping to support good online racing.

Thank you for the test.

I can't think of a reason why Airio would think you are on multiple times. I've checked the code in LFS where it sends IS_NPL and don't see any change there (if join requests are not enabled - and they are not enabled with version 6). It should be compatible.

You can receive another IS_NPL if you are already in the race but that was always the case. Subsequent NPL for the same player use the same PLID (if he has not spectated) so the external program knows you are leaving the pits rather than joining.

I don't know if you have any time for a boring test but maybe you could try reproducing it by entering / leaving pits and also spectating. If you get the Airio bug, you could try the same with a public version and see if the same sequence of joins results in the same bug.

Thanks, got it and the fix will be in K12.

EDIT:

K12 is now available.

It's another incompatible "sub-test" patch in the programmer section. The test patch is mainly for programmers until Thursday when I plan to do a 'proper' incompatible test patch here.

InSim programmers should definitely have a look. Server admins might like to have a look at the new grid manipulation buttons.

Just remember it's not compatible with what most people have. https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/88999

Last edited by Scawen, Wed 3 Feb 2016, 17:55.

Another incompatible "sub-test" patch K11 on the programmers thread. It's mainly for programmers until Thursday when I plan to do a 'proper' incompatible test patch here.

But InSim programmers should definitely have a look. Server admins might like to have a look at the new grid manipulation buttons too.

Just remember it's not compatible with what most people have. https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/88999

Well, that is the "Borderless window system" referred to in the first post. It was a major focus on my side of this series of test patches, several days work on that.

Borderless window system :

New SHIFT+key functions are displayed on right of Screen Options
Borderless modes allow ALT+TAB to other programs without minimising
Multiple monitor support is greatly improved by a borderless window
New command /window min/max/monitor/virtual (no parameter=restore)

Watch out though, borderless windows have worse performance than exclusive mode full screen.

Yeah, sorry about the RO hotlap confusion during these test patches. Just inevitable as some parts of the track surface were fixed. We plan to release the full version on Saturday and that should be stable for a while.

Quote from sicotange :

Thanks for adding this new packet Scawen. It works like a charm (I haven't tested all features sufficiently though).

Thanks for the test. Please let me know if it seems there is enough to do your ideas like multiple races in one environment, or if something else would help. Also the behaviour when a player gets /ujoin on his username while he is in the garage. How would this affect things in your case?

Quote from sicotange :

One thing I noticed. The ground level check is on by default. If it is an easy addition, would it make sense to add the no ground level check option to StartPos? Or would this go too much in the direction of "surrealism"?

To help me understand, what would this be used for? I think LFS always does some kind of ground check to avoid dropping the car too far. But as far as I know, the current system should work on things like concrete objects and doesn't have to be the actual ground.

Programmers and other people with a related interest, please head over to the programmer forum where there is a special test available.

NOT COMPATIBLE! Only for specific testing! https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/88999

New join request system if ISF_REQ_JOIN is set - see InSim.txt
New system to reset a car at a location with or without repair
New admin commands /ujoin username and /uai username

It needs some good testing before we go public. More features should be added but let's discuss it on the other thread.

This is an incompatible version intended for programmers.

It needs testing and I am not advertising this for normal users.
I expect to add more incompatible features as discussed.
The download contains LFS.exe / a DCon.exe / InSim.txt


Changes from 0.6K21 to 0.6K22 :

Layout editor :

Temporary start lights (in layout editor) middle light is now amber

Interface :

Message "Connection has no car selected" info adding remote driver

InSim :

New packet IS_SLC reports a connection's currently selected car
Packet TINY_SLC to request an IS_SLC for all connections

Fixes :

Racing car spawned outside pit lane had speed limiter enabled


Changes from 0.6K20 to 0.6K21 :

InSim :

Changed TINY_SEL to more useful TTC_SEL to get a connection's selection
Similarly IS_AXM with PMO_SELECTION can set a connection's selection
Overridden start lights states are now sent to joining players


Changes from 0.6K19 to 0.6K20 :

Layout editor :

You can now set an identifier for a start lights object

InSim :

IS_SSH documentation updated as it is no longer only for bmp files
New packet IS_OCO can be used to override some or all start lights


Changes from 0.6K17 to 0.6K19 :

Layout editor :

New button "place on ground" to restore ground check to objects
You can now adjust width / diameter of multiple marshall objects

InSim :

A car moved by an IS_JRR packet now has the handbrake applied
Added TINY_SEL to request an IS_AXM with layout editor selection
New value PMO_REQUESTED renamed to PMO_TINY_AXM for consistency
New IS_AXM option PMO_SELECTION to set the current editor selection


Changes from 0.6K12 to 0.6K17 :

Layout editor :

Multiple object selection is now available in marshall mode

InSim :

Added TINY_AXM to request IS_AXM packets for the entire layout
InSim checkpoints and circles can be placed in the autocross editor
New packet IS_UCO sends info about InSim checkpoints and circles
Zbyte added to IS_OBH so the layout object can be identified

Misc :

Maximum number of autocross circles increased from 150 to 180


Changes from 0.6K11 to 0.6K12 :

InSim :

INSIM_VERSION increased to 7 to support new incompatible packets
Backward compatibility system - send INSIM_VERSION in the IS_ISI
Added TINY_ALC and SMALL_ALC to get and set allowed cars

Misc :

No longer stored in message history : /press /ctrl /shift /alt

Fixes :

FF was not initialised when "Input when window is inactive" was set


Changes from 0.6K10 to 0.6K11 :

InSim :

IS_MSO / IS_III / IS_ACR message out packets now have variable size
IS_BFN can now be used to delete a range of buttons with one packet
In game spectate then SHIFT+P and type /join - message is now shown

Start grid controls :

Start grid clear button is now available in multiplayer for admins
Add to grid buttons for admins beside names in list of connections
New arrows to move grid positions - removed "swap position" button

Fixes :

Player with car in game leaving pits no longer sends a join request
In 0.6K10 the IS_MTC Msg To Connection with UCID 255 did not work


Changes from 0.6K9 to 0.6K10 :

InSim :

New join request system if ISF_REQ_JOIN is set - see InSim.txt
New system to reset a car at a location with or without repair
New admin commands /ujoin username and /uai username


Download : Test Patch 0.6K9 must already be installed!

http://www.lfs.net/file_lfs.php?name=LFS_INSIM_TEST_6K22.zip

Last edited by Scawen, Thu 11 Feb 2016, 20:01. Reason : K22