Hello LFS Racers.
We have released a new, full version with many improvements : Z25
It is compatible with version Z, so does not contain the new tyre physics or the VW Scirocco. We are working to get those things to you as soon as possible, but in the meantime we wanted you to get the benefit of all the new compatible features and updates that have been tested a lot recently on our forum, including :
- Improved car shadows
- New wheel drawing system
- Improved road car dashboards
- ABS brakes on some road cars
- Improved and much faster List of Hosts
- Powerful and flexible multiple screen support
Three ways to get Patch Z25 :
1) AUTO UPDATER - If you already have version V, W, X, Y or Z :
- Click on "Multiplayer" then "List of Games" in LFS and choose a download mirror.
2) MANUAL PATCH - If you already have version Z :
- Click HERE and save the patch into your LFS folder.
- With the patch correctly positioned in your LFS folder, run it and select "Yes to all" when asked about overwriting files.
3) FULL VERSION - If you are new to LFS or making a fresh installation.
- Click HERE to visit the download page and follow the installation instructions.
More detailed information :
Improved multiple monitor and curved screen support :
The number of left and right screens can be manually entered in the
View Options screen and you can set the angle between monitors.
If you specify more than one screen, multiple views are rendered in
different directions. This allows much wider fields of view.
2 screens - maximum FOV 180 degrees
3 screens - maximum FOV 270 degrees
4 or more screens - maximum FOV 360 degrees
The FOV slider does not set the total field of view. Instead, you
set the FOV of the main screen. LFS then calculates each screen's
field of view and offset according to your settings.
Use "Screen angle" setting to specify the angle between monitors.
Use "View offset" to move the steering wheel off centre.
There are three separate sets of settings that are used depending
on the screen size :
Screen width 3.75 times the height -> wide mode (default 3 screen)
Screen width 2.5 times the height -> medium mode (default 2 screen)
Otherwise normal (single screen) mode is active (default 1 screen)
These three sets all have the same available settings but different
default values. This is so that if you have a wide screen setup
then LFS will still look good when you reduce it to a normal window,
because at that point it will automatically use "normal" mode.
To reproduce the old single projection 3 three screen mode, either
- set the number of left and right screens to zero, or
- set left and right screens to 1 and set "Screen angle" to zero.
A curved screen can be supported by setting the number of left and
right screens to the maximum of 5 each. This 11 screen setup is
an approximate cylindrical projection, ideal for curved screens.
Various other setups can now be properly supported, for example :
- A 2 screen setup with side screen at 30 degrees and offset wheel
- A 5 screen setup with each screen at 45 degrees - total FOV 225
- A 3 projector setup with each screen at 90 degrees - total FOV 270
Note :
External views (TV, helicopter and SHIFT+U mode) are always drawn as
a single render and usually confined to the 2D interface area.
Related settings :
Option to force external views to use full width
Bezel compensation - to allow for the gap between monitors
Screen widths - for centre and side screens with a different width
Other changes to view system :
Two button look (left + right) is now double the one button look and
this allows up to 180 degrees look (like old versions of LFS).
Rear look (instant 180 degree view from centre of car) is now the
same on all cars (no longer shows a virtual mirror) but is disallowed
if the host activates forced cockpit view.
Driving view Z-buffering improved so you should not usually see
missing parts of your seat or the car body when looking around.
Mouse steer/look/axes now relative to interface (not entire screen)
New command : /view save - save any changes made to a custom view
New command : /view reload - reload a custom view without saving
Graphics :
Road cars and virtual dashboard use dashboard light symbols
Added option to set colour of new road car gear LED display
Shift lights removed from all road cars other than RaceAbout
Improved wheel drawing system including rotating brake discs
FBM / XRG / XRT / XRR wheels updated using the new draw system
Included updated liveforspeed.se skins and liveforspeed.ru skins
Headlights and tail lights can now be switched on by pressing '3'
Improved shadows - sharper and ambient shadow effect now included
Slight increase in wheels LOD reduction distance (increases detail)
Increased maximum value of Mirror LOD user setting (default now 0.3)
FIX : Physics objects & smoke can now be seen through your windscreen
FIX : Turn signals were switched off if car received any damage
FIX : Lightmap (lighting on cars) was positioned inaccurately
FIX : MRT5 gear indicator and fuel gauge are now visible
List of Hosts :
List is produced much faster (by using UDP instead of TCP)
Host options are displayed after clicking on a host to join
Improved order of "sort by version number" option (V column)
Number of cars in race and maximum are displayed for each host
Page up / page down / home / end keys now move through the list
Improved layout, appearance and options filters (with descriptions)
FIX : No response in List of Hosts after failing to join a host
FIX : Closing X connects message when trying to return to menu
Interface :
Click car arrow on small map to view that car
Blue and yellow flags removed from cruise mode
Connections list is now shown in alphabetical order
Click name in race position list to view that player's car
New key : SHIFT+Z to show the mouse cursor when it would be hidden
V / TAB / P / HOME / F1 / F2 / F3 / F / SHIFT+M / N work in options
Window size and position now restored after full screen or exit LFS
Direction to turn and speed limit is shown when leaving pit garage
Unlock screen : new "clear" button to remove name and password
New text command /showmouse [yes/no] does the same as SHIFT+Z
FIX : It was possible to start a replay during an active vote
FIX : F12 tyre display for remote car could go off screen
FIX : Central message sub-text disappeared in escape menu
FIX : Player name was wrong in entry screen after replay
FIX : Skin names containing a '.' could not be loaded
Autocross :
New key : SHIFT+O to enter options from SHIFT+U mode
Smoother view adjustment with left mouse button while following car
FIX : Autocross editor buttons were wrongly scaled with the interface
FIX : Selected object in editor vanished behind anything transparent
FIX : Could cross finish line without passing all route checkers
FIX : Autocross route checkers only worked for one lap
Translations :
Included new Latin American Spanish translation
Korean, Spanish and Slovenian training lessons
Multiplayer :
Progress indicator for skin downloads while joining a host
New message from host replaces "Did not receive guest info"
FIX : Added checks to prevent guests joining with no user name or ID
FIX : OOS starting race after joining autocross host in entry screen
FIX : Dedicated host did not save skins used in MPR (for downloads)
Misc :
Implemented ABS brakes in XRG / RB4 / FXO / XRT / FZ5
Misc option "Shadow generation" to select optimal shadow draw
OutGauge : Dashboard lights reported in new OutGaugePack fields
InSim : Traction Control and ABS are now reported in IS_NPL packet
InSim : New packets to start / search replays and take screenshots
FIX : LFS could crash when many cars were in view (e.g. during MPR)
FIX : Mouse steering was stuck on full lock after minimising window
FIX : Vista 64 power save switched off monitor in full screen mode
FIX : Short cuts were possible in slalom course training lesson
FIX : Follower view angle setting changed when LFS restarted
FIX : MPR buffer overflow vulnerability (thanks to muhaa)
FIX : Crash in game setup screen after removing a player
- LFS Devs
We have released a new, full version with many improvements : Z25
It is compatible with version Z, so does not contain the new tyre physics or the VW Scirocco. We are working to get those things to you as soon as possible, but in the meantime we wanted you to get the benefit of all the new compatible features and updates that have been tested a lot recently on our forum, including :
- Improved car shadows
- New wheel drawing system
- Improved road car dashboards
- ABS brakes on some road cars
- Improved and much faster List of Hosts
- Powerful and flexible multiple screen support
Three ways to get Patch Z25 :
1) AUTO UPDATER - If you already have version V, W, X, Y or Z :
- Click on "Multiplayer" then "List of Games" in LFS and choose a download mirror.
2) MANUAL PATCH - If you already have version Z :
- Click HERE and save the patch into your LFS folder.
- With the patch correctly positioned in your LFS folder, run it and select "Yes to all" when asked about overwriting files.
3) FULL VERSION - If you are new to LFS or making a fresh installation.
- Click HERE to visit the download page and follow the installation instructions.
More detailed information :
Improved multiple monitor and curved screen support :
The number of left and right screens can be manually entered in the
View Options screen and you can set the angle between monitors.
If you specify more than one screen, multiple views are rendered in
different directions. This allows much wider fields of view.
2 screens - maximum FOV 180 degrees
3 screens - maximum FOV 270 degrees
4 or more screens - maximum FOV 360 degrees
The FOV slider does not set the total field of view. Instead, you
set the FOV of the main screen. LFS then calculates each screen's
field of view and offset according to your settings.
Use "Screen angle" setting to specify the angle between monitors.
Use "View offset" to move the steering wheel off centre.
There are three separate sets of settings that are used depending
on the screen size :
Screen width 3.75 times the height -> wide mode (default 3 screen)
Screen width 2.5 times the height -> medium mode (default 2 screen)
Otherwise normal (single screen) mode is active (default 1 screen)
These three sets all have the same available settings but different
default values. This is so that if you have a wide screen setup
then LFS will still look good when you reduce it to a normal window,
because at that point it will automatically use "normal" mode.
To reproduce the old single projection 3 three screen mode, either
- set the number of left and right screens to zero, or
- set left and right screens to 1 and set "Screen angle" to zero.
A curved screen can be supported by setting the number of left and
right screens to the maximum of 5 each. This 11 screen setup is
an approximate cylindrical projection, ideal for curved screens.
Various other setups can now be properly supported, for example :
- A 2 screen setup with side screen at 30 degrees and offset wheel
- A 5 screen setup with each screen at 45 degrees - total FOV 225
- A 3 projector setup with each screen at 90 degrees - total FOV 270
Note :
External views (TV, helicopter and SHIFT+U mode) are always drawn as
a single render and usually confined to the 2D interface area.
Related settings :
Option to force external views to use full width
Bezel compensation - to allow for the gap between monitors
Screen widths - for centre and side screens with a different width
Other changes to view system :
Two button look (left + right) is now double the one button look and
this allows up to 180 degrees look (like old versions of LFS).
Rear look (instant 180 degree view from centre of car) is now the
same on all cars (no longer shows a virtual mirror) but is disallowed
if the host activates forced cockpit view.
Driving view Z-buffering improved so you should not usually see
missing parts of your seat or the car body when looking around.
Mouse steer/look/axes now relative to interface (not entire screen)
New command : /view save - save any changes made to a custom view
New command : /view reload - reload a custom view without saving
Graphics :
Road cars and virtual dashboard use dashboard light symbols
Added option to set colour of new road car gear LED display
Shift lights removed from all road cars other than RaceAbout
Improved wheel drawing system including rotating brake discs
FBM / XRG / XRT / XRR wheels updated using the new draw system
Included updated liveforspeed.se skins and liveforspeed.ru skins
Headlights and tail lights can now be switched on by pressing '3'
Improved shadows - sharper and ambient shadow effect now included
Slight increase in wheels LOD reduction distance (increases detail)
Increased maximum value of Mirror LOD user setting (default now 0.3)
FIX : Physics objects & smoke can now be seen through your windscreen
FIX : Turn signals were switched off if car received any damage
FIX : Lightmap (lighting on cars) was positioned inaccurately
FIX : MRT5 gear indicator and fuel gauge are now visible
List of Hosts :
List is produced much faster (by using UDP instead of TCP)
Host options are displayed after clicking on a host to join
Improved order of "sort by version number" option (V column)
Number of cars in race and maximum are displayed for each host
Page up / page down / home / end keys now move through the list
Improved layout, appearance and options filters (with descriptions)
FIX : No response in List of Hosts after failing to join a host
FIX : Closing X connects message when trying to return to menu
Interface :
Click car arrow on small map to view that car
Blue and yellow flags removed from cruise mode
Connections list is now shown in alphabetical order
Click name in race position list to view that player's car
New key : SHIFT+Z to show the mouse cursor when it would be hidden
V / TAB / P / HOME / F1 / F2 / F3 / F / SHIFT+M / N work in options
Window size and position now restored after full screen or exit LFS
Direction to turn and speed limit is shown when leaving pit garage
Unlock screen : new "clear" button to remove name and password
New text command /showmouse [yes/no] does the same as SHIFT+Z
FIX : It was possible to start a replay during an active vote
FIX : F12 tyre display for remote car could go off screen
FIX : Central message sub-text disappeared in escape menu
FIX : Player name was wrong in entry screen after replay
FIX : Skin names containing a '.' could not be loaded
Autocross :
New key : SHIFT+O to enter options from SHIFT+U mode
Smoother view adjustment with left mouse button while following car
FIX : Autocross editor buttons were wrongly scaled with the interface
FIX : Selected object in editor vanished behind anything transparent
FIX : Could cross finish line without passing all route checkers
FIX : Autocross route checkers only worked for one lap
Translations :
Included new Latin American Spanish translation
Korean, Spanish and Slovenian training lessons
Multiplayer :
Progress indicator for skin downloads while joining a host
New message from host replaces "Did not receive guest info"
FIX : Added checks to prevent guests joining with no user name or ID
FIX : OOS starting race after joining autocross host in entry screen
FIX : Dedicated host did not save skins used in MPR (for downloads)
Misc :
Implemented ABS brakes in XRG / RB4 / FXO / XRT / FZ5
Misc option "Shadow generation" to select optimal shadow draw
OutGauge : Dashboard lights reported in new OutGaugePack fields
InSim : Traction Control and ABS are now reported in IS_NPL packet
InSim : New packets to start / search replays and take screenshots
FIX : LFS could crash when many cars were in view (e.g. during MPR)
FIX : Mouse steering was stuck on full lock after minimising window
FIX : Vista 64 power save switched off monitor in full screen mode
FIX : Short cuts were possible in slalom course training lesson
FIX : Follower view angle setting changed when LFS restarted
FIX : MPR buffer overflow vulnerability (thanks to muhaa)
FIX : Crash in game setup screen after removing a player
- LFS Devs
