As some of you know i've been beevering away on a pit radio mod for LFS, it's still not in a state I would call finished, but it is now basically useable. It includes my previous backfire mod.

What this mod currently does
Adds pit radio messages from your pit crew giving you information about the race around you.
Adds backfire sounds to cars.
Adds a relay so you can get multiple insim & outguage applications working together
Produces post-race statistical reports for use in web format, ideal for leagues

Other Mod Compatability: Pit Spotter
I have tested Pit Spotter and it does work with the relay, but the two radio mods may try to talk over each other. I plan to add my own version of Pit Spotter into the mod at a later time.

Other Mods: Momoled & G15 Keyboard
I believe both these mods work with the relay and can be configured to work at the same time.

Installation
Extract the download with the folder structure intact. Run the LFS-Companion.exe program.

Within LFS open a message box and enter "/insim=49999". Later on I will include an auto-launch feature which does this for you, but for now you can automate the process by right clicking your LFS launch shortcut and going to properties and adding the insim command to the Target Field

My To Do List - in no particular order
Those marked in blue are ready and will be in the next update, those marked in red are a high priority and planned for the next update.

• Now supports races up to 1000 laps (previously 99)
  
• Relay Bug - Relayed applications sending the command to close down insim now get intercepted and discarded
  
• Feature - Races held over a number of hours needs support
  
• Add wrecker report button (Barricade link) to the main menu
  
• No longer reports "cannot load fart file" if you remove unwanted backfire .wav files
  
• Realtime stats system - STCC/360/OWRL/Generic
  
• Add Track Map & Bouncing dots
  
• Race Statistics Feature - Lap Chart
  
• Race Statistics Feature - Final Result
  
• Race Statistics Feature - Optional Graphical Lap Chart
  
• Race Statistics Feature - Optional Graphics Final Result
  Dot Map to Lap By Lap Statistics
  
• Auto- launch LFS (drag and drop LFS program into window to set path)
  
• A pitspotter alternative built directly into the existing radio mod
  
• A few extra samples on the radio mod(mid race point, and post race messages)
  
• Surround Sound on the backfires, and backfires on other cars
  
• Improve backfire sound selection on the profiles for each car on gear change
  
• Improve backfire sound selection on the profiles for each car on throttle-off at high revs
  
• Crowd noise (requires surround sound system to be working)
  
• Number Pad hooks to request specific information over the radio such as current position, gap to car ahead/behind, laps remaining, predicted fuel range and so on.
  
• Strategy management, pit instructions on when to pit based upon fuel load
  
• Cull radio messages after race starts
  
• Improve compatability with the insim settings of other mods to improve versatility and inter-program compatability (Improved, but can still see ways to make it better)
  
• Restructure MCI (NLP) data struct interpretation to prevent "position overlap" bug
  
• Possible add realtime recalculation of car positions to prevent "position overlap" bug
  
• Test insim at a lower refresh frequency to reduce CPU load if possible
  
• Try to recapture graphics card RAM on Shift-F4/Alt-Tab scenario
  
• Use lap/split position calculation method for autocross tracks, allow option to be selected for layout racing
  
• Excessive bass notes on other cars for drifters / cops n robbers (requires surround sound)
  
• Default relay setups for other mods such as momoleds
  
• Cop Siren with on/off keyboard hooks
  
• Add indicator tick sound
  
• Allow drag and drop customisation of startup mod list
  
• Bug - Backfires & Fuel reports still given when on pit screen
  
• Radio mod for qualifying reports
  
• Bug - Players with ^ control codes at end of their name but missing colour codes causing crash
  
• Allow password entry for people running localhosts with password protected insim connections
  
• Automate support for "Insim+Outguage" applications in the relay, such as LFS Display which also uses both systems.
  
• LFS Display compatability requires LFS Companion to accept NLP packet data (for all but future pit spotter mod) instead of MCI.
  
• Include LFS style colour coding support in the UI for cleaner menus
  
• Use alternative font for clean display on all systems
  
• Tuning Bay - LFS 0.5 U20
  
• Tuning Bay - LFS 0.5 U20 Dedicated Server
  

Downloads
0.5mb LFS Companion v0.3 to v0 ... dater (Updates v0.3 only)
Hosted by The OC Clan / Webtek

LFS Companion 0.41 Alpha (Updates v0.3 only)
Hosted by steve30x

3.74mb LFS Companion v0.3 Alpha (Full Version)
Hosted by The OC Clan / Webtek

34mb LFS-Companion version 0.2 Alpha (Full Version)
Hosted by The Green Hell (ajp71)

34mb LFS-Companion version 0.2 Alpha (Full Version)
Hosted by Rapid Share

32.7mb LFS-Companion version 0.1 Alpha (Full Version)
0.7mb LFS-Companion update ver ... ersion 0.2 Alpha (Update)
Hosted in Hastings, UK

Alternative UI's
Preview
By Micron 88: Download
Preview
By Sven Menkhoff: Download

Preview
UI by Tweaker: Download

Example
This isn't a great quality recording but it should give you an idea of what the mod does.
Radio Sample

Preview

Becky, your post only tells us what your mod hasn't got. What exactly has it got?

nicked frm the stcc site

"Some of you might know I am working on an LFS Companion program which adds lots of audio to the game. Currently it is a work in progress and there is still much to do before it is released, however I thought some of you may like to try out the version that is in development.

Currently it includes the Backfire v2 Mod, although does not yet have surround sound so this may sound a bit wrong when watching the cars from external camera, it also only effects the currently selected car at the moment. Both of these issues I plan to fix. Every car has it's own unique sound set.

This mod also includes the ground work for my pit radio mod, it is still very early stages and is being held up quite a lot by me having tonsilitus so I can't do the sounds for the female speach, but I have a friend doing the male voices for me so it is moving along using those at the moment.

Eventually the radio mod will take keypresses from the number pad to determine what information to give, it will have it's own pre-LFS configuration screen (currently it has a debug window - please ignore it).

I'm about 1/3rd of the way through the radio mod, then I will put in surround sound support and start adding environmental sounds like air tools in the pits and crowd noise from the grandstands which goes into a frenzy when there's an overtake and so on.

You can download the current VERY early version here: LFS Companion.

It is not compatable with other insim and outguage applications at this time, although I will be adding a relay in the future. It operates on insim port 29999.

Quick guide: Start this mod, start LFS, in LFS open a chat window and type:

/insim 29999

You will get a message onscreen confirming that insim and outguage has started.

Enjoy!"

Quote :

Becky, your post only tells us what your mod hasn't got. What exactly has it got?

Um, please dont think i'm being overtly sarcastic, but the first paragraph...

Quote :

i've been beevering away on a pit radio mod for LFS

jakg - the STCC post (for an earlier version) is mostly duplicate and outdated information.

I hate it when a post for a release goes way off base before it's even had it's first reply. *throws arms up in the air*.

Quote from Becky Rose :

Um, please dont think i'm being overtly sarcastic, but the first paragraph...

Quote :

As some of you know i've been beevering away on a pit radio mod for LFS, it's still not in a state I would call finished, but it is now basically useable. It includes my previous backfire mod.

OK, so it's a "pit radio mod". Way to go writing a reply that doesn't actually answer my question.

Quote from Becky Rose :

I hate it when a post for a release goes way off base before it's even had it's first reply. *throws arms up in the air*.

I hate it when the first post doesn't contain enough information to determine what it's there for.

Best of luck to you, I'm looking forward to seeing how this one develops. I can live without pitspotter though, will I be able to disable it?

Quote :

will I be able to disable it?

Yes, when I write the front end you will be able to choose what audio elements you want to hear.

@thisnameistaken: Great job wrecking the thread, I hope your driving is better.

Quote from Becky Rose :

jakg - the STCC post (for an earlier version) is mostly duplicate and outdated information.

I hate it when a post for a release goes way off base before it's even had it's first reply. *throws arms up in the air*.

post? what post?

Quote from Becky Rose :

Yes, when I write the front end you will be able to choose what audio elements you want to hear.

@thisnameistaken: Great job wrecking the thread, I hope your driving is better.

He does sorta have a point though. I for one don't really understand what it is either. Ok so it's pit radio, but.. mmm. Either way I doubt he was actually trying to be nasty about it.

Anyway, I'll give it a try later to find out, thanks for all the work put into it I'm sure it'll be useful to people

Quote from Becky Rose :

• Number Pad hooks to request specific information over the radio such as current position, gap to car ahead/behind, laps remaining, predicted fuel range and so on.

I like the sound of that. Pit spotter compatibility would also be most welcome.
Keep up the good work.

It's a pit radio, it's a radio link between you and the pits which is used to discuss the race and get information not otherwise available to the driver. Pit radios are used at all levels of motorsport (except rental). Obviously you dont have a real pit crew in LFS so the program plays the part of your crew. The program cannot understand what you say, so instead will be configured by a pre-game menu and number pad presses - but this isn't done yet.

Quote from Ryanry64 :

I doubt he was actually trying to be nasty about it.

I just want to know what it does before I download it.

Quote from Becky Rose :

It's a pit radio, ... Obviously you dont have a real pit crew in LFS so the program plays the part of your crew. The program cannot understand what you say, so instead will be configured by a pre-game menu and number pad presses - but this isn't done yet.

I'm going to get roasted again for this, but: You still haven't actually mentioned what it does. The above explanation, once again, only tells us what it doesn't do.

:banghead:

OK I am going to type this very slowly so that you can keep up.

It adds a pit radio between you and the pits, and plays the part of the pit crew.

There's also things it does not do yet, however this first bit - as is foxtrotting obvious and has been from the beginning - DOES FRIKKING WORK.

It's a foxtrotting pit radio mod, what the foxtrot do you foxtrotting expect it to do? menu loop music?

No wonder Yorkshire has unemployment problems.

yep.. "Roasted" :bananadea:cookiemon

LOL!!

Seems like the start of a great project you got here, downloading now. Quick question, the size of download is because of the audio files? Is that right?

Cheers

Quote from mkinnov8 :

LOL!!

Seems like the start of a great project you got here, downloading now. Quick question, the size of download is because of the audio files? Is that right?

Cheers

its the audio files, although i believe you can add your own if that so pleases you, its a great sounding program, just a shame the relay isnt finished, as i would love to use it in the STCC, but i cant live without Pitspotter or Momoleds

Quote from Becky Rose :

OK I am going to type this very slowly so that you can keep up.

There was no need for that at all.

Quote from Becky Rose :

It adds a pit radio between you and the pits, and plays the part of the pit crew.

Once again you've told me what it is, not what it does. See Becky, I wouldn't keep asking you if you'd put some effort into actually answering my question instead of continually insulting me.

Quote from Becky Rose :

No wonder Yorkshire has unemployment problems.

Really classy, Becky. Nice one.

Forgive me Becky, but if the numpad stuff doesn't work yet, what does it do now? Does it tell you gaps, damage status, fuel loads, remind you to pit, or what? If it only does that at the moment then I think it'll be useful, but it's still not entirely clear what uses this mod has at the moment.

yup, the application itself is 481kb and the rest is all sound files.

It's probably using the wrong sound quality and some audio engineer will come along in a minute and go into great detail about gold coated audio cables, audible frequency of CB radios, audio recording software and voice actors - but then not offer to make samples at all in any way, then somebody will offer to help out - but not have a microphone, and somebody else will ask about the momoled mod, three people will ask for it in German, eight people will say they cannot understand what the guy on the radio mod says (which at least would be realistic ), Polish players will think it's great, make their own sound samples, but never say a word of thanks, and the thread will end with somebody who can't get it to work despite everything appearing to be setup correct, they'll blame it on my application but if I actually botherd to look deep into it i'd find the same thing I always find - either they didn't read the instructions and it wasn't setup "I did everything", or there's a fundamental issue with their Windows install, which is usually covered in the opening post with "the pc is fine.".

hmmmm,seems like its just the backfire mod....which is too loud and really spoils the sound.I would use it if you had the frontend yet,but its just disturbing. Still i like your idea,cant wait for it to be finished
S0ul

Basically it plays pit messages triggered by an event. For example it tells you when the gap to the car in front of you has increased or decreased. It tells you if you're racing the car in front or if it's a backmarker, etc.

As I understand it, in new versions it will be possible to change what you want to hear and what not, and you will be able to ask the pit for messages that you now hear automatically using the numpad.

I tried it out and I like it. It does need configurability and volume adjustment for me to use it permanently but that's already planned. I see a lot of potential in it, nice work Becky.

Aaaah,i see now,its great!But it is possible to turn the pit stuff on,but the backfire off?

Not yet Soul, but volume and on/off toggles will probably be in the next update.

lol,i just removed the bfire folder and tried to start the program and it said: Cant load Fart File 1....Now thats a great description for cars backfire^^

I put in error checking on the loadup to help find out a problem somebody was having, anyway if you want to disable them for the moment you'll need to either use an empty or extremely quiet sound file.