I want to get a poll rolling about what people think about the idea of having laser scanned tracks in LFS. Is it something that appeals to you? Why, or why not? Write as much as you want and tick a (multiple choice) poll option. (if the option you're looking for isn't available, I might edit the poll to include it)
Ok, let's hear your responses...
edit:
Here's a video interview with Brendon 'Piddy' Pywell on laser scanning.
LFS doesn't really NEED laser scanned track, we just need more bumps on the track and I have no clue why the devs haven't done this already. The past year lfs went to a "more" hardcore mode with the removal of certain driving aids and addition of other transmission types, but we still have easy and sterile tracks.
Let's face it, the devs aren't serious enough about existing real life content (I'm all for fictional tracks, so it don't bother me, just wish Eric had a bit more imagination).
Could you imagine the speed of development though? Hahahahah.. Eric's progress would be permanently in reverse.. he seems to have enough of a problem with the basics of manipulating vertices with the currently available tools. IMO, it'd be like giving a blind fella a paint-by-numbers book.
About the bumps, i think there are plenty of bumps in lfs at South City, 'for me it's quite hard to do a lap on that with the BF1 (could be my own skillz though ). However, i can adjust this in the menu, where you can change the lateral movement... But the other tracks would be cool with a few bumps, i agree. But on the other side, real racing tracks aren't really that bumpy too i think.. specially the F1 tracks.. so why would lfs need that?
I think what the devs could do is get hold of telemetry data for real life sections of road. Take, for example, the area of the M25 a little way from my house. There must be data for it somewhere.
So you get the height, width, bumps and stuff, and you have a section of road. Find a few roads that match up to make a circuit, remove all of the junctions and stick what you've got on top of a big patch of grass. Real roads made into a fictional track. Cake
Exactly. It's not a real track so there's no big licensing costs. And if the data is available online then it might even be free to use. But at the same time you get a track that is technically real and has the natural feel that real telemetry data brings.
I think laser scanned club circuits are the way of the future, owners don't mind letting people do it and the result is far more accurate and available quicker than conventionally produced real or fictional tracks. Having said that they'd have to come without too great a cost otherwise the market would reduce and costs would spiral a la iRental.
- I would pay for them, but
- It wouldn't be terribly important to have them now, and
- More fantasy tracks with maybe a bit more attention to a characteristic, bumpy surface would be fine too
It's a two-fold question, really. Would I like laser scanned tracks? Sure. Would I like laser scanned tracks factoring in the current state of development of LFS? No. As it stands, if there ever are going to be lasert scanned tracks in LFS, I'd rather they were concentrated on after everything else is complete.
If there would be a real life track put into LFS, of course it would need to be laser scanned or in some other way accurately measured and modeled. There's no need for a track that only looks like a real life one from bird's eye view.
But having a real life track in LFS is highly unlikely and therefore there's no need for any laser scanning or anything. The only exception is that if Eric doesn't realise his tracks are too smooth, showing him the measured data of a real track could result in bumpier fantasy tracks.. (= what Ian said)
LFS does need more track content, i'm well and truly bored of the corners in LFS i've turned them far too often. It's also hard to build a series using tracks with certain characteristics - such as all short tracks, or all long trackis.
Try and put a fair sized racing calendar together and you soon realise how few tracks there are in LFS. I know there are lots of combo's, but i've turned 'that' (read: all) corner so many times already... It's probably the biggest reason why i've not raced much in a long time.
The track surface in LFS could use the odd bit of broken tarmac here and there, although I recall Scawen saying he wanted to make changes to the way LFS handles bumps so maybe we'll see more bumpy tracks later.
I think the devs would jump at getting a real life track in LFS, if it wasnt for the licence fees, even club circuits can demand huge sums of money for their virtual replication - although also a few are more willing to embrace the digital age without a payout for the margetting and public awareness it brings, finding such tracks that will add to the content of LFS isn't always easy.
It takes a long time to model a track environment, less to model a few extra combo's upon it, with real tracks we'd get less combo's per environment - and that might not really be the best thing for LFS.
In terms of track design I think Eric could use a little hand here and there, it'd be nice to see a few real hairpins like Druids at Brands, and some off-camber odd-lined corners like Russel Bend at Snetterton. I can't help but wonder if there are limitations to the design tools that prevent making corners too tight ! A few extremes of camber like Paddock Bend at Brands Hatch would also be nice.
LFS has all these things (there's a nasty tight hairpin at Aston North, and an off camber corner at T1 of Fern Bay Gold for instance), but they are an oddity linked together by lots of ordinary corner complexes, look at real tracks and what we consider conventional corners are oddities in themselves. What LFS does have is endless chicanes. Really far too many, look at Fern Bay Green - a circuit comprised of 4 chicane complexes... Everywhere you look it's chicane chicane chicane... grrrrr. I have grown to hate them...
I guess really all i'm asking for is more environments, some fresh life to a sim i've over played and more than had my monies worth, and some nasty viscious imaginative new challenges to race around (with not very many chicanes in).
Well, I've been speaking recently with Brendon Pywell (the guy who scanned the Eastern Creek track for rFactor)- Brendon's very passionate about offering scanned tracks for LFS, he has written to the devs about this possibility but so far there has been no response back. My real motivation for starting the poll was to see what kind of support we could drum up on his behalf, actually- if the community really felt they wanted scanned tracks, and the offer is there, then here's a chance to be vocal about it. It's of course possible, nay probable, that community petitioning won't do anything to influence the devs on this matter, but there's also a chance we might be missing a good opportunity if we do nothing. Who's to tell?
Of course I understand/guess that significant code will have to be written/rewritten in order to accomodate scanned tracks. My opinion is that it will be worth it. Supporting good quality RL tracks will do wonders to lift LFS out of the mainstream perception that it only deals in fantasy content, and is therefore useless as a true sim. Also, my hunch is that as more people become exposed to iRacing and other good examples of laser scanning, then the old style tracks will perhaps begin to to fall out of favour, but time will tell on that.
Anyhow, I hope this isn't a pointless thread. Keep the poll rolling...
i dont think we need real life tracks,its just doesnt fit into lfs style,but i would like to see more fantasy tracks made in lfs style,even a couple of new combos on existing tracks.
Just more tracks really. I'm past the point where anything goes. New track, even a 5 kilometer fantasy oval with giant squids and forklift monsters would be a welcomed addon imho. Just something. I don't care if it is real or fantasy, all I'm interested is how it drives. Looking at tracks I'm pretty much decided that the chances of Eric coming up with a track that could be compared to Mosport/VIR/Infineon is pretty non-existent.
More important than laser scanning is imho the track dynamics, grip levels, moisture and dynamic racing line that all can have a big change how the track drives in different conditions. Stuff that is still non-existent in sims, stuff that can have a major impact on racing, or if not a major, at least noticeable.
If something needs to be scanned, it's either Mosport or Cadwell.
While I agree that laser scanned tracks would be an awesome edition I feel that the 'core' of LFS needs to be finished and perfected before such additions. Once the physics and graphical parts of the engine are finished then there would be room to concentrate on other stuff...and watching the way the test patches are going that looks like what is happening. More features and a more complete game come before tracks and cars, imo.
It doesn't really matter what we think because we don't know all that much about what is going on behind the scenes. The team is going to do it there way regardless of what we think. That's one of the quirks that makes LFS fun, we never know what is around the next corner or what will be included in the next patch. Everything that happens with this game is a surprise...we just get little hints that are buried in posts along the way...
). However, i can adjust this in the menu, where you can change the lateral movement... But the other tracks would be cool with a few bumps, i agree. But on the other side, real racing tracks aren't really that bumpy too i think.. specially the F1 tracks.. so why would lfs need that? 
