WARNING 1 : THIS IS A TEST

WARNING 2 : THE PATCH CAN TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO CONVERT SOME SKINS THE FIRST TIME YOU RUN IT

Hello Racers.

Here is a new test patch W48. Please read the list of changes below.

Here is some information about the major changes in this series of test patches :

- Preload added to clutch pack differentials improving handling
- The number of cars that can join a race has been increased to 32
- False starts are now possible (LFS does not hold you at the start line)
- Skin improvements including high resolution premium skin download service
- Global class balancing system (currently applied to GTR and TBO classes)
- A new version of InSim including many improvements and a button interface

There are various improvements related to skins including the option to download high resolution skins while online, for a small charge of £1 for 2000 downloads. The low resolution downloads are still free. We have to charge for the downloading of high resolution skins because of the increased bandwidth and the need to buy and maintain more internet servers for LFS online usage which is always increasing. Please note, we are not selling skins. The skins remain the property of their owners. Your copy is a high resolution compressed version of the original. This is a charge purely for the downloading service which allows you to see other cars' skins in higher resolution.

Downloaded skins are now always saved and shown in compressed form. The original jpg is not saved on other computers. This allows the best use of memory and the quickest load from disk.

To use your own jpg skins, or to view skins that you manually download, save them into your skins folder - you will then find them selectable in game, just as before. You can see your manually downloaded skins compressed or not compressed according to the option for local skins. There are now 4 skins folders but you can ignore them all, just forget about them and just use the skins folder as usual.

skins : you save jpg skins that you want to select in game
skins_dds : lfs uses this to store dds (compressed) versions of your local skins
skins_x : lfs stores automatically downloaded low res skins
skins_y : lfs stores automatically downloaded high res skins

If you want to use this service, you can make a payment at www.lfsworld.net or at the main site http://www.lfs.net/?page=shop

To deal with the increased memory usage, there is also a skin purging system which removes unneeded skins from your graphics card memory, some time after they were last used. You can see the list of skins in use in the Misc Options screen. White means the skin is actually in use. Black means it was recently used and is hanging around a while in case it is used again (to avoid a disc access). In the past, LFS just left all skins in memory until you changed track or weather.

Changes in TEST PATCH W48 :

Updates :

Improved frame rate in SHIFT+U mode when online

Fixes :

FIX : UDP send buffer size was too small for > 42 guests
FIX : Wrong person was kicked in kick or ban vote in demo
FIX : Could join a race with a car that was not allowed

Changes in TEST PATCH W46 / W47 :

Updates :

Kick and ban votes never need more than eight people to vote
Ban votes can be completed after the player has disconnected
Made another attempt to reduce car position udp packet loss

InSim :

Added note about maximum number of InSim programs
Camera Roll in IS_CPP packet did not work properly
IS_CPP can now be used to set custom view position

Changes in TEST PATCH W44 / W45 :

Updates :

New command /hlog to set host log file - command /log is now local
Used top left temporary message for CTRL+TAB and other functions
Increased message history size to 20 stored + 20 recent (was 16)
Improved the code that relays car position updates to guests

InSim :

Added some info to one of the spare bytes in the MCI packet

Fixes :

FIX : Drag strip now has a constant start lights interval
FIX : Added /hidetext=no/yes command to docs/commands.txt

Changes in TEST PATCH W43 :

Updates :

Current Vote is removed when user spectates or pits
Number of connections is now shown in connections title

Fixes :

FIX : It was impossible to join a host after ending race
FIX : The text "Vote 0" was shown each time someone joined
FIX : It was possible to get speeding immunity in qualifying

Changes in TEST PATCH W42 :

Updates :

Votes do not expire and are not reset when a player joins host
Ready on game setup screen is not reset when a player connects
Current vote is shown beside player name and in connection list
Improved race position list so the confirmed results are locked
Fuel load is no longer visible in MPR (for strategy protection)
Quicker skin messages after running out of LFS World skin credit

InSim :

SHIFT+B and SHIFT+I keypresses did not work in a replay
Can now deal with and recover from non-fatal TCP errors
Corrected UniqueId in CompCar and NodeLap - now named PLID
IS_NLP is now a variable sized packet + NodeLap now 6 bytes
IS_MCI is now a variable sized packet (same info as before)

Fixes :

FIX : Attempted fix for "Can't remove - Unknown!" strange messages
FIX : Occasional black screen bug when changing to full screen mode
FIX : Start lights delay did not vary each race if wind was disabled
FIX : Host could sometimes crash when admin used the /reinit command
FIX : Could not delete all text after clicking a name in meeting room
FIX : 1st lap qualify / practice speeding penalty could not be cleared

Changes from W to W41 :

Multiplayer :

Up to 47 guests can connect to a host
Max cars in multiplayer race increased to 32
In demo 12 can race and up to 15 connections
Disconnection reason is now shown in MP Replay
Kick and ban votes are held open a little longer
Can now save MPR from dedicated host (auto or manual)
Removed "unknown finisher" and its stats / insim issues
A new connection queuing system to make connecting easy
Car is no longer held at start line - false starts possible
Start lights time between red and green is changed each race
Avoided most of the "Can't x - a player is connecting" messages
Implemented a new "canreset" option while leaving hotlaps valid
BLUE FLAG works in practice (priority to racers not on first lap)
Automatic spectate driving out of bounds when reset not allowed
Global handicaps for class balancing (set by master server)
Remote car's handicap shown in F11 menu, tyres in F12 menu
Grid reordering is now done on end race as well as restart
FIX : Pit instructions were wrong when taking over a car
FIX : Penalty in pit stop would make the stop never end

Racing :

Start and pit fuel loads range from 1% to 100%
Qualifying and practice now start from the pit lane
Qualifying out lap is no longer counted as a valid lap
Single player now allows up to 20 ai cars (powerful pc)
Pit instructions and live settings work in single player
Admin penalties and commands are now recorded in SP Replays
SHIFT+G gear shift selection no longer stops SPR recording
New voluntary handicap system in pits (part of setup)
Added preload setting to clutch pack differentials
FIX : AI drivers ignored the pit lane speed limit

Display :

Small map colours can be changed : Options-Display-Interface
Small map cars more than one lap ahead are a different colour
Automatic show results - leaves small map visible when driving
Hide / show results removed from options - now available on CTRL+TAB
Timing info is show in orange after winner crosses line or time over
Yellow finished message is no longer duplicated in central text
Connection bars are not drawn if they would obscure tyre info
Qualifying cars on out lap are drawn orange (others yellow)
Qualifying position is shown in yellow like race position
Added text on screen showing the reason for a penalty
Display option : Virtual steering gauge
Display option : Rotate small map

Interface :

Added button to spectate directly from pits
Supporting TrackIR with 6 degrees of freedom
Scroll though autocross results with PgUp / PgDn
SHIFT+P now enters garage from game setup screen
SHIFT+O now enters options when watching a SP replay
New keys SHIFT+S (spectate) and SHIFT+P (go to pits)
Button look is now added to the yaw output of TrackIR
Automatic unpause when starting or restarting a replay
Ignition key "I" is now assignable to any key or button
Removed the sound effect of a racer pitting or spectating
Pit instructions fuel load can now be adjusted in 1% steps
Escape menu improvements : can use keys (listed on screen)
Race control message now has priority over wrong way message
Wider FOV and more view pitch available (for extreme settings)
Filter added to list of games to avoid hosts which allow reset
Dedicated host now has a grey screen so you can read black text
Place objects is now switched off when entering race or qualifying
Code page names are now translatable for switching keyboard layouts
FIX : Start restriction countdown was missing from OK button in pits
FIX : Dedicated host could stop responding to messages and commands

Skins :

Replay skins download screen new "always" and "never" options
High res premium skin download system (£1 for 2000 downloads)
System to purge skins from graphics card memory when not used
Skin download and preload during connection after loading track
Improved the "new colours" system - combined with skin selection
Skins in skins folder are not converted to dds if using full skins

InSim :

New version of InSim allows up to eight TCP or UDP connections
New buttons system allowing better interface in InSim programs
More race tracking info and many packets added (see InSim.txt)
More commands now work on AI drivers : /spec /pitlane /p_xxx
More commands work even if player joining e.g. /spec /laps
New /i command to send a message to a race control program
Race penalty can now be removed with /p_clear command
Send all players to their pits with /pit_all command
Admins can now use the IS_REO (race reorder) packet

System :

Removed the option not to use HVS if it is available
Better messages showing the reason for disconnection
Admins can now edit and /axsave layouts while online
Admin ban dialog now asks for a number of days to ban
Admins can now see other admins in list of connections
Added short track name to SPR, MPR and RAF file formats
Command /mprdir to specify mpr folder on dedicated host
MPR file format : result times now saved in milliseconds
Added handicap mass and restriction to hotlap file header
Increased maximum physics objects due to more cars on track
Start grid remains when track or config changes (if possible)
Start time added to MPR file @ offset 36 (seconds since 1/1/1970)
Command line command /player (start LFS with specified player name)
New command /wait (like /exec but LFS hangs until the program exits)
FIX : Overtaking lesson could sometimes give an invalid lesson result
FIX : Removed the need to pass a split after receiving admin penalty
FIX : The TAB key did not work with /press /ctrl and /shift commands
FIX : Autocross checkpoints in line could cause rapid lap count bug
FIX : Path followers were reset when an object was added or removed
FIX : Path follower reset caused a glitch or an out of bounds reset
FIX : Some objects were not drawn after exiting pits while paused
FIX : Start lights were not shown in some of the training lessons
FIX : Autocross layout number of laps sometimes did not load
FIX : In single player /end command did not exit correctly
FIX : Find user in S2 mode looking for racer on S1 host
FIX : Safer code when changing windowed to full screen
FIX : Occasional crash when exiting from List of Games
FIX : Long messages could sometimes get cut short

DOWNLOAD :

PATCH (Version W must already be installed) :
www.liveforspeed.net/file_lfs.php?name=LFS_TEST_W48.exe

ZIP VERSION (If you prefer a zip file) :
www.liveforspeed.net/file_lfs.php?name=LFS_TEST_W48.zip

DEDICATED HOST (for hosting only) :
www.liveforspeed.net/file_lfs.php?name=LFS_S2_DEDI_W48.zip

Updated to Test Patch W48.

What needs testing :

SHIFT+U mode
DEMO kicking

all working with the kick /ban and shift u looks good

Isn't then better test this test patch only on demo servers?

and the crash i was having if i pressed 2 times the back button from the list of servers doesn't happen any more it works ok now

I will test the SHIFT+U intensivly when I will be back at home.Around 18:30 .

Seem to work fine!!!!

Well I got banned from test W48 demo server, only after kicking Scawen mind you . That seems to work fine ok.

Also I've had a go at playing with Shift U on the S2 W48 test server for about 10 minutes....so far so good, seems very smooth with about 25 odd racers.

I can see the fat lady singing for patch W

patch W , you mean patch X

only one problem i have.
I think its when im downloading skins i get alot of "CLOSED then RESUME"
message.

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/4061/untitled2copyjf5.jpg

i hope its nothing major, Keep up the good work Scawen

Quote :

patch W , you mean patch X

When patch Y comes around, the fat lady'll be singing the demise of patch X.
BTW, thanks Scawen for all the hard work :testing now...

Everything is working fine for me. Keep up the good work

Around 28 fps with six cars in a frame and in T1 on a start about 8 .

Milanche, are you saying it's worse than before, or is it the same as yesterday?

I can't see how it could have got any worse than usual - it is slow with that many cars but you'd better increase the "Dynamic LOD reduction" and make sure that multplayer speedup option is on.

Sorry if this has come up Scawen, I meant to search for it a few days ago and post if it hadn't, but I forgot. Now I'll just make sure you know before X is released.

I'm not certain that it's still the case, but with W28, skins would sometimes be downloaded while you were driving. I remember that you said that this was done when your car was moving very slowly, or was actually stationary, but it would usually happen when you were driving through a hairpin or some other slow corner. Obviously you would be going slower than usual, but this would really be the worst place possible to have a large pause. Maybe, if it hasn't already been changed, skins should only be downloaded while you are spectating, and not while your car is moving slowly?

Sorry if this has already been mentioned, no time to search now!

Actually it'S not a bug but I like to post it here so that it might come with patch X.
Because there are up to 47 people on the server there is a lot of traffic up and down, joining race, pitting and going to spec, new pb and so on. This means that there are a lot of messages showing up all the time. It would be nice to add an option to disable all that and maybe in the future an option where you can decide which message will appear and which not.

Thx

Quote from Scawen :

Updated to Test Patch W48.

What needs testing :

SHIFT+U mode
DEMO kicking

SHIFT+U works fine now, 45fps with no cars in sight, around 20fps in a 30+ grid
dynamic lod 0.0, multiplayer speedup on

(AthlonXP 3100+ Geforce 6600GT)

Got kicked from the DEMO server, works ok...

Demo banning works fine. Maybe the "Did not receive guest info"-message could be replaced by "You were banned - please don't whine at the forums!".

Quote from tomylee :

Actually it'S not a bug but I like to post it here so that it might come with patch X.
Because there are up to 47 people on the server there is a lot of traffic up and down, joining race, pitting and going to spec, new pb and so on. This means that there are a lot of messages showing up all the time. It would be nice to add an option to disable all that and maybe in the future an option where you can decide which message will appear and which not.

Thx

'Shift -' disables all messages, '-' disables chat messages. I think it would be a good idea to have a command which disables just the system messages too, like 'ctrl -' or something.

Quote from tomylee :

Actually it'S not a bug but I like to post it here so that it might come with patch X.
Because there are up to 47 people on the server there is a lot of traffic up and down, joining race, pitting and going to spec, new pb and so on. This means that there are a lot of messages showing up all the time. It would be nice to add an option to disable all that and maybe in the future an option where you can decide which message will appear and which not.

Thx

I was thinking of something like at aswell and maybe connection list options
but too late now

I joined the blackwood test server tonight when there was a full grid with the intentions of doing a few laps and then testing out shift+u, but I couldn't keep a connection open for more than 30 seconds or so.

The servers with less cars I have no problems with. Not sure if it's an issue at my end or a bug?

Quote from joshdifabio :

'Shift -' disables all messages, '-' disables chat messages. I think it would be a good idea to have a command which disables just the system messages too, like 'ctrl -' or something.

Oh OK, didn't know about "SHIFT -"
THX

Quote from Scawen :

Milanche, are you saying it's worse than before, or is it the same as yesterday?

I can't see how it could have got any worse than usual - it is slow with that many cars but you'd better increase the "Dynamic LOD reduction" and make sure that multplayer speedup option is on.

It's better than it was in previous test patches. I will turn that multiplayer speedup option on and see what happens. Can't do it now I got to go get my new driving license woooohoooo.

Anyways keep up the good work Scawen.

edit: In previous patches I only had like 2-3fps in Shift+U mode with just 4-5 cars. So it's a lot better now. When I have 3-4-5-6 cars in front of me fps its 55-60. I can bet my configuration should give me even more fps but I cant be bothered reinstalling my windows and all that.

Anyone wants to send me windows over msn???

Quote from vox-ace :

I joined the blackwood test server tonight when there was a full grid with the intentions of doing a few laps and then testing out shift+u, but I couldn't keep a connection open for more than 30 seconds or so.

The servers with less cars I have no problems with. Not sure if it's an issue at my end or a bug?

Yesterday i was racing there with 24-30 cars, without problems (W47). Today there was 40 to all 47 cars racing (W48) and i was disconnected about after 30 seconds too, many times. I was racing with 10/10 connection.

shift+u is fine for me.

2 races in the blackwood test server and no disconnects what so ever

Shift+U is much better than before, fps shoots up when I turn the view away from cars.