Trackname: Chicagoland 2011 SDT
Version: v 1.0
Date of creation: 17th November 2011
Racing sim: NASCAR Racing 2003 Season
Author(s): Ian Smythe & JR Franklin

Type: Real

AI: Yes

Physics support: CUP, GNS, CTS, PTA(OWR) & OWR05

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

[1] FEATURES & CONTRIBUTORS
[2] KNOWN ISSUES
[4] TROUBLE REPORTING
[5] CREDITS
[6] AGREEMENT OF USE

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[1] FEATURES & CONTRIBUTORS

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    * Scratch built track using the ingame original as a base
    * Full day to night transition graphics
    * 2011 Sprint Cup weekend race logos
    * New track, wall & sky textures, lights, crowd blah blah blah.
    * Optimized 3D crowd models
    * Whelen Pit Entry/Exit light system with flagger.
    * Updated cameras
    * Rotating scoring tower (All trackside objects only)
    * Day to Night transitional Blimp (look but don't stare)

This is an updated version of the ingame Chicagoland to feature a day to night transition for the race.  Although the 2011 Cup race was run during the day, the Trucks and Nationwide events were DtN races this year and the Cup race was DtN last year.  As with all SDT Day to Night tracks, PFT files are supplied for a faster transition and a day only one is included:  Chicagoland_2011_SDT_x2speed.ptf and Chicagoland_2011_SDT_dayonly.ptf should be renamed to Chicagoland_2011_SDT.ptf to use them, there are no camera flashes from the crowd in the Day version, as you can't see them during the day, it didn't seem logical to leave them in the track.

We would like to thank J-Rock from http://www.saferbarrierproject.com for permission to use his turn 1 Miller Deck model in this track.

As ever, JRFranklin has spent considerable time working on the Cup, GNS and CTS AI for this track and has again produced gems who are both realistic to race with and have the occasional wreck all on their own, however your attention is drawn to the following...

Important notes about the A.I.:
The A.I. for this track were constructed using a default papy_ai.ini and the default fast setups for each physics (CUP, GNS and CTS) and the opponent strength set at 97%.  Ratings for the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series car sets used in testing and in developing the A.I. for this track are from the NRatings program using the MasGrafx Full Season V3.1 formulas.  We went to great efforts to make the AI and racing as realistic as possible.  At the same time, we also took some liberties with the A.I. tools available in the track.ini to enhance the "fun" factor.  We're confident that you'll enjoy the offline racing experience against the AI the way we
have set them up for you.  To enjoy the best results, we recommend that you use the default fast setups provided with the track and car sets containing ratings as described above.  Your results, however, may vary depending on the type of mod used, the ratings of your specific car set, different setups used, driving style and countless other variables that make it practically impossible to predict the results that you will achieve while racing on this track.  Enjoy the ride!

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PTA PHYSICS TRACK and AI SETTINGS:
The track has PTA physics settings, this is primarly aimed at open wheel PTA based mods such as my V8 Indycars & ISS mods.
To use these settings to in the best way, you need to make some manual changes in the track directory.

Rename track.ini to track_cup.ini
Rename track_OWR.ini to track.ini

When you load up the track, tick the box marked "Realistic" under the Weather settings for the race.
The weather settings have been tweeked to make the cars handle better with the added grip, the cars will have a lot more power and a similar level of grip, but they shouldn't roll over so easily in the corners.  The AI were tuned using a custom papy_ai.ini, although they will run with a standard one just fine, they'll correct the slides more, if you want them to just drive through the corners flat out without correcting, change the following like in the papy_ai.ini file:

crashing_recovery_slip_angle = 0.35
change it to:
crashing_recovery_slip_angle = 5

and they won't self correct in the corners.  If you run the AI on normal weather settings, then you'll probably get beaten hand over fist.  The AI ratings used were randomised between 60 and 100 with NRatings, so they should be good, if using these ratings, at around 97-100%.  You will have to slightly feather the throttle in the corners, especially if running the low line, with the weather settings the cars are fast and powerful, but they still handle a bit like a regular Papyrus car.  To go back to Cup settings, reverse the filename changes made above, while using the PTA ini, the track will be listed as Chicagoland_2011_SDT (OWR).

The PTA AI were not made by JRFranklin, I took his CUP AI settings and tweaked them for suitability, they may not be perfect but it will give you a good base to work with.

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DAY TO NIGHT TRANSITION:
This can be seen on all graphics levels, the amount of trackside objects, and detail varies depending what level you are on.

Minimal:
You will see the Day to Night transition only and no other trackside objects.

Some:
As above but with some added infield RV's, some objects will not transition.

All:
Everything including the Full switching on lighting system, Pitlane Club, Haulers, 3D Crowd, and their cameras.


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[3] KNOWN ISSUES

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There is always a night sky in your mirror, even during the day, again this is a limitation of the games graphics engine - blame Papyrus - oh we can't can we?

The billboards are best guess, they're not quiet in the right position, but then this isn't a laser scanned track.

There is only a Blimp, no helicopters, this feature was added very late (the morning of release infact!).

This is also another track that was originally created back in late 2009 and has been updated over time.


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[4] TROUBLE REPORTING

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Problems? Report to Smiffsden facebook page, or the track threads at SRD or NR2k3Tracks:

http://www.simracingdesign.com/nr2003-general-discussion/
http://nr2k3tracks.proboards.com/index.cgi


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[5] CREDITS & THANKS

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CREDITS:
Track Development:
Ian Smythe

A.I. Development:
J.R. Franklin

Beta Testing:
J.R. Franklin
Ian Smythe
All the V8Thunder.co.uk League drivers.

Contributions:
J.R. Franklin
J-Rock from http://www.saferbarrierproject.com

Crowd mip courtesy BOWTIE: http://ewracing.com/ewracing/n2k3_3d_objects.htm

If you appreciate our work, please consider a small donation to help with the costs of keeping the Smiffsden server running, thank you.


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[6] AGREEMENT OF USE

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Storage or Use of this track by installation into a racing simulator constitutes agreement with this and the following statements:

1) This track may not be sold or distributed for commercial purposes, or money exchanged for this track or any part thereof.

2) This track may not be redistributed or hosted on a server without written consent of the original author.

3) This track cannot be modifed without written consent of the original author.

4) Pieces of this track (not including the .ptf file) may be extracted and used for other tracks, but cannot be used in projects for commercial purposes, and credit to the original author should appear in a readme that is distributed with the new project.

5) This track must always maintain an unmodified copy of this readme in whatever form itis distributed.

6) This track is covered by implied intellectual property laws, in that it is the property of the author.

7) This track is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. 

Copyright 2011 Ian D Smythe.


