I'll be honest, up to this point the circuits have looked like run-down karting tracks. This can have its own charm, but doesn't fit with the fantasy that Throttle Trace is putting forward. You are a Vroomula 1 driver, one of the best in the world! The circuits on the calendar need to look the part.
And so, my aim for the week was to make each track start to feel like it was designed to host the highest echelon of motorsport.
Manually placing barriers, fencing, grandstands, etc is tedious work, doubly so in a game where those elements are anchored to a winding, curved track. So I worked out a system to place items in the editor with just a few properties:
Mesh what 3D model to place
Progress How many units along the track's total distance should the item start
Length How long should the item follow the track
Offset How many units away from the track centerline should the item be
Side left or right side of the track
The system then computes the width of the mesh, and places as many instances of it within a MultiMeshInstance3D as required to fill the specified length, positioning and rotating to conform to the track's curve.
This worked great, but I hit a snag when it came to runoff areas. I wanted runoffs to follow a similar API, except you specify the type of runoff (currently just "paved", I'll add gravel in the future) instead of a model. The issue is that runoffs are not usually a fixed offset away from the track centerline. They have their own unique shape, informed by the layout of the track entering and exiting to corner. So to make this look more natural, I added new Offset Curve and Offset Curve Amount properties that allow each scenery item to have its own distinct shape.
There are now several track items using this system! Catch fencing, barriers, curbs, updated grandstands, updated pit garages, and runoff areas (which compose the catch fencing and curbs, in addition to rendering the runoff surface).
This took most of the week get working, but once it was done, I was able to update all 4 tracks available in the demo within a few hours. They look so much better now.
Not only will designing new tracks be that much more efficient and enjoyable, this work builds the foundation for an in-game Track Editor that will be added in a future update!
The Testing Circuit has been renamed to Jade Hill Testing Circuit, in honor of the player who was the first to beat any of my benchmark Time Attack times
Adjusted how the track skirt geometry is rendered to create cleaner track edges
Fixed tire marks rendering over the racing line assist
We just wrapped a very successful Next Fest, thank you so much to everyone who played the demo! The reception to the game has been so positive and kind. A bunch of players have joined the discord, and have transformed it into a vibrant space full of F1 memes, time attack screenshots, sharing great feedback and ideas, and even organizing a competitive multiplayer league. Come say hi!