TrackEd
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An Early Track-Editor for Formula One Grand Prix / World Circuit
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By Klaus Six
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Version 0.3
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Short Instructions
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By using this editor, you can change the track and pit layout, the commands and the CC line (computer car line, also called best line). Please do not try to create a completely new track. There are too many parts in the track file that are unknown at the moment and/or can not be edited by it, so a newly created track can not be loaded by F1GP game.

Instead, take one of the original tracks and modify it. You can remove all of the track segments, pit lane segments and CC line segments but you should keep the first one so a minimum track/pit/ccline will remain.

To change items in the tree view, click right mouse button to bring up context menu. From there, you can invoke dialog boxes showing the current values. When you close the box, the change becomes visible in the graphics view (hopefully).

Most commands from the context menus can also be invoked from the window menu of the track view window. These are applied to the currently selected item in the tree view.

To change the graphics view, click into view, then use num pad keys '/' and '*' to zoom in/out and cursor keys to move the view over the track.

The active track/pit/CC line segment is shown in a slightly lighter colour. Maybe you will have to Watch closely while scrolling through the track segments using the arrow keys to discover the highlighted segment.

To change something in the track header, double-click the value. A box will show up that lets you change the value.


Track editing
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The track segment length is stored in the track file by means of "TLU" track length units. One TLU is 4.8768 meters (should be 16 feet).

Curvature is the reciprocal value of the radius, which means, big values make narrow curves. It is measured in 1/65536 of a full circle. The values are taken for each TLU, in other words: when you change the length value, the radius will not change.

Height is just like curvature, but in z direction (not left-right, but up-down).

Right/left bank define the distance of the fences to the track.

The flags control other aspects of the track segment: if there is a wall on the right/left side of the track (checked box means NO wall!), also kerbs. "Bridge" means the wall does not follow the track but is "bridged" between the end points on both sides.

There are also a lot of unknown flags. If you play around with them and discover any effect, please tell me so I am able to rename them accordingly.

Related to the track segments are the so-called "commands". These are used to place track side objects (type 80), track markings like the starting grid, change the wall heigth, the track width and other track properties. See a command documentation for further information. For most commands have not changed for GP2/GP3, the track editors for these games are also a good reference for commands and their parameters.

TO GET STARTED: load a track and change the length and curvature values of some segments to see the effect in the graphics display.

To create a completely different track, first remove all track segments and start to build up the new track. Type in the length and curvature values to build up the basic layout first.

If you want to load the track into F1GP, you need a working pit lane. Look at the original track to see how the pit lane is connected to the track. It is probably easier to change the pit lane according to the desired layout than to create a completely new one.

The commands 86, 87 and a1 to a4 are most important to connect the pit lane to the track. You will also need to open up the track walls using the lWall/rWall flags in some track segments to get in and out of the pits.



CCline editing
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The CC line (computer car line) or best line is made up of straights and circles, just like the track itself, but it has no width.

Very important to know: you don't need to have a working CC line to be able to load your track into F1GP. When there is no CC line from the track file, F1GP will put it in the middle of the road! The CC line of the original track will not be useful for the new track, so in most cases it is the best to remove it right from the start (only leave the first segment in the track file).

Main problem with CC line editing is that noone really knows how it works in the game. Therefore, the editor will not exactly display what you will see in the game. When the CC line moves too far from the track, the editor will even stop to display the cc line at all.

So CC line editing is mostly try and error. Type in the values,  try to figure out by the displayed graphics what will happen in the game, save track, load into game, look if it is OK, then switch back to the editor and make more changes.

About changing the CCLine values in the dialog: the type 80 (hex) segment 
has all three parameters used: a1 is offset from middle of the track, 
negative numbers move the line to the left. I think only the first segment 
should be a type 80. all others type 00. Next two parameters define the 
radius. The first one tends to be a smaller value, second one larger. 1000 gives a very sharp curve, 10000 a rather wide.

Note: while in track segments big values make narrow curves, in CC line segments big values make WIDE curves.

So for type 80, we have a1 = offset to middle, a2 = correction value, a3 = 
radius. For type 00 there are only two parameters: a1 = correction value, a2 
= radius.

The correction value is not very important. It is also not completely clear how F1GP uses this value. For the beginning, leave this at value 0.

To get faster to the point where you make the changes, save the game at this point, go back to the main menu, then make changes with TrackEd, save track and load the saved game. This is much faster than driving there.

As long as the CC line is not working, driving on the track will be difficult, especially with steering help on, which is default when you use the keyboard. To be able to drive at all, switch off automatic transmission and switch gear to the special gear used for turning the car in the right direction after spinning off the track. Also not easy to drive with, but it works also when CC line is completely scattered.

There is a document about CC line editing in GP2 track editor. Most of its contents apply also to TrackEd and F1GP cc line editing. Please send a PM when you want to have it. I will also pack it together with the next version of TrackEd that will be available soon.


General Tips:
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Make backups often! It is quite easy to ruin a track file, and then the work of several hours could be lost forever. Track files are small, so disk space should not be a concern.

Get yourself documentation about the F1GP command structure. You will need commands quite often, and to build a good track, commands are very important. I will pack some command documentation together with the next TrackEd version.

Look at the original tracks to find out how things work.

If you have questions or you get stuck with you track development, send me a PM on Simracingworld. I will try to help.

Have fun and share your newly created tracks with the community. It will be appreciated.


Known bugs:
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Most important: "Add command" for track/pit segments does not work in TrackEd 0.3. In worst case, using this will ruin the track file. At least it will make unintended changes.

Probably many more bugs and missing features... Please report bugs on the Simracingworld web site so I will be able to fix them.

KSix