Hello everyone. I've worked on this track for quite some time, probably about 5 years or so off and on. This is quite probably the most advanced dragstrip map in Rigs of Rods history.
This is an 1/8-mile track, which is half of the traditional 1/4-mile distance some may be more accustomed to. In recent years the 1/8-mile distance has become very popular for certain types of drag racing. The original map (which was entitled simply "Drag Strip") had a longer distance but less shutdown area to slow cars down in, so I decided to shorten the racing distance to increase the stopping area. The name "Titans Dragway" comes from two sources of inspiration: the famed Lions Drag Strip of the 1950s and 1960s, and the author of the original mod, TheTitan08.
Now onto a description of some of the track's features:
Titans Dragway features a timing system as close to IRL-accurate as currently possible. Timing checkpoints are set at the traditional intervals of 60ft, 330ft, and 660ft (1/8-mile) and are visually marked by traffic cone objects placed along the center line, which serves as the boundary between the track's two lanes. A lap will be invalidated if the player crosses the center line or if they touch either wall.
After each successful run, the race script produces a "time slip" that gives you all of the vital statistics about a pass, including the all-important elapsed time (ET) and trap speed (presented as "MPH"). Times are reported to a precision of .001 second, which is the standard precision displayed for professional drag racing.
There is a starting tree system that should be familiar for any drag racing fans. It has pre-stage and stage "beams", which are modeled after the real-life light beams that inform the timing system when a vehicle has reached the proper starting position for a pass. There is an animated staging tree model on the track as well as a GUI window like the ones used in classic drag racing video games. For drag racing fans: the starting tree supports sportsman (traditional 3-2-1 countdown) and professional (all lights at once) starts, and the interval between lights can be set to .500-or .400-second. In general, you shouldn't need to bother with those settings if you're new to drag racing, but if you want to try different start types the options are available to adjust as desired.
It works almost identically to the real thing, so a drag racing 101 video on YouTube will be helpful to explain the basics if you're completely new to how drag racing works. A green light indicates a valid start, but a red light indicates starting too early. The "RT" (reaction time) on the time slip indicates how long it took the player to react to the green light and cross the starting line after the countdown was completed.
The track also features a "prepped" surface by default, which uses a custom groundmodel with increased friction to simulate being stickier and grippier than the default asphalt. In real life, most drag strips are treated with a combination of tire rubber and a traction compound such as PJ1 TrackBite or VHT to increase grip levels for high-powered vehicles. A surface that lacks such an adhesive is called a "no prep" surface. To my knowledge this has never been done before this project, and an early version of this was the basis for the surface used on the Rock Falls Raceway launch pad.
This download includes a few versions:
I have a server already set up for the MP version of the map that you all may have seen before. It also seems to be fairly groundbreaking in that it offers synchronized starts and provides a way to have each player's game send the results so the server can compare and automatically determine the winner. Because it is comparing recorded times from each player rather than visually judging the finish line, it should in theory not be dependent on issues like lag. For any big drag racing fans out there, the MP version supports heads-up, index, and bracket racing, complete with allowing dial-ins and enforced breakout rules. TL;DR it should be able to handle almost every standard format of drag racing with ease
There is a slight problem in that it is intended for someone to operate the system manually as a race starter, so it's probably not the best choice for casual use right now. It would be great for organized drag racing though, even planned events if there was enough interest. In time I may devise a way to have a simplified self-serve mode for the online system, but in the meantime I'll probably set up another server for the single-player version of the map so it can be enjoyed in some form in multiplayer if there is no one available to operate the MP system.
I will probably come up with pictures and perhaps a "how to drag race" guide at some point, but I wanted to finally release the track in its current state to the public after years of holding on to it. Pardon the big text wall as well, as I felt it was necessary to highlight some of the important features I spent countless hours researching, implementing and testing.
Hope y'all enjoy!
This is an 1/8-mile track, which is half of the traditional 1/4-mile distance some may be more accustomed to. In recent years the 1/8-mile distance has become very popular for certain types of drag racing. The original map (which was entitled simply "Drag Strip") had a longer distance but less shutdown area to slow cars down in, so I decided to shorten the racing distance to increase the stopping area. The name "Titans Dragway" comes from two sources of inspiration: the famed Lions Drag Strip of the 1950s and 1960s, and the author of the original mod, TheTitan08.
Now onto a description of some of the track's features:
Titans Dragway features a timing system as close to IRL-accurate as currently possible. Timing checkpoints are set at the traditional intervals of 60ft, 330ft, and 660ft (1/8-mile) and are visually marked by traffic cone objects placed along the center line, which serves as the boundary between the track's two lanes. A lap will be invalidated if the player crosses the center line or if they touch either wall.
After each successful run, the race script produces a "time slip" that gives you all of the vital statistics about a pass, including the all-important elapsed time (ET) and trap speed (presented as "MPH"). Times are reported to a precision of .001 second, which is the standard precision displayed for professional drag racing.
There is a starting tree system that should be familiar for any drag racing fans. It has pre-stage and stage "beams", which are modeled after the real-life light beams that inform the timing system when a vehicle has reached the proper starting position for a pass. There is an animated staging tree model on the track as well as a GUI window like the ones used in classic drag racing video games. For drag racing fans: the starting tree supports sportsman (traditional 3-2-1 countdown) and professional (all lights at once) starts, and the interval between lights can be set to .500-or .400-second. In general, you shouldn't need to bother with those settings if you're new to drag racing, but if you want to try different start types the options are available to adjust as desired.
It works almost identically to the real thing, so a drag racing 101 video on YouTube will be helpful to explain the basics if you're completely new to how drag racing works. A green light indicates a valid start, but a red light indicates starting too early. The "RT" (reaction time) on the time slip indicates how long it took the player to react to the green light and cross the starting line after the countdown was completed.
The track also features a "prepped" surface by default, which uses a custom groundmodel with increased friction to simulate being stickier and grippier than the default asphalt. In real life, most drag strips are treated with a combination of tire rubber and a traction compound such as PJ1 TrackBite or VHT to increase grip levels for high-powered vehicles. A surface that lacks such an adhesive is called a "no prep" surface. To my knowledge this has never been done before this project, and an early version of this was the basis for the surface used on the Rock Falls Raceway launch pad.
This download includes a few versions:
- Default (prepped)
- No prep (default asphalt/concrete friction settings)
- Multiplayer (same as default, with a special script designed for a custom server that supports online synchronized racing. Will not work in single-player!)
- Multiplayer no prep (same as multiplayer, but using the no prep surface)
I have a server already set up for the MP version of the map that you all may have seen before. It also seems to be fairly groundbreaking in that it offers synchronized starts and provides a way to have each player's game send the results so the server can compare and automatically determine the winner. Because it is comparing recorded times from each player rather than visually judging the finish line, it should in theory not be dependent on issues like lag. For any big drag racing fans out there, the MP version supports heads-up, index, and bracket racing, complete with allowing dial-ins and enforced breakout rules. TL;DR it should be able to handle almost every standard format of drag racing with ease
There is a slight problem in that it is intended for someone to operate the system manually as a race starter, so it's probably not the best choice for casual use right now. It would be great for organized drag racing though, even planned events if there was enough interest. In time I may devise a way to have a simplified self-serve mode for the online system, but in the meantime I'll probably set up another server for the single-player version of the map so it can be enjoyed in some form in multiplayer if there is no one available to operate the MP system.
I will probably come up with pictures and perhaps a "how to drag race" guide at some point, but I wanted to finally release the track in its current state to the public after years of holding on to it. Pardon the big text wall as well, as I felt it was necessary to highlight some of the important features I spent countless hours researching, implementing and testing.
Hope y'all enjoy!
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