Racer FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
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THE RACER FAQ
This list contains answers to problems and questions that come up regularly. Note that due to the amount of email I get regarding recurring problems with Racer, it has become impossible for me to personally answer each question.
Last generated on 20-03-2007
1. What is Racer?
2. Getting help
3. Upgrading from v0.5.0 to the v0.5.3 beta's
4. Setting up the game
5. Common problems
6. Graphics problems
7. Game controls
8. More cars and tracks
9. Windows specific - troubleshooting
10. Mac specific
11. Linux specific
12. Car creation (3D Modeling)
13. Car creation (physics)
14. Track creation
----------------------------------------------------
1. What is Racer?
1.1 What
is Racer?
Racer is a free car simulation project, focusing on
realism. It also stimulates users to create their own content (cars and
tracks) by using simple file formats.
1.2 What
audience does Racer target?
This is not really an arcade game, but more in the
Grand Prix Legends style. The focus on realism makes Racer suited for hardcore
simfans, automotive engineers, 3D modelers and tweakers (there's a LOT to
tweak).
If you want to hop in a car, drive off and beat Michael Schumacher's time,
then this is NOT the game for you.
1.3 Can I
run it on my computer?
You will need Windows 2000/XP/Vista, Linux (nVidia/ATI
at least) or MacOS-X (10.2+). Windows 95/98/ME are not supported anymore
(unsure about NT4). And you need a graphics accelerator; the better the
card, the faster Racer runs.
1.4 Can I
run it on Windows Vista?
It should run; see this
thread for more information on getting it to run. I have no Vista myself,
so can't really test.
1.5 What
hardware is specifically NOT supported?
Incompatible these days are most of the Voodoo graphics
cards. Some of these have trouble with textures sized above 256x256, and
this is already used for the menu (you may notice texture bugs, no menu
graphics etc).
Also, Mac OS9 is not supported (it's not a Unix).
1.6 Where
can I download it for my platform?
Downloads are free. It's available for Windows,
Linux and Mac OS X.
Click those links for the appropriate download pages and follow the installation
instructions.
1.7 Which
version do I want to download? Stable or beta?
Get the beta version. The
latest stable version is v0.5.0 but is very old by now. The versions available
may differ per platform. Windows versions are normally released first.
2. Getting help
2.1 Where
can I turn to for help on the game?
Try NOT to mail the author unless you really have to.
I get too much mail to be able to answer everyone personally, if at all.
This FAQ should help a lot of people with a lot of common problems. In order
of searching, if this FAQ doesn't help out, you can browse the documentation
on this site (there is a lot), or try a forum.
There's also an IRC channel; #racer on irc.entergame.com.
2.2 Is there
an error log somewhere to help me find problem causes?
Yes, a file named 'QLOG.txt' is created when warnings/errors
appear internally in the game. On Windows, it is named QLOG.txt and is located
in the installation directory. For the Unix versions (Linux/Mac) it will
be created in the user's home directory (for example /home/joe/QLOG on Linux,
/Users/joe/QLOG on the Mac).
The errors can be provide vital hints at times about problems you may have.
3. Upgrading from v0.5.0 to the v0.5.3 beta's
3.1 My
clutch doesn't work anymore. What happened?
The clutch functionality has been inverted. To use
a v0.5.0 control set file (in data/ctrlsets) for v0.5.2, edit the file in
a text editor, search for 'clutch' and invert 'negate'. So if there is no
negate, try 1; if negate=1, modify it to read negate=0. Note that v0.5.3
reverses it again though, so it looks more like the throttle/brake pedals.
3.2 Force
feedback has become much lighter?
v0.5.0 uses steering torques that are unrealistic;
they don't take into account the steering ratio. v0.5.2+ rectifies this
with a steering ratio (default 15). This means every effect for v0.5.0 is
now 15 times smaller in v0.5.2. In your control set file, find controllers.controller
4. Setting up the game
4.1 How
do I get it to run on NT4?
It seems only DINPUT8.dll is required (DirectInput).
This file seems independent of the rest of DirectX, so copy this file from
another machine which has DirectX 8.0 installed. Put it in the Racer installation
directory.
I know of at least case unfortunately where this didn't work, so experiment,
or upgrade your Windows.
4.2 I
get no sound. What could be wrong?
Edit racer.ini, and check audio.enable to be 1. If
not, set it to 1. Also read the notes on 'audio.type'. For some Windows
machines, using 'winmm' seems to resolve some audio issues, although this
results in audio delays (engine rev sound lags behind the RPM dial). Leave
the field empty to autodetect (recommended).
4.3 How
can I add music?
In the file 'racer.ini', put songs in music.[section].
There are 3 sections, 'menu', 'replay' and 'race'. Per section you can specify
a number of files (for example: music.menu.song1=mytrack.ogg). Specify the
volume per song using 'volume
4.4 Does
multiplayer work?
Multiplayer is in beta form, it *may* work but it's
not officially on the feature-list.
4.5 Does
Internet multiplayer work?
It may, or may not, depending on the state of the latest
beta. You may experience large bandwidth bursts when colliding.
5. Common problems
5.1 I
start a race, then the game pauses for a moment and returns to the menu.
You probably have a problem with networking; see the
QLOG.txt file. You might need to open up your firewall a bit for port 25000
(see racer.ini's multiplayer.port); that's where Racer connects to itself
(although on 127.0.0.1/localhost, so normally that shouldn't be a problem).
6. Graphics problems
6.1 My
game runs at under 1 frame per second!
Cause A: software rendering may be used; be sure to
use the latest driver.
Cause B: a multitude of warnings are generated and written into QLOG.txt.
Check that file.
6.2 The
framerate is low; what can I do?
Note that framerate will vary with the cars/tracks
involved, but there are some options that might help, somewhat in order
of importance:
- Set envmap.live_track (in racer.ini) to 0.
- Set shadow.project_shadows to 0.
- Turn off mirrors by setting mirrors.simple.enable to 0 and mirrors.texture.enable
to 0.
- Reduce texture quality by setting textures.quality to 2, 4, 8, 16...
- Lower fx.visibility (it's specified in meters) to reduce viewing distance.
- Low-end cards have trouble with all the smoke; fx.interval higher and
reduce fx.smoke.particles.
6.3 Which
graphics cards are supported, and which are not?
Most graphics cards with OpenGL support should work
reasonably well. However, Racer v0.5.0 for example requires hardware stencil
buffer support. The nVidia TNT2 for example only seems to support this in
32-bit mode.
Voodoo2/3 cards are not really supported anymore, since they don't support
textures bigger than 256x256.
6.4 Why
are all my cars black?
This is probably because your graphics card doesn't
support environment mapping. In gfx.ini, you can try and turn this off (envmap.enable=0).
Voodoo cards seem to suffer from this.
6.5 My
textures are RED.
Texture images which cannot be found at replaced by
a red texture. Check QLOG to see what images are missing precisely.
6.6 My
textures look weird.
This might be a problem with older cards, like the
3Dfx Voodoo ones (although anything above Voodoo3 seems to support bigger
textures), which may not support textures over 256x256 in size. A future
Racer version may auto-downsize these back to 256x256 (if requested to),
but for now, downsizing any image files yourself is the only option.
You can use programs like Adobe Photoshop or PaintShop Pro for this.
6.7 How
does the graphics engine work? How to use shaders?
Try the Shader Reference
Guide or the Shader tutorial.
7. Game controls
7.1 My
force-feedback wheel starts turning left and right on its own when driving
at high speed.
There is a solution to this shimmy problems in the
How-To Controls document.
7.2 My
controller seems digital (v0.5.3 betas); when I lightly press or rotate
it goes to full on or off immediately.
In data/controls/default.ini, try commenting out the
sensitivity_rise and sensitivity_fall settings for the misbehaving controls.
7.3 How
can I race with the keyboard?
Though requested often, the keyboard is really not
the controller of choice for Racer; it's too digital. However, you can use
it if you want. On Windows, run Config and select the 'Keyboard' control
set. On other OSes, in racer.ini set 'ini.controls' to 'keyboard.ini'. The
keyboard.ini file may require tuning to suite your taste though.
7.4 How
can I change the keyboard controls?
Not all controls are customizable, but the ones in
data/controls/keyboard.ini are. Modify the 'key=' fields to your liking.
7.5 How
do I define my controllers?
On Windows, select 'Setup' from the menu, and then
'Controls'.
See also the How-To Controls page,
the Troubleshooting page for more information,
and check out the tutorial on control set
files.
7.6 How
can I change cameras?
There are 3 view types; car, track and helicopter.
Press C to switch between these. In the car view, press 0-9 for 10 different
views. In the car view, you can also use the numerical keypads keys to move
the camera around. Not all motions may be available in all camera views
though.
7.7 How
can I activate the replay?
Press F2. While in replay, press S to save (for Mac,
this saves data/replays/test.rpl; rename that file if you want to save it
for later).
7.8 Can
I take screenshots?
Yes, press F12; a .tga (Targa) file is saved in data/dump.
8. More cars and tracks
8.1 Where
can I find more tracks?
The Racer site itself is not the place to find these.
Goto Racer Xtreme for a complete
database of all cars & tracks available.
8.2 Where
can I find more cars?
Goto Racer Xtreme
for a complete database of all cars & tracks available. Also visit Racer's
forum and check out the Cars section for a lot of news on cars being created.
8.3 How
can I install them?
Most cars and tracks come as .zip files. Unzip them
in the data/cars or data/tracks directory. Each car or track must live in
its own directory. Racer will pick up on those automatically.
8.4 Are
the cars and tracks compatible on all platforms?
Yes, all files can be read on all platforms. However,
some car or track distributions may have been stored using less common programs,
which may not always be available on your machine.
8.5 Why
does car X drive so badly?
Two things can be the cause of this. All cars have
a car.ini in their directory that specifies the physics. First problem could
be that the physics are just defined badly. You may try to modify the car.ini
and get the car to behave better; that's part of the fun with Racer.
Second problem may be incompatibility; Racer v050beta6 introduced car ID's
and version numbers to be able to refuse a car if it isn't compatible with
a certain Racer version. Sometimes changes in the car.ini file (or additions)
are made that make backwards compatibility impossible or unwanted.
From v050beta6 on, trying to select an incompatible car in the 'Select car'
screen warns you about bad/incompatible cars.
9. Windows specific - troubleshooting
9.1 When
I try to run Racer it says 'missing file DINPUT8.dll'.
You need DirectX 8 minimally for Racer to run. Visit
Microsoft to download it.
Most commercial games btw have it on their CD. Note that DirectX 8 doesn't
run on Windows NT4, so that's why NT4 is not supported.
10. Mac specific
10.1 Is
Mac OS 9 supported?
No, and it will never be. Racer is basically a Unix/OpenGL
application, so it requires OS X (which is Unix).
10.2 When
running Racer, my system hangs, or the graphics look like they're scrolling
or using desktop graphics.
There was a big bug in some OpenGL drivers in upto
Mac OS X 10.1.5. When running out of texture memory, the system can hang
or do other weird things. Solution is to upgrade (graphics card or preferably
OS X).
10.3 The
Apple menu doesn't seem to work.
That is indeed the case. No menu is defined; all things
can be done from within the game itself.
10.4 Are
force feedback devices supported?
Yes. Not all PC wheels connect nicely to the Mac though;
it has to be a HID device (most Logitech wheels seem to be HID).
11. Linux specific
11.1 Is
there a Linux FAQ somewhere?
Yes, Uwe Schuerkamp has created one right
here.
11.2
I try to run 'bin/racer', but it can't files or won't run.
The 'racer' exectuable must be run from the installation
directory. Either run it by 'bin/racer' or using 'cp bin/racer .' and './racer'.
Don't run it from the bin directory itself.
11.3 I
get the error '/dev/dsp cannot be opened' when running Racer.
Try to make /dev/dsp more available. Login as root
and type 'chmod 0666 /dev/dsp'. This should make the /dev/dsp device (audio)
available for non-root users.
11.4 The
program complains it needs 'libfmod-3.4.so' (or another version).
You need FMOD for Linux to get sound to work. Go to
the FMOD site and download the API. After
that, put libfmod-3.x.so in your /usr/lib directory (or in the Racer installation
directory). Since Racer v0.4.9 still uses FMod 3.4, you can do 2 things;
either fake fmod3.4 to exist by entering (as root) 'ln -s /usr/lib/libfmod-3.5.so
/usr/lib/libfmod-3.4.so', or your second option is to get the older libfmod-3.4.so
here.
11.5 The
program complains that it can't map 'libXF86VMode.so'.
You probably only have the .a version. On Mandrake9.0,
do 'ln -s /usr/X11R6/lib/libXxf86dga.so.1 /usr/lib/libXxf86vm.so.1'. Here's
another possible solution from http://www.home.mayn.de/comrad/?news=755
:
cd /usr/X11R6/lib
ar x libXxf86vm.a
g++ -shared -o libXxf86vm.so.1 XF86VMode.o
ln -s /usr/X11R6/lib/libXxf86vm.so.1 /usr/lib/libXxf86vm.so.1
11.6 I
can't exit the game; all keys (include ESC) seem to do nothing.
You may have NumLock, CAPSlock or Scroll Lock turned
on. Make sure all those lights are off.
11.7 I
get 'libGLcore.so not found' when running Racer.
The precompiled binaries are for nVidia card. The nVidia
drivers comes with libGLcore.so. To get Racer running on other systems,
you'll need to get other binaries (or recompile Racer on your system, which
is not always trivial).
11.8 What
modeling packages are available to create cars?
See the LinuxArtist
site for packages. Among them are Blender, K-3D, Equinox3D, AC3D, Ayam.
12. Car creation (3D Modeling)
12.1 What
programs are recommended to start modeling?
Anything can basically be used, but Racer uses DOF
files and some paths are easier than others. Use of 3D Studio Max is recommended;
then export to ASE format and use Racer's Modeler to import the ASE and
export to DOF.
Alternatively you can use the free ZModeler.
12.2 How
do I unpack the files in the .ar files from existing cars?
The .ar format is used to compress and encode files
that a modeler wishes to protect. There is no program to uncompress the
.ar files, since that would violate the attempt to protect the files contained
within. Please respect that and don't try to decode the files. Most often,
the author of the files is willing to share his files if requested.
12.3 How
should I set up 3D Studio Max to work with Racer (avoid scale problems and
such)?
Be careful for unit problems (if you export and suddenly
your car is 10x bigger for example). For the solution, see the Using
Max document.
13. Car creation (physics)
13.1 I
have made a car with soft springs. When it appears on the track however,
it sinks into the track.
See also warnings in your QLOG file (from v050b6 on).
You're not giving the springs enough room to move in. Check that susp
13.2 How
can I obtain the .ar encoder to create track.ar and data.ar files?
The ar format was created to give designers a chance
to protect their work. See the BuildAr reference
page.
13.3 Can
Racer simulate motorbikes?
Somewhat, there is a motorbike
document which indicates how you might do something that resembles motorbikes.
14. Track creation
14.1 I
started using vertex colors, but now I get lighting problems; at some viewpoints,
the lighting is dark, then it suddenly turns lighter; what can be wrong?
If you're using vertex colors in your track, make sure
that vertex colors are used for EVERY object (DOF). Otherwise this can cause
seemingly random coloring because of previous vertex colors being applied
to non-vertex-colored objects.
If you're not using vertex colors, you might want to try 'Add lighting'
in TrackEd on your objects.
14.2 I
can't see all the buttons in TrackEd; they seem to overlap with the main
window.
You need to run at least a 1024x768 desktop resolution
to use TrackEd.
(last updated April 21, 2010 )