Category talk:Track images

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Track Image Continuity

Right, as some of you may have seen with the Masters circuits - they all got new images up made from scratch. Discussed this with Mal and he gave me a green light to go ahead. So I'm planning to go hard at it for other tracks. The main idea behind this is that we have our 100% own track images and not borrowing images from other places. Also, it adds continuity to it. A lot of the other track images might have stuff others don't and so on so forth.

So with these ones - they will all be the same. Nice and uniform. Each one will have corner numbers, track direction and finish line. I've made a PSD file with necessary graphics if and when I get bored with this and someone else wants to take this on.

I also have a generator that produces the track from rFactor in a *.png format. So they are nice and crystal clear. Also with so many Gp4 and older tracks, that should hopefully allow me to generate a track map for every track we've raced on - and different versions. Take something like Hockeinheim, Spa, Silverstone etc that has been updated. I'll be updating with all layouts that we have raced on over the years.

I'm backing up the files so lets say someone down the line wants to add corner names or other fanciful shit. It'll be there.

Oh - I ain't numbering Nordschleife :P --Philip Cullen

Good stuff Philip - would be great to have a consistent set of track maps for the wiki, especially as some of the ones I found were pretty awful. Btw any chance of getting hold of that track png generator? --Chris williamson 11:14, 7 August 2011 (UTC)

Yeah, no problem. It's the Autosim Circuit Layout Generator I plucked off rFC a while ago. Eventually got some use out of it! Alls you do is just go into the Gamedata/Locations/whatever track name and load the file. You can then choose what size you want to save it (I've been doing them in 2048 pixels, I believe.. http://www.rfactorcentral.com/detail.cfm?ID=Autosim%20Circuit%20Layout%20Generator

That gives you a thin lined *.png file. What I would do then in photoshop is add a 20 pixel 'Stroke' option to it, set to 'center' to thicken the line to see what you can see I have.

I then made my own corner markers up (I've done up to about 30) and a finish line and track direction marker. So it saves making them up all the time! Just a case of copy/pasting the whole way through. I'll upload that somewhere.

Oh, another thing. when I'm uploading them, I'm calling them by their official track name. So those that are currently uplaoded with the correct track name, I'm updating. But the likes of Melbourne with the random track name, I just uploaded a fresh one. That is just me being fussy and wanting everything name cleanly. - --Philip Cullen

2011 Tracks

The layouts of the 2011 tracks are all done. Layouts were generated from the 2011 track pack that is in the mod. --Philip Cullen

2010 Tracks

Only three different layouts in 2010 (hurrah for season continuity!). Although have to admit two of the three where traditionally odd choices! Anyway. Have to ask.. which Estoril version did you guys use? I'm assuming it was the 1988 version and not the 2010 version? --Philip Cullen

It was originally going to be the 2010 version, but it proved too laggy so the 1988 version was used in the end. Great work you're doing btw and thanks for the link above. --Chris williamson 16:10, 7 August 2011 (UTC)

Cool stuff. I'll get the 1988 version done up for it then. --Philip Cullen

2008 - 2009 Tracks

Right. 2009 is done. That was rather easy. Only a few new ones to be added. The dodgy ones, as I used to call them ha! As for 2008, that is the season I'm likely to stop at till the other seasons get a bit more done. 2000 to 2007 is a little more dis-organised in total layout compared to the online 'era' of the league. So I'll hold off on them until they get sorted (not to mention, we'll have to check out layouts and such.)

I do need to go and dig through the old forums to see which versions of Hock and Nuerburgring were used in 2008. I know we in the F1VWC used the new Hock for that, but not sure about the GPVWC. I remember at one point they started going all standard tracks because of bugs and the like creeping in from the new tracks so. Actually have to find an old version of the 'ring actually. There is no pre-Tilke hairpin for rFactor. Think there is for GTR2 though and this generator works off that so... --Philip Cullen

2008 is done. I've put the standard GP4 versions of Hungary, Hockenheim and the Nürburg as track images. (Found a place that does various track conversions which helped me dig out the old stuff! Even if they used updated versions (Mal get off your lazy arse would ya and let me know!) - the league would've used default versions of them at some point. So it's not like wasted space. I've uploaded them with the appendages of what year layout they were to differentiated from the 'latest modern-day' version used. --Philip Cullen

Track Image Thoughts - Oct 11

Okay guys, I was doing some thinking (scary stuff, huh!)

I was wondering what you thought about the track cornering numbers. I had the idea of getting rid of it and just going with a start line and arrow of track direction logo. Why, you may ask? Well, more and more I find tracks that have in their official number of corners - but they don't add up when you put down the corner markers. Plus, official tracks seem to vary on their idea of a corner numbering. Some state that a chicane is one corner, while others consider them two corners. Others consider a slight kink on a straight a corner. Frustrating it is, especially with trying to have coherence in the whole idea.

It's all a bit messy in that regard, which had me thinking of removing the numbers and just going with the start line/arrow combo - and then just use the official corner numbers of a track to state it in the stats. Also, I think for some tracks, it might make it a bit tidier (say a track like Singapore or even worse.. Valencia - how tight shit is when the colour combos go in. Leads it to be a bit untidy.

Anyway - I just thought I'd throw it out for your thoughts before I went head rush into it and whether you guys like it/don't like it. --Philip Cullen

Any objections to running with this idea? Feel like I could crack on a bit over with what is left of this weekend with it... Narky bastard that I am! --Philip Cullen

I have no objections so long as they are all in the same style Philip and will trust your judgment on what looks best. Just remember to go to each track you change and click 'Upload a new version of this file' rather than creating a new file for each one (as that will mean any links won't need changing and also allows for reversions should opinion change). --Chris williamson 14:55, 17 October 2011 (UTC)

Yep, that is the plan, Chris. More or less the same style. Not a whole lot of enhancement that can be done. Max that could really could be done is to add a different colour border around it, but doubt how that might add to it. And yeah, I know all about uploading the new version. Learned that one when I realised I left a crapload of white space on the first versions!--Philip Cullen

Track Image Continuity Project Update

Okay, here is where things stand.

Masters Series is 100% up to date with relevant track maps for its three seasons. The Megane Series is also up to date on the track layouts used in that series. Some seriously fucking random choices there, that is fore sure. The two tracks for the Endurance Series is also up.

Of course, there are pickings compared to the history that the SL has to deal with. The race tracks from 2008 to 2011 of course were done previously. I've also managed to do a lot of the test tracks. However, if could really do with an official list of 2009 (don't remember half of them) and 2010 (wasn't there for them) test circuits used. The next big project is of course, the 2002 - 2008 tracks. Now some I have covered with little layout changes. Others, such as classic versions of the Nurburgring and various versions of Barcelona I have found.

Anything I've newly uploaded today, I haven't made track pages for. If I get the chance tomorrow, I will. --Philip Cullen

Well obviously I wasn't around in 2002 - 2008, but from what I understand of GP4 there were fairly limited numbers of tracks and version available. Hopefully you might be able to make some assumptions based on these old pages I found using waybackmachine:

* http://web.archive.org/web/20070703053142/http://www.f1vwc.com/2005-results.php

* http://web.archive.org/web/20070830083449/http://www.f1vwc.com/2006-results.php

--Chris williamson 12:09, 23 October 2011 (UTC)

Yeah I can remember a good deal from the GP4 era. Main thing I'm aiming for is just to double check on them to ensure that they are the correct format. Hungary and France are probably the two that stand out as ones I'm not sure of, whether we used the most current ones. I know in 2008, they were - but that was during the league split and I'm unsure what the GPVWC side did in that regard (as they started to abandon custom tracks after problems presented themselves) . 07 is a bit hazy. Long time ago for me now ha! --Philip Cullen