KartSim - Taking Kart Simulators
To A Whole New Level!
KartSim
is an Australian based kart game and is potentially ready to rock
the foundations of the Kart simulator world. We have had Kart
Racer, but KartSim really could take it to the next level, and
I mean the next level!
The game is developed by
a dedicated 3 man team with the goal of making the most true to
life kart sim driving experience ever. We think they might just
pull it off...big style! We thought we better get onto the KartSim
team and ask them a few questions about the game.
You recently demoed KartSim at the eGames
Show in Australia, with Luke Ellery and Matt Wall in attendance
to test the game. These two top quality drivers commented how realistic
this game already is, and how it is a huge step forward from the
likes of Kart Racer?
How happy with the show were you, and what feedback did you get?
It was quite amazing really. We received a
call on the Tuesday night at 5pm giving us the opportunity to attend
the eGames Expo that coming weekend. The only problem was that it
only gave us just over two days to prepare for it. That meant arranging
all the equipment from the kart and simulator, to the computers
themselves. Promotional material also had to be produced. Somewhere
in between that time, we also had to develop the game and polish
it for the general public to see.
Kartsim succesfully demo'd at eGames Expo
I think between us, the team had about 7 hours
of sleep for the whole 3 days of the expo. Our only real expectation
was that the people who drove KartSim enjoyed the experience of
it. We knew that if the karters that turned up were able to come
to grasp with the handling characteristics fairly quickly, we were
on the right track. Matt Wall and Luke Ellery turned up to drive
and were very impressed at how accurate the track was. The biggest
highlight of the weekend though, was when Matt posted a time within
2 tenths of his real time around the Oakleigh kart track and this
was only after driving 15 laps. To us, this was proof at how accurate
the game was, as he was braking exactly where he does in real life.
Asking him his impressions of the game, he
said, “It’s definitely Oakleigh. There’s a tiny
bit of oversteer on the exit of the corner and the brakes need a
little bit more feel to let you slide it in. But overall the kart’s
handling is very close; the physics are about 99% there”.
This was great news as it was exactly what we thought.
How does the physics model in KartSim work
regarding on kart dynamics (chassis flex, castor, no suspension
etc…
The physics engine that we are using has been
in development over the past 6 years. It allows us to simulate everything
from track width, castor, toes, cambers, to chassis stiffness and
ride heights. Obviously a kart is designed very differently to a
car, which meant existing physics engines couldn’t be used
in this application.
It would be easy to get the kart to jack the
inside rear wheel by just giving it a lot of castor; but what happens
when you add seat stays and there isn’t a lot of rubber down
in the real world? The kart would just slide and the inside rear
wouldn’t unload. In KartSim we are simulating the way the
chassis flexes when different forces are induced and so if you add
seat stays in the game and there isn’t a lot of rubber down,
you will end up with a flat kart that understeers. Front clamps,
torsion bars, running rear crash bars tight or loose etc, are all
fully simulated allowing for realistic handling.
How realistic do the karts handle under
heavy braking? E.g. can you get the rear end loose and lock up the
brakes? Also, will the monster slides that someone like Dave Sera
does, be possible in KartSim?
In previous driving simulations, the way the tires were modeled
didn’t allow for the vehicles to reach extreme slip angles
without total loss of grip. This has been a major part in the development
of KartSim. Being a karter myself, I know the importance of being
able to step on the brakes to bring the rear out and slide into
the corner. The tire model we are using allows the tires to lock
up and hold that slide all the way in to the apex. This lets you
brake extremely late into the corner and will make for some great
overtaking in the replays.
The video of Dave
Sera locking up at Todd Road is our visual goal for KartSim.
We want lockups to be a feature of the game where people from all
over the world can compete to achieve the ‘monster lockup’.
Will you be able to tune the engines as
you drive, and are there any other cool features
regarding engines?
Tuning your engine to maintain its power is an essential part
of karting and will be fully implemented in KartSim. It will be
optional to have to tune your engine, but when enabled you will
have to tune the motor with the jets to match the current temperature,
atmospheric pressure, humidity and air density. Setting up your
engine will also be a major part of the game as you can change the
exhaust length to adjust the torque curve. Shorten your exhaust
and you will have power high up in the rev range, and lengthen it
for more bottom end power.
The engine simulation we are using really is
amazing as we are even simulating the viscosity of the oil, fuel
mixtures and the friction between the piston and cylinder. If you
run too rich, you will loose power and start four-stroking. Run
too lean and you might just seize that engine.
To what extent can you change the set up
of a kart in KartSim? Will all the normal set up changes be available?
Kart setup in KartSim is represented in full
with all the options available as in real life. So things like rear
track, side pod bars, rear crash bar, fourth rail, front geometry,
tire pressures, magnesium or alloy rims, and hubs are all able to
be adjusted just as in the real world.
Some of the comments people have made about the game are
absolutely amazing. What are your goals and ambitions for KartSim?
The response to the game has been really outstanding.
Previous attempts at kart simulations haven’t really captured
the feel and intensity of actually racing karts; and that’s
really what KartSim is hoping to change. We want this to be a training
tool as much as it is a game for people who don’t race karts.
Karting is unique where the corners aren’t too far in between
and the karts themselves have so much grip and speed. It is also
very accessible. As well as keeping karters entertained when not
at the track, we hope KartSim can also be used as a promotional
tool for karting to bring more people into the sport by giving them
a taste of what it’s really about.
After the first release, we are really looking
forward to producing the European and American expansions. The response
from those regions has been amazing with a lot of people signing
up to the KartSim mailing list on our website. People who signup
to the mailing list will also get an exclusive preview of KartSim,
when we release the first of our multiplayer tests. An official
demo and full version release will follow.
Due for late 2007 KartSim really
does look to be the kart simulator game we have been waiting for.
Kart Racer was a good attempt to simulate karting,
but was held back by the shackles of the actual physics engine.
KartSim however, is being developed from the ground
up, with actual kart dynamics at the forefront of the physics engine.
And if the Sera
slides are really achievable in a realistic manner I know I
am going to be one very happy boy.
