Racer (simulator)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Racer Free Car Simulation | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Developer(s) | Ruud van Gaal |
| Publisher(s) | Ruud van Gaal |
| Designer(s) | Ruud van Gaal |
| Engine | OpenGL |
| Release date(s) | 29 August 2000 |
| Genre(s) | Sim racing |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Linux, Mac OS X |
| Media | Internet (free download) |
| System requirements | PC with a 500 MHz processor or comparable Mac, 3D graphics card with OpenGL support |
| Input | Wheel, mouse, gamepad, joystick or keyboard |
Racer (in full: Racer Free Car Simulation) is a free racing simulator that runs on Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.
Although Racer started out as a driving simulator, it also has features that are usually seen in racing games, such as racing against AI cars, or against human opponents in multiplayer mode. Among its strong points are a very realistic physics engine (also used in a commercial racing simulator), and good graphics. The great graphics come from an advanced shader system, allowing live reflections and other effects. Its weak points, when compared with commercial racing games, is the absence of wear/damage physics or a career mode.
An important characteristic of Racer is its openness. The software itself is maintained exclusively by the creator (Ruud van Gaal), but the formats for cars, tracks and other data are documented. Furthermore, tools to aid in car and track creation are part of the release. As a result, a large number of cars has been created and published, in a large variety: Formula 1, GT, vintage, trucks, daily drivers, luxury sedans ... even a shopping trolley has been modelled. Likewise, tracks are available in various types, from true racing circuits to drag strips, mountain roads, and even a car park.
Racer was first released in August 2000, and has been continuously updated up to the present day. Over the years, a community has grown around Racer. The main forum for Racer is at Race Sim Central Forums
The Racer software is free, in the sense of freeware (for non-commercial users). While the source code of an older version is available, it is not under an open source license. The cars and tracks have various forms of license, but can all be downloaded for free.
Whilst one of the strengths of Racer is its open file format, perhaps one of its weaknesses is its closed-source stance and development team. The Racer community contributes to testing and suggesting features that should be added, but the development side of Racer is very much based on the amount of time the developers have to contribute towards it. This translates to infrequent updates of varying quality, but updates are often very feature-rich and inspire a new burst of energy into the development and modification of cars and tracks.
[edit] Racing Simulators that use the Racer Engine
- D1RGP
[edit] See also
- NetKar Pro, professional online racing simulator
[edit] External links
- Official Site
- Race Sim Central forum Official forum, has tracks, cars and the latest beta version
- Racer-Xtreme A community created track and car database
- Motorsport-Klassiker A site dedicated to historic cars for RACER, mostly pre-war
- Category at ODP
- D1 Racer Grand Prix
- GTapex.com endo's homepage hosting his own cars, and a selection of addon parts
- Iroker.com Iroker's homepage, hosting his own cars, and a comprehensive car/track database from other authors
- [1]3d Autos racer downloads
- RacerWiki A Wiki for Racer
