Invitation to test Street Stock Shootout ver. 3

[Keeper]

Since you guys have been racing the SSS mod, I figure you might want to join in on testing the first Release Candidate beta of SSS version 3. I hope to put that up for download tomorrow night.

Version 3 includes three engines:

The original 212 hp V6 that the mod had before.
A 300 hp 280 c.i. V8.
A 400 hp 305 c.i. V8.

Those two V8s are more in line with what a hobby/street stock really puts out, depending on where you look.

Two tire options are available also. Each combination of tire/engine puts the driver in a new "Class" to make it easy for leagues to set up their preferred rules.

Damage model is improved (new feelers all around -- you won't hit something before you get there anymore, and the car will rest on its roof when overturned instead of floating a foot off the ground; new collision boxes -- separate box for each of the two models since one model is much longer than the other and has a very differently shaped nose; more denting). Lots of visual improvements (new driver and steering wheel that turns from outside the car, a "panel beaten sheet metal" DX9 bump map, less window tint, improved look of the cockpit, corrected cockpit location, and a lot more little things). Aerodynamic changes (the car originally had such low drag, it was like an IndyCar; now it's a damn boat like it should be). Center of gravity is slightly higher (it had been lower than even the Panoz Esperante).

I'm still pondering other possibilities, like a strictly unlocked rear end option, since I know many tracks do not allow limited-slip differentials, and a strictly locked rear end option (for the same reason, though I think a locked rear end is more of a dirt-track thing -- out here, our rules changed from unlocked to locked last year).

Anyway, you can follow in more detail and see what I'm thinking about and looking for feedback on the development thread over at CRO (the same CRO you see in the mod already in the "CRO Series" cars; mine is the circle-88, painted like my brother's circle-44 from 1982!): http://www.calrace.com/cms/modules.php? ... pic&t=1667

That's the public forum so you should be able to read it and view the pictures without signing up. And you can post comments here. I see you guys were updating the brakes in some way ... Maybe that's something I can incorporate. Let me know what you did and if there's something else you think should be included. In fact, if you have a car painted (one that looks suitably hobby-stockish), maybe I'll throw it in there; I'm doing that for a few extra CRO cars that were painted for a big figure-8 race we had in 2007. You can also send me a standard rFactor driver suit (not the Howston style) and helmet (but note that I've altered the rFactor helmet to remove the lower aero lip) to go with your car.

Wait 'til you're dirt-trackin' these things around Joesville... or heck, drifting through the turns at IMS; they're fun on the big tracks too now! They're really a blast, and I think people are going to like 'em as much as I do.

[Keeper]

OK, I hope I cleared out everything that needed clearing out and packed everything that needed to be packed and that this all works right:

http://files.filefront.com/SS3beta17z/; ... einfo.html

Be sure to delete your current GameData\NationalStockCar\AeroWarsStreetStocks folder, as well as the StreetStock2.rfm and related images if you had downloaded that earlier test version.

Let me know if there are any problems.

And test 'em on big tracks as well as small ones; it's really quite fun!