
THUNDER ROAD INTERNATIONAL SPEEDBOWL for the NASCAR Racing 2003 simulation.

Short Track (0.25 Mile - oval)


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TABLE OF CONTENTS:

[1] HOW TO INSTALL THE TRACK
[2] GENERAL TRACK INFORMATION
[3] CREDITS
[4] IMPORTANT NOTES REGARDING THE THUNDER ROAD A.I. by J.R. Franklin  
[5] KNOWN ISSUES AND NOTES ABOUT THIS TRACK  
[6] TROUBLE REPORTING
[7] DISTRIBUTION INFORMATION
[8] AGREEMENT OF USE

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[1] HOW TO INSTALL THE TRACK
====================================

Unzip the zip file to:  C:\Papyrus\Nascar Racing 2003 Season\tracks\. If you have multiple instances of NR2003S installed, you will need to manually select the tracks directory where you wish to install this track.



[2] GENERAL TRACK INFORMATION
====================================

Type: Real track

AI: Yes.  Working pit stalls for 31 total cars (30 opponents)

Mod support: GNS, CTS. (This track was not tested using any other physics other than those.)

Track Information: 0.25 mile high banked (15 degrees) asphalt oval in Barre, VT. 

Track History and Overview:  Operating since the 1950's, Thunder Road has been packing in the crowds with thrilling short track action and excitement.  Nestled atop Quarry Hill in Barre, VT, the popular Green Mountain State Speedbowl features weekly racing on Thursday nights showcasing the Late Models, Tiger Sportsman, Street Stocks, and Junkyard Warriors.  In 1997, TNN televised a NASCAR BGN race to a national TV audience casting a spotlight upon one of America's great little short tracks.  Today, the track hosts 3 visits by the prestigious American-Canadian Tour (ACT) Late Model Racing Series including the season finale "Milk Bowl" which is run in 3 segments with the winner fulfilling a 48-year old tradition of kissing a cow in victory circle.

This NR2003 version of Thunder Road is an attempt to closely resemble the track as it appears in its current state.  It is not, however, an exact replica, nor do the limits of NR2003 allow it to be.  This project represents the culmination of over four years of work from many contributors.  It is a tribute to all of the many fans and competitors who love and visit Thunder Road and stands as a small replica to help them relive the great door-to-door, beatin' and bangin' action of one of New England's and the country's most beloved tracks.


[3] CREDITS:
====================================

The following is a list of the people and members of Project: Short Track" who contributed to this project:  

1.  J.R. Franklin:  Overall project development and coordination, graphic detailing and immersion, object editing, textures, horizons, start grids, Lps, AI (Artificial Intelligence, i.e. the computer controlled cars), surface grip levels, cameras, quality assurance and testing.

2.  Ian Smythe (Smiffsden.com): custom 3do object modeling, texturing, horizons, cameras, troubleshooting, quality assurance, beta testing and overall general assistance and consulting.

3.  Carl Sundberg (Riviera71): custom 3do object modeling, texturing, general assistance and consulting.

4.  Aaron Maynard:  Creator of the original base track built via Butter's Rule specifications, Lps, surface grip levels, default fast setups, quality assurance, beta testing and general consultant to the project.

5.  Wayne "Bowtie" Anderson: custom 3do object modeling. 

6.  Matt Gilson:  texturing of race car objects, miscellaneous tree objects, quality assurance and beta testing.

7.  Wayne Faircloth:  Racing setups consultant.

8.  Robin "Amtronic" Tice and all of the guys in the NR2k3Tracks.com Editors forum:  beta testing.


Additional credits:  

9.  Mountainman:  hauler objects.

10. Robo19:  hauler objects

11. Denis Rioux:  1970's hauler objects.
  
12. Ron Fox and Falcongrafx.com:  fictional short track and NCTS haulers.

13. The makers of Nelson Ledges for NR2003 from which we borrowed select tree objects.

14. GPL Repository:  Horizon

15. NR2k3tracks.com for their help and support.  

16. Reference sources:      
    a.  TheChromeHorn.com contributing photographers      
    b.  Big Al's Photos. 
    c.  Jim Dupont Photos
    d.  YankeeRacer.com

17. To anyone else whom we may have unintentionally neglected to mention but contributed in the creation of objects that have been borrowed from other NR2003 tracks for this project, we sincerely apologize.  Although you were not mentioned individually, your contributions to NR2003 and this track are greatly appreciated.
 

We owe a debt of gratitude to each of you for your contributions, time, support and help.



[4] IMPORTANT NOTES REGARDING THE THUNDER ROAD A.I. by J.R. Franklin:
===================================================================== 

1.  The A.I. for this track were constructed using a default papy_ai.ini, the default fast setups included with the track for each physics (CUP, GNS and CTS) and the opponent strength set at 97%. 

2.  Ratings for the car sets used in testing and in developing the A.I. for this track are from the NRatings program using the MasGrafx Full Season V3.1 formulas. 

3.  We went to great efforts to make the AI and racing as realistic as possible. At the same time, we also took some liberties with the A.I. tools available in the track.ini to enhance the "fun" factor. We're confident that you'll enjoy the offline racing experience against the AI the way we have set them up for you. 

4.  We also made an effort to get the A.I. to have an occasional random wreck that would bring out some cautions to further enhance the realism.  In trying to achieve this, we first went through the entire track and made sure that the proper surface designations were in place to allow for cautions when wrecks and spinouts occur.  We then proceeded to "push the envelope" a bit with the settings in the track.ini. This required getting the A.I. to race a little tighter, change lanes and be a little more aggressive.  As a result, the end user may experience an early wreck or 2 between the A.I. at the beginning of a race. This is because at the start of a race, the pack is at its largest and tightest. Testing revealed that once a couple of early wrecks occurred, then the A.I. seemed to settle down and spread out.  However, once another random wreck occurred, the restart would re-tighten the pack and as the saying goes....."Cautions can breed more cautions".  Kind of like real life racing!

5.  This track features multiple grips allowing 2 distinct racing groves just like the real Thunder Road, so race 'em low or race 'em high.  The AI will occasionally go 3-wide to provide an exceptional and exhilarating offline racing experience.  However, passing on this track is pretty difficult.  An AI car beside you (either on your outside or inside) will put up a great fight for several laps and will not relinquish the spot easily...if at all.

6. This track was not tested with CUP or PTA physics.  All testing and track.ini settings are for the GNS and CTS physics only, which the author of the track feels are best suited to racing at Thunder Road.  The CUP physics will work, but the AI has not been tested or balanced for CUP.

SUMMARY.  To enjoy the best results, we recommend that you use the default fast setups provided with the track and car/truck sets containing ratings as described above. Your results and A.I. behavior, however, may vary depending on the type of mod used, the ratings of your specific car set, different setups used, driving style, type of steering wheel and pedals, skill level and countless other variables that make it practically impossible to predict the results that you will achieve while racing on this track.



[5] KNOWN ISSUES AND NOTES ABOUT THIS TRACK
============================================= 

1.  General.  This track was constructed under "Butter's Rule" to make it capable to run with AI.  However, because of the size of this track at 0.25 mi., it pushes the NR2003 simulation to beyond the limits of what it was originally intended.  

2.  Cautions.  When a caution comes out, the field sometimes takes awhile to get themselves lined back up under caution pacing.  Please remain patient as they will eventually get themselves sorted out and properly lined back up before going back to green.

3.  Caution and Pit Road Speed.  We have intentionally set the caution pace speed very slow at 30 mph. The pit road speed has been set higher at 50 mph.  This was done to allow cars to make pit stops without losing a lap.  Testing has found that you can make at a minimum, a 2-tire change and still remain on the lead lap.  In some instances, depending on where you are in the running order and how close behind the pace car you are during the caution laps, you can complete a full 4-tire stop with gas.  So plan your pit work accordingly.   

4.  AI Pitting.  AI cars are observed being "pulled" into their pit stalls.  This is especially evident for the first two pit stalls on the right when you enter the pits.  Be aware of this.  All efforts have been made to fix this issue, but the tiny configuration of this track unfortunately pushes the limits of the sim.  (Again, NR2003 was not designed to have 1/4 mile tracks with working A.I.).

5.  End of Race.  AI cars will often stack up and wreck upon entering the pits at the conclusion of races.

6.  AI Behavior.  AI cars will sometimes exhibit other odd behaviors that are unfortunately inherent in short tracks made for NR2003.  However, our tests have shown that for the most part the AI performs very well in this track during offline races.

7.  Draw-in Issues.  A slow draw-in of trees and some objects is observed in the rear view mirror.

8.  High Demand on PC's. This track is a highly detailed graphics-rich track with many hi-res objects.  While testing has shown that it performs well on most systems, it may place an extreme demand on lower-end PC's. 

Attempts have been made to remedy all of the issues/problems detailed above, however, all were ultimately unsuccessful.


We hope that you will enjoy the racing at this track as much as we have bringing it to you.


[6] TROUBLE REPORTING 
====================================

This track is not supported by or affiliated with Vivendi Universal Games, Sierra Online, or Papyrus Racing Games so please do not call or email.

You may use the forums at www.NR2k3Tracks.com for questions regarding the track.



[7] DISTRIBUTION INFORMATION 
====================================

Distributing Websites:

www.nr2k3tracks.com and www.smiffsden.com

THIS TRACK SHALL NOT BE POSTED AT ANY WEBSITES, OTHER THAN THE ONE(S) PROVIDED, WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM J.R. Franklin.  To obtain permission to post, please PM J.R. Franklin at www.nr2k3tracks.com.


[8] AGREEMENT OF USE
=====================================

Use of this track by installation into a racing simulator constitutes agreement with this and the following statements:

1) This track shall not be sold or distributed for commercial purposes, or money exchanged for this track or any part thereof.

2) This track shall not be redistributed without written consent of the author(s) as listed above. 

3) This track cannot be modified without written consent of the author(s) as listed above.

4) This track, or any parts thereof, shall not be converted to rFactor or any other simulation without the signed written consent of the author(s) as listed above.

5) This track must always maintain an unmodified copy of this CREDITS_README in whatever forms it is distributed.

6) This track is covered by implied intellectual property laws, in that it is the property of the author(s).

7) This track is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.



