Racer (simulator)

Infobox VG
title = Racer Free Car Simulation


developer = Ruud van Gaal
publisher = Ruud van Gaal
designer = Ruud van Gaal
engine =
released = 29 August, 2000
genre = Sim racing
modes = Single player, Multiplayer
ratings =
platforms = Microsoft Windows, Linux, Mac OS X
media = Internet (free download)
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 [http://www.hexatechracing.com 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 [http://forum.rscnet.org/forumdisplay.php?f=111 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.

Racing Simulators that use the Racer Engine

*"D1RGP"

See also

*"NetKar Pro" - professional online racing simulator
*"rFactor" - Racing Sim
*"Live for Speed" - online racing simulator
* X Motor Racing - an open-ended racing simulator

External links

* [http://www.racer.nl/ Official Site]
* [http://racerm.forumz.ro/ Official Roumaian Forum]
* [http://forum.rscnet.org/forumdisplay.php?f=111 Race Sim Central forum] Official forum, has tracks, cars and the latest beta version
* [http://www.racer-xtreme.com/ Racer-Xtreme] A community created track and car database
* [http://www.motorsport-klassiker.de.vu/ Motorsport-Klassiker] A site dedicated to historic cars for "Racer", mostly pre-war
* [http://dmoz.org/Games/Video_Games/Driving_and_Racing/Simulations/Racer/ Category at ODP]
* [http://fsr.no/d1rdgp/ D1 Racer Grand Prix]
* [http://gtapex.com/ GTapex.com] endo's homepage hosting his own cars, and a selection of addon parts
* [http://iroker.com/ Iroker.com] Iroker's homepage, hosting his own cars, and a comprehensive car/track database from other authors
* [http://www.3dautos.co.uk 3d Autos] racer downloads
* [http://pitstop.totalnfs.net/racerwiki RacerWiki] A Wiki for "Racer"
* [http://www.tracciontrasera.es/ Traccion Trasera] It's the biggest site on the net that hosts more than 400 downloads for Racer, images, videos... frequently updated. No register needed. Get the files in one click.
* [http://www.xtremeracers.net/ XtremeRacers] The largest site with content for Racer. The latest version of Racer, cars, tracks, tuned cars, skins, mods... multilanguage site.
* [http://france-racer.actifforum.com/ france-racer] The french forum about Racer.
* [http://ro-racer.net/ romanian-racer] The romanian resources site
* [http://phanteon.net/ New Cars] News about cars in racer.