Big KartKraft Build V0.1.0.2620 Update Released

There’s a long list of work from developers Black Delta, with a big KartKraft Build V0.1.0.2620 update released for their karting simulator.

The game was released onto Steam Early Access in November 2018, and has received a wide range of updates since then. This build includes a new trest drive menu which is part of the preparation for an upcoming track modding tool, which sounds pretty interesting.

Other changes worth noting include the new input system which means it should be easier to set up a wheel and pedals, although it does mean you’ll need to reset everything as an existing KartKraft racer. And updates to the default force feedback.

KartKraft Build V0.1.0.2620 Update Details:

New input system

The input system has been completely re-designed and built from the ground up to make setting up wheels and controllers a seamless experience via a calibration wizard. This has the added benefit of simplifying the UI since we’ve been able to remove invert/min/max settings for each analogue input (Throttle/Brake/Clutch/Steering). Please note that these changes mean all players are required to set your controls up again

Test Drive

We’ve added a new test drive menu in preparation for the release of our upcoming track modding tool. This is the result of a large refactor to the map loading system which can now discover and load tracks dynamically at runtime.

HUD

Individual HUD elements can now be positioned on the screen using the mouse to better accommodate players’ preferences. They can also be toggled on/off by right clicking on the screen and selecting the appropriate widget type. Note that this feature is not available in VR at this time. Driver numbers are now are now rendered on the placings widget similar to MotoGP

FreeTrack

KartKraft now has support for FreeTrack, the open source equivalent to TrackIR which provides six degrees of freedom (6DOF) head tracking via a webcam. This can be configured in the ‘Camera’ settings menu.

Audio

We’ve now added a slider to control the volume of your opponents which some users have reported as being too loud. This is available under the ‘Sound’ settings menu.

FFB Defaults

The default force feedback strength setting has been increased to be consistent with forces felt in real life. This is particularly important for non direct drive wheel users that spin when applying the throttle out of corners, due to a lack of corrective forces being felt through the wheel when experiencing power-on oversteer. We strongly recommend that players increase this setting to a value as high as they can handle.

Timing and exploit fixes

The method of live delta calculation for the session fastest lap and personal fastest lap has been improved, resulting in much greater accuracy through all sectors. Previously this could fluctuate with a margin of error around 1 tenth of a second. We’ve tracked down a bug that some players were unknowingly exploiting to gain time during leaderboard attempts. This was caused by floating point (im)precision that could result in laptimes up to a second faster than real-time when a session was run for an extended duration. i.e 48+ hours

Crash fixes

After implementing automatic crash reporting in the previous build, we have been able to identify and fix a crash that was responsible for 76% of crashes reported by players. This should result in much higher stability for all players.

Dynamic sky

With the introduction of the new sky system in the last update, several groups of players experienced hitches when loading sky resources. We’ve now implemented dynamic resource loading for the sky resulting in lower memory utilisation and faster map load times.

KartKraft Build V0.1.0.2620 Update Changelog:

• New Input System. Wheels are now easier to bind and presets have been removed.
• Added the ability to move and hide HUD elements on screen.
• Added Freetrack head tracking option. Available in Settings > Camera.
• Added a setting for controlling opponent kart audio volumes.
• Added driver numbers to HUD.
• Added work-in-progress results screens.
• Added audio notification when new online session is available to join.
• Increased accuracy of all live delta values displayed on HUD.
• Increased default FFB gain setting.
• Re-enabled player name tags in online mode.
• Online practice session lets drivers finish their final lap before ending.
• Fixed bug where AI would sometimes fail to load.
• Fixed lap and sector timing inaccuracy when running for long periods of time.
• Fixed corrupt packages due to shutting down game while write is in progress.
• Fixed hitches in dyanmic sky loading.
• Fixed unwanted motion output when replaying.
• Fixed trackside cameras not properly handling karts retiring and entering pits.
• Fixed ghost trails following tyres on road surface.
• Fixed chase camera look movement.

You can download karting simulator KartKraft for the PC via Steam Early Access for £15.99. And keep up with all the latest KartKraft news, updates and eSports here.