0W15-SkiJump [in 2.3]

[Wuzzy]

I have an idea for a new track I want to create: A ski jump track.
This would be a winter track with an unique stunt element: A long steep downwards slope—maybe as a bridge— which apruptly ends with a small ramp. After that ramp there is a long broad forwards road where you can land on. The rest of the track basically just returns to the ramp, of course.

This is basically like in ski jumping, but with a car instead of ski.
Obviously such a track can’t be driven in the other direction.

Now my first attempts to create such a track failed miserably. After the jump, the car pitches its nose quickly downwards and this can’t be controlled by the driver once flying. No matter how I take the ramp, I fail. This makes it very hard, if not impossible, to land safely.

I am asking you for advice. How could I design the track so it is at least possible to land safely?

[CryHam]

Hmm. Difficult, but I think you would have to (1st) pick one speed. Or just make a constant distance from start to jump, use ES car, and always start and just hold full throttle. This would at least make changing landing place easier. Trying to have a constant picked speed each drive would just be a waste of time imo.
Then, well, when we want to land it's best if car pitch doesnt change (car won't rotate too much) (2nd thing). This should happen at bigger speeds, IDK now but I guess 160kmh or more, sure car will lower pitch somewhat but less and onto next thing:
The landing place should have the shape just like (or very similar) the car's (fall) trajectory (3rd) at that picked speed.
Ideally one should just generate that shape by mathematical formula (of a parabolic function, it has an increasing pitch angle with distance). But that would be needed in code.
So I guess, best other method now would be to just use a sinus brush for landing fall (parabolic shape), do this once, and then maybe, try to fit jump height and angle so that car should fly close to the shape of landing ground as much of the time as possible (4rd).
I'd say use road for that jump, would be easier to move road points, than deforming terrain.

Hm. Other idea would be to maybe find an exact side view (profile) of a real ski jump, find what velocity people have when jumping and try to make this profile in editor using a sinus brush probably many times to match. But yeah, aerodynamics is completely different for a human and car, so maybe not a good idea.

[CryHam]

(just a note)
Car's pitch changes due to aerodynamic params, which were set in .car files by me (front and rear wing's downforce).
More or less so that the pitch is close to the fall trajectory. This is probably best for ES, and S1, some other cars may have it different (not best for jumping).
How car will behave can be seen in car debug text, the line below --at 160 kmh--, then Tq: ... The 2nd value is the y torque which tells how much car will change pitch when flying at 160kmh.
You can maybe try Test11-Jumps. Holding throttle with ES, will show at the 1st jump (slow speed) that car will change pitch when flying, while at 2nd jump (have to brake a bit before) it more or less flies nicely straight.

[Wuzzy]

Thanks a lot. I will consider this information when attempting to create such a track.

[Calinou]

Make the landing a downhill slope?

[Wuzzy]

Okay, I have created it! It’s called “Ski Jump”. Version 1 (preview version).

The track has some issues. The road should be smooth. Okay, this can be fixed easily. But also the top of the ski jumping hill has a nasty bump; I have no idea how to get rid of it.

The track features a ski jumping hill, is built using bridges, and a long easy way up again. It has a large height difference of 206 m. Surprisingly, it can be driven in both directions, the reverse direction is simply a bit harder.

[dimproject]

Good original track.
I like this track!
I fixed something.

Ski Jump_v2.zip

(3.97 MiB) Downloaded 330 times

[CryHam]

This is a nice and good looking track.
So the bumps at start were due to many points in 1 place and then suddenly far away. I did show that in warnings chapter.
I like the 2nd version better. TBO I didn't like the jump in 1st at all, it had a really narrow car speed range. A bit lower and you land before in rocks, then bit more and you land way out, falling from sky. Also you didn't see anything from below while flying. Landing was just too close, which is fixed in ver 2. I think it could be even further but well, slower cars could not make it.
But ver destroyed the road surface setting, I've set it to roadSnow since it is winter. Decreased snow dust on road, easier snow surface on terrain (SnowMedium).
Banked a bit some sharp turns, and made them a bit wider, this is like the usual stuff that has to be done on all tracks IMO. Also added 2 wood blocks outside 1 turn.
Made a preview shot from further, other side.
Ah, and I did half Heightmap, sorry 4MB is too much for a small track.
Here is my version 3 (update to ver 2):
I think it's ok to include this in next ver as 0W15-SkiJump.

[Wuzzy]

Thank you both for your suppport so far!

Okay, here’s a little update, based on CryHam’s version 3. Just two cosmetic changes, but these are important to me.

The landing slope is now a proper road, not a bridge anymore. I did this to more closely resemble actual ski jumping hills.
I also changed the checkpoints of the ski jumping hill. There is a reason why I did not add a checkpoint at the jump, because it breaks the car reset. Since this is basically one long straight line, you can’t take shortcuts here. So I think it’s okay to have such a long path between two checkpoints.

Oh, with the XZ I managed to go reverse (after 2nd try) without boost! :P

[CryHam]

Right. Cool.
I've pushed v4 to master.

[dimproject]

In the replay I had seen bug with speedometer (speed).

[Calinou]

After the jump, the car pitches its nose quickly downwards and this can’t be controlled by the driver once flying.

Boosting while in air can help.